01-04-2015, 05:37 PM
(01-03-2015, 07:01 AM)Nude For Satan Wrote: As I'm very ignorant of the software involved, I am going to ask a stupid question: what's the difference between ASSS and SubGame? (I'm guessing those are the two competing ... things). I understand ASSS is newer. Are we the only ones left on SubGame?
ASSS is newer server software that allows for quite a few things that subgame does not. I switched HZ to ASSS years ago when we basically ran out of developers and had to start fresh in order to continue updating the zone. Rather than have the new devs learn subgame and bot coding, we switched to ASSS and they learned to code modules instead. Here are a few differences and features with ASSS:
1) No need for bots. There are "modules" instead which are loaded up by the arena and can do the same things as bots and more. One of the major benefits (and HZ has taken full advantage) is that modules are, for lack of a better term, modular. Meaning you can have one module that handles basic 4v4 gameplay and load it up in every arena. You can then have a module that handles SQL (for alias searches, roster movement, etc) and load that up as well. In the end what you have is a very clean interface on the back end where if you want to make any changes to certain things, you do not have to mess with the entire bot code, you only deattach the module you want to change, and then load it back up after the change is done. All while the zone is still online.
2) Because modules are directly linked to the server, you can do some really neat things. For those of you that haven't been in HZ in years, we have a replay module. All big plays are saved (in league) and can be replayed back for entertainment or ruling purposes. IE. if a goal was close to being a crease, you can replay it back for another look (or multiple looks).
3) The most important feature so far has been the ability to run multiple games and game types in one arena. One of our big problems in HZ was that once 12 people were in the game, in order for more people to play they would have to go to a different arena, splitting up the player base. Often, people would rather sit in spec and chat in the "main" arena rather than go and play in a different arena where their friends weren't there to chat with. We now have 4 (or 5?) rinks in the main pub arena. Players can chat with their friends while they play, and the games are all completely separate. Module green text (goals, penalties, etc) are only displayed to the players in their respective rinks (and the spectators of that particular rink).
I think that 3rd feature would work wonderfully for chaos pub. Not so much for 4v4 because the playing area takes up the whole (or majority) of the map, but for pub you can have half a map of DZ, half a map of chaos, or whatever. That way people can actually play what they want (I'd love it if DZ was put into pub, does anybody actually play chaos anymore?)
(01-03-2015, 01:46 PM)High Gain Wrote: 2. No, most zones don't use ASSS. They claim it is unstable with high populations. Might even be true.
HG
That is incorrect. It used to be the case many, many years ago, but it has been fixed. We've had nights with 100+ in the zone and we have not had issues. Despite it being fixed, even if it WAS an issue, SVS would certainly not be one of those high population zones given that arenas are max 8 people and there are only multiple arenas on weekends, where maybe around, what, 24? 32? people playing?
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