Web based GUI instead of java

[tapir]

It's a big idea that needs serious work but what the heck, this is the suggestion forum

Let's get rid of all the crappy looking java GUI, reimplement them in AJAX and embed the actual game window to a web page as a java applet.

How does it sound ? 

[Flonk]

Depends on whom you're asking.

If you ask me, it sounds like a great idea. But that's mostly because the Linux client is running a bit, ah, wonky for me.

If you ask the people responsible for coding the web application and maintaining the game, their opinions might differ.

[Tei]

Everything is possible, but the auction thing seens very sensible to timming, so is just asking for a desktop client, is not the type of game that runs well on a browser.

Also, webapllications are  Server2Client applications, and this game smells like Peer2Peer, different topology. You may want some communication from peer A directly to peer B, not trough server, and you can't do that in a webpage.  But thats me, and I don't know how the planetmule mule version work.

[Chuckie Chuck]

You hit the head on the nail Tei.  The Mule server really is just a chat server with an integrated game tracking server, but the actual games are fully peer to peer, and can run independant of the server.  If you knew the IP address of the person hosting you could join their game with out even logging into the chat server.  This is great if you want to have a Mule game on your private LAN without internet involvement.  Also, having the desktop stand alone the way it is, makes it possible to run without internet or networking at all, so you can just run a game against the AI.  The only feature missing to stay true to old school is having a local multiplay mode that allows all four players to play on the same console (like the original mule) in where each player would have a different key set and share the keyboard and run in the same window.

I think the current design is perfect, especially if you are thinking about making your own skins or sound track for the game, because you have access to the data on your local drive and can manipulate the JAR files, and while not officially stated to be intended to be that way, we haven't heard anything from development to lead us to believe that they would discourage it, and perhaps may even like that some of us more serious players are actually experimenting with the data to put our own spin on the look and feel of the game, as long as we don't change the actual game play and let them handle the function.

[Pescado]

Too many players on a keyboard doesn't work because keyboards tend to fail when many keys are mashed at once.

[Chuckie Chuck]

True enough, keyboard buffer issues that won't allow multiple key input of that many keys at once.  Probably a way around that, but it would take some creative thinking for sure.  USB joystick support maybe?  Using USB could even support 4 joysticks.  Wonder how the computer would handle having multiple keyboards (possible using USB)

Yeah, I like the joystick idea.  That's very doable.