DescentBB

A long time ago I wrote a half decent program called D3IP that allows you to store server IPs that are hosting games. Also, you could send the IP to the D3 Registry so that you don't even have to type it in when you get the game open, since it will already be there.

Since all this talk about servers have come up and their IP addresses, I thought I would put up a link to D3IP if someone doesn't have it yet.

Also, vma214 (I'm not sure if he posts here or not) is going to be continuing development on the program, since I do not have any time to do it. I sent him the source, so...

So I go to upload the file to my webspace, but apparently I deleted the application (but kept the source). Does anyone have it handy?

Ciao for now.

Matt

I have it zipped with Gate on the SSC D3 site, I think. I just removed Gate from the zip file, and reuploaded it:

http://divisions.shatteredstar.com/descent3/D3IP.zip

(Yeah, the zip file was renamed afterwards as well )

(EDIT)PD has it as well, under Player Utilities in the D3 files section.

That reminds me, I have to add server name to IP mapping in D3Alias...

Looks like a great program, SolidAir. Thanks .

Back in the day I used D3IP a lot. Just wanted to drop by and say thanks for writing it ... I got a lot of good use for it.

Thanks,
Paul

Thanks guys. I emailed vma this thread, so maybe he will post in it to tell you guys what he's going to do.

I guess that the .99 version of D3IP is the last (and only) version released. (Please let me know if that is NOT correct) The 1.0 version does run BUT I dont know if everything was working the last time SolidAir worked on it. Some of the features I wanted to add are already in it such as including the port number with the IP when you add or edit a server. I was doing this manually with the .99 version by opening the IPL file in notepad and adding the port to the IP address. There are also some new features in 1.0 that I hadn't thought of, but now that I have seen them, I gotta have 'em!! Complete game info on each server...mission, players, scores, game type, ping, etc. All without needing PXO! It may take me awhile to debug everything and add the things I want, so I think the best thing to do is produce a new version including everything that works now and start working on another version after getting some feedback from the people using it.
My goal is to make D3 MP easy to access without depending on PXO.
Note to Matt: if you have any notes on what you were doing... what was/wasn't working, etc. send 'em!

One comment IIRC D3IP did not support copy/paste into and out of the program properly, that should be made to work so people can easly put IPs that they get in and out of the program.

I think I know what you are referring to. (I am not sure what "... IIRC D3IP ..." is). In the .99 version of D3IP the edit box for the IP addresses had the 3 dots built in and you could not paste the IP and port number. This was the first thing I wanted to change. The unreleased version I have DOES support editing the port number but I believe it uses the same IP box control. I think a basic edit box that you can paste the xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:xxxx into just as it appears in the D3 tracker should work fine. I am currently using the 1.0 version to see what was added and what works. Post any ideas, suggestions or complaints...I will try to get a beta version out ASAP.

IIRC = If I Remember Correctly

Or just use D3 Alias. =)

OIC ... IMOK w/o NE doubt...RU? D3 Alias ? I have it...havent really used it at all tho. I presume then it tracks non-PXO D3 servers...and launches D3 and puts you into a game..? But it doesnt include server names in the IP mapping/tracking...? I will take a look at D3 Alias...meanwhile...all in favor of the completion of D3IP say "gabbagabbahey".

It has a section that you can paste an IP:port, and launch the game directly, using the pilot-selection method you choose.
I have not built a game list into it. I can easily enough, if asked, but it wasn't the original intent of the app. When I wrote it initially, PXO was up, and D3 Alias was only a transparent random-pilot-selector and logo/taunt file maintenance layer between the desktop and the game. I think it was even compiled with Win98 versioned components . Suncho got me to rework the code for 2k/xp, and add some stuff.

personally, I'd think it would be nifty if you could replace PXO inside D3 with something thats up.

It would be wicked nifty.

I will continue working on D3IP ...yes it is potentially the best way to play D3 multi if PXO flakes out. I just tried a simple edit box to insert IP and port into registry and it didnt work (but it was only the 1st try). I have found a few problems with the program before I did anything e.g. I could "insert" a new IP and port w/no prob, BUT when I would edit a server to change the IP or port it would always save it with 2092 as the port. This problem will probably go away if I replace the separate IP and port edit boxes with one simple edit box.
I am doing this to 1) help keep D3 multi alive and 2) to learn a little programming. So if anybody familiar with C++ (code-junkies,etc) has some spare time (WTF is "spare time"?) to help me get this going, I might have something fairly decent to use in a week or 2. I have questions only, you don't have to get your hands dirty at all.

I just remembered 2 other things, 1) it may be possible to create a DLL file that would let the Direct IP game browser in D3 work like the PXO browser. I dont know but I bet it can be done. 2) I am also developing a crude little launching script/macro that takes the IP and port as it appears in the tracker from the clipboard and inserts it into a batch file that has all the cmnd line stuff you want and launches D3 and takes you to the game straight from the tracker (i.e. http://d3.descent.cx/tracker.d3) In the time it takes to find a pencil to write the IP down, I am already in the game.

Batch file..wtf, that's so 1987

(I still have a 200pg+ book on batch file uh..'programming')

In my opinion, it doesn't matter how old it is -- if it gets the job done, then great.

vma214, the batch file method you mention is what I use and is just as quick as it was going thru PXO. Don't listen to them when they bash you.
Bettina

Oh, I wasn't bashing. I was reminiscing

vma, I think you'll need the D3C source code in order to get your TCP/IP tracker integrated into D3.

Ya I know batch file is ancient...but it works perfectly everytime. Actually, it is faster than the PXO browser if you count the time to launch D3 and find the game in the list. I use a little macro program to paste the IP & port at the end of a string like this:
D:\games\descent3\main.exe -launched -pilot vma214 -framecap 0 -usesmoothing -nointro -playermessages -nomusic -nomotionblur -nooutragelogo -DirectIP 208.207.102.74:2092

...save it as a BAT file and run it. But I want to make a VBS script to do all the stuff the macro program does so anybody can use it.

Yes, it might require the D3 source to integrate D3IP into D3. I hope that since D4 was stopped and now PXO is most likely not coming back, perhaps the release of the source code is at least a bit closer.

The D3IP program is the best bet for now. I am back at it now...I had some downtime due to virus...(actually "viri"...I think) in my machine. If anybody wants to try the program AS IS, I can compile a release. It has bugs, but it does everything the previous version did and more. Also, you might find some bugs I miss and I could get a "wicked nifty" D3 game browser & launcher available faster.

YO VMA!!! Welcome aboard

Kali Rocks

But it would be very useful if you could copy a IP out of KALI and paste it into D3IP rather then pasting it into regedit. =)

You can already paste it into d3alias.. or make a batch file and paste it into that.

Why on earth are you pasting into regedit? Seems like a lot of extra work...

Besides...of all the people who need an alias manager, excluding Barry, Krom would.

Krom flies ? ..

Eh? Almost 100 aliases now

Darn "Cadets"

PXO is down... rank is irrelevant.

Where did I say anything about pasting into regedit? The batch file doesnt do anything with the registry. Whatever is in the Direct TCP IP box remains unchanged.

What does D3IP do that Kali doesnt? And What does Kali do that D3IP doesnt? I used Kali a long time ago...it seemed to have a lot of excess stuff I didnt want.

So I guess there is nobody interested in testing D3IP ver 1.0 beta. Thats OK...is does some weird stuff and appearently SolidAir is too busy to give me any more clues.

BTW, what does having tons of aliases do besides give the appearence of hundreds of people playing D3 when actually maybe there's only a few dozen?

Hey Ace!! Thanks. How are you doin with D3edit? Made any levels that I can criticize?

Also...I just got a new version of D3 edit and I am shocked. Somebody out there is still very enthusiastic about creating new levels. Dozens of fixes and dozens of new things!!

Krom was the one who said he was pasting into regedit.

D3 Alias is basically a launcher for Descent 3 where you can paste the IP address in and click a button and it launches into that game. It also allows you to pick your alias so you don't have to do it through the d3 pilots menu.

Kali is an online gaming network.

Also you can hook up D3 Alias with Kali so that when you launch a game from Kali, D3 Alias pops up with a pilot selection menu.

The batch file can also let you choose a pilot and since I have only half a dozen names that I might use it works great. I dunno if it would work well with a hundred.

With D3 Alias you select the names from a list rather than typing them in though. =)

LOL..(this is funny as hell...) I have one BAT file for each pilot. After clipping the IP & port I click on a desktop shortcut with the pilot I want to use and a prompt to continue pops up (allowing me to make any changes to the BAT file and then continue) and then closes IE, lauches D3 and joins the game w/o any more inputs required.

That seems rather tedious.

'"..(this is funny as hell...) I have one BAT file for each pilot. After clipping the IP & port I click on a desktop shortcut with the pilot I want to use and a prompt to continue pops up (allowing me to make any changes to the BAT file and then continue) and then closes IE, lauches D3 and joins the game w/o any more inputs required."

Testiculese wrote:That seems rather tedious.

"If this sounds "tedious"...it WAS tedious...to do the FIRST one!!...which wasn't half as tedious as having to explain simple things to the uninterested."'

D3IP would probably be very useful for us Linux crowd. If it worked for Linux that is.

I don't know if it works in linux. I would guess that it doesnt, but I really don't know. If you want to try it...email me for a copy of the current version in progress. It almost works in Windows!! J/K...it works, but not it's not fully functional.