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dev_todo:improved_player_communication

Improving Player Communcations

Ideas on improving the communication between players.

Inter-Server Chat

Allow players on one server to chat with another server.

s2s

Servers connect to other servers directly, and exchange messages.

Possibly have a central blacklist of abusive servers (which one can choose not to use).

Possible ways

Server lists

Options to connect to all compatable servers on the metaserver

With a List (like ban lists, etc) of connections to make with other servers

  • Can have a split network
  • No one single point of failure
  • more difficult to deal with abusive servers than using the “central server” method
Dynamic Private Conversations
  1. Player1 on Server1 types “tell Player2@Server2 SOMETEXT”
  2. Server1 initiates connecton with Server2, if not already connected
    • cache the servers?
    • callback like done with xmpp to prevent spoofing?
  3. Server1 sends Player1's message to Server2 with address to Player2
  4. The message gets sent from Server2 to Player2's client
  • No general chat, unless combined with “Server Lists”
  • No single point of failure
  • More diffucult to deal with abusive servers than using the “central server” method

Central Server

Use a central server (possibly runing on, or intergrated with the metaserver).

Server1 —- Chat Server —- Server2

  • Easier to impliment channels/general chat
  • easier to blacklist abusive servers
  • central point of failure
    • use fallback servers?
  • If an abusive admin takes over the central server, bad stuff can happen

Port the protocol to Jabber/XMPP

  • would have to redo the protocol, and its related code
  • added network overhead
  • interesting built in features of the jabber/xmpp protocol which could yeild interesting game features
  • code/standards for interconnecting servers are widely used.
  • WEIRD, but would work

Out of game chat <> In game chat

IRC bot

  • exists, in some form
    • written by Rednaxela in perl based upon the code for the seer bot.
    • Rednaxela is planning on eventually rewriting as a supybot plugin, so it can be run on cfbot that is already running on IRC. Rednaxela is not currently active in doing that though.
    • not actively running (code hasn't been cleaned up, no host to run it on)
  • A significant amount of players don't use irc, or don't know how to use it.
  • Simple
  • Appears hackish

Chat Mode Connections

Allowing connections to servers just for chating

  • more load on servers
  • doesn't appear to be as hackish
  • would increase the amount of users of crossfire (if not necessarily players)
  • crossfire could end up being more of a chat protocol than a game
  • A gaim plugin, and/or jabber transport would draw attention to the game.
dev_todo/improved_player_communication.txt · Last modified: 2006/07/21 22:14 (external edit)