Jay,

If you create a .dll that gives me access to Windows UI elements, if it is stable, I would pay retail (for me, anywhere from $29 to $59) to purchase a copy of it. Also, if you ever put together something that would allow me to communicate between clients via TCP/IP, the same applies. We are using A6 professional, but I don't want to mess with the overhead of Conitec's Client/Server paradigm. The system I'm creating is in a controlled environment, and would benefit greatly from having the 25 clients being able to receive some "control" information from a facilitator's machine.

Thanks,

CrownStem

The dll I am creating is mimicing windows UI elements. I can not create and show actual windows controls, at least not since DirectX 7.

What I am doing is working on creating the same look and feel of Windows elements and drawing them with DirectX. I grab the current Windows Color Scheme and then draw the controls the same way windows does. So Visually they should be very close to what the user is used to seeing. The controls also offer a lot of customization so you can modify the look and feel.

I should have something for people to try out in a couple of weeks.

As far as the TCP/IP. Communication is pretty simple until you get Firewalls and the other security measures in place. A TCP connection for one machine to another is pretty easy to set up. The hard part about doing this for games is keeping the data moving efficiently so that all of the clients are kept in synch taking into account lag and bandwidth issues. It really depends on how much "control" information you want to send.

It is something I can think about once I have the UI system polished.

I think it is a great idea. I would be interested in it.

Loco

I agree, this is a great idea, and also would be interested in it.

Cellulaer,

I'm glad I was over in this neck of the forum or I'd never have seen your response. It's been a year since the first post; I wouldn't worry about hijacking the thread I'm glad you spoke up. I'm just now at the point where it's time to get serious about passing control packets from a "facilitator" machine to the students' boxes. I'll check out GSPython...Thanks.

@Qwerty823: I must have missed a link- Where did you find JayG's UI controls?

CrownStem

I have this url, but it doesnt appear to work anymore. Maybe JayG can say where its moved.

http://home.earthlink.net/~jgiganti/

If JayG doesnt get back within a week, I'll upload and repost his plugin. I also have the sourcecode for it, but that's up to him when he wants to release it (if ever). I did talk with him a few months back, and he mentioned that he would like to eventually do more work on it if he had the time.

I'm eager to hear more about this UI Control project, or perhaps obtain a copy of the .dll somewhere?