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DGSweeper - RuneScape 3


Stev

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As all of you know, RuneScape 3 was released today. This, unfortunately, broke DGSweeper. It's going to take quite a bit of work to get back up and running, but I've already planned on how to go about it. So, today I was working on the DGSweeper layout and design itself:

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Or in RuneScape:

 

3JpQ9.png

 

 

Or the main interface:

 

3M9D4.png

3NCY2.gif

 

 

Clicking the arrows next to Keys will rotate it from DGSweeper > Keys > Gatestones.

 

Clicking the below the map will expand where the party details will be shown.

 

Just know that DGSweeper will come back! I've not forgotten about you. :).

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I'm hesitant to do an ETA as of yet. I don't expect to be busy this week, however. It'll most likely be released without DGConnect and just basic functionality first (like keys and gatestones), and then I'll work on adding the other features as I go.

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I spent yesterday playing with my nephew and 9 year old brother. Only got back home after 2AM (hung out with Sandi afterward). Today I got called into work - so not sure what time I'll be back tonight. If it's early enough I'll put some work into DGSweeper. :).

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I've seen posts where people have suggested it and JMods have replied that the map was already too "busy" and that adding more to it or adding more features would simply crowd it so they weren't going to. They've also said:

The first part about post-boss kills should be doable, as for the keys on the ground it would be too much of a large change to do right now. I did look previously at making the DG map far more functional than it's current state but again it is a large job that I can't really cover in my spare time as much!

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Updated the original post. Finished putting all images into a nice sprite that DGSweeper will use. Also came up with a solution to the main complaint DGSweeper got - waiting for this interface to load from Tip.It:

3LXzy.png

 

Let me explain exactly what that interface is.

 

For starters, it's literally a browser. The page you're seeing is simply one I created here on Tip.It. So, while you're waiting for it to "Connect to Tip.It", it's actually loading that webpage in the browser.

 

Why did I go with a browser? Well, DGSweeper uses several languages. These languages are:

  • AutoHotkey *Gasp*
    • AHK is primarily used. It requires the least work for the same outcome. It handles creating all of the objects, downloading the resources, and calls on the other languages and resources when needed. It uses GDI+ to draw DGSweeper. Since large operations can be quite slow with AHK, it calls on other languages to do the heavy lifting. All libraries ad functions used are written by myself, apart from a few GDI+ functions that I still use from Tic's GDI+ library.

[*]C++

  • This is used for quickly analyzing the captured bitmaps to check for maps and party details. If it decides a map is present, it'll also locate the player location of the player markers. It is also used to filter out the background of the text of your party details once they are found so that it can be drawn to the legend window. The C++ is compiled to machine code which AHK can use and execute quickly. All the C++ is also written and compiled myself.

[*]JavaScript

  • The entire webpage is handled by JavaScript (jQuery). Switching tabs, calculating potion boosts, solving riddles, and even DGConnect is all JavaScript. For DGConnect, it provides a checksumn of the current map and keys to Tip.It and requests an update, if there is one available. If one exists, it'll download the key positions, the base64 of the captured map. It'll then pass that data to AHK in JSON format, where AHK will convert the base64 to binary and to a usable/drawable bitmap. AHK will then use a
ScriptControl to easily convert the JSON to a usable AHK object. This, obviously, has to be custom written.

[*]PHP

 

So, there you are. You now know the basics of how DGSweeper works.

 

Now, back to the problem... The loading of that interface. I figured I'd do like it does with the resources - only download the new page if it's changed and store it on the user's HDD. Easy enough. However, it'd still have to connect to Tip.It for the images. DGConnect would no longer work though because Ajax wouldn't do cross-domain requests.

 

So, my solution is that I'll pack the webpage into the resource.dll that DGSweeper downloads. With it will be all of the images the webpage uses. It'll extract all of the images, then the page, and then open the page in the browser. DGConnect will be handled through AHK.

 

How does the browser interact with DGSweeper? Well, it's actually very clever. When you do something that requires AHK, such as changing certain options, it technically navigates to a new page. For example, dgs://_dgs_open_saved_maps. It means dgs://function/parameters. AHK detects this event, cancels it, and then calls the requested function.

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Started on the main interface tonight:

3M4Uf.png

3M9D4.png

Trying to get it as close the the RuneScape theme as possible. That way players will recognize it and hopefully be a little more comfortable with it.

 

Important: Like Tip.It, I will not be supporting computers with Internet Explorer version lesser then 8. Am finished with holding it back and trying to cater to people who simply don't care to keep up-to-date.

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No, it's not functioning yet. I'll be able to use most of the current DGSweeper's code to get the map though - just change the way it decides where to look. None of the colors or anything have changed. So that bit should be a simply copy and paste with some slight editing. I'll probably have the user open the map and click a button telling DGSweeper to scan the entire applet for the map. Once it finds it, it'll save it's location to find it later. Hopefully Central Interface is anchored to W/2,H/2... Fingers crossed.

 

I'll have to completely redo the party details though, but I don't think it'll take much.

 

In short - I'll be using a lot of the code from the current DGSweeper. Well, the one that people were testing for me right before RuneScape 3 came out. It was 100% reliable and never froze. Therefore, it won't take me as long as most of the other rewrites I've done.

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Ok so it sounds like that for just the map and being able to place those keystones should be able to get fixed quickly.

Are you going to do that and update the program we use and then fix the party details or are you going to do both first and then update?

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I like the idea of simply using dropdown menus instead of an individual page like you're used to now for things like features. Here's a screenshot of what I've changed:

3MLof.png

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Yeah, it bugged me that if players were using connect, they had to click home, then features, then potions, for example. Or, if they were viewing potions, they had to click back to features and then hiscores. Just a time waste when DGSweeper is built to prevent just that. :P.

 

I'm open to any suggestions for new features, tweaks to existing features, etc. Now would be the time to get your ideas added, as it's a clean slate for DGSweeper. :).

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how about an icon for doors you cannot open becouse your skill is too low? I dont dungeoneer with others, so for me red crosses for example would be usefull so i'll remember i cannot go there.

 

Edit: also, i'd find it usefull to get icons for farming patches and altars. I'm forever trying to remember where those were.

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See, I've always had one issue with adding those.

 

When I started DGSweeper, it was to make floors fast to maximize XP and efficiency. Therefore, I've never really added features which would reduce that.

 

Now, when I say efficiency, I mean only in dungeoneering. I know people like to woodcut, fish, survival prod, etc. But that's not efficient for dungeoneering. When I've done, it was always to maximize speed and (dungeoneering) XP for myself and my team. This is the only reason I've never added things like altar icons, patches, woodcutting icons, etc - because in terms of strictly dungeoneering - it's incredibly inefficient to bother with any of them.

 

However, I realize that now DGSweeper has a much larger audience and since it's now hosted over here on Tip.It that maybe I should cater to a larger crowd. I will certainly consider it. It would be very easy to add now with the new design (DGSweeper > Gatestones > Keys > Skills).

 

People, AFAIK, have always used the gold shield to mark special rooms on their map - because the gold shield door doesn't exist in-game. :P.

 

Edit: While DGSweeper is down, might I suggest a map tool written by All Bogs. It can be found here. It doesn't capture the map or anything, obviously, but it's good for marking key doors in the general area.

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Great design and great progress, very good job overall! :)

 

I don't know about the others but the fact that you could only close DGSweeper by going to the item tray and right-clicking -> exit was kinda annoying. I would say that closing the main window (main interface) should do this job, because all it does now is execute the function of the minimize button (no?). Also, there could be exit/minimize buttons on the dgsweep interface itself (the map part), so when you go for a break or something, you could just minimize it (hide it). I usually exit the app, so that would save me (and others of course) the time (and effort?) it takes reloading the app again.

 

Just a suggestion. :)

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Yeah for doing dungeorneering fast it's not that usefull, but I also use it to get a little bit more exp after I'm done with the boss. I usually gather wood/ore/herbs when I see them, so those icons wouldnt really be usefull for me but others might find it usefull. Besides, just becouse the icons would be there, wont mean you have to use them. The people who just want to do it as fast as they can, can just ignore those icons.

 

I browsed through the other topics, and it looks like others would like the skilling icons as well.

 

I've tried that map tool, and it's pretty good. Now if only it would also show the doors so I wouldnt have to keep checking my own map lol

 

Edit: What Elucido is saying is also a good point, on my computer, the item tray icon automatically hides so unless i customize it, i'd have to go look for it between the dozen other icons that are down there. Would be usefull to get an minimize and X button in the map itself if that is possible.

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Are you referring to what the hotkey, Ctrl-M, will do? It'll hide the entire utility, except for the Tip.It window. Should I make the minimize button make it minimize to tray icon (hide the window so it doesn't create a button on your taskbar) and the X actually exit the application?

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Are you referring to what the hotkey, Ctrl-M, will do? It'll hide the entire utility, except for the Tip.It window. Should I make the minimize button make it minimize to tray icon (hide the window so it doesn't create a button on your taskbar) and the X actually exit the application?

 

Just checked how it works. Yeah, this is exactly what I had in my mind, unfortunately I don't usually read the manual and go straight to learning things on my own, so naturally I was not aware of this.

 

In my opinion, making X exit the application would simplify the whole process of closing the app, because it would do exactly what people think it should do (exit the app, not put it somewhere in the icon tray). I had people asking me how to close it and I believe that shouldn't be a question. :)

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Going to start on coding DGSweeper today. I'll be away next week camping with family and some friends that I've not seen in over 5 years - so I want to get as much done by then as possible.

 

As I've said before, the majority of this build will be copied from the last, so I don't expect it to take too long. However, since I lost the source for 1.0.4.5 with my last HDD, I had to decompile the exe. So, it's entirely compressed and not exactly easy to read. -.- Ah well, I'll keep y'all posted.

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Hi.

 

I would just like to say thanks to all the work you're putting into this.

 

Cheers!

J'adore aussi le sexe et les snuff movies

Je trouve que ce sont des purs moments de vie

Je ne me reconnais plus dans les gens

Je suis juste un cas désespérant

Et comme personne ne viendra me réclamer

Je terminerai comme un objet retrouvé

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