Whiteboard Server
 

A server where everyone gets a (dynamically assigned) folder, into which they can develop their server. Nobody else can log onto their folder (or maybe a 1-user cap: register a full port if you want to Release a PW), but it gives you the opportunity to do some development "offline" before you shell out $100 on a flawed concept.
Add a 24 hour wipe to save space, add a clientside backup/restore feature...

More development, more PWs, less UC, less complaints. And if it's a VIP feature, that becomes a worthwhile upgrade again too.

That's great.


So, being a smart person, this is what I'd do if I wanted to build a server:

I'd use this dummy server with a team and I'd work on a server, free of charge. Everything wipes after 24 hours? That's great, I'll just back everything up and reupload everything to keep working on it the next day. Limit it to only scripts? Won't be a problem, you make levels and graphics offline anyways.


You see, as much as this would be nice, it would definitely cut down on Cyberjouers profit margin, which is already low to begin with.

Personally, I like this idea.

What's stopping you from doing this now?

using GS2 online is a powerful tool which can be used for as much evil as good, so there would have to be a pretty airtight way to filter out douches that upload malicious code before this could work because there are jerks out there

I concur!

I have issues with the theory that Cyberjouers' Profit Margin hinges on us only being able to develop by buying a server.
Other than that, that's exactly what I have in mind: upload, tinker, download, wipe. Fairly low impact server (particularly if Stefan puts a choker on how big of a upload/download you're allowed on the Whiteboard), plus there's the BIG limitation of You Can't Go Public from the whiteboard. You can test your ideas, you can develop all you want. If you have a server, your underlings can play around with scripts before uploading them on YOUR server. Everyone's got a Private Dev Server nobody else can play on/steal from. Heck, if you reduce it to Only You Can Access, you can't Really Test multiplayer scripts, only work up a theory to test on a Real Server, which doesn't cost a dime less for the fact that you can pre-build your scripts on the Whiteboard.
Additional advantage: Don't have to wait for Stefan to make another version of the offline client so we can see Gani Effects, etc.

It's the whiteboard. Feel free to do all the harm you want in your own personal bubble. Write a script that spams the GServer until it crashes, you've successfully locked yourself out of your own testing environment for 24 hours and thrown up a flag that pretty specifically singles you out to the watching eyes of the admins. It can be scripted to prevent malicious code leaking beyond the whiteboard boundaries; I mean hell, there are worlds sharing servers, and except for the truly disasterous scriptsplosions when one goes down the others stay up. The exception is when one goes down and the whole server goes down, and that tends to be the Ye Olde Spilled Coffee story, not malicious code.

Additional advantage: Hey Hellraven, I made this awesome code, upload plx!
Hellraven: Hmm, okay...*uploads to the whiteboard, it explodes* No.

But I still don't see what is to stop someone from using malicious code like DarkCloud_PK said.
It doesn't take much to crash the NPC Server.

Heck I did it, and all I did was remove a ";" or a "," or something.

I think his theory is one gserver with many subservers in the ftp.
Each subserver gets their own npcserver (in theory).

So if you crash yours, your just out of luck and your scripts wouldnt be able to effect people on levels outside of your little place so you wouldnt be able to mess up people testing their own stuff elsewhere.

Hmm...I don't think a gserver can support more then one npcserver currently though.

A whiteboard server would be nice. I think you would need to send in some application which would show you have some knowledge of programming at all before you could get access though. I would love to be able to host a server for this purpose if I had the money.

But one physical-server can support many gservers. And if one gserver crashes, the others tend to be fine, particularly if they've been "choked" enough.
I'm sure it'd be a trivial matter for Stefan to code a partition for maybe 30 micro-playerworlds, each with 1/30th a normal PW's storage and 1/30th a normal PW's processor priority, each with a single user allowed and that single user defined as the creator, each with a 24-hour wipe...but of course we'd need a way to upload-and-download the entire microserver before it'd be Really useful. In the meantime though it'd be a handy way for VIPs to test gani effects, and anything else that doesn't show up in the offline editor.

Though I'm sure Stefan will just say "We're working on something, it'll be great, don't worry, you'll see soon." :\

What if you want to practice and learn but really don't have very much experience in the first place?

Perhaps a way to host an NPC server on your own computer?
It's been similarly done with the RC before, so I'm sure it might be possible with NC. With a self-hosted NC and a new editor that connects to it, it might help a lot.

If stefan released an npcserver you could host on your pc, i dont know much about this type of thing, but im gonna assume there would be a chance it could be cracked and reverse engineered and eventually youll have tons of illegal mini-graals on the internet.

Same chance for any executable, if you fear that then oh well. May as well stop releasing Graal.

Well if good scripters want to further the development of the scripting community they better damn well help out the people. But I think a requirement would be the ability to think in an object-based way.

It'd be nice, but since that ain't happening (given the fate of every previous release of NPCServ) methinks This is a fair compromise - the power to test in a nearly-offline environment.

I've gotten permission to use Symphonia Dev for this purpose, whoever would like to participate in setting this up please contact sometime or post ideas and the like.

My Plan:
Was thinking at the moment, people can apply for the RC by some means and must show that they're capable and want to learn to script or they know how to script and just want a place to test their stuff.

Each person would get their own folder which will be enabled for levels and files and in the npcserver so you can load files by script from it. Also you'll need to specify a 'dev nickname' you want which will be used for prefixing stuff that belongs to you such as weapons, classes, npcs, and levels.

There will be no time limit to your RC as long as you don't cause any problems. I have several misc utilities hanging around that you can use for your scripts. Theses scripts will be readable by everyone but you cannot write to them. You're also not allowed to read any scripts that belong to others unless the owner wishes it to be public.

Sounds great :)

's cool. The Ideal would be fully-automated (so nobody has to manually add anyone), but it's nice that someone's taking the initiative.

Can't automate RC adding and I wouldn't want to either :D

Stefan could, that's the point. You or I can open an unofficial whiteboard server, but then there's gonna be Brad coming on saying OMGWTF TYHM STOLE MY STUFF AND BANNED ME! and WarCaptain saying INVERNESS WON'T LET ME ON! Then there's the concern DC raised, which is that someone can bring down your entire RC umbrella by being a jerk, or just by screwing up.

So it's good, I just want Stefan's whiteboard too. :-D

I still think the most convenient and safest way is if Stefan somehow releases a program that lets you set up an NC on your own computer, and links it to the offline editor.

Maybe, but it won't happen.

Ya i totally agree with this, its like the next best thing if graal does it.

And hell ill upgrade my account to VIP today if Stefan will do the Whiteboard Servers.

Neither will anything else that will make developing as open as it used to be.

Wait and see! Would be my comment on this. I can't say anything, but there are ideas in the pipelines. Of course, as to when they will surface I don't know, but they are taking note of some key suggestions that have been made and would help both Graal and Developers.

I'm too lazy to set up the server myself, anyone want to do it for me?

I mean developing as in anyone can pick up and try. Right now the only people who can try GS2 are those who are already good at it, buy a server, or have connections. Of course they're not going to tell us any of their plans :P They never do, I don't see why not though... if they'd tell us plans people would get more excited about things instead of just sitting here complaining that nothing is ever being done.

And you'd also get more annoyed at a lack of release date, or if it falls though :)

I'd rather be annoyed at a lack of deadline reached than always hearing, 'top secret stuff we can't tell you is being worked on, just wait and see," and never seeing anything happen.

Hmm, beginning to set up the server now.

With the whole GServer failure, perhaps the server hosting the whiteboard server could have a cron job at more regular intervals to bring it back online. Since the server would wipe everything when it starts, there won't be any scripts to bring it straight back done.

Plus, the server could always have some staff monitor it occasionally.

What kind of security measures should I implement for the server? And does anyone want to help me with this? -_-

I dunno from security these days, but I dunno how you even can make a homebrew whiteboard...I mean, there's only one serveroptions, and either everyone or noone has access to it, you can't really have half the server running one and the other half running the other. :-(

Its not so much a 'whiteboard' as it is a server where people can gain permanent access to be able to test and learn GS2. Like the old #gscript server I believe.

thats a good idea!

Or we could have a gs2 compatible level editor. But that wont happen either.