<-- fixed banner for that crappy browser...
EQIMBase and compiled EQIMd, EQIMu, TEQIM binaries updated
[12.15.2004]
Your favorite alternatives to SOE's EQIM client have been updated to solve the problem presented by today's EQ patch. Have fun :)
In case you couldnt tell by the other news, these projects are sponsored by Lavish Software
Your favorite alternatives to SOE's EQIM client have been updated to solve the problem presented by today's EQ patch. Have fun :)
In case you couldnt tell by the other news, these projects are sponsored by Lavish Software
Lavish Software announces Inner Space
[12.8.2004]
Following up on WinEQ 2.0, Lavish Software has officially announced that alpha testing of Inner Space is underway. Inner Space is designed to work with a wide variety of games, and will support many many games under the same roof. So what is it? What does it do? Read about it here: http://www.lavishsoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1237
Lavish Software
Following up on WinEQ 2.0, Lavish Software has officially announced that alpha testing of Inner Space is underway. Inner Space is designed to work with a wide variety of games, and will support many many games under the same roof. So what is it? What does it do? Read about it here: http://www.lavishsoft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1237
Lavish Software
WinEQ 2.0
[11.18.2004]
WinEQ has long since been rewritten to support other games and brand new features. WinEQ 2.0 currently supports Dark Age of Camelot, EverQuest, EverQuest II, World of Warcraft and Warcraft III. We have just added an exciting new feature: Video Capture. It's no secret that video capture applications already exist, but our aim with this new feature is to bring the possibility of video capture to a wider audience. Video capture shouldn't just be for people with gigantic hard drives -- I have gigantic hard drives, but I rarely have enough free space to capture much video with other applications, and I cant stand when programs forcibly slow my game to the speed of the video. Our system is designed to let you capture the size and quality of video you want, and allows ways of using less disk space. We also encode the video with a fairly popular codec, rather than trying to produce our own codec. While sound is not currently available, we plan on adding the option very soon.
Lavish Software
WinEQ has long since been rewritten to support other games and brand new features. WinEQ 2.0 currently supports Dark Age of Camelot, EverQuest, EverQuest II, World of Warcraft and Warcraft III. We have just added an exciting new feature: Video Capture. It's no secret that video capture applications already exist, but our aim with this new feature is to bring the possibility of video capture to a wider audience. Video capture shouldn't just be for people with gigantic hard drives -- I have gigantic hard drives, but I rarely have enough free space to capture much video with other applications, and I cant stand when programs forcibly slow my game to the speed of the video. Our system is designed to let you capture the size and quality of video you want, and allows ways of using less disk space. We also encode the video with a fairly popular codec, rather than trying to produce our own codec. While sound is not currently available, we plan on adding the option very soon.
Lavish Software
WinEQ now available for localized servers
[9.5.2004]
The standard WinEQ now works on localized servers. Enough said :)
The standard WinEQ now works on localized servers. Enough said :)
SOE Breaks Own Service
[8.27.2004]
Wee! Apparently during their maintenance, the IP address of at least one server was moved, breaking all EQIM clients that rely on the login server for correct information. I am currently out of town (see Lavish Software news) until the 1st and cannot update the clients here until then, but hopefully it will still work after changing things on our end (note that even if we fix the IP addresses on our end, the EQIM login server still has to contact the world server to validate your login).
Wee! Apparently during their maintenance, the IP address of at least one server was moved, breaking all EQIM clients that rely on the login server for correct information. I am currently out of town (see Lavish Software news) until the 1st and cannot update the clients here until then, but hopefully it will still work after changing things on our end (note that even if we fix the IP addresses on our end, the EQIM login server still has to contact the world server to validate your login).
Lavish Software announces WinDAOC
[8.17.2004]
For those of you who play Dark Age of Camelot, or have friends that play it, WinDAOC is officially announced today. WinDAOC's first release will be based on WinEQ 1.30, and very soon joins it in the MMOTools product suite. This is not only an added value to our subscribers that play both EverQuest and Dark Age of Camelot, but the first serious windowing software for that game. The official announcement can be read here
For those of you who play Dark Age of Camelot, or have friends that play it, WinDAOC is officially announced today. WinDAOC's first release will be based on WinEQ 1.30, and very soon joins it in the MMOTools product suite. This is not only an added value to our subscribers that play both EverQuest and Dark Age of Camelot, but the first serious windowing software for that game. The official announcement can be read here
Update on status of EQIM clients
[7.21.2004]
The EQIMGuru site is now once again strictly for the EQIM clients. The message boards and clients will remain here, though the extra boards will be removed to reduce clutter. Lavish Software will sponsor the clients, but will not have ads popping up or anything silly like that. They will remain open source and free. Have fun!
The EQIMGuru site is now once again strictly for the EQIM clients. The message boards and clients will remain here, though the extra boards will be removed to reduce clutter. Lavish Software will sponsor the clients, but will not have ads popping up or anything silly like that. They will remain open source and free. Have fun!
WinEQ makes the move
[7.10.2004]
WinEQ download has been moved to www.LavishSoft.com. You will need to sign up on the LavishSoft message boards in order to authenticate with the license server to use the software.
WinEQ download has been moved to www.LavishSoft.com. You will need to sign up on the LavishSoft message boards in order to authenticate with the license server to use the software.
EQPlayNice makes the move
[7.10.2004]
EQPlayNice download has been moved to www.LavishSoft.com. You will need to sign up on the LavishSoft message boards in order to authenticate with the license server to use the software. This will also be the case for new WinEQ versions.
EQPlayNice download has been moved to www.LavishSoft.com. You will need to sign up on the LavishSoft message boards in order to authenticate with the license server to use the software. This will also be the case for new WinEQ versions.
Introduction: www.LavishSoft.com
[7.7.2004]
Thanks to your support, http://www.LavishSoft.com is now ready for browsing. A couple new products are announced in the products section there -- Fury, and Inner Space. Fury will be in the same product suite as WinEQ and EQPlayNice.
All users are encouraged sign up on the Lavish Software forums, which will be your main Lavish Software credentials, used for all subscription and support. Support for all software currently found on this site will be moved exclusively to the Lavish Software forums, and the message boards here will be closed. Once the EQPlayNice move takes effect this coming patch, you will need a login to be able to use EQPlayNice. Donors will get access to EQPlayNice as soon as possible, but those of you that have not donated will have to wait a little while (sorry) for me to finish a little bit of the system. Donors will need to sign up on the Lavish message boards and notify me in order to receive their subscription status.
Thanks to your support, http://www.LavishSoft.com is now ready for browsing. A couple new products are announced in the products section there -- Fury, and Inner Space. Fury will be in the same product suite as WinEQ and EQPlayNice.
All users are encouraged sign up on the Lavish Software forums, which will be your main Lavish Software credentials, used for all subscription and support. Support for all software currently found on this site will be moved exclusively to the Lavish Software forums, and the message boards here will be closed. Once the EQPlayNice move takes effect this coming patch, you will need a login to be able to use EQPlayNice. Donors will get access to EQPlayNice as soon as possible, but those of you that have not donated will have to wait a little while (sorry) for me to finish a little bit of the system. Donors will need to sign up on the Lavish message boards and notify me in order to receive their subscription status.
Go Woody!
[7.2.2004]
I just came across this topic over at GU Comics. Woody had a dialog with Smedley about how SOE looks at EQPlayNice specifically. This post has the interesting part:
Woody: Is there any way I could hear SOE official response to "EQ PlayNice"? Is it a bannable violation of the EULA?
Smedley: I guess the best answer is, the severity of the punishment depends on the severity of the disruptive behavior which can range from a simple warning to an account banning.
Woody: So, since PlayNice only restricts the amount of resources EQ is allowed to eat up, and doesn't actually affect the game to produce a positive in-game benefit, it's unlikely that people would be banned for it?
Smedley: You really have to work pretty hard and do something absolutely outrageous or repeatedly do smaller things. We don.t take banning lightly.
---
How all that should be read is:
They don't encourage 3rd Party Software... but it'd be tough to get banned because of it.
Smedley Clarification:
It's technically a violation; but, in its current form, it isn't on our radar.
And just a quick note for Woody here, my wife is a big fan of GU Comics and has recently donated. Also anyone interested, Woody has some WoW Beta accounts to give away, the drawing ends within a few days. * Update: fixed my wording, sorry ;)
Finally, an update for those who have been asking when the new site for my software will be announced, I am currently working on getting the software geared up and determining a name for one of the new products that will go along with WinEQ and EQPlayNice in their new suite. I hope to be able to announce the site within a week. Also a reminder, ALL donations to these projects will be applied toward the new system, and I will be looking into the possibility of little extras for those that donate before the move.
I just came across this topic over at GU Comics. Woody had a dialog with Smedley about how SOE looks at EQPlayNice specifically. This post has the interesting part:
Woody: Is there any way I could hear SOE official response to "EQ PlayNice"? Is it a bannable violation of the EULA?
Smedley: I guess the best answer is, the severity of the punishment depends on the severity of the disruptive behavior which can range from a simple warning to an account banning.
Woody: So, since PlayNice only restricts the amount of resources EQ is allowed to eat up, and doesn't actually affect the game to produce a positive in-game benefit, it's unlikely that people would be banned for it?
Smedley: You really have to work pretty hard and do something absolutely outrageous or repeatedly do smaller things. We don.t take banning lightly.
---
How all that should be read is:
They don't encourage 3rd Party Software... but it'd be tough to get banned because of it.
Smedley Clarification:
It's technically a violation; but, in its current form, it isn't on our radar.
And just a quick note for Woody here, my wife is a big fan of GU Comics and has recently donated. Also anyone interested, Woody has some WoW Beta accounts to give away, the drawing ends within a few days. * Update: fixed my wording, sorry ;)
Finally, an update for those who have been asking when the new site for my software will be announced, I am currently working on getting the software geared up and determining a name for one of the new products that will go along with WinEQ and EQPlayNice in their new suite. I hope to be able to announce the site within a week. Also a reminder, ALL donations to these projects will be applied toward the new system, and I will be looking into the possibility of little extras for those that donate before the move.
Projects Status
[6.28.2004]
I've received a lot of positive feedback lately, and many users of my software (including both donors and non-donors) have suggested that the software is worthy of a stronger fee system, rather than asking for donations particularly around patch days. One mentioned something about paying quarterly for services on a community web site, which they admitted is not as useful to them as EQPlayNice and WinEQ. Although I know what it's like to enjoy free software, I must make a living and support my budding family just like everyone else :)
Therefore, I have founded a company on what I feel is a solid reputation in the EQ community, and a growing user base, to develop and support this and other software. I have been working hard recently, and for the next week or two still, to begin moving things to the new system. I'll be moving some projects off of sourceforge and moving all support to the new site, which will be announced when it is ready. There will be a free version of both EQPlayNice and WinEQ still, that meet the demands of most, however paying customers will receive much better support and better features. These tools will be bundled under a single product suite, and new products will be added to the suite. Additionally, new games will be supported in the same suite (e.g. same payments, same suite, new games like EQ2 and World of Warcraft via different products).
As stated previously, all existing donations will be applied to the pay system. The details have yet to be finalized, and I would welcome any comments, suggestions, questions, etc.
TIP for Multi-Boxing: Many people ask how to improve stability when multi-boxing. My first recommendation is actually to turn off models except for those that are necessary (e.g. if you use a horse, you need your race + horse).
I've received a lot of positive feedback lately, and many users of my software (including both donors and non-donors) have suggested that the software is worthy of a stronger fee system, rather than asking for donations particularly around patch days. One mentioned something about paying quarterly for services on a community web site, which they admitted is not as useful to them as EQPlayNice and WinEQ. Although I know what it's like to enjoy free software, I must make a living and support my budding family just like everyone else :)
Therefore, I have founded a company on what I feel is a solid reputation in the EQ community, and a growing user base, to develop and support this and other software. I have been working hard recently, and for the next week or two still, to begin moving things to the new system. I'll be moving some projects off of sourceforge and moving all support to the new site, which will be announced when it is ready. There will be a free version of both EQPlayNice and WinEQ still, that meet the demands of most, however paying customers will receive much better support and better features. These tools will be bundled under a single product suite, and new products will be added to the suite. Additionally, new games will be supported in the same suite (e.g. same payments, same suite, new games like EQ2 and World of Warcraft via different products).
As stated previously, all existing donations will be applied to the pay system. The details have yet to be finalized, and I would welcome any comments, suggestions, questions, etc.
TIP for Multi-Boxing: Many people ask how to improve stability when multi-boxing. My first recommendation is actually to turn off models except for those that are necessary (e.g. if you use a horse, you need your race + horse).
EQPlayNice Updated
[6.16.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch. * Fixed link, sorry about that!
Thanks to those who donated today, your support is much appreciated and EQPlayNice would not be here without you. Many people have suggested I switch to a shareware or flat fee system, which I may choose to do. I can't keep this free forever unfortunately, especially for the fact that the web site got some 10,000 hits looking for updated EQPlayNice today before the update, and about 5 donated. I will explore my options (note that previous donations would be taken into consideration for any shareware or flat fee system).
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch. * Fixed link, sorry about that!
Thanks to those who donated today, your support is much appreciated and EQPlayNice would not be here without you. Many people have suggested I switch to a shareware or flat fee system, which I may choose to do. I can't keep this free forever unfortunately, especially for the fact that the web site got some 10,000 hits looking for updated EQPlayNice today before the update, and about 5 donated. I will explore my options (note that previous donations would be taken into consideration for any shareware or flat fee system).
Someone set up us the patch
[6.16.2004]
Patch day is here! If you like the software available here please take the time to show your appreciation by donating via the above link. I need to eat, you know :) I quit playing EQ several months ago, and I continue to produce this software basically for free. My sole motivation for continuing to develop and update the software available here is donations. So, if you would like me to stay motivated or just want to buy me lunch while I work on getting EQPlayNice updated, please donate and support my work :) I know you're out there, I see the hits counter going up a couple thousand every day!
As always, I will be working to get EQPlayNice up as soon as possible, please dont email me angrily asking where it is, thinking I have it stashed away.
Patch day is here! If you like the software available here please take the time to show your appreciation by donating via the above link. I need to eat, you know :) I quit playing EQ several months ago, and I continue to produce this software basically for free. My sole motivation for continuing to develop and update the software available here is donations. So, if you would like me to stay motivated or just want to buy me lunch while I work on getting EQPlayNice updated, please donate and support my work :) I know you're out there, I see the hits counter going up a couple thousand every day!
As always, I will be working to get EQPlayNice up as soon as possible, please dont email me angrily asking where it is, thinking I have it stashed away.
WinEQ Updated - 0.992 Beta
[6.13.2004]
WinEQ now supports Win98/ME, for real this time :) (note: if you grabbed 0.992 before this note, and are crashing immediately when starting EQ, re-download 0.992. Sorry about that)
WinEQ now supports Win98/ME, for real this time :) (note: if you grabbed 0.992 before this note, and are crashing immediately when starting EQ, re-download 0.992. Sorry about that)
WinEQ Updated - 0.991 Beta
[6.12.2004]
WinEQ has been updated to fix a few remaining issues. Windows 98/ME should work fine now. Magelo Updater definitely works fine now. Fixed crash issues with alt+enter in game and other points where EQ may have reset the display. As always, read WinEQ.txt especially if you have not before. The list of changes in each version is at the end of the file.
Next on the docket will be window docking, dual monitor support, and possibly auto-updating WinEQ and EQPlayNice. If you enjoy the software available here please make sure to donate and show your support, so that the software continues to be developed.
WinEQ has been updated to fix a few remaining issues. Windows 98/ME should work fine now. Magelo Updater definitely works fine now. Fixed crash issues with alt+enter in game and other points where EQ may have reset the display. As always, read WinEQ.txt especially if you have not before. The list of changes in each version is at the end of the file.
Next on the docket will be window docking, dual monitor support, and possibly auto-updating WinEQ and EQPlayNice. If you enjoy the software available here please make sure to donate and show your support, so that the software continues to be developed.
WinEQ Updated - 0.99 Beta
[6.11.2004]
The long-awaited WinEQ 0.99 Beta is now available for your downloading pleasure. This update fixes just about every issue reported so far. It now works on Windows 98/ME (it previously did not work on those systems at all). "Fuzzy text" issues should be solved automatically. You have the option to keep the aspect ratio when resizing the window by dragging. Cycling forward now works through all WinEQ sessions rather than just two (Cycling backward always worked fine). EQPlayNice can be automatically loaded by WinEQ (you still have to download it each patch). Magelo updater issues are fixed (they have an infinite loop in their code, exposed by WinEQ. I fix it for them). Window positioning shouldnt screw up when passing server select. Changing resolution from in-game works. Most crash issues are solved. WinEQ provides options to override EQ's Hardware/Software vertex processing and rasterizer settings. *phew* ALL THIS AND MORE! :) See WinEQ.txt for most of the details, especially if you have not used WinEQ before. The list of changes is at the bottom of WinEQ.txt.
The long-awaited WinEQ 0.99 Beta is now available for your downloading pleasure. This update fixes just about every issue reported so far. It now works on Windows 98/ME (it previously did not work on those systems at all). "Fuzzy text" issues should be solved automatically. You have the option to keep the aspect ratio when resizing the window by dragging. Cycling forward now works through all WinEQ sessions rather than just two (Cycling backward always worked fine). EQPlayNice can be automatically loaded by WinEQ (you still have to download it each patch). Magelo updater issues are fixed (they have an infinite loop in their code, exposed by WinEQ. I fix it for them). Window positioning shouldnt screw up when passing server select. Changing resolution from in-game works. Most crash issues are solved. WinEQ provides options to override EQ's Hardware/Software vertex processing and rasterizer settings. *phew* ALL THIS AND MORE! :) See WinEQ.txt for most of the details, especially if you have not used WinEQ before. The list of changes is at the bottom of WinEQ.txt.
Lax Resumes
[6.9.2004]
Back in town, responded to most of the WinEQ messages on the boards but havent gotten around to email yet. Anyway, as of today I have some additions to my testing arsenal thanks to donations received. Due to problems people are having with Radeon cards (gamma, multiple monitor) I have applied a portion of the donations to the purchase of a card for testing (previously tests were all on GeForce 4ti). And to make sure things work correctly in Windows 98, ME, and 2000 (I have only personally tested on XP) I also grabbed Virtual PC, which is similar to vmware, and will be testing on those platforms as well with both the NVIDIA and ATI cards.
I will get some good WinEQ updates out as soon as possible, hopefully this weekend. My wife is having surgery in a few hours so I'll be a little shorthanded for a week, but be assured there's plenty coming and WinEQ will be compatible with your system very soon if not already :)
Back in town, responded to most of the WinEQ messages on the boards but havent gotten around to email yet. Anyway, as of today I have some additions to my testing arsenal thanks to donations received. Due to problems people are having with Radeon cards (gamma, multiple monitor) I have applied a portion of the donations to the purchase of a card for testing (previously tests were all on GeForce 4ti). And to make sure things work correctly in Windows 98, ME, and 2000 (I have only personally tested on XP) I also grabbed Virtual PC, which is similar to vmware, and will be testing on those platforms as well with both the NVIDIA and ATI cards.
I will get some good WinEQ updates out as soon as possible, hopefully this weekend. My wife is having surgery in a few hours so I'll be a little shorthanded for a week, but be assured there's plenty coming and WinEQ will be compatible with your system very soon if not already :)
Out of Town until Wednesday
[6.5.2004]
I will be out of town on business until Wednesday. I am in the middle of some WinEQ updates, which includes making WinEQ work on Win98 and WinME (it does not currently work at all on those versions of windows), as well as fixes for many issues brought up on the message boards (such as text "fuzziness" if you use the Windows XP theme with the gigantic title bars). If you are having problems, please visit the WinEQ message board via the forum link. Also a reminder that your window positioning, etc, is specific to the PROFILE, not the WINDOW ITSELF. This means if you resize or move one window, the other windows in that profile resize or move with it - this is explained in WinEQ.txt, I still suggest reading it if you have not.
I will be out of town on business until Wednesday. I am in the middle of some WinEQ updates, which includes making WinEQ work on Win98 and WinME (it does not currently work at all on those versions of windows), as well as fixes for many issues brought up on the message boards (such as text "fuzziness" if you use the Windows XP theme with the gigantic title bars). If you are having problems, please visit the WinEQ message board via the forum link. Also a reminder that your window positioning, etc, is specific to the PROFILE, not the WINDOW ITSELF. This means if you resize or move one window, the other windows in that profile resize or move with it - this is explained in WinEQ.txt, I still suggest reading it if you have not.
EQPlayNice Updated
[6.2.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch! Make sure to check out WinEQ if you havent yet, the screenshots shown on the product page are pretty fun :)
Thanks of course to the 2 people who donated this patch. I admit I am a little .. put off by the amount of traffic this site gets (500 in less than 5 minutes on patch days) as compared to the number of donors (2 since last patch). On one hand I dont want to scrap the projects because a lot of people use them, but on the other hand I feel like the village whore.
Keep an eye out for a coming WinEQ update that includes the ability to automatically load the EQPlayNice DLL along with WinEQ. You'll still download EQPlayNice each patch as you do now, but you will be able to tell WinEQ to load it instead of having the two icons in your system tray.
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch! Make sure to check out WinEQ if you havent yet, the screenshots shown on the product page are pretty fun :)
Thanks of course to the 2 people who donated this patch. I admit I am a little .. put off by the amount of traffic this site gets (500 in less than 5 minutes on patch days) as compared to the number of donors (2 since last patch). On one hand I dont want to scrap the projects because a lot of people use them, but on the other hand I feel like the village whore.
Keep an eye out for a coming WinEQ update that includes the ability to automatically load the EQPlayNice DLL along with WinEQ. You'll still download EQPlayNice each patch as you do now, but you will be able to tell WinEQ to load it instead of having the two icons in your system tray.
WinEQ Updated
[6.2.2004]
WinEQ has been updated to 0.98 Beta. There are some great additions again this update, including hotkeys to switch between 4 window modes (not including Tile mode). Hit the hotkey for Tiny mode to switch EQ to a tiny, always on top screen. This lets you conveniently browse the web or whatever else you do (solitaire anyone?) while being able to keep an eye on what's going on (even switch to the window real quick to cast your complete heal in that 10 second loop /yawn, or toss in that random wizzie nuke.. or /pet attack, or whatever your boring class happens to do :) ).
WinEQ has been added to our Products page, so please use the top menu to navigate there for downloading.
On another note, there's supposed to be a patch shortly. Assuming EQPlayNice breaks, I may not be around to fix it right away (The best I can promise is 24 hours). Not very convenient timing this week, but I will have it fixed as soon as possible. If you enjoy my work please visit the donate page to show your support. It is not required, but realize that I don't play EverQuest anymore. I update and continue to develop the software for the many fans who have shown their support, and I will continue to do so as long as I have such inspiration. Call it "greed" if you please, but I think it's a bit selfish to call someone greedy who goes out of their way to give you excellent products that need constant attention in order to continue feeding your habit, not even having a personal use for them (logically if it's not benefiting me, I won't work on the project without some sort of motivation... I dont HAVE to write these things you know). Thank you to the generous folks who have kept me going on these projects, I appreciate your support and will continue to keep you happy.
WinEQ has been updated to 0.98 Beta. There are some great additions again this update, including hotkeys to switch between 4 window modes (not including Tile mode). Hit the hotkey for Tiny mode to switch EQ to a tiny, always on top screen. This lets you conveniently browse the web or whatever else you do (solitaire anyone?) while being able to keep an eye on what's going on (even switch to the window real quick to cast your complete heal in that 10 second loop /yawn, or toss in that random wizzie nuke.. or /pet attack, or whatever your boring class happens to do :) ).
WinEQ has been added to our Products page, so please use the top menu to navigate there for downloading.
On another note, there's supposed to be a patch shortly. Assuming EQPlayNice breaks, I may not be around to fix it right away (The best I can promise is 24 hours). Not very convenient timing this week, but I will have it fixed as soon as possible. If you enjoy my work please visit the donate page to show your support. It is not required, but realize that I don't play EverQuest anymore. I update and continue to develop the software for the many fans who have shown their support, and I will continue to do so as long as I have such inspiration. Call it "greed" if you please, but I think it's a bit selfish to call someone greedy who goes out of their way to give you excellent products that need constant attention in order to continue feeding your habit, not even having a personal use for them (logically if it's not benefiting me, I won't work on the project without some sort of motivation... I dont HAVE to write these things you know). Thank you to the generous folks who have kept me going on these projects, I appreciate your support and will continue to keep you happy.
WinEQ Updated
[6.1.2004]
WinEQ, our EQWindows clone, is now in Beta status (now version 0.95) and is available here. Make sure to read WinEQ.txt, especially if you have not done so with earlier versions. The list of changes is found at the bottom of the WinEQ.txt file. I will soon have WinEQ added to the "products" list here, with screenshots.
WinEQ has so far enjoyed a quiet following, but as the holiday weekend ends here in the US and the major news sites update, I think we may see some action, especially with today's update. I'm keeping an eye out for some good threads to read about WinEQ, so lets see some safehouse/monkly business/eqdruids/etc.
WinEQ, our EQWindows clone, is now in Beta status (now version 0.95) and is available here. Make sure to read WinEQ.txt, especially if you have not done so with earlier versions. The list of changes is found at the bottom of the WinEQ.txt file. I will soon have WinEQ added to the "products" list here, with screenshots.
WinEQ has so far enjoyed a quiet following, but as the holiday weekend ends here in the US and the major news sites update, I think we may see some action, especially with today's update. I'm keeping an eye out for some good threads to read about WinEQ, so lets see some safehouse/monkly business/eqdruids/etc.
WinEQ Alpha Updated
[5.29.2004]
WinEQ Alpha 0.01 got enough response right away that I was able to fix some issues already. WinEQ Alpha 0.02 is now available here (link fixed). Make sure to read WinEQ.txt, especially if you haven't already. The list of changes is at the bottom of the file.
WinEQ Alpha 0.01 got enough response right away that I was able to fix some issues already. WinEQ Alpha 0.02 is now available here (link fixed). Make sure to read WinEQ.txt, especially if you haven't already. The list of changes is at the bottom of the file.
WinEQ Alpha
[5.29.2004]
Welcome to the beginning of the revolution. WinEQ Alpha is here. Keep in mind this is ALPHA and not BETA, so many features are not yet implemented... it is however very functional and most EQWindows users will find it adequate. You may download the alpha here. Make sure to read WinEQ.txt (which is inside the download), or you will be utterly confused. Enjoy, and please give your feedback on the forums here :)
Welcome to the beginning of the revolution. WinEQ Alpha is here. Keep in mind this is ALPHA and not BETA, so many features are not yet implemented... it is however very functional and most EQWindows users will find it adequate. You may download the alpha here. Make sure to read WinEQ.txt (which is inside the download), or you will be utterly confused. Enjoy, and please give your feedback on the forums here :)
WinEQ Project Status Update
[5.28.2004]
Yes JSD has returned to his throne over at www.eqwindows.com and make sure to keep an eye out for an update that works for you there if you like EQW. Our clone, WinEQ, is coming along. I've decided not to rush the alpha release, in favor of creating a working feature set first. Rushed alpha would just result in a lot of people complaining :) In the meantime I have a little teaser screenshot and brief description here.
Heading off a couple questions: 1. yes WinEQ will be open source shortly after alpha. During alpha I will be more concerned about testing and implementing features than I will be about your wanting to see the source. That and I'll be completely reworking the source layout once I determine what needs to be done. Bottom line.. if you dont trust me dont use WinEQ alpha, just wait for beta and beyond. 2. EQPlayNice may or may not be able to be integrated directly into WinEQ. Right now it's looking like it will be better off left a separate application, but who knows. And yes, EQPlayNice works with WinEQ without any changes.
Alpha will probably be next week for a few days.
Yes JSD has returned to his throne over at www.eqwindows.com and make sure to keep an eye out for an update that works for you there if you like EQW. Our clone, WinEQ, is coming along. I've decided not to rush the alpha release, in favor of creating a working feature set first. Rushed alpha would just result in a lot of people complaining :) In the meantime I have a little teaser screenshot and brief description here.
Heading off a couple questions: 1. yes WinEQ will be open source shortly after alpha. During alpha I will be more concerned about testing and implementing features than I will be about your wanting to see the source. That and I'll be completely reworking the source layout once I determine what needs to be done. Bottom line.. if you dont trust me dont use WinEQ alpha, just wait for beta and beyond. 2. EQPlayNice may or may not be able to be integrated directly into WinEQ. Right now it's looking like it will be better off left a separate application, but who knows. And yes, EQPlayNice works with WinEQ without any changes.
Alpha will probably be next week for a few days.
EQPlayNice Updated
[5.26.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch! Stay tuned for WinEQ alpha release later tonight or tomorrow.
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch! Stay tuned for WinEQ alpha release later tonight or tomorrow.
It's that time again
[5.26.2004]
I'm working on EQPlayNice updates for today's patch. If you would like to support the effort by donating I will make sure to get the new version out as soon as possible. Get a man his pizza and beer eh? :)
I have also been working hard on WinEQ, the EQWindows clone. I will have an alpha version up soon, hopefully today. Initially the source will not be available, simply because I need to clean it up quite a bit. It will not be fully featured or very customizable, and probably will get lots of complains about the keys used... but again this will be an alpha release and is mostly for testing.
I'm working on EQPlayNice updates for today's patch. If you would like to support the effort by donating I will make sure to get the new version out as soon as possible. Get a man his pizza and beer eh? :)
I have also been working hard on WinEQ, the EQWindows clone. I will have an alpha version up soon, hopefully today. Initially the source will not be available, simply because I need to clean it up quite a bit. It will not be fully featured or very customizable, and probably will get lots of complains about the keys used... but again this will be an alpha release and is mostly for testing.
EQIM Clients Updated!
[5.21.2004]
TEQIM and EQIMd have again been updated, TEQIM receiving the bulk of the updates. The list of changes can be found here.
In other news I am leaving for the weekend, I will be back on Monday to work on WinEQ!
TEQIM and EQIMd have again been updated, TEQIM receiving the bulk of the updates. The list of changes can be found here.
In other news I am leaving for the weekend, I will be back on Monday to work on WinEQ!
EQWindows Clone
[5.20.2004]
I get oodles of requests asking me to finish up "WinEQ" the EQW clone since EQW is broken now. I have been working on it and slowly realizing that EQW isn't really about "being windowed" anymore, since EQ does that on its own... but that now it's all about how the keyboard and mouse are used. If you're interested in asking for features in WinEQ or wondering what's planned, please read here and comment. More comments = faster it gets made, so let me know what you want to see.
Oh, and TEQIM will be getting bug fixes and a few more features shortly.
I get oodles of requests asking me to finish up "WinEQ" the EQW clone since EQW is broken now. I have been working on it and slowly realizing that EQW isn't really about "being windowed" anymore, since EQ does that on its own... but that now it's all about how the keyboard and mouse are used. If you're interested in asking for features in WinEQ or wondering what's planned, please read here and comment. More comments = faster it gets made, so let me know what you want to see.
Oh, and TEQIM will be getting bug fixes and a few more features shortly.
EQIM Clients Updated!
[5.19.2004]
Our EQIM clients have been updated. TEQIM in particular has had some major functionality upgrades, and is now just about full-featured. Most if not all reported issues have been solved.
A side note here, the new login front-end has been ninja-patched into EQLive, breaking EQWindows. It's not a difficult fix and I suspect JSD will have EQW fixed soon. If not, WinEQ should be available in the next few days.
Our EQIM clients have been updated. TEQIM in particular has had some major functionality upgrades, and is now just about full-featured. Most if not all reported issues have been solved.
A side note here, the new login front-end has been ninja-patched into EQLive, breaking EQWindows. It's not a difficult fix and I suspect JSD will have EQW fixed soon. If not, WinEQ should be available in the next few days.
TEQIM Updates Coming Soon
[5.17.2004]
TEQIM, our EQIM plugin for Trillian Pro users, will soon be getting that much-needed update. Changes include the following... Debug logging will be turned off. The "EQIM Status" window will be gone. The connection icon will allow you to disconnect, reconnect, set your status, toggle AFK and invis, toggle/set AFK auto-response, import friends lists from EQ, change TEQIM settings. Channel window user lists will let you double click a name to open a private message window to that user, or right click to do channel moderator/owner commands on that user. TEQIM will let you automatically connect to an account on startup (but will not auto-reconnect because you shouldnt have to fight with TEQIM when playing EQ; only one can be connected to chat). These and other new features will be available soon, keep an eye out.
Those of you who do not want to purchase the Pro version of Trillian from Cerulean Studios can still use our other EQIM clients, including the one for gaim (a free IM client similar to Trillian). Another alternative is to use an IRC client and connect to an existing (or your own) EQIMd server. Remember when using EQIMd that if you do not use EQIMValidator to log into EQIM that you are transmitting your station name and password in plain readable text to the operator of that EQIMd server. If you use EQIMValidator, your station name and password are kept secret! With that in mind, feel free to use any public EQIMd server by using EQIMValidator :)
TEQIM, our EQIM plugin for Trillian Pro users, will soon be getting that much-needed update. Changes include the following... Debug logging will be turned off. The "EQIM Status" window will be gone. The connection icon will allow you to disconnect, reconnect, set your status, toggle AFK and invis, toggle/set AFK auto-response, import friends lists from EQ, change TEQIM settings. Channel window user lists will let you double click a name to open a private message window to that user, or right click to do channel moderator/owner commands on that user. TEQIM will let you automatically connect to an account on startup (but will not auto-reconnect because you shouldnt have to fight with TEQIM when playing EQ; only one can be connected to chat). These and other new features will be available soon, keep an eye out.
Those of you who do not want to purchase the Pro version of Trillian from Cerulean Studios can still use our other EQIM clients, including the one for gaim (a free IM client similar to Trillian). Another alternative is to use an IRC client and connect to an existing (or your own) EQIMd server. Remember when using EQIMd that if you do not use EQIMValidator to log into EQIM that you are transmitting your station name and password in plain readable text to the operator of that EQIMd server. If you use EQIMValidator, your station name and password are kept secret! With that in mind, feel free to use any public EQIMd server by using EQIMValidator :)
EQPlayNice Updated for Non-English Server Users
[5.13.2004]
The current profile for Non-English servers has been added to EQPlayNice's patch profile list. Future patches to these servers will be automatically supported through this feature, without special updates such as this one. The problem was that these servers were 1 patch behind what I expected them to be, and the patch profile was not included. It is now, and you may now download and use the latest zip without being afraid it wont work for your server :) Enjoy!
The current profile for Non-English servers has been added to EQPlayNice's patch profile list. Future patches to these servers will be automatically supported through this feature, without special updates such as this one. The problem was that these servers were 1 patch behind what I expected them to be, and the patch profile was not included. It is now, and you may now download and use the latest zip without being afraid it wont work for your server :) Enjoy!
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch!
[5.12.2004]
Thank you to the generous folks who bought me lunch today while I slaved away getting EQPlayNice updated. Quick update on a new feature, EQPlayNice now keeps recent patch profiles so that EUROPEAN SERVER users (Sebilis, Kael Drakkel) should be able to always use the latest zip. I still can't guarantee that ability for test server because of the frequency of their patches.
Quick recap of a recent feature addition. Some users did not completely understand about the "flickering" and thought it was a "bug", so I will explain in more detail the effects of the RENDERING limiter. EQPlayNice recently gained the ability to change the rate at which EQ draws the world, while allowing the user interface to update as normal (full framerate, full motion of mouse, 100% character movement speed, etc). Part of the effect of allowing the interface to redraw but not the world is that the interface will flicker. With the rendering limiter enabled in the background, you can achieve a higher framerate for your background sessions with less CPU. Let me say this again. Your background EQ's will get better framerate than even your foreground EQ, and will use less CPU. This comes at the cost of not having full motion visibility on the background EQ. This cost is negligible for most of the population. If you need to see full motion on your background EQ's (e.g. if you have 2 monitors on the same computer and play EQ on both, etc) you need to change the default behavior. Set BGRate=1 in EQPlayNice.ini to stop the flickering if you need to see your background EQ windows. If you do not need to see your background EQ windows, go ahead and leave it at the default to free up the CPU time being wasted drawing the world when you cant even see it.
Thank you to the generous folks who bought me lunch today while I slaved away getting EQPlayNice updated. Quick update on a new feature, EQPlayNice now keeps recent patch profiles so that EUROPEAN SERVER users (Sebilis, Kael Drakkel) should be able to always use the latest zip. I still can't guarantee that ability for test server because of the frequency of their patches.
Quick recap of a recent feature addition. Some users did not completely understand about the "flickering" and thought it was a "bug", so I will explain in more detail the effects of the RENDERING limiter. EQPlayNice recently gained the ability to change the rate at which EQ draws the world, while allowing the user interface to update as normal (full framerate, full motion of mouse, 100% character movement speed, etc). Part of the effect of allowing the interface to redraw but not the world is that the interface will flicker. With the rendering limiter enabled in the background, you can achieve a higher framerate for your background sessions with less CPU. Let me say this again. Your background EQ's will get better framerate than even your foreground EQ, and will use less CPU. This comes at the cost of not having full motion visibility on the background EQ. This cost is negligible for most of the population. If you need to see full motion on your background EQ's (e.g. if you have 2 monitors on the same computer and play EQ on both, etc) you need to change the default behavior. Set BGRate=1 in EQPlayNice.ini to stop the flickering if you need to see your background EQ windows. If you do not need to see your background EQ windows, go ahead and leave it at the default to free up the CPU time being wasted drawing the world when you cant even see it.
What, were you expecting EQPlayNice update for this patch?
[5.12.2004]
EQPlayNice has not been updated for the latest patch. I don't play the game, so I update it for the people who send in donations. When that's nobody, it doesnt get updated! The people who have donated in the past are welcome to email me requesting an updated version. The download will be updated when there is a new donor. Enjoy!
EQPlayNice has not been updated for the latest patch. I don't play the game, so I update it for the people who send in donations. When that's nobody, it doesnt get updated! The people who have donated in the past are welcome to email me requesting an updated version. The download will be updated when there is a new donor. Enjoy!
EQPlayNice updated for 5.5.2004 patch
[5.5.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch.
Please take time to review EQPlayNice.txt which is in the zip. New features were added recently. I have also tweaked the default settings a bit, and added the ability to use different modes for foreground and background. Maybe you want your foreground EQ to be FPS limited instead of CPU limited (note: still gives up enough to let the system function), and you want it CPU limited in the background. This is now the default. Change your settings in EQPlayNice.ini as explained in detail in EQPlayNice.txt.
Thank you for the donations, much appreciated as always. For those that have not yet shown their appreciation and wish to, the "Donate" link in the menu was recently added. Thanks and enjoy playing the game!
Oh, fun note here. The acronym for the next EQ expansion is "OoW", but I don't know the full name yet. Rumor has it that it is a water expansion, so "Oceans of ..."? Ah well. Enjoy!
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch.
Please take time to review EQPlayNice.txt which is in the zip. New features were added recently. I have also tweaked the default settings a bit, and added the ability to use different modes for foreground and background. Maybe you want your foreground EQ to be FPS limited instead of CPU limited (note: still gives up enough to let the system function), and you want it CPU limited in the background. This is now the default. Change your settings in EQPlayNice.ini as explained in detail in EQPlayNice.txt.
Thank you for the donations, much appreciated as always. For those that have not yet shown their appreciation and wish to, the "Donate" link in the menu was recently added. Thanks and enjoy playing the game!
Oh, fun note here. The acronym for the next EQ expansion is "OoW", but I don't know the full name yet. Rumor has it that it is a water expansion, so "Oceans of ..."? Ah well. Enjoy!
Sony? Bugs? Never!
[5.5.2004]
Such is life. I'm putting this news up here because it will surely get a lot of hits and could be some developer at SOE picks up the news that Lax has another bug report in their code, or possibly someone might let them know about it. I've asked for a point of contact before for such things so I dont have to post it here, but alas. They want to keep it quiet that they actually take care of bug reports from good old Lax I suppose. If you a) dont care to read it, or b) dont know what the hell that newfangled computer "assembly language" is anyway, just go ahead and stop reading now and go mention that Lax is helping them fix a crash bug.
This particular bug won't hit very often and I cant even tell you if it does. However, it appears to be a programming error when they implemented the new font options. Here's the ASM, and I'll explain the crash.
.text:00410CA4 mov eax, g_pwndmgr ; class CXWndManager * g_pwndmgr
.text:00410CA9 add eax, 0F4h
.text:00410CAE cmp dword ptr [eax+4], 2
.text:00410CB2 jle short loc_410CBF
.text:00410CB4 mov ecx, [eax]
.text:00410CB6 test ecx, ecx
.text:00410CB8 jz short loc_410CBF
.text:00410CBA lea eax, [ecx+8]
.text:00410CBD jmp short loc_410CC1
.text:00410CBF mov eax, [eax]
.text:00410CC1 mov ecx, [eax]
.text:00410CC3 call CTextureFont__DrawWrappedText
This is strictly for people who know what the above actually means ;) This code is in the member function CDisplay::WriteTextHD2. This is the part that grabs the current font from the window manager class, and tells that font it needs to draw some text on the screen. It's usually only used for the "Network Status Indicator", but EQPlayNice also uses it for the FPS indicator for example. So it's not something used with a lot of variety, and this is the reason it doesn't appear to crash or at least not very often. So here's the bug, dummied down a tad so whoever wrote the original code at SOE can follow :) It starts out by grabbing information from the window manager at position 0x0f4 of the data structure. It checks if a number there is <=2, and skips down. The problem occurs if it does not jump. At this point it checks a pointer. If the pointer is NULL, it jumps, and then dereferences the pointer that is known to be NULL, resulting in exception 0xC0000005 with a read at address 0. This is a guaranteed crash if that pointer is NULL. Call me crazy but if you're going to do a sanity check and it fails, you should stop ;)
Anyway, crash coming tonight and I'll work on getting EQPlayNice updated fairly quickly. Be sure to donate using the above link to show your appreciation and support, so you can be sure I will keep updating EQPlayNice :)
Such is life. I'm putting this news up here because it will surely get a lot of hits and could be some developer at SOE picks up the news that Lax has another bug report in their code, or possibly someone might let them know about it. I've asked for a point of contact before for such things so I dont have to post it here, but alas. They want to keep it quiet that they actually take care of bug reports from good old Lax I suppose. If you a) dont care to read it, or b) dont know what the hell that newfangled computer "assembly language" is anyway, just go ahead and stop reading now and go mention that Lax is helping them fix a crash bug.
This particular bug won't hit very often and I cant even tell you if it does. However, it appears to be a programming error when they implemented the new font options. Here's the ASM, and I'll explain the crash.
.text:00410CA4 mov eax, g_pwndmgr ; class CXWndManager * g_pwndmgr
.text:00410CA9 add eax, 0F4h
.text:00410CAE cmp dword ptr [eax+4], 2
.text:00410CB2 jle short loc_410CBF
.text:00410CB4 mov ecx, [eax]
.text:00410CB6 test ecx, ecx
.text:00410CB8 jz short loc_410CBF
.text:00410CBA lea eax, [ecx+8]
.text:00410CBD jmp short loc_410CC1
.text:00410CBF mov eax, [eax]
.text:00410CC1 mov ecx, [eax]
.text:00410CC3 call CTextureFont__DrawWrappedText
This is strictly for people who know what the above actually means ;) This code is in the member function CDisplay::WriteTextHD2. This is the part that grabs the current font from the window manager class, and tells that font it needs to draw some text on the screen. It's usually only used for the "Network Status Indicator", but EQPlayNice also uses it for the FPS indicator for example. So it's not something used with a lot of variety, and this is the reason it doesn't appear to crash or at least not very often. So here's the bug, dummied down a tad so whoever wrote the original code at SOE can follow :) It starts out by grabbing information from the window manager at position 0x0f4 of the data structure. It checks if a number there is <=2, and skips down. The problem occurs if it does not jump. At this point it checks a pointer. If the pointer is NULL, it jumps, and then dereferences the pointer that is known to be NULL, resulting in exception 0xC0000005 with a read at address 0. This is a guaranteed crash if that pointer is NULL. Call me crazy but if you're going to do a sanity check and it fails, you should stop ;)
Anyway, crash coming tonight and I'll work on getting EQPlayNice updated fairly quickly. Be sure to donate using the above link to show your appreciation and support, so you can be sure I will keep updating EQPlayNice :)
EQWindows Cloning Process Begins
[4.30.2004]
As many of you have noticed, the EQWindows site has been inaccessible recently, and there is a rumor going around that a patch coming soon is going to break EQWindows. I am currently working on reverse engineering EQW and hope to add "WinEQ" to our arsenal shortly, regardless of whether or not JSD continues his project and revives the EQW web site. Yes our version will be open source, and will work fine in conjunction with EQPlayNice. WinEQ is not likely to require updating each patch -- it will work just like you expect EQWindows to work, but slightly different.
As many of you have noticed, the EQWindows site has been inaccessible recently, and there is a rumor going around that a patch coming soon is going to break EQWindows. I am currently working on reverse engineering EQW and hope to add "WinEQ" to our arsenal shortly, regardless of whether or not JSD continues his project and revives the EQW web site. Yes our version will be open source, and will work fine in conjunction with EQPlayNice. WinEQ is not likely to require updating each patch -- it will work just like you expect EQWindows to work, but slightly different.
EQPlayNice updated for 4.28.2004 patch
[4.29.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch. Show your appreciation by donating through the above link, and EQPlayNice may get updated quicker for future patches. :)
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch. Show your appreciation by donating through the above link, and EQPlayNice may get updated quicker for future patches. :)
EQPlayNice Gets Better
[4.25.2004]
EQPlayNice has new technology! Yes, that's right. Now, EQPlayNice will allow you to tweak how often EQ updates the display of the world. The UI keeps functioning, your mouse and keyboard keep working at full speed, you keep moving at full speed, etc. The only difference is, EQ spends 50% less time PER FRAME when it does not update the display of the world. This is most useful when EQ is in the background, since you don't normally need to see what's going on in a background EQ window. By default, EQPlayNice will let EQ refresh the world display every frame in the foreground, and once every 30 frames in the background.
How well does it work? Here's some performance test results done in Plane of Knowledge:
"Control" -- MaxFPS fg at 50: 50fps at 60% cpu usage
MaxFPS bg at 200, Rendering on: 77 fps at 99% cpu usage. Rendering off: 100+ fps at 62% cpu usage.
MaxFPS bg at 30, Rendering on: 30 fps at 40% cpu usage. Rendering off: 30 fps at 20% cpu usage
Conclusion: Rendering the scene alone takes about 50% of the time.
This means by reducing the rendering rate of the background sessions, you can run almost twice as many EQ sessions, even with a high framerate. Adjusting the actual framerate will slightly reduce EQ's responsiveness and your character's movement speed (running forward at 10 fps is a lot slower than running forward at 50 fps by EQ's design). However, adjusting the rendering rate allows you to keep the high performance framerate, and allows your character to keep moving at full speed. Note that adjusting the rendering rate will cause the screen to flicker, so you will probably only want to adjust the BACKGROUND rendering rate.
EQPlayNice has new technology! Yes, that's right. Now, EQPlayNice will allow you to tweak how often EQ updates the display of the world. The UI keeps functioning, your mouse and keyboard keep working at full speed, you keep moving at full speed, etc. The only difference is, EQ spends 50% less time PER FRAME when it does not update the display of the world. This is most useful when EQ is in the background, since you don't normally need to see what's going on in a background EQ window. By default, EQPlayNice will let EQ refresh the world display every frame in the foreground, and once every 30 frames in the background.
How well does it work? Here's some performance test results done in Plane of Knowledge:
"Control" -- MaxFPS fg at 50: 50fps at 60% cpu usage
MaxFPS bg at 200, Rendering on: 77 fps at 99% cpu usage. Rendering off: 100+ fps at 62% cpu usage.
MaxFPS bg at 30, Rendering on: 30 fps at 40% cpu usage. Rendering off: 30 fps at 20% cpu usage
Conclusion: Rendering the scene alone takes about 50% of the time.
This means by reducing the rendering rate of the background sessions, you can run almost twice as many EQ sessions, even with a high framerate. Adjusting the actual framerate will slightly reduce EQ's responsiveness and your character's movement speed (running forward at 10 fps is a lot slower than running forward at 50 fps by EQ's design). However, adjusting the rendering rate allows you to keep the high performance framerate, and allows your character to keep moving at full speed. Note that adjusting the rendering rate will cause the screen to flicker, so you will probably only want to adjust the BACKGROUND rendering rate.
EQPlayNice updated for 4.21.2004 patch
[4.21.2004]
/yawn
/yawn
EQPlayNice updated for 4.14.2004 patch
[4.14.2004]
Title says it all. Have fun
Title says it all. Have fun
EQPlayNice updated for 3.30.2004 patch... again
[3.30.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated to support the second patch today... Note to SOE, have your secretary send a note to my secretary to do lunch when you're going to do two patches in a day ;)
EQPlayNice has been updated to support the second patch today... Note to SOE, have your secretary send a note to my secretary to do lunch when you're going to do two patches in a day ;)
EQPlayNice updated for 3.30.2004 patch
[3.30.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated to support the latest patch. Have fun
EQPlayNice has been updated to support the latest patch. Have fun
EQPlayNice updated for 3.25.2004 patch
[3.25.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated to support the latest patch. Have fun
EQPlayNice has been updated to support the latest patch. Have fun
EQPlayNice updated to support EQW 2.4
[3.24.2004]
Thanks to Just Some Dude, EQPlayNice will support any and all future versions of EQW immediately. Enjoy!
Thanks to Just Some Dude, EQPlayNice will support any and all future versions of EQW immediately. Enjoy!
EQPlayNice functionality update, and fixed for 3.23.2004 patch
[3.24.2004]
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch! I've also added some features to it including an FPS indicator displayed under the network status indicator, and added an ini file for customizing EQPlayNice. See "EQPlayNice.txt" in the download for details.
Because EQW was broken by the patch, EQPlayNice does not currently support EQW. EQW support will be added as soon as it is updated.
Also note that from now on after patches, EQPlayNice will notify you that it can't run anymore and you need to get the newest version, instead of causing you to crash.
EQPlayNice has been updated for the latest patch! I've also added some features to it including an FPS indicator displayed under the network status indicator, and added an ini file for customizing EQPlayNice. See "EQPlayNice.txt" in the download for details.
Because EQW was broken by the patch, EQPlayNice does not currently support EQW. EQW support will be added as soon as it is updated.
Also note that from now on after patches, EQPlayNice will notify you that it can't run anymore and you need to get the newest version, instead of causing you to crash.
gEQIM is here!
[3.19.2004]
Thanks to Danilo's hard work, the plugin for gaim, the most popular open source messaging client, has arrived and is now available for download. Currently compiles only on Linux, but I will be working on porting it to Windows as well.
Thanks to Danilo's hard work, the plugin for gaim, the most popular open source messaging client, has arrived and is now available for download. Currently compiles only on Linux, but I will be working on porting it to Windows as well.
EQPlayNice bug fixed when not using EQW
[3.18.2004]
I'm not sure when the problem originated, but there was a bug that caused EQPlayNice to always think EQ was in "background" mode if you were not using EQWindows. This caused extra and unnecessary "lag" or framerate loss in that situation. If you know someone who was having this problem and never reported it here, have them give it a shot. Enjoy!
I'm not sure when the problem originated, but there was a bug that caused EQPlayNice to always think EQ was in "background" mode if you were not using EQWindows. This caused extra and unnecessary "lag" or framerate loss in that situation. If you know someone who was having this problem and never reported it here, have them give it a shot. Enjoy!
EQPlayNice fixed for 03-16-2004 patch
[3.16.2004]
As always, make sure your EQPlayNice.dll overwrites your old one so you don't get booted to server select. Enjoy
As always, make sure your EQPlayNice.dll overwrites your old one so you don't get booted to server select. Enjoy
EQIM plugin for gaim incoming
[3.16.2004]
It seems as though we will be hosting another new, free EQIM client here. A plugin for gaim will round off our current list, thanks to another interested developer. It's all set to use, just need to brush a little dust off the products section before it's ready for you to grab from this site. If an EQIM plugin for gaim interests you, check back over the next few days!
It seems as though we will be hosting another new, free EQIM client here. A plugin for gaim will round off our current list, thanks to another interested developer. It's all set to use, just need to brush a little dust off the products section before it's ready for you to grab from this site. If an EQIM plugin for gaim interests you, check back over the next few days!
EQPlayNice randomly sending you to server select?
[3.14.2004]
EQPlayNice is built into MacroQuest. Don't use both at once, and you wont have this problem. I'd suggest posting here instead of on official SOE forums if you're having such problems, particularly if you're NOT running MacroQuest or something similar.
EQPlayNice is built into MacroQuest. Don't use both at once, and you wont have this problem. I'd suggest posting here instead of on official SOE forums if you're having such problems, particularly if you're NOT running MacroQuest or something similar.
EQPlayNice fixed for 03-10-2004 patch
[3.10.2004]
I know you can't live without it, so EQPlayNice has been updated for the current patch. Have fun!
I know you can't live without it, so EQPlayNice has been updated for the current patch. Have fun!
EQPlayNice fixed for 02-18-2004 patch
[2.18.2004]
Title says it all, EQPlayNice updated. Enjoy!
Title says it all, EQPlayNice updated. Enjoy!
Stability update to EQIM clients
[2.16.2004]
EQIM clients have received a stability update (EQIMd will see the most benefit). TEQIM functionality (or lack thereof) has not been updated, please be patient as I am working on a lot of other projects as well.
EQIM clients have received a stability update (EQIMd will see the most benefit). TEQIM functionality (or lack thereof) has not been updated, please be patient as I am working on a lot of other projects as well.
By popular demand
[2.14.2004]
EQPlayNice is now updated for the most recent EQ patch. Sorry for the delay! EQIM clients will also be updated shortly.
EQPlayNice is now updated for the most recent EQ patch. Sorry for the delay! EQIM clients will also be updated shortly.
Looking for screenshots
[1.5.2004]
I'm looking for screenshots of the EQIM clients in action to add to the product pages. If you don't want your server/character name on public display all you need to do is make a new character on a server you've never played on, and then log in using that character. :) Screenshots of using EQIMd local channels with your friends or guild would be most excellent. E-mail your screenshots to me (eqsynapse at hotmail dot com) or post them on the boards here.
I'm looking for screenshots of the EQIM clients in action to add to the product pages. If you don't want your server/character name on public display all you need to do is make a new character on a server you've never played on, and then log in using that character. :) Screenshots of using EQIMd local channels with your friends or guild would be most excellent. E-mail your screenshots to me (eqsynapse at hotmail dot com) or post them on the boards here.
It's here!
[1.5.2004]
EQIMValidator is now available and ready to use with the latest version of EQIMd. This allows the general public to use any EQIMd server without compromising station name or password -- they never get sent to EQIMd! The /login command in EQIMd remains, but should still be used with caution and only on servers you trust, because that does send your station name and password in plain text. On that note, EQIMd continues to receive major functionality updates and now allows local channels to be passworded, has the ability to forward EQIM channel communications to an EQIMd channel as long as an EQIMd user is in that EQIM channel (only server IRCOps can set this up), plus plenty of minor bug fixes and other features.
EQIMValidator is now available and ready to use with the latest version of EQIMd. This allows the general public to use any EQIMd server without compromising station name or password -- they never get sent to EQIMd! The /login command in EQIMd remains, but should still be used with caution and only on servers you trust, because that does send your station name and password in plain text. On that note, EQIMd continues to receive major functionality updates and now allows local channels to be passworded, has the ability to forward EQIM channel communications to an EQIMd channel as long as an EQIMd user is in that EQIM channel (only server IRCOps can set this up), plus plenty of minor bug fixes and other features.
Safe method for public EQIMd servers coming!
[1.3.2004]
Deep in the dungeon laboratory (or maybe it was the lavatory... you will never know) our mad scientists have whipped up a way to use public EQIMd servers safely, without compromising your station name or password. Currently, using EQIMd sends your station name along with your plain text password through the EQIMd host's computer. This means that you don't want to use any EQIMd server that you don't trust with that information. We will be providing an application that allows you to send that information yourself. Then copy and paste a command from a little box in the application to EQIMd, and the EQIMd server is oblivious to the fact that you have a station name or password.
This may sound strange, but the way EQIM works is you contact the login server with your information and ask it for a code. It gives you a code, then you contact the chat server with your server and character name, with that code, and the chat server logs you in. Because of this, we can do the parts separately from different geographical locations. You ask the login server for the code, and you give the code through EQIMd. This way there is no worrying about such sensitive information! Public EQIMd servers will be safe to use with this method. Coming very soon!
Deep in the dungeon laboratory (or maybe it was the lavatory... you will never know) our mad scientists have whipped up a way to use public EQIMd servers safely, without compromising your station name or password. Currently, using EQIMd sends your station name along with your plain text password through the EQIMd host's computer. This means that you don't want to use any EQIMd server that you don't trust with that information. We will be providing an application that allows you to send that information yourself. Then copy and paste a command from a little box in the application to EQIMd, and the EQIMd server is oblivious to the fact that you have a station name or password.
This may sound strange, but the way EQIM works is you contact the login server with your information and ask it for a code. It gives you a code, then you contact the chat server with your server and character name, with that code, and the chat server logs you in. Because of this, we can do the parts separately from different geographical locations. You ask the login server for the code, and you give the code through EQIMd. This way there is no worrying about such sensitive information! Public EQIMd servers will be safe to use with this method. Coming very soon!
Clients updated / Major update to EQIMd
[1.3.2004]
All EQIM clients have been updated with the latest features and fixes. The most exciting thing to note is that EQIMd now supports local IRC channels (prefix with &). This means that running an EQIMd server for you and your friends or your guild provides a way to communicate both in and out of game very easily, and in the same way. Servers down? Hang out in your guild IRC channel through EQIMd. Servers up? Hang out in your guild IRC channel and in EQIM channels, through EQIMd!
All EQIM clients have been updated with the latest features and fixes. The most exciting thing to note is that EQIMd now supports local IRC channels (prefix with &). This means that running an EQIMd server for you and your friends or your guild provides a way to communicate both in and out of game very easily, and in the same way. Servers down? Hang out in your guild IRC channel through EQIMd. Servers up? Hang out in your guild IRC channel and in EQIM channels, through EQIMd!
New web site design
[1.2.2004]
I've redesigned the web site. The banner will be replaced soon with something that doesn't cause TEQIM to dwarf the hard work done on other products, such as my personal favorite EQIMd. Take the time to look at the products section of the web site and see what could help you, your friends, and your guild.
I've redesigned the web site. The banner will be replaced soon with something that doesn't cause TEQIM to dwarf the hard work done on other products, such as my personal favorite EQIMd. Take the time to look at the products section of the web site and see what could help you, your friends, and your guild.
"Play Nice Policy"
[1.1.2004]
Happy new year! Let us ring in the new year with our very own Play Nice Policy for EverQuest (note: previously known as eqcpu). For ages, Sony Online Entertainment has belittled its users with the Play Nice Policy, which states that you must be nice to the other kids on the playground. Now, we will enforce our own Play Nice Policy. Our policy states that EverQuest must be nice to the other kids on the playground -- in this case, everything else on your computer. Since Sony has neglected to implement this policy, we are left to do it for them until they do. So here it is, EQPlayNice. Install it and use it to enforce the new Play Nice Policy. Tell your friends about the Play Nice Policy. Tell SOE about the Play Nice Policy. Enjoy your computer as it was meant to be enjoyed, not waiting an hour for your web browser to load up while you're playing EQ.
Happy new year! Let us ring in the new year with our very own Play Nice Policy for EverQuest (note: previously known as eqcpu). For ages, Sony Online Entertainment has belittled its users with the Play Nice Policy, which states that you must be nice to the other kids on the playground. Now, we will enforce our own Play Nice Policy. Our policy states that EverQuest must be nice to the other kids on the playground -- in this case, everything else on your computer. Since Sony has neglected to implement this policy, we are left to do it for them until they do. So here it is, EQPlayNice. Install it and use it to enforce the new Play Nice Policy. Tell your friends about the Play Nice Policy. Tell SOE about the Play Nice Policy. Enjoy your computer as it was meant to be enjoyed, not waiting an hour for your web browser to load up while you're playing EQ.
Clients updated
[12.20.2003]
Today's update includes a fix for TEQIM message windows minimizing. It also marks the release of the Linux ports of EQIMd and EQIMu. The binaries for linux are obviously not available, make sure to download the source (see the EQIMd forum about linux for compiling instructions). The EQIMd server got some MAJOR functionality updates as well. Check out the announcements boards for complete details.
Today's update includes a fix for TEQIM message windows minimizing. It also marks the release of the Linux ports of EQIMd and EQIMu. The binaries for linux are obviously not available, make sure to download the source (see the EQIMd forum about linux for compiling instructions). The EQIMd server got some MAJOR functionality updates as well. Check out the announcements boards for complete details.
Clients updated
[12.16.2003]
Today's update fixes a couple problems present in all clients. The IRC Server (EQIMd) also got some major updates. Check out the announcements board for complete details.
Today's update fixes a couple problems present in all clients. The IRC Server (EQIMd) also got some major updates. Check out the announcements board for complete details.
IRC Server for EQIM Released
[12.14.2003]
EQIMd, the first IRC Server designed for use with an instant messaging service, is officially released. Know how to use IRC, dont want to use Trillian Pro? Run our special IRC server from your windows machine (this will soon be available in linux flavor) for you and your friends! Connect to your server using your favorite IRC client, and log into EQIM as explained in the server's "Message of the Day"! Then use it just like you would use IRC. For now many special commands are not implemented (operator commands, modes, etc) as this is the initial release. Also, the icon is a default icon and the program does not hide in the system tray when minimized at this time (TODO list). ** Make sure you only connect to EQIMd servers you TRUST. Do NOT connect to any public or advertised EQIMd servers, this is common sense. Logging into EQIM through EQIMd sends your (encrypted) login information through the host's computer!
EQIMd, the first IRC Server designed for use with an instant messaging service, is officially released. Know how to use IRC, dont want to use Trillian Pro? Run our special IRC server from your windows machine (this will soon be available in linux flavor) for you and your friends! Connect to your server using your favorite IRC client, and log into EQIM as explained in the server's "Message of the Day"! Then use it just like you would use IRC. For now many special commands are not implemented (operator commands, modes, etc) as this is the initial release. Also, the icon is a default icon and the program does not hide in the system tray when minimized at this time (TODO list). ** Make sure you only connect to EQIMd servers you TRUST. Do NOT connect to any public or advertised EQIMd servers, this is common sense. Logging into EQIM through EQIMd sends your (encrypted) login information through the host's computer!
Some quick and important information about EQ
[12.12.2003]
As many of you know, EverQuest is a horrible CPU hog. As fewer of you know, it doesn't need to be. EverQuest currently fights furiously with your computer to eat every possible nanosecond of CPU processing time. This is very bad for your system overall. For example, your CPU is generating much more heat than it should be, and can cause rampant overheating. Other applications are bullied around like school children giving up lunch money (including system drivers, for things like winmodems -- this prevents winmodem users from even PLAYING the game). What needs to happen, you ask? Very simple. As discovered and mentioned through more questionable methods, EverQuest has a "main loop", where it processes everything needed for EverQuest to function. It is this loop that runs continuously that refuses to yield the CPU even for necessary system functionality. The EQ dev team could insert the line "Sleep(0);" into the loop at any point, and this would give up enough CPU time for the system to function properly, without giving up any of your framerate. This would allow you to open up your web browser without it taking 10 minutes, it would allow winmodem users to play the game, etc. Furthermore, allowing an option to reduce CPU time by increasing the amount of Sleep would be extremely beneficial for overheating and power usage. This Sleep also drastically reduces many forms of lag in the game, and actually allows you to run multiple sessions of EverQuest on the same computer much more smoothly. As an EverQuest player you should be concerned about EverQuest playing nice with your system. Post on the EverQuest station boards, contact your GM, email SOE, do what needs to be done for them to read this message and give a little back to your computer for all the hard work it has done playing the game :)
As many of you know, EverQuest is a horrible CPU hog. As fewer of you know, it doesn't need to be. EverQuest currently fights furiously with your computer to eat every possible nanosecond of CPU processing time. This is very bad for your system overall. For example, your CPU is generating much more heat than it should be, and can cause rampant overheating. Other applications are bullied around like school children giving up lunch money (including system drivers, for things like winmodems -- this prevents winmodem users from even PLAYING the game). What needs to happen, you ask? Very simple. As discovered and mentioned through more questionable methods, EverQuest has a "main loop", where it processes everything needed for EverQuest to function. It is this loop that runs continuously that refuses to yield the CPU even for necessary system functionality. The EQ dev team could insert the line "Sleep(0);" into the loop at any point, and this would give up enough CPU time for the system to function properly, without giving up any of your framerate. This would allow you to open up your web browser without it taking 10 minutes, it would allow winmodem users to play the game, etc. Furthermore, allowing an option to reduce CPU time by increasing the amount of Sleep would be extremely beneficial for overheating and power usage. This Sleep also drastically reduces many forms of lag in the game, and actually allows you to run multiple sessions of EverQuest on the same computer much more smoothly. As an EverQuest player you should be concerned about EverQuest playing nice with your system. Post on the EverQuest station boards, contact your GM, email SOE, do what needs to be done for them to read this message and give a little back to your computer for all the hard work it has done playing the game :)