MTM2 game room beta test.

[NKAc_Street]

Time for a public test of this thing. I've written this in Visual Basic 6. This is just a hobby but I have done my best to make it easy and functional.

2 known issues I am working on.

1. When a host closes a room, the players window does not close.

2. Hosts can kick a player, but to ban you must first select ban , then kick.


The program can be downloaded here.

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/mtm2ircsetup2.exe


The following is some instructions and screens.


Once you have installed it, run it and you wil get a log in screen

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/login.JPG

The bottom box should already have your path to mtm2 in it. If not you can manually browse, or auto search.

Put in a name and password. Then Click load /save

You will be at the main program screen. You will see a status window showing the login to the server and an empty players list window.

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main.JPG

All options will be accessed from the top bar of the program.

To join the main chat room, click "Main Chat"

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main2.JPG

To make a race room, click "Make Race Room" You will be asked for a player limit (this can be changed later if needed).

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main3.JPG

Then you will enter a race room where you are the host.

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main4.JPG

Click "List Race Rooms" This will open a race room list and list all race rooms at the time.

This is not a dynamic refresh. I did this intentionally to reduce server load. Refresh is easy enough just hilight a different window then hilight the list window. The list will also reflect whether a host has launched a game or not.

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main5.JPG


For hosts, the program should already know your ip. If you know it, you can check by clicking "File" then "Get ip"
http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main6.JPG

You can manually change it if it is incorrect.
http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main7.JPG

The host menu is only available with the race room hilighted.

http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main8.JPG

Launching don't care if anyone is in the room, it will launch the hosts game to multi-player whether anyone is in the room or not.

Right clicking a player name by the host can get crowd controls.


http://members.cox.net/phazelwood/main9.JPG


Give it a shot, let me know what you think.

[Phineus]

I installed, but typically I like to know what files are being installed to the system and where they're going. Yes, I am an anti-installer. However, I understand this is a unique program and I wanted to lend a hand, so...

Upon first start up.

* The background graphic is distracting, but that might just be me. I'm a minimalist.
* Detected the game location
* Did not detect the game drive, oddly enough
* The name field isn't labeled.
* Save/Load might have a better name, maybe. Start? Login?

In the program

* Wow, it's run off your jag server, eh?
* The more times I log in, the slower it takes to connect.
* There is some confusion about what does what, see below

Main chat

* I see CH in there but he's not talking to me.

List Race rooms

* File > Get IP > Runtime error 339 - Component MSINET.OCX or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid.
* Second try: runtime error 5 - invalid procedure call or argument.
* I don't see where the ip is needed anyway. I'll stop playing with this for now.

Make race room

* Can we get the 8 player limit as the default rather than typing it each time?
* After about the fifth restart, the race room opens offscreen at the bottom.
* Host menu > Launch : runtime error 5 - invalid procedure call or argument.

=====================

User Friendly Instructions.

Install Program.
Start Program.
Enter info, click Save/Load button
Wait until you see the "ChanServ: Welcome Race Fans" message.
Click "main chat" to see others who are logged in
Then, click
"Make race room" to start your own game room.
or
"List race rooms" to join somebody's game.

Am I understanding this correctly?

[NKAc_Street]

I installed, but typically I like to know what files are being installed to the system and where they're going. Yes, I am an anti-installer.

No biggie, the good ole dos days left little question about that. ;)

Besides the obvious files in the install folder. The following files will get placed in the system folder.

These are common VB6 runtimes and files for VB controls.
msvbvm60.dll
OLEAUT32.DLL
OLEPRO32.DLL
ASYCFILT.DLL
STDOLE2.TLB
COMCAT.DLL
Msscript.ocx
Scrrun.dll
Mswinsck.ocx
Tabctl32.ocx
Richtx32.ocx
Mscomctl.ocx
msinet.ocx
COMDLG32.ocx

* The background graphic is distracting, but that might just be me. I'm a minimalist.

I agree, you can change it, login.jpg in the install folder.

* Did not detect the game drive, oddly enough

Basically, you use the game drive if you auto search for the game path, you can change it to search whatever drive.

The name field isn't labeled.

Well, it is, but some dummy used white text against an almost white part of the background. ;)

* Save/Load might have a better name, maybe. Start? Login?

Whatever works, I guess I named it for its actual function. It saves the data you input to a file, then uses it to load things.

* The more times I log in, the slower it takes to connect.

May be an effect of the freeware IRC server I'm using.


* There is some confusion about what does what, see below

I see CH in there but he's not talking to me.

Took a while, but he finally woke up. ;)

* File > Get IP > Runtime error 339 - Component MSINET.OCX or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid.

You using win 2k?

* I don't see where the ip is needed anyway. I'll stop playing with this for now.

It passes your ip to the players game so it will join your game.

* Can we get the 8 player limit as the default rather than typing it each time?

Wheew, finally something easy to fix. ;)

* After about the fifth restart, the race room opens offscreen at the bottom.

Could you get a screen of that so I can see?

* Host menu > Launch : runtime error 5 - invalid procedure call or argument.

Looking into that, not sure if its a win 2k issue or not, no one that has tried it using 98 or xp has had that happen. I don't have win 2k, so harder to test for those things.

Am I understanding this correctly?

Yes, I will probably only enable menus when fully logged in. so people aren't clicking when nothing can happen anyway.



Thanks phin.

[Phineus]

These are common VB6 runtimes and files for VB controls.
msvbvm60.dll
OLEAUT32.DLL
OLEPRO32.DLL
ASYCFILT.DLL
STDOLE2.TLB
COMCAT.DLL
Msscript.ocx
Scrrun.dll
Mswinsck.ocx
Tabctl32.ocx
Richtx32.ocx
Mscomctl.ocx
msinet.ocx
COMDLG32.ocx

Most times I would put those in the install folder to avoid conflicts, which, it wouldn't surprise me is part of the problem here. But, we'll see. For now, we'll leave it alone.

* The background graphic is distracting, but that might just be me. I'm a minimalist.

Here's an old favorite --> http://cownap.com/~forum/beta/mtm2gameroom/login.jpg

* The more times I log in, the slower it takes to connect.

May be an effect of the freeware IRC server I'm using.

15 to 30 seconds consistently.

* File > Get IP > Runtime error 339 - Component MSINET.OCX or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid.

You using win 2k?

XP Pro.

* Can we get the 8 player limit as the default rather than typing it each time?

Wheew, finally something easy to fix. ;)

Clicking cancel on the number of racers defaults to 8 (clicking okay when blank does too)

* After about the fifth restart, the race room opens offscreen at the bottom.

Could you get a screen of that so I can see?

I can get you three.

* http://cownap.com/~forum/beta/mtm2gamer ... munlog.gif

I just logged in, and it said I was in a room.

* http://cownap.com/~forum/beta/mtm2gamer ... fusion.gif

After logging in a couple times later, it said I was in a room but you can see none is listed and despite being in a room, it's prompting me for the number of players to allow.

* http://cownap.com/~forum/beta/mtm2gamer ... omawol.gif

Now I'm finally in a room but the chat part is nowhere to be seen, so no launch either. Notice how low the main chat is too.

----------

* Click menu to open, maybe click again closes them?

* How do you get the player list to come up again?

[Guest]

Most times I would put those in the install folder to avoid conflicts, which, it wouldn't surprise me is part of the problem here. But, we'll see. For now, we'll leave it alone.

I will make an install file that does that. I wasn't aware that the runtimes could go somewhere other than the system folder.

15 to 30 seconds consistently.

I'll research that as best I can, the irc client code I used that logs in is not mine.

I notice even with Mirc and regular irc rooms its slower to connect from work than it is home. If you use a regular irc client at all, you might log in to jag24.com, port 6667, and see if there is a delay. If it is the client code I have, I may try to contact the original author to see if he can offer some assistance.

One question just so I know. Does this delay happen if you do nothing but watch the status window?

* File > Get IP > Runtime error 339 - Component MSINET.OCX or one of its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid.

I believe that is a result of the install program not having the correct flag for that file. (my fault)

I will correct that in the next update, in the meantime, if you like, you could go to "Run" and type regsvr32 <path to msinet.ocx>


I also think the "already in race room" issues are a result of certain files not getting cleaned up since the program crashed. In the install folder, delete all .txt files and rerun the program. See if window placement doesn't mess up if the program doesn't crash. You may have to register that .ocx first. Or you can wait till I update things some. Up to you. If that seems to correct it, thats a pretty easy check to add at program start.

* Click menu to open, maybe click again closes them?

I can do that, mainly I was thinking that, if you can try to click those menu selections before the game room is fully logged into the irc server nothing will happen.

* How do you get the player list to come up again?

Doh, well, need to add a menu selection for that and the status window.

[NKAc_Street]

Hey CH, this is in case I don't talk to you this evening.

I fixed the text scrolling issue, the code simply refreshed the cursor to the bottom when the text changed so I look for the scroll bar being at the bottom or not.

I redid my install script so that it hopefully will register the runtime files properly when not in the system folder. Delete all .txt files and then see if the program will launch your game.

Thanks

[Phineus]

I was wondering if you might be able to share a word or two on how this is coming along.

Thanks.

[NKAc_Street]

Be able to work on it more soon. Been updating my xpand rally utility for thier patch and finishing up a launcher for KC's flatout room.

To be honest, if Kc wanted to make you guys an mtm2 room like he made for Flatout to work with a launcher I made for that game, things would probably work a whole lot simpler.

But I will finish mine because I'm making one for mtm1 anyway which is exactly the same other than the game path.

[NIR_PitBull]

Street, Big Thanks from all those MTMer's out here. Look forward to having a place to race with out Zone involved.