So, this is probably the longest stretch I have been back in the game since the early 2000s. It has done pretty well to hold my interest thus far, so I'm thinking about increasing my investment a little bit and finally pick up the Genie front end.
Is there much of a learning curve from Storm Front? How much do I need to alter my scripts (I don't exactly have many, or very robust ones, but still curious)? What are the primary perks of upgrading from Storm Front to Genie? One of the major things I am looking forward to is subs, but I don't know if I can justify the expense just for that. If the benefits are largely in the scripting/macro area, I really prefer to play the game in more of a 'manual' mode, so I suppose that is something I'd like to know more about before making the decision.
Anyway, I hear a lot of good things about Genie, so I'd like to hear back from those who use it, or have tried it and went back. Thanks in advance!
Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 09:46 AM CST
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 09:53 AM CST
I enjoy Genie for the maps, the subs, the plugins, and the scripts.
If you're scared of the price tag, I'd suggest LICH, which is open source and under heavy development right now.
https://lichproject.org/
If you're scared of the price tag, I'd suggest LICH, which is open source and under heavy development right now.
https://lichproject.org/
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 09:54 AM CST
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 10:04 AM CST
Automapper alone makes genie worth it. Genie can be a little quirky on some things, but I can't imagine playing without it. There are so many good plugins that help me. Just little silly things that make my life easier. #goto agility will take you to any agility trainer on the current map screen. #goto is nice. Sometimes I guess at what I'm after and hit it on the head. #goto gate
Plugins are pretty sweet, and they are free
tdp plan, a plugin that lets me adjust numbers for stats and see what tdp cost will be
experience tracker, logs info from exp and constantly updates a window so I can see what I'm learning, and how much at all times. There's also a circle calculator that's great.
And the one I probably use more than anything? The elanthipedia plugin lol. /epedia <whatever> and it searches epedia.
Monster Elec
You hear the distant echo of a savage Horde snarling in barbaric disapproval of your deeds.
Plugins are pretty sweet, and they are free
tdp plan, a plugin that lets me adjust numbers for stats and see what tdp cost will be
experience tracker, logs info from exp and constantly updates a window so I can see what I'm learning, and how much at all times. There's also a circle calculator that's great.
And the one I probably use more than anything? The elanthipedia plugin lol. /epedia <whatever> and it searches epedia.
Monster Elec
You hear the distant echo of a savage Horde snarling in barbaric disapproval of your deeds.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 10:19 AM CST
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 10:26 AM CST
>I bought genie, looked at things, started trying to set it up and then went back to SF in frustration. Copying over and updating all my scripts, highlights and everything was just so overwhelming it just wasn't worth the hassle to me at all.
It took me a few hours, maybe, to acclimate. That was, uh, 5+ years ago?
Yes, if you've been using X for 15-20 years, swapping to Y will be disorienting and odd at first. I'm not knocking you for that.
But if you've already bought your ticket for the movie, you might as well at least sit through it.
It took me a few hours, maybe, to acclimate. That was, uh, 5+ years ago?
Yes, if you've been using X for 15-20 years, swapping to Y will be disorienting and odd at first. I'm not knocking you for that.
But if you've already bought your ticket for the movie, you might as well at least sit through it.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 10:28 AM CST
>>Is there much of a learning curve from Storm Front?
Kinda. Doing it alone can be intimidating, but Isharon shares her config files on Elanthia.org and the Genie forums are pretty helpful about what plug-ins you should get. If you know someone who already has Genie then ask them to help you with the initial setup and it should go pretty quickly and be less frustrating.
>>How much do I need to alter my scripts (I don't exactly have many, or very robust ones, but still curious)?
Little to none. You might have to alter your variables depending on how you use them in SF, and capitalization matters with Genie's scripting engine. In Genie global variables (set in the FE) use $, while local variables (set in the script) use %. If you are matching something in SF it can be all lowercase and still work but in Genie it has to use the same capitalization as in the game. Other than those things SF scripts should work in Genie.
>>What are the primary perks of upgrading from Storm Front to Genie?
For me the automapper is one of the biggest reasons I love Genie. Another draw for me is that writing scripts takes much less effort to write, especially if you get a robust Base script that handles most of the match tables for you. Another is the amount of information that plugins, and use of triggers, can gather and parse out for you to see in real-time. It makes keeping track of things thru scroll so much easier.
Only you can decide if it's worth it for you, but after using Genie for a few years now I don't think I could go back to SF and continue to play. It has made playing DR much less tedious and allowed me to customize the FE to how I want to use it.
Kinda. Doing it alone can be intimidating, but Isharon shares her config files on Elanthia.org and the Genie forums are pretty helpful about what plug-ins you should get. If you know someone who already has Genie then ask them to help you with the initial setup and it should go pretty quickly and be less frustrating.
>>How much do I need to alter my scripts (I don't exactly have many, or very robust ones, but still curious)?
Little to none. You might have to alter your variables depending on how you use them in SF, and capitalization matters with Genie's scripting engine. In Genie global variables (set in the FE) use $, while local variables (set in the script) use %. If you are matching something in SF it can be all lowercase and still work but in Genie it has to use the same capitalization as in the game. Other than those things SF scripts should work in Genie.
>>What are the primary perks of upgrading from Storm Front to Genie?
For me the automapper is one of the biggest reasons I love Genie. Another draw for me is that writing scripts takes much less effort to write, especially if you get a robust Base script that handles most of the match tables for you. Another is the amount of information that plugins, and use of triggers, can gather and parse out for you to see in real-time. It makes keeping track of things thru scroll so much easier.
Only you can decide if it's worth it for you, but after using Genie for a few years now I don't think I could go back to SF and continue to play. It has made playing DR much less tedious and allowed me to customize the FE to how I want to use it.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 10:39 AM CST
Upside: Genie is definitely worth it just because I don't need specific scripts to get from point A to point B anymore. You'll need to spend a [small] amount of time tagging rooms that aren't set in the maps by default (like your favorite hunting room for X), but the major benefit is you don't need to be at the NE gate of crossing before doing your "take me to Y" room, and so on.
Downside: You end up losing an appreciation for some ambient stuff if you use #goto on everything. This might be a rather small downside for some. My own personal view is once you "get" any area, the desire to manually navigate it gets a bit dry (this is essentially my stance on scripting in general, too).
>>Copying over and updating all my scripts, highlights and everything was just so overwhelming it just wasn't worth the hassle to me at all.
I'll admit that I was doing a semi-"fresh start" with a character when I took the plunge into Genie, so I can see how this is an initial hurdle that could be annoying depending on how custom you have things. Isharon's subs took care of most things, and it was my "does my character know this character" highlights that were my biggest "thing" to address.
>>capitalization matters with Genie's scripting engine.
This was probably my biggest learning curve: having to care when the game shows "roundtime" or "Roundtime"
My biggest Genie complaint is that I bought a paid plugin that is great (inventory manager) except the window that runs it can't be disconnected from the program window like the automapper. This makes me use it a lot less often than I normally would, so I have to proactively make it update my character's inventories instead of having it do it naturally/passively.
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
Downside: You end up losing an appreciation for some ambient stuff if you use #goto on everything. This might be a rather small downside for some. My own personal view is once you "get" any area, the desire to manually navigate it gets a bit dry (this is essentially my stance on scripting in general, too).
>>Copying over and updating all my scripts, highlights and everything was just so overwhelming it just wasn't worth the hassle to me at all.
I'll admit that I was doing a semi-"fresh start" with a character when I took the plunge into Genie, so I can see how this is an initial hurdle that could be annoying depending on how custom you have things. Isharon's subs took care of most things, and it was my "does my character know this character" highlights that were my biggest "thing" to address.
>>capitalization matters with Genie's scripting engine.
This was probably my biggest learning curve: having to care when the game shows "roundtime" or "Roundtime"
My biggest Genie complaint is that I bought a paid plugin that is great (inventory manager) except the window that runs it can't be disconnected from the program window like the automapper. This makes me use it a lot less often than I normally would, so I have to proactively make it update my character's inventories instead of having it do it naturally/passively.
Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 12:27 PM CST
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 01:00 PM CST
// Switching from Wizard to StormFront
Was a headache to me, because I really hated the change and thought there were too many windows and settings to deal with. Eventually did it anyway.
// Switching from StormFront to Genie
I started with Genie2 and if it wasn't for a friend of mine suffering through my complete meltdown over being scrolled to death by deaths, logins, gweths, etc because I had no echos set up, I probably wouldn't have used it. Since getting acclimated (many years ago) I find genie invaluable and have always felt it was worth the money.
// Getting your highlights, macros, etc. converted
There's a much easier way than doing this manually in the client that involves opening up the config files in a program like notepad or notepad++ (which you should use instead of notepad anyway because it's better.) If you need/want steps for doing this, I or someone else could probably write it up, it's not very difficult.
// General frustration getting set up.
If you just want a blanket set up with a ton of highlights and whatnot pre-setup, a few players have these available for download and some even include instructions for how to set them up. One that I see used often is Isharon's.
tl;dr
I use genie for my PC characters and I find it to be excellent. There's help out there for getting setup if you need/want it.
---
NaOH+HI
Was a headache to me, because I really hated the change and thought there were too many windows and settings to deal with. Eventually did it anyway.
// Switching from StormFront to Genie
I started with Genie2 and if it wasn't for a friend of mine suffering through my complete meltdown over being scrolled to death by deaths, logins, gweths, etc because I had no echos set up, I probably wouldn't have used it. Since getting acclimated (many years ago) I find genie invaluable and have always felt it was worth the money.
// Getting your highlights, macros, etc. converted
There's a much easier way than doing this manually in the client that involves opening up the config files in a program like notepad or notepad++ (which you should use instead of notepad anyway because it's better.) If you need/want steps for doing this, I or someone else could probably write it up, it's not very difficult.
// General frustration getting set up.
If you just want a blanket set up with a ton of highlights and whatnot pre-setup, a few players have these available for download and some even include instructions for how to set them up. One that I see used often is Isharon's.
tl;dr
I use genie for my PC characters and I find it to be excellent. There's help out there for getting setup if you need/want it.
---
NaOH+HI
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 01:13 PM CST
If you find Genie overwhelming, you might want to give Lich a try. I love it, as it's basically a "skin" for SF. The entire thing is written in Ruby, including the scripts. It can also run stormfront scripts with little to no trouble. The Ruby language is super versatile and if you're not familiar with it, probably has one of the shallower learning curves
Confirming BADGOPHER's comment, it is under heavy development right now.
- It has it's own mapper and GUI map
- Similar to Genie's #goto, Lich has ;go2.
- you can click on a room you want to go to on the map or
- or type ;go2 <room#>
- or ;go2 agility and it will take you to those places
- search function for room names
- ability to save specific rooms as shortcuts (e.g. ;go2 tgne)
Confirming BADGOPHER's comment, it is under heavy development right now.
- It has it's own mapper and GUI map
- Similar to Genie's #goto, Lich has ;go2.
- you can click on a room you want to go to on the map or
- or type ;go2 <room#>
- or ;go2 agility and it will take you to those places
- search function for room names
- ability to save specific rooms as shortcuts (e.g. ;go2 tgne)
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 02:22 PM CST
>I bought genie, looked at things, started trying to set it up and then went back to SF in frustration. Copying over and updating all my scripts, highlights and everything was just so overwhelming it just wasn't worth the hassle to me at all.
This was my initial problem after I got Genie. I still miss the box popping script on that I can use on StormFront (I found it online and its a BIG script, but works WELL), I think that's the only thing that I really miss for SF. But yes, I turned away from Genie, because there was a bit of this is different and I really liked SF.
After a few goes, especially after figuring out the whole #goto part of the Mapper. It just was that great.
---
"I think anything that forces you to do something no sane adventurer would do just in order to train is ridiculous."
DR-SOCHARIS
---
Victory Over Lyras, on the 397th year and 156 days since the Victory of Lanival the Redeemer.
This was my initial problem after I got Genie. I still miss the box popping script on that I can use on StormFront (I found it online and its a BIG script, but works WELL), I think that's the only thing that I really miss for SF. But yes, I turned away from Genie, because there was a bit of this is different and I really liked SF.
After a few goes, especially after figuring out the whole #goto part of the Mapper. It just was that great.
---
"I think anything that forces you to do something no sane adventurer would do just in order to train is ridiculous."
DR-SOCHARIS
---
Victory Over Lyras, on the 397th year and 156 days since the Victory of Lanival the Redeemer.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 03:34 PM CST
>This was my initial problem after I got Genie. I still miss the box popping script on that I can use on StormFront (I found it online and its a BIG script, but works WELL), I think that's the only thing that I really miss for SF. But yes, I turned away from Genie, because there was a bit of this is different and I really liked SF.
Have you checked out any of the box scripts for Genie? I've tried a couple, and found one that wasn't half bad. It's a bit contrarian and slow but thorough, so teaches locks quite well (as opposed to being fast and not using every analyze/harvest option)
Have you checked out any of the box scripts for Genie? I've tried a couple, and found one that wasn't half bad. It's a bit contrarian and slow but thorough, so teaches locks quite well (as opposed to being fast and not using every analyze/harvest option)
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/24/2016 04:55 PM CST
I switched from StormFront to Genie in 2009, and I can honestly say that I would no longer play DragonRealms if I were forced to go back.
>>Dbabiash: Is there much of a learning curve from Storm Front?
There is some learning curve, but it's not as steep as before. The Genie community is very helpful if you have trouble.
I also maintain a package of popular plugins, configuration files, and scripts: http://www.elanthia.org/GenieSettings/
>>Dbabiash: How much do I need to alter my scripts (I don't exactly have many, or very robust ones, but still curious)?
StormFront scripts will run on Genie, but you may need to turn off script warnings by typing:
#config ignorescriptwarnings True
#config save
>>Dbabiash: What are the primary perks of upgrading from Storm Front to Genie? One of the major things I am looking forward to is subs, but I don't know if I can justify the expense just for that.
AutoMapper, subs, aliases, triggers, a more robust scripting engine.
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!
sortable list of all Trader-owned shops and inventory: http://www.elanthia.org/TraderShops/
armor and shields: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Armor_and_shield_player_guide
>>Dbabiash: Is there much of a learning curve from Storm Front?
There is some learning curve, but it's not as steep as before. The Genie community is very helpful if you have trouble.
I also maintain a package of popular plugins, configuration files, and scripts: http://www.elanthia.org/GenieSettings/
>>Dbabiash: How much do I need to alter my scripts (I don't exactly have many, or very robust ones, but still curious)?
StormFront scripts will run on Genie, but you may need to turn off script warnings by typing:
#config ignorescriptwarnings True
#config save
>>Dbabiash: What are the primary perks of upgrading from Storm Front to Genie? One of the major things I am looking forward to is subs, but I don't know if I can justify the expense just for that.
AutoMapper, subs, aliases, triggers, a more robust scripting engine.
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!
sortable list of all Trader-owned shops and inventory: http://www.elanthia.org/TraderShops/
armor and shields: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Armor_and_shield_player_guide
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 02/25/2016 08:37 AM CST
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 09/09/2016 08:14 PM CDT
>>Automapper is tremendous. You can setup access to update maps from a repository then you use an interface to move quickly between places. Or if you know where you go often, you can memorize the room ids in the map you are in and just type #goto roomid in and it will take you there
Where / how do I update the maps? Currently I cannot use the automap feature to get from the East Gate to the MM guild due to the creation of the gate at the entrance of the MM guild.
__
"Technically correct" is the worst kind of correct.
Where / how do I update the maps? Currently I cannot use the automap feature to get from the East Gate to the MM guild due to the creation of the gate at the entrance of the MM guild.
__
"Technically correct" is the worst kind of correct.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 09/09/2016 08:24 PM CDT
>>Firebreathingbear: Where / how do I update the maps? Currently I cannot use the automap feature to get from the East Gate to the MM guild due to the creation of the gate at the entrance of the MM guild.
http://www.genieclient.com/bulletin/topic/3592-how-to-use-the-genie-map-repository/
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!
Paladin new player guide: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Paladin_new_player_guide
armor and shields: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Armor_and_shield_player_guide
http://www.genieclient.com/bulletin/topic/3592-how-to-use-the-genie-map-repository/
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!
Paladin new player guide: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Paladin_new_player_guide
armor and shields: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Armor_and_shield_player_guide
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 09/09/2016 09:16 PM CDT
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 09/09/2016 09:30 PM CDT
>>http://www.genieclient.com/bulletin/topic/3592-how-to-use-the-genie-map-repository/
Thank you, mate! Can't wait to test it out.
I do have a question for you (or anyone else).
My work completely blocks DR.
When I have down time, I will run DR by tethering my iPhone.
When I do this, I can play DR through Avalon on my Mac. But if I run Genie in Parallels (like I do at home) it won't connect. Any idea why Genie cannot connect when I tether, but Avalon can connect?
__
"Technically correct" is the worst kind of correct.
Thank you, mate! Can't wait to test it out.
I do have a question for you (or anyone else).
My work completely blocks DR.
When I have down time, I will run DR by tethering my iPhone.
When I do this, I can play DR through Avalon on my Mac. But if I run Genie in Parallels (like I do at home) it won't connect. Any idea why Genie cannot connect when I tether, but Avalon can connect?
__
"Technically correct" is the worst kind of correct.
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 09/09/2016 09:36 PM CDT
Re: Thinking of getting Genie on 09/09/2016 09:38 PM CDT
>>Firebreathingbear: When I do this, I can play DR through Avalon on my Mac. But if I run Genie in Parallels (like I do at home) it won't connect. Any idea why Genie cannot connect when I tether, but Avalon can connect?
I don't know anything about that. The best place to ask for technical support with Genie is on the Genie forum. (There are some very helpful and knowledgeable people there.)
http://www.genieclient.com/bulletin/
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!
Paladin new player guide: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Paladin_new_player_guide
armor and shields: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Armor_and_shield_player_guide
I don't know anything about that. The best place to ask for technical support with Genie is on the Genie forum. (There are some very helpful and knowledgeable people there.)
http://www.genieclient.com/bulletin/
Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!
Paladin new player guide: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Paladin_new_player_guide
armor and shields: https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Armor_and_shield_player_guide