SWGEmu End of Year Update 2010
Communications Department
Table of Contents
SWGEmu End of Year Update 2010
Well, Well! Another great year for SWGEmu with many great successes packed away; from the record-breaking number of users on Nova Test Center, at approximately 2,000, to the release of the long-awaited Object Restructure, SWGEmu has had a very busy year! Though it may seem that the project has taken a few steps back in functionality, nothing could be further from the truth. Granted, different features have had greater focus now but the current batch of software is immeasurably more stable, reliable and ready for the thousands of players still to come. Some of the greatest new features in SWGEmu include Housing, Player Cities, Factories, Expanded Missions and Line of Sight! Some of you may say: "Well, weren't most of these implemented months ago?". The currently implemented systems are extremely complex and part of the basic foundation of code so a great deal of time and energy from the developers goes into making sure future features have the right start, which was one of the biggest reasons for the Object Restructure. At times the level of progress doesn't show while playing on TC: Nova but the basic, core systems that will be shared by upcoming features are critical to the completion of this PreCU emulator. Much of what the developers have been working on during this period has been refining and completing code that was previously left half done. Crafting and Housing are some of the best examples where the total list of items for each major feature is nearly complete.
In other aspects of the project this year, there have been numerous leaps and bounds in enhancing the team to become a more organized and efficient group for development and community! Various people were reallocated to different departments and divisions allowing the team to work more productively and help support the project more effectively. We are sure that the dedication and commitment the teams have shown in improving SWGEmu has had a great impact on the overall experience and we are excited to continue the great work in the future.
In the coming year, SWGEmu has many bright things to look forward to. Each year we make tremendous progress both as a team and in development. You can expect that before long the Nova Test Center will be on the same level as it was before the Object Restructure was released. Creatures, Loot, Combat, and GCW Battles will soon be warring and raging while testing ensues on a Test Center ever nearer to version 1.0.
SWGEmu Development Update
Major Additions/Changes since October 1st
The following list highlights the work that has been done since the release of the Object Restructure at the beginning of October. For a comprehensive Nova Test Center feature list be sure to read the Project Status Thread as well as get the full details on code submissions on the SWGEmu Trac Timeline. An explanation of the OR and the past work done can be found in the End of Summer Update.
- Software Transactional Memory
- Speed Hack Detection
- Line of Sight
- Player Cities
- Militia
- Politician
- Crafting
- Structures
- Guilds
- Musician
- Creatures
- Vehicles
- Stat Migration
- In-Game Bug Reporting
- Commands
Current Endeavors
The past year has been great for development! Here are a few of the most recent projects being worked on by the development team.
In the past, deadlocks have been a problem for the project and finding their root cause. In order to resolve these deadlocks and remove them from being a factor in future development, Oru has been working on creating a Software Transactional Memory Manager for the engine which will prevent server tasks from failing and crashing the server. This will allow developers to find and prevent complex issues in the core easier in the future.
One of the major combat features previously never implemented was Line of Sight. Line of Sight prevents players from shooting each other on opposite sides of a building to keep combat fair and even. TheAnswer has recently re-implemented this feature and is working on completing the process by converting the way terrain is handled in the game. The conversion taking place will also remove the need for heightmaps on the server.
For some time now, the crafting system has been one of the most complete features in-game. Kyle has been working on refining the system and removing any bugs that are found in it. The list of features left uncompleted dwindles smaller each week and it is evident that the system is coming together nicely.
One of the biggest features that was released with the Object Restructure was the addition of structures. This includes houses, factories, guild halls, and player city structures. Along with player city structures simply being able to be placed, Player Cities themselves are functioning and implemented. cRush has been working hard over the past few months to bring us the last few features and bug fixes before they'll be considered essentially complete.
One of the biggest features missing from TC:Nova that was previously available is the implementation of global creature spawns and PvE. dannuic is working hard to implement all of the scripts and attributes of creatures, spawning, and artificial intelligence involved with creatures. There is a great amount of work to be done within this system that will require a TON of testing so please be patient and helpful with testing during the upcoming months.
Future Endeavors
We acknowledge that the code on Nova Test Center is lacking in some areas that were previously implemented (though other areas are far more advanced). The goal of the development team is to continue working on all previously implemented areas as well as some brand new features. These areas include factions, creatures, loot, combat and professions.
The Launch of the Liberator Galaxy
With this announcement, SWGEmu is launching a second server which will run the pre-October 1st, 2010 version of code. Most of the community refers to this code as "Pre-Object Restructure" or "Pre-OR". This server is designed to be a "Play" server on which users can enjoy some of the old parts of the SWGEmu code that have not been re-implemented in the current codebase on TC: Nova. Be aware that this server is simply temporary until Nova Test Center has more features and will only be run as long as it is does not disrupt the team's resources on the current TC: Nova development.
We chose the Liberator name based on the Star Wars history of the Adjudicator Imperial Star Destroyer. This keeps with the spaceship theme used for our future V1.00 server, Sun Crusher.
While we hope that users will enjoy this new addition to our Galaxy List, we will not be devoting any development time to the Liberator galaxy. The project focus is still the completion of the software currently on the Nova Test Center. DO NOT report any bugs to the Mantis bug tracker as there will be no fixes nor any additions to the Liberator Galaxy for its duration. The Support Team will only respond and assist on technical issues like a player stuck in the air on Rori or a spam bot deliberately trying to crash the server. Support resources will not be taken away from TC: Nova so the player base on the Liberator galaxy will have to police itself or return to playing on TC: Nova where the Game Masters reside. The Moderator Team does not have time for the Liberator galaxy player arguements on IRC or the forums as they need to focus on TC: Nova as well. On the new site's forum there is a sub-forum under "General" called The Sarlacc Pit that has relaxed rules for "Forum PvP". This sub-forum can be used by the Liberator players for heated debates but must not go outside this area or you may earn infractions. All other areas of the SWGEmu services will be using the recently updated rules and infractions policy on the current forums that has very stiff and long penalties for disrupting the developement of this project.
People may also be curious to know whether this will affect the performance or progress of Nova Test Center. If the performance of Nova Test Center is degrading due to Liberator, steps will be taken such as introducing a player cap or upgrade server hardware, donations permitting. Nova Test Center is to remain the priority server of this project and all resources will be made available to it first before the Liberator galaxy.
In order to log on to SWGEmu servers using Launchpad Enhanced, select the drop-down menu at the top and select "Official SWGEmu Servers", from the list. Hit play to launch the client. You'll then be prompted to log into the SWGEmu network and select a galaxy. You can then continue to create characters and play as normal. The code revision that Liberator will be using is the same Pre-Object Restructure. There is, however, one slight change to the Jedi system but we will leave that to the community to discover.
The Liberator galaxy and Nova Test Center are being wiped with this launch and the new site. You will be required to register on the new site, see next section for details, before logging in to play on the servers. We do not plan on wiping the Liberator galaxy unless there is a major problem that requires a wipe to fix the server. Please be aware that the Liberator galaxy will not be available when TC: Nova is offline because they share login servers.
The new forums have the following areas for the Liberator players to interact:
Liberator Discussion
Liberator Trade Forum
Liberator Events (Unofficial)
Liberator Guild Recruitment
Liberator Roleplaying
Official Liberator Events
We hope that you will enjoy this new server while we continue to bring some of the Pre-OR features back to Nova Test Center!
Launch of the New SWGEmu Site
Over the past few months, the development team and website development team have been working on building and improving an efficient, stable website. With our current website, crashes and down times have happened because of plugins, database errors, clutter, and degradation. Due to these many problems, we decided a few months ago that a new solution was necessary.
Aside from the previously listed problems, separate log ins were required for each service provided (forum, IRC, Mantis, wiki and TC). The new website, powered by vBulletin Suite 4.1, will incorporate each individual service into the same account login name and password. This allows for better consistency for the users as well as the moderators being able to separate infractions to each individual service. Please note that the new IRC server is not ready at this time but all of the other services are using the new global registration system.
As stated in previous updates, we have decided that the simplest and most efficient way of opening up this new website for use is by starting fresh. The old services are being kept as an archive for Staff to reference so all the highly valued work done on research and bug reporting is not lost. All accounts in both poor and good standing will be wiped clean and all are welcome to return and sign up for the new site and services. We hope that each and every one of you takes this opportunity to contribute to our great community and make it even better than it was before.
In order to re-register for the new website, users will need to proceed to www.swgemu.com/registration and click on, "Transfer Existing Account". Even if you have an existing account on SWGEmu, you can choose the option, "Create New Account", to get a new name as long as that name is not already taken on the new or old site. If transfering your account, you will be prompted to enter in your current SWGEmu forum credentials and click "Register". This will automatically create your account for each service on the SWGEmu network and transfer over your join date, birth date, and post count. Please be aware that names must be 3-40 characters in length and only contain letters, numbers, hyphens, underscores and spaces. If your old username does not comply to these conventions, you will be prompted to enter a new, unused username when re-registering. Once registration is complete, then you can proceed to the use all the features of the new site. Please note that the new IRC server is not ready at this time.
While the main purpose of building the new website is to streamline and improve on the old, there are a few additions to the new website and forums as well. Besides multiple new themes already available, there will be a new area of the forum created especially for "Forum PvP". This OPT-IN area will be a place where the rules are relaxed and players are allowed to let loose on other players about in-game battles, strategy, etc. Be aware that mentioning racist or other inappropriate topics of conversation is still going to be strictly moderated (see the special forum rules for the full details). We hope those of you who choose to opt-in to this area will enjoy, "The Sarlacc Pit".
The new Announcements section has been reworked to focus on three distinct areas: Project Updates, Test Center Updates and Test Center Events. The new Blog feature of vBulletin Suite 4.1 will be the place to find new Developer Chat Logs. If you need to have your registration email resent then that link is in the navigation bar under Support.
The new Project Development section is basically the same as the old Development section. The Professions have been grouped for easier navigation from the main forum page.
The new Support section has been reworked to include three distinct areas: Site Services Issues, Test Center Issues and Community Support (Unofficial). The previous Support area for reporting bugs is now in the navigation bar.
The new Test Center section has been reworked from the old SWGEmu section. This is now for all SWGEmu and Public servers. Please post non-TC things in the appropriate General forum area and leave the new Test Center section for what is currently on the servers.
The new General section is basically the same with the inclusion of the SWGEmu Discussion from the old SWGEmu section and a brand new forum called The Sarlacc Pit. The General Discussion and The Sarlacc Pit have different, relaxed rules from the rest of the forums so please be aware before entering.
The navigation bar is the master link to all the SWGEmu services including links to Facebook, Twitter, IRC Web Client and Dev Tracker.
In the end, we hope that all of this effort gives each community member a better and more professional experience while on the SWGEmu network of services.
Manual Donations
As some of you may remember, earlier this month, the SWGEmu website crashed and was unavailable for a few days due to an error with some of the site's plugins. Some of you may also have noticed that some of these plugins were removed and are no longer present. These plugins included the donation meter and tool. As a completely voluntary and community run project, it is imperative for us to to provide users with a method to donate.
The new forum's donation feature will hopefully keep working and not crash the site but if not then you can make donations manually on www.paypal.com. Once there, you'll need to log in to your account and select the "Send Money" tab at the top. Enter donate@swgemu.com in the "To" field and enter the amount and currency you desire. Leave the last section on the default settings and click "Continue". Once there, you may confirm your donation and click "Send Money".
As always, we thank you all for your support and donations allowing us to continue this great project!
Staff Updates
SWGEmu is Recruiting!
As always, SWGEmu is an ever-changing and growing organization where new talent is always being sought out. Please check out the SWGEmu Recruiting page for open positions and details! We especially would like to mention the need for a larger support team, consequently Support is always something to keep watch of. The support helper program has proved highly successful in finding talented people to move in to full SWGEmu staff positions. The information thread about the Support Helper apprenticeship program can be found here.
The Moderator team is also looking to hire, so give Leodextrin a private message for details on how to apply.
The Quality Assurance team is also recruiting, please see this thread for more information.
Current Organizational Chart
Feel free to browse through the most current organizational chart which outlines the structure and positions of SWGEmu. The most recent chart can be found here.
Recent Additions/Changes
As stated above, SWGEmu is always growing and changing in order to meet the needs of development. Because of this, we have people who have recently joined the team as well as moved on to different positions. We also have lost some along the way due to real-life time constraints and we thank them all for their service. The full list of changes is below.
The Communications Team has been moved from the Test Center Division to directly reporting to Kyle, the President.
Max has the title of Communications Director now.
TAfirehawk has moved from QA Manager to Communications Team Manager, who now reports to Max, Communications Director.
PhantomLeader has moved from Test Center Deputy Director to Services Manager.
Dame has moved to the Communications Team.
El'layn has retired from the Communications Team.
Renala has been promoted from Event Coordinator to Event Coordination Manager, who now reports to Odwill, Test Center Director.
Hakry has joined the Event Coordination Team after his time as a Support Helper.
Shotter has retired from the Event Coordination Team
Ilipah has been promoted to Support Supervisor in addition to staying as Tier 2 Support.
Ellyssia has been promoted to Game Master Supervisor in addition to staying as Tier 2 Support.
Leodextrin has been promoted to Forms/IRC Lead Moderator.
Bailey has joined the Moderator Team.
./A has joined the Moderator Team.
Audune and Mijom have retired from the Moderator Team.
Xavia has been promoted from Quality Assurance Deputy Manager to QA Manager.
Lorrianna has recently returned to the Quality Assurance team as Business Leader after some busy time in Singapore.
Chetok has been promoted to QA Wiki Team Leader.
Estelline has been promoted to QA Entertainer Leader.
Fivo has been promoted to QA Crafting Supervisor.
Jacoo has been promoted to QA Medoutainer Supervisor.
Winn has been promoted to QA Creatures Leader.
Quaker, Knaris, Vrykolaka, Fluffy, Tovo and Obeo have retired from the Quality Assurance team.
Quick Stats
Developer Code Commits: 156
Average Web/Forum Daily Hits: 6,095
Total Page Views: 1,976,551
Total Web/Forum Hits: 170,651
Total Users who used the Website: 35,000
Average TC Daily Logins: 8,291
Total TC Logins: 232,138
Total Users who used the TC: 19,570
Total TC Character Count: 114,247
Originally Posted by Kyle, President
For the last several weeks I've been working with updated vbulletin software for our new forums with a lot of assistance from TAfirehawk. We've been working with the upgrade for vb suite 4.1 and some new themes for the our website, The current theme set we have now is nearly complete it's called "Darkside" it has 6 color orange, red, green, yellow which are for the most part completed. Color variations blue and purple still need some work on them. The theme set "Lightside" is currently in planning stages. I've submitted some screen shots so you can review the color schemes. At this time all the header backgrounds are the same, this will be changing so that each theme will have it's own unique header background.
Closing
As we end one year and begin another, we hope that all of you have enjoyed your time in the community while the developers continue working to bring back the game we all love. Pre-CU SWG was and still is one of the best games ever made. We have come so far since the first keystrokes for creating SWGEmu were placed. Such a huge endeavor takes time and commitment but the rewards for such hard work are now within reach. Each year, this community and organization makes considerable steps to realizing that greatest of goals; a fully functioning SWGEmu. We are sure that the following year will be a fulfilling environment that will be enjoyed by all. We hope that the Holidays are finding each of you safe and warm as you ring in the New Year.
Happy New Years from all of us at SWGEmu!
--The SWGEmu Team
Perhaps they were sorted. Nevertheless, thanks so much!
Thank you again for all your efforts!
