QML based gadget to show games list

Ideas and suggestions for how to improve the Warzone 2100 base game only. Ideas for mods go in Mapping/Modding instead. Read sticky posts first!
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Emdek
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QML based gadget to show games list

Post by Emdek »

This is idea not related directly to Warzone itself, but more like targeted for players (also I'm fully capable of implementing it ;-)), especially those bored by asking wzbot repeatedly for current games.

The idea is to create plasmoid (for KDE Plasma workspace) using QML, so with proper used of components (widgets) it could be used on all supported by Qt platforms (including some phones, Symbina, Meego, Maemo and maybe Android too, depends on current state of unofficial port for that platform), thought by default it would work for them as normal application, instead of nicely integrated gadget on desktop or panel (Windows Vista and MacOS X have similar concepts, but they implement only parts of that what is available in KDE :-P).

How it would work and look?
Internally it would poll lobby server for list of games (interval of 30 seconds by default should be enough) and display results as list similar to that in game (though could be much more flexible and display more data later, if available).
In future it could also give notifications (for example blinking or sound) when new games appear or when appears game which properties fulfill some specified rules (like specified version, amount of players, amount of free / full slots, or containing specified strong in name - could be regular expression).

I'm going to do that anyway (since it looks a good task to get into QML finally) but if there is bigger interest I can start it earlier (like this month), also I'm open for ideas how it should look like or work.
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aubergine
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Re: QML based gadget to show games list

Post by aubergine »

I guess you could have it notify you when friends are online in the lobby, and this would then give additional benefit to having a requirement of using forum login to use the lobby server... Then it could have something that tells you when you have a new PM on the forums, list of recent news, and so on. I guess, thought around it shouldn't be limited to just the lobby, it should be approached from the perspective of community engagement / interaction.
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Emdek
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Re: QML based gadget to show games list

Post by Emdek »

aubergine, well, if I would start messing with server part, then why not.
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aubergine
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Re: QML based gadget to show games list

Post by aubergine »

Also, can I put in a vote for using some of the images from Art Revolution as backgrounds? Those guys have been doing some really amazing things and this image in particular always takes my breath away when I see it: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=9117#p97621
"Dedicated to discovering Warzone artefacts, and sharing them freely for the benefit of the community."
-- https://warzone.atlassian.net/wiki/display/GO
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Emdek
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Re: QML based gadget to show games list

Post by Emdek »

Sure, as long as there will be no license conflict that is not an issue.
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Emdek
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Re: QML based gadget to show games list

Post by Emdek »

One more thing (I hate to post more than one message in a row ;-)), I think it could be possible to calculate lag value by pinging listed servers and display it. :-)
Nadszedł już czas, najwyższy czas, nienawiść zniszczyć w sobie.
The time has come, the high time, to destroy hatred in oneself.


Beware! Mad Qt Evangelist.