MXP

[Omit]

I have seen the Client Side mxp (has anyone written a rewrite trigger for URL's... to give you a clickable link?)

... but what I am really looking for is the ability to capture mxp from the server. This tends to be much more reliable than parsing text for things like exits, descriptions, .... not to mention the additional functionality it would bring. Is this something I should look for in the next version or is it still a ways away?

[tsuujin]

I think we've generally agreed that MXP is low on the list of things to implement.

[Vadi]

Yeah.

[demonnic]

Which isn't to say it won't be implemented. But it'll be awhile, unless someone decides to write a good MXP parser as a patch for Mudlet. This is one of the benefits of open source.

[Shota]

You know, I was seriously considering taking on the task of writing an MXP parser for Mudlet, but....

After consideration, I don't think it's a good decision. It's Zugg's protocol, and no one is open or consistant about how they implement it.

I think all the energy behind the MXP movement could easily be channeled into GMCP. It has new features (with kinks we could be working out!) and the potential to do a lot of the same things MXP does. Besides, it's already accepted as a part of the Mudlet development.

[Vadi]

It very well could be; Mudlet implements client-side MXP (links & popups) so you can pretty much replicate everything your MUD uses for MXP as a clientside script and distribute it.

The big problem with MXP is it's a terrible protocol and a lot of MUDs implemented in slightly different ways. It's like writing an HTML4 parser really. You'll have a lot less headaches doing the first solution heh.

[Shota]

I was speaking to Matt recently (the guy who wrote IRE's Flash client) about how he implemented MXP.

He said, flat out, that it's a botch job. MXP is only implemented as far as was needed to make the things IRE wanted the Flash client to do. He said it's a pretty specific and minimal implementation of a protocol that isn't all that great anyway.

[tsuujin]

I'm surprised that the flash client uses it anyways, honestly. ATCP (now GMCP) was basically created as a way of making their old java client do cool stuff, so I would have assumed the flash client would go mostly the same route. Maybe the flash client does stuff I'm not aware of?

[Vadi]

Could be, they do have a GMCP-capable version of the Nexus Java client that they have yet to show off publicly afaik: http://achaea.com/nexusnew/

(it'd be nice to have a mudlet interface that showed stuff as it did... but I don't have the time to upgrade the fancy guis at the moment!)

[Shota]

Hmm, looks to me like -- with the new nexus client you linked to -- IRE is trying to make a Revelation-style interface to the games.

Why bother with fancy, expensive GUIs when simple text-boxes can list vital character information?

Edit: If you don't know what Revelation is, check out http://www.kaldana.com/.

I couldn't find any screenshots though :[