confused

[pixelwit]

I don't get it.

I went to the chat area and saw the way things work. It looks like chat except I have to navigate with text. Where does the Flash come in? Is Flash only the topic of the chatroom? Will I be able to interact with the environment with Flash? What's the end goal? I hope I'm not sounding too naive, but my knowledge of Internet technologies (other than Flash) is quite limited.

I'd like to help but I get the feeling I'd be more of a hinderance than anything else. Maybe you'll need some useless Flash toys or really garish graphics, in which case I can be your "goto guy".

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[IFZen]

I have to say I'm a bit confused as pixelwit is. What are the different bricks of the project (between the text chat, the 20Tsqui engine & flash interface).
Please help us...

...and BZen

[vilehelm]

I'll jump in though i'm sure 20 and Red will have more to say.

The main idea is that there is a very robust engine already in place (the MUD) that we're trying to interface with through the flash based client. The chat is text based as "chat" pretty much has to be.

The main selling point of this for me is how much you can do within this engine. This is much more than a chatroom it's a little world. Things like this rely on lively intrested citizens to really make them live.

As far as it being flash based i think that we're still trying to figure out how to really exploit that angle. Most likely we'll get it done we'll use it and then we'll stock up on ideas for version 2 and so on.

I'll be posting some other jobs soon that need doing. Watch the forum space.

ps when i say "we" i mean all of us.

Ok 20 now that i'm through confusing everyone tell 'em what we're really doing...

[red penguin]

I'll jump in before the rodent...

Yes, it is really all about creating an environment...a place where you not only send text back and forth, but you are able to show emotions. Create yourself, describe things, look at objects, look at people, change how you look every day, change your "office" or "room", or whatever, run around other rooms, shout to anyone, have private conversations, play hide and seek, throw things, pick up things, find treasures, drink, swim, sunbathe, mop up after drunk penguins, drive your favorite truck, rollerskate, make lemonade, turn on the stereo and relax and...oh yeah...INTERACT WITH EVERYONE!...NOT JUST 'CHAT'!

The possibilities are endless but what we really need are all you people to jump on to get a FEEL for what this engine is NOW and where and how we want to intigrate it with Flash will then become obvious. Sure, now it'sd just using the damn keyboard and it's back and white text flying around, but Flash will make the interface much easier and faster and jazzier and cooler and...you get the picture...

The more people we have, the faster we can move...So JOIN UP TODAY! No one will be a hinderance, and this means YOU pixelwit!

One more thing...the engine IS AMAZING! THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS! IT'S GOING TO BE A WONDERFUL ENVIRONMENT...YOU HAVE TO EXPERIENCE IT FIRST HAND TO KNOW WHAT I MEAN!

Squirrel? Your turn...

[20 Ton Squirrel]

Hrmmm... okay, here goes.
The engine is, in actuality, a MUSH. This means that it is indeed a virtual environment that is text based. That can be pretty confusing to newcomers, I'll admit.

But ultimately, it's input like that which we need in order to make this project work. It's all well and good to think that the VR eats a big bowl of suck. But if you don't participate and let us know... well, we'll never know!

How does the engine relate to Flash? Hmmm... well, since the client to the engine will eventually be Flash itself that should answer the question succintly. For now we are using things like GMUD to connect to the engine just so we can get things established.

Just wait till ya see what Red and Vile cook up for this client. It's going to be really cool. The client will harness just about every function Flash has to offer. We're going to really push the envelope.

As for the engine ITSELF... that doesn't tie in much with Flash at all. It's capabilities to act as a host for incoming connections is an awesome thing to behold.

The engine is the destination, the Flash-based client is the vehicle in which to reach that destination.

[pixelwit]

So in less verbose terms, you primarily want Flash for it's availability? Then whatever Flash does comes second? Correct?

I'm not trying to be difficult "again". I'm trying to understand. Not everybody knows what you people know. I'm willling to help but you guys need to be willing to answer a few "stupid" questions.

If there's anything I can do to help, just point me in the right direction and tell me what to do.

-PiXELWiT
http://www.pixelwit.com

[vilehelm]

volunteer for the help section!

(points pixelwit in the direction of the help section thread) >>>

[vilehelm]

I think we want to use flash just to see if we can do it...y'know. It's been done before but i don't think it's been done this way before.

also we'd like to see how we can eventually add more multimedia type stuff to a chat environment.

gotta walk before we can run though.

[red penguin]

So in less verbose terms, you primarily want Flash for it's availability?

We want Flash because we (and by WE, I mean EVERYONE!)know how to exploit it! This is actionscripts.org afterall...It is the vehicle to make the WORLD we are creating via the ENGINE come alive for everyone. Flash is just the place where everything comes together. We input things into Flash (the CLIENT), it sends it to the engine which interprets that text and returns something back to the CLIENT. It, in turn, then interprets this info and is able to display it. Everyone who is using the CLIENT at any time sees the same stuff coming from the ENGINE. Thus our WORLD.

Does that help?

[20 Ton Squirrel]

And, to add to Peng's comments, there's no stupid questions and no one is getting exasperated yet. I totally understand that this is a foreign environment for many of you. Luckily it's not that hard to get used to... and once you do, it can be fun.

Reasons we are using flash for the client
Flash is more widely accepted, it's included on installations of Windows these days. It's compact, expansive, and powerful. It's web-based, so users wouldn't have to download GMUD, zMUD, MushClient, or their ilk just to connect. We can incorporate all sorts of nifty widgets and tools to make the environment fun and unique. In using Flash, we practice the skills that we all are trying to hone here at Actionscript.org.

Why are we using 20's stupid engine?
Well, there are plenty of chat engines out there, that's fer sure. Some may beat the pants off what I've got. BUT... what we're going with is EXTREMELY powerful, robust, and modular in comparison to the conventional JavaScript or Perl engine. So much of the environment is coded for your right out of the box! I've spent years coding and developing on it, so I know most of the in's and out's, thus it's not like we're treading into unknown territory.


So there's some more verbose crapola to assert why we're doing what we're doin'. Hope that helps ye! And now... WE DANCE!