First, the default look:
And second, showing off some of the visual options (appearance still a work in progress):
A few features:
- Runs Native in Browser -- No addons, extensions, plugins, ActiveX, Java, Flash, etc. required in the browser. This avoids the stability issues associated with those options, and and makes it easier to access.
- Broad Browser Support - Tested successfully on the latest Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Internet Explorer, and on some mobile devices, with support for more planned.
- Customizeable -- Many options for display, input and general behavior, based on wishlists and player feedback over the years.
- Designed for accessibility -- Adjustable font sizes, high-contrast themes, and minimal obstacles for screen readers.
Still in development:
- Progressive logging -- The client can save a logfile on demand, but "logging to a file as you play" isn't something browsers generally support without a plugin or similar. The plan is to take advantage of plugins (like Flash) when available, and to offer a way to save logs in long-term browser memory for later.
- Safari/iPhone/etc support -- Most versions of Apple software use an older version of the technology the client is built upon, and will need special development to support.
- General polish -- There's a few things that need tidying up, and one large chunk of code that'll likely see a rewrite before release. Then it'll get a lot of testing to make sure that is reliable and doesn't have avoidable performance issues.
The release dates are still to be decided, though if there's no surprises, I'm aiming for beta for GR and TEC this spring. After the rewrite mentioned above, I'll feel more comfortable with a more solid estimate. After that rewrite, GR and TEC staff will start serious alpha testing while I continue on the rest of the still-in-development items. Once those are stable, we'll offer a beta to players.
After Release:
To get the client released sooner, some new features have been left out for now:
- Marrach-style server support -- The client itself has what it needs to support games using the standard Skotos technology, but the game servers themselves will need new development.
- Mobile/touch-focused features and design. The client "works the same" whether on phone or browser, and some of its options should make it easier to use on small screens. However, more can be done - both to conserve space and to offer touch-based shortcuts to avoid typing. I plan to research which ideas are practical sometime after release settles down, and any released features will be optional for mobile and desktop.
- Text Management -- Sometimes mundane activity like movement, combat or long chunks of written text can make it hard to notice or focus on what's really important at the moment. Three separate features were planned for initial release to optionally help with this, but with the rest of the client coming together well, it makes sense to not make the main release wait on these.
- More accessibility -- Making websites and computer programs standardized and accessible has always been important to me, and this is no exception. A constantly-updating, interactive web client brings me new challenges regarding support for screen readers and similar technology. I've done what I can with my current knowledge, but will need to pursue this further before I can say it has support.
The client is also designed to support new optional interface elements. If you have an idea for a new interface element - what it would do, how it should work and at least one idea of exactly how it should look - let me know, and I'll take a look.
This project has been years in the making. My first serious look found that browser support was still lacking at the time. The "no plugin required" features the client uses was still in its infancy, still had problems. The project was put on the back burner, with occasional effort put developed as a back-burner project since then, with key assistance coming from GM Koyo of Grendel's Revenge with porting code the servers needed to support the no-plugin browsers. Development reignited about a year ago with the encouragement and support of GM Sceadu, and has cumulated in focused effort as the client came together over the last four months. Many thanks to Koyo, Sceadu, and all the staff of both games who've helped with bits and pieces over the years.
Feel free to ask questions or make feature/design requests. I'll answer what I can, and welcome any ideas that may further improve the client.
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