Blue Sky :: good or bad?

[NormandyHacker]

I don't know why three windows?
You can show everything in it and it's preety good.
Don't try to fix what it isnt't broken...

[coreinside]

Hi,

First of all .. we will release a new demo ... a lot of things have changed.

Again ... lot's of thanks for the feedback.
Below are your answers :

- Everything was moved to the console window ... you will see exactly in a few days

- I will add a framerate limiter ... but i don`t think this is a major issue.

- TAB completion of commands anf hostnames is added ... so the issue of long tyings it's fixed.

- I will figure something out with the time tracer to make it more intense

- Replayability - Blue Sky is MOD enabled ... so one create new missions etc ... EVERYTHING can be chamged easily ... so i hope people will share new game levels:)

- ALT + TAB issue fixed

- Graphics : The interface is now skin enabled ... you can select several skins ... or create your new ones

Thanks again:)

[NormandyHacker]

Quote: from coreinside [br]

.. we will release a new demo ...

When?

[coreinside]

Around November the 1st.

Or well .... if you read this post within the next 2-3 hours ... you can leach one from :

http://www.terminalzero.com/bluesky/BSLeach.zip

If the link doesn`t work ... i probably deleted that file

[Talesin]

Now that's just frustrating.. being dragged off for RL, and missing a version that might not crash my system any time I try the third machine. :b Ah well. November 1st? Heh. My legal birthday, even if I prefer to celebrate at midnight of Samhain. :)

(edit)
Anyone else nab a copy while it was up? Looks to be fairly interesting, too bad it dies on my machine.. would like to see if it'll run with the new demo, without waiting a week.
(/edit)

---
...watch the time go right out the window...

(Edited by Talesin at 1:19 am on Oct. 27, 2002)

[Talesin]

  Another thought. I see that there's a mouse cursor (missed it the first couple times). Perhaps allow it to highlight stuff to copy to a 'scratchpad' window, along with being able to type in the scratchpad to keep notes? One of the things that's been asked for in Uplink for a while now, and a very handy tool. Also have a hotkey combo to switch back and forth between the command and notepad windows, for those choosing to disdain the mouse for raw typing speed.
  Also, possibly have the highlight (in the command or scratchpad pane) be able to copy links to servers into the 'systems status' window? Or have the 'locate' command automatically do it upon successful lookup? Not sure if it's supposed to already or not, but it doesn't on my machine. Related, allow the player to delete systems from the Systems Status pane if someone makes a high-syscount mod that may overflow the Status pane. And/or scrollbars on it.. again, haven't added any so I don't know if they automatically generate when there are a certain number of hosts displayed.
  Similarly, allow a double-click on a system in the Status pane to auto-type the hostname for you so you only need to type 'connect ', then look through the list of systems to find the one you want to visit. (Again, design with high-hostcounts in mind as SOMEONE is gonna do it, if possible.)

[Talesin]

Bumpeh past forum-spam threads.

[NormandyHacker]

Maybe more realistic commands?

[Talesin]

Think that one was already mentioned in a number of forms.. direct changes on the coder's part, support for aliasing your own, and from the coder, that you can go in and change the commands yourself to something more pleasing.

[NormandyHacker]

not the commands itself.Commands type

[Talesin]

Ahhh. Apologies, misunderstood.

Hmm. That /would/ make it a lot more interesting and fun, but considering that some people are already having trouble in the demo of *this* one, trying to figure out how to get past the first two hosts? It'd have a fairly narrow fanbase, be difficult to code (outwit and create realistic-seeming commands, then figure out how people could possibly interact them together and anticipate all of the results... would be frustrating for someone to come up with a brilliant way to get around a service, but the game-code say 'nope, didn't work', leaving you to fumble until you found one of the game-approved methods. Also can't use real past vulnerabilities, because then people would just read bug-tracking archives for the solutions)..

Honestly, it'd be a lot easier at that point for people to simply load ETerm, put on a snazzy background, and go play on a Wargames server at that point, if you end up with total realism.
 WOULD be good to have alternate password-collection methods besides brute force (see other thread about how brute force Just Don't Work) such as having holey webservers that would let you grab the password file and decrypt it without the tracer. Instead, have a slow trace for when the sysadmin comes back and looks at the webserver logs, and sees the passwd file has been served up thanks to a few /.. marks in the URL request.

Again, thinking up all of these and having more than one Game Approved way to use them would be the difficult part.

[coreinside]

I think i will add alternate password hacking methods.

Logs are on the way ... you will be drinkin coffee and smoking a cigarette trying to figure something out ... and all of a sudden a trace starts on you. You forgot to erase the logs ... the host has less then 5 seconds trace time ... you have to set up a bounce ... you have 20 seconds ... you drop your smoke in your coffee, the coffee on yourself .. and be fast ... or get ur ass traced!

Host trace time decreases with every connect/bounce/etc. If you even "look" at a host ... it's trace time decreases ... so be very carefull ... you are walking on thin ice.

Soo ... quit smoking, forget about coffee ... you won't even have time to blink ... just think .. think real fast ... you want to win!
You want difficulty? I will give you levels to play for days until you figure out one simple thing:)

I will make you use your brain!

I will make it all look so simple ... yet you will have to use your brain ... i will make you cry on forums for help for days

[coreinside]

Sorry ... i forgot to answer to some of you.

If you want a copy of the current build, mail me at mx_robert@hotmail.com and you will get one
Get me some good betatesting and i will put your name in the game credits

In the last 3 months people asked why is the mouse there ... duuh ... i was testing the mouse code

Now it is used to set up bounced links:)

Talesin :

There is a scratch pad to type & save stuff
All visible hosts are shown on the world map ... put the mouse on it ... and you get host information about the host

I will expose a .dll for you guys to play with (not sure yet) ... ok ... if i sell enough copies ... i will make it opensource

[ArcAngel]

Thanx we're all greatfull I'm sure about that like I said in the e-mail its good to see new and fresh titles coming out. :biggrin:

[ArcAngel]

So what I've gatherd is you have a new demo comming out on the 1st or a ful beta build available to help you beta it?

sorry should of edited last post, your makingvalot of progress on the development front.

(Edited by ArcAngel at 12:14 am on Oct. 28, 2002)