System Tools

Introduction

The game system would benefit from a number of tools to better facilitate BGE interaction

Game Inspector

Introduction

The role of the game inspector is to make it easier to debug the game whilst it is running.

###Features

1. Pause simulation (Bullet updates, GameLogic? processing). Client-side: Server ignores client temporarily until a wakeup is received.
2. Visualisation of network traffic.
3. Visualisation of Actor properties (using dict and network attributes) (right mouse)
4. Server-side visualisation of relevant actors for selected Pawns.
5. Run python queries with a Python console (access all network libraries) - ability to insert references by selection in the game (left mouse)
6. Draw Cameras and other invisible actors.

##Blender Add-on ###Introduction The role of the Blender Add-on is to enable easier integration of the Multi-player configuration within the Blender Editor. This add on's primary purpose is to visually configure predefined assets. Later on, this could be expanded to asset creation

###Version One ####Actor placement The Add-on will enable easy placement of pre-defined Actors in the 3D world.

• Potentially support visual identification of Actor by creating 2D sprite in editor.
• Edit default (class) attributes (create game properties).
• View present Actors, with their class names, editor names (for ease of use) and class hierarchy.

####Geometry tagging Define certain geometry as map geometry:

1. Floor surfaces, walls
2. Navigation meshes
3. Potentially create networking zones (for easier testing, by using collision cubes which define relevancy in zones - if not inside a zone, test all other actors, but for actors inside a zone, default to that zone testing)

###Version Two ####Actor definition

1. Using same panel as Version One.
2. Ability to open the source of the definition in a text editor / show path.
3. Actors can be defined in the scene - with the following parameters:
   1. Parent class(es) (may be defined in scene as well)
   2. Skeleton (with Mesh)
   3. Member functions (using HIVE) - with decorators. Requires an input and output Node for arguments and returns (supporting network argument types for Pawns)
   4. Attribute definitions (with appropriate parameters) + class (default) attributes.
   5. on_notify panel for quick delegation to member functions (disabled if custom on_notify defined)
   6. conditions panel for quick conditions definition (disabled if custom conditions defined)
   7. output to text file

####Pawn definition

• Behaviour definition (uses nodes, not HIVE; instead leverages a BehaviourTree)