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May 24, 2002, 5:59pm

Well, I could use all the help I could get in improving the speed of this
function, as it will probably be called ten million times over the next
year - if you'd like, I can send you the AWObjects class, the RegistryFile
class and their associated classes and you can take a look :)

[View Quote]

Feb 10, 2001, 10:59pm

Anyone who's ever lost a building and has searched in vain to find it later
might be interested in the Active Worlds Utility, which I just released.

The utility features the ability to search for avatars or property in an
entire world, or part of a world (i.e. a town).

After finding people, the program displays their locations, and the user has
the ability to eject, lookup IP, teleport to the person, and more.

The property search feature can search a world many times faster than the
built-in build 19 entire world querying function. In addition, an area
which consists of multiple zones can be searched easily based on one of five
object attributes. After being found, objects can be deleted or
manipulated. In the next version, I hope to offer an option to save
property data to a Xelagot survey file for further editing. The property
and people search functions' speeds are limited only by the number of bots
you can log in simultaneously, and multiple citizen numbers can be used.

Those who are interested can take a look at
http://www.shoemakervillage.org/programs.html.

Feb 12, 2001, 5:58pm

Thanks for the report. I'll be checking into the bugs. The reason that the
file is so large is because it contains ALL the DLL's necessary to run
visual basic 6.0 programs. I'm also aware of the windows 2000 problem -
there seems to be a CAB extraction problem, but since I don't have a copy of
windows 2000, I can't fix it. Any suggestions on how to make the
installation program Windows 2000 compatible?

[View Quote]

Feb 12, 2001, 8:50pm

All of the bugs that andras reported are now fixed and will be released in
version 1.01, which I hope to release in an hour or two.

The problems had all been caused by some sloppy programming where a
commented out portion of the code somehow got re-enabled and interfered with
the other code.

In addition, a windows 2000/NT installer package was created by Shorah and
will be posted on the site shortly.

I apologize for any inconvienence these bugs may have caused anyone. If you
already installed the program, the upgrade.exe file will upgrade the
software automatically when the upgrade is available.

Feb 12, 2001, 11:03pm

It takes quite a long time to search alphaworld, so I've never actually
searched the entire world, but if my calculations are correct, it would take
somewhere around 2.5 days (1.5 GHz processor, 256MB RAM, cable modem, 25
bots). Maybe when I get the save-to-file option in the bot (so I can resume
if there's a crash), I'll test it.

May 24, 2002, 8:14pm

Well, I'll repeat the two clues I've said previously:

1. The project will change the way you build in AWTeen, and will make
AWTeen unique amongst the Universe.

2. The project is not a skybox-enabled version of Thor; that's already done
(but nobody wants to make skyboxes for the bot to use).

Let your imagination go wild. Either way, you'll find out for yourself
after a few days after MrGrimm's SDK is released :)

[View Quote]

May 29, 2002, 6:20pm

Hmmm - thanks for the idea. The ability to create a seed object anywhere in
AWTeen is a great function, and since the "sekrit project" will already be
in Global mode, should be able to be implemented within 15 minutes, if that.
In fact, I'm definately going to add the ability to seed objects by voice
command to the project.

Scratch up another point to Strike - he had a great idea this time!

[View Quote]

Feb 14, 2001, 8:59pm

I've uploaded a new installation program that works on Windows NT/2000. If
anyone who has one of these operating systems can test it and let me know
how it works, that would be great.

May 31, 2002, 12:22am

According to a chat log that I received two weeks ago, two things of
importance are supposed to occur today. While the release of 3.3 is
probably no longer on schedule, I doubt that the other event has changed.
For those of you who are unaware, Roland Vilett, AW's lead programmer, will
be reporting for his last day of work at Activeworlds this morning.

For those of you who don't realize the impact of this event on the
community, Roland has contributed too much to Activeworlds to recount. If
anyone had a technical problem, Roland was THE source on AW - period.
Having been around at least since the COF takeover of AW if not before (in
other words, a LONG time), Roland single-handedly programmed almost all of
the current browser, world, and universe software that we all use every day.

Putting aside some minor disagreements some might have, Roland has been
actively involved in the community since day one - holding TechTalks,
visiting worlds, and talking to people using his software. At times, he was
even moreso a representative of the company than his superiors. During the
days when corporate partners set the development order, Roland was at the
forefront, continually arguing to include more features aimed to improve
normal citizens' experiences.

I'm sure that everyone remembers an instance where Roland helped him or her
solve a problem. For myself, I still remember Roland's nonstop commitment
last Fall when AWTeen was continually being attacked by hackers and password
stealers. He must have been asked to resolve these problems at least a
half dozen times if not more, but he didn't complain once. Even when it was
past 10:00pm and he had to be off the clock, he was still working late into
the night restoring property, looking up world logs, and taking care of
vandals.

I titled this post "the end of an era" because Roland's leaving really is
just that, and cross-posted it to all these newsgroups because if there's
one topic that's of interest to all AW citizens, this is it. I hope that
I'm not alone in saying that Roland has left MrGrimm some very large shoes
to fill.

If you're reading this, Roland, I wish you luck in your future endeavors :)

May 31, 2002, 1:13am

Better yet, look at my idea - we shouldn't make him throw the party :)

[View Quote]

May 31, 2002, 11:34am

Well, that chat log said that 3.3 is to be released within a few hours (i.e.
before the ceremony). I doubt that AW would release it after business
hours, and besides, release dates for any kind of software, no matter what
company, are always inevitably delayed, so don't be surprised if the log is
no longer accurate :)

[View Quote]

Jun 1, 2002, 1:09am

I was experimenting with some Xelagots today, and I was wondering if the new
SDK global mode finally breaks the 50 avatar detection limit that's been a
problem many times in the past. If so, it would be another great
improvement - many times have I attempted to hold an event where avatars
flitted in and out of the bot's range because it could only see fifty at
once :(

Has anyone tried this and seen if more than fifty can be present at once
according to the bot? The Xelagot I put in global mode only was able to see
49 avatars plus itself, but then again, during the time I was testing AWTeen
never went above 32 citizens in population. Anyone have any more info on
this?

Jun 1, 2002, 1:46am

Never mind. My question was answered when ENZO stumbled into the world,
bringing about 30 people along with him :)
http://shoemakervillage.org/xelagot50.jpg - notice that the bot shows 64
avatars.

-Brant

[View Quote]

Jun 1, 2002, 12:04pm

LOL - I was referring to the little window in the bottom-right corner :)
Why is the bot's name ejected, you ask? I was using it to test paintball
games by repeatedly ejecting it over and over when it was a 3.12 Xelagot.
When I wanted to test the Global mode, I didn't bother to change the name
becuase the name is really irrelevant when the bot isn't visible in any
world :)

[View Quote]

Jun 1, 2002, 5:53pm

When 9 9 9 gets around to it - I'm sure he's working on it right now :)

[View Quote]

Jun 4, 2002, 11:02am

Thanks, magine! Now that there's finally a bot that can copy and move
terrain between worlds, a lot of possibilities have just opened up in terms
of building!

-Brant

[View Quote]

Jun 8, 2002, 2:48pm

This is a bug in build 39 of the world server - I experienced a similar bug
with bots running in AWTeen that distributed passwords in Global mode and 9
9 9 told me it would be fixed when he got around to upgrading AW's servers
to build 41. Try upgrading to build 41; that should solve the problem.

[View Quote]

Jul 11, 2002, 10:34am

If I were you, I would use a different coordinates function. As you can
see, that function is way too complicated for what it does, since I wrote it
three years ago when I didn't fully understand the SDK. One of these days
I'll get around to rewriting it.

That said, I haven't encountered any errors - what did you change in it?

[View Quote]

Feb 26, 2001, 6:41pm

Yes, lanezeri, the bot I made is an executable file using MrGrimm's SDK. I
was interested in releasing a trial version, but I first want to incorporate
teleportation paintball (instead of ejection paintball) for 3.1 users, but
MrGrimm hasn't released build 19 of the SDK at this time (which allows a
programmer to determine the build of the AW browser a player is using, so
2.2 users can still be ejected while 3.1 users are teleported). When
MrGrimm has released the most updated version, I may choose to release the
bot for at least a trial period.

Please don't bomb MrGrimm or myself with telegrams asking if the SDK has
been updated yet, as we are both very busy people, and MrGrimm is an AW
employee (and, therefore, has other things to deal with). When the new
build has been released, I will work on improving my bot.

Thanks.

Feb 26, 2001, 6:46pm

I've been having a lot of problems making an installation package for my AW
Utility (the property and people search bot) that installs correctly on
Windows 2000. I uploaded a new installation file for version 1.01 recently
that I believe works. If someone has a copy of Windows 2000 and would be
interested in seeing if the installation program functions correctly,
download the program at www.shoemakervillage.org/programs.html.

Thanks for any help anyone could provide.

Feb 26, 2001, 7:09pm

Unfortunately, the program has to register OCX files, which is why the
former Ghost Installer file wasn't working, and why winzip wouldn't work.

Feb 26, 2001, 8:05pm

Still, the program I uploaded might work now because I installed a service
pack - maybe if someone tested it first, and if it didn't work, I could work
on what you suggested.

Mar 5, 2001, 1:58am

You could also try the AW Utility that I programmed, which can search all or
part of a world by a variety of criteria and manipulate objects quickly with
an easy to use GUI.

http://www.shoemakervillage.org/programs.html

Oct 14, 2002, 1:57pm

A few weeks ago, I popped in to read what was going on here for the first
time in a long while and remember Strike Rapier or someone else making a
post about errors in the bot classes that I published a long time ago. I
realized that I have many more classes that are doing no good sitting on my
hard drive. Then, I didn't have time but now that I'm sitting at home sick,
I thought I'd put them out here and see if anyone could use them.

The AWAvatars classes located at shoemakervillage.org/programs.html are only
two of the eight components that work together in the attached program
(shoemakervillage.org/botclasses.zip). Basically, they allow you to make a
bot with a few lines of code. To show how they can be used, I included the
slideshow.vbp project that was used for AWTeen's Inauguration Day.

Capabilities of these classes include:

-session tracking (like the avatars classes already do)
-automatic querying at a set of coordinates or test string along with
keeping a collection of every object queried
-searching through collections of objects by number, name, etc.
-logging in and logging out bots, and maintaining them by automatically
calling functions such as aw_wait and forwarding callbacks to a module
-move, delete, and add objects with one line of code
-automatically LiveUpdate a zone after a query without any additional code

There's more, but I've got to get going. I had planned to post a formal
webpage for this, but Penn State stopped offering free microsoft software,
and thus Frontpage doesn't work anymore and I don't feel well enough to look
over raw HTML code for hours. To use the classes in your own project,
simply unzip the files and add all the files in the "classes" directory to
your project.

One warning though: the module that receives the events and callbacks is
inconsistent and incomplete. It receives the wrong arguments in some cases,
and doesn't have all the events and callbacks implemented. Some of the
functions that aren't used very often also aren't "wrapped" by my classes,
and I was sloppy enough to simply call them directly by making the SDK
object public.

Maybe someone would be interested in converting these classes to the new SDK
format and fixing up my sloppiness? Comments are welcome.

-Brant

Nov 11, 2002, 11:32am

Well, keep in mind that 3.4 is far from completion because the help files
for 3.4 haven't even been posted yet. If it were released now, nobody would
know how to control, say, the water, because there's nowhere to go for help.

Or maybe the documentation is already almost finished and just not uploaded
yet?

[View Quote]

Nov 11, 2002, 11:22pm

I'm in a bit of a pickle right now. After going away from AW for about four
months, I've come back and started spending a bit more time working on my
software. But changes in the interval have brought up a few issues.

I've written thousands of lines of code in VB over the past three years, and
have amassed quite a collection. Most of the code uses MrGrimm's OCX
wrapper that used to be the standard.

Unfortunately, MrGrimm decided to change the implementation of his wrapper
recently. As a result, I now have a great deal of code that will be quickly
becoming obsolete as 3.4 and later versions are released. Rewriting these
programs is out of the question: Ultimate Paintball, for example, includes
somewhere near eight thousand lines.

Here are my questions:

1. Does anyone else have a wrapper for the AW SDK using Visual Basic (and
will continue developing it for future versions of AW) that functions
similarly to MrGrimm's discontinued OCX wrapper, even if terrain querying is
not available?

2. Since version 6 is going to become obsolete, I might as well move to
..NET. Is VB6 completely compatible with VB.NET or will making the
transition require changes in the code?

3. Does anyone have any idea where I can find a decent free tutorial on
designing graphical user interfaces (with the Windows API) using Visual C++
(preferably .NET, if 6 and .NET differ significantly)? I couldn't find one
that's easy to understand in the MSDN. I have a great deal of knowledge of
and have written quite a few programs in C++, but have never used it to
design Windows forms. If I can figure out how to use C++ to work with
Windows, then I can use AW's SDK directly and not have to rely on
third-party products in the future.

Thanks for any help anyone can come up with. Hopefully I'll be able to find
a solution to these problems so that I won't eventually be forced to
discontinue development of my current programs.

-Brant

Nov 15, 2002, 12:43am

For years (at least since 2000) I've had people bugging me to make my bots
work in other universes. Just this morning I got the second E-Mail this
week asking if Ultimate Paintball could host trans-universal paintball
games.

I have no objection to adding this feature to these bots, and it's not
difficult to add this functionality, but the problem I have had for two
years is that I have no way of testing them to see if they work correctly.
Does anyone know how I could obtain a world and citizenship in another
universe for free (free is important - after all, I'm spending time to add
the feature) for a week to perform testing?

-Brant

Nov 15, 2002, 10:58am

Well, many universes have free citizenships, and some have free worlds with
citizenships, but I don't know of any that have both free worlds and
citizenships.

[View Quote]

Dec 6, 2002, 12:43am

The only difference this time is that while we were told in June what we
were getting, we won't be getting it until March!

:),

-Brant

[View Quote]

Mar 18, 2001, 3:40pm

I'd like to announce that I've finally given in to all the telegrams
and emails by "concerned" people and have decided to release the 2000
Cy Technical Innovation Award-winning paintball bot to the public.

The bot is currently active in WAR, and supports grenades and frenzy
powerups (with the option to set the exact number of powerups or to
disable them altogether), team scoring, skull cleanups, shielding,
stats (kills, deaths, and ratios), timed matches, boss lists, pausing
and resuming both from the application and in-world, cheat protection,
altitude settings, dynamic addition and removal of bots while the game
is in session, text file saving of all data after every kill, and
network support for up to 256 worlds simultaneously, with different
configurations for each world, in addition to other features not
listed above.

This message is a call for beta testers. If you own a paintball world
and would like to be the first to try the bot in your world, then post
a reply. While the game engine itself is relatively stable, there are
a few bugs in the GUI, on which I never concentrated since it was not
publicly available. I hope to iron out these bugs before the bot's
release.

I thought that it would be a good idea to give something back to the
community, especially seeing as how there are so many paintball
enthusiasts nowadays. The bot will remain active in WAR both before
and after its release, when it will be posted at
http://www.shoemakervillage.org/programs.html.

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