CoC Network Services and Digital Communications released

[bn880]

We at The Chain of Command are pleased to inform and discuss that the first version of our Network Services has been released to the public.


The CoC Network Services originally devised for "in house" use allow Operation Flashpoint scripters to transfer any data necessary to any specific network node in a networked OFP session. The scripter can send data by simply calling one function and designating a target pre-processed function on the destination node/machine.  The system is designed to allow for fastest transfer of small to large data between the specific network nodes.

Supported network send data is:

• Boolean  
• Group
• Number
• Object
• String (passed in as Character Arrays, see ReadmeCoCNS.txt)
• Array (filled with nothing or any of the above in any combination)
• Multi-Dimensional Array (filled with nothing or any of the above in any combination)

The handshaking process occurs mostly behind the scene during the briefing, once completed each machine has an array with information on every other machine in the session/mission.  The server is always in the first entry of this array.

What is it For?
Foreseen use may be in the CE3 for command control and strategic communications, Capture The Island (CTI), Real Time Strategy (RTS) mods and many others.

Examples
Download includes two pre-assembled mission templates:

• one including only the Network Services 1.0 Layer with connection checks
• the other with an additional CoC Digital Communications demonstration top layer.

Both templates also contain the CoC Number System Function Library which is capable of converting between Hex, Binary, Octal, Decimal, and Alphanumeric numbers.  

Please note: Digital Communications was released as an example top layer which makes use of the Network Services.  It is however Beta and may be improved in the future.

Kind Regards BN880 CoC Network Developer

[Sui]

Hey there, bn880

Good to see you finally got this released...

Well everybody, while this looks like an announcement thread, (which would be locked as we don't allow advertisements or announcements on the forums), it's obviously a discussion and feedback thread

* Sui whispers to bn880

[size=0.5]Quick, change "pleased to inform you" to "pleased to discuss with you"...[/size]

After all, bn880 states that it's still in beta stages, and needs some Multiplayer testing. So everyone, feel free to test it and post your results...

*cough* ;D

[bn880]

Heh yeah, this always turns into discussion, check the Official Forum with the same post.  

Post your questions, concerns, comments, ideas, etc. etc.  That's why it's here really.

[uiox]

Comment: Have you play Unreal? What is the last comment when you kill a truck of ennemies?
It's my comment about your scripts : godlike. I say that cause when U play UT, sometime you have the progresssion of the comments, most part of time you stop to impressive.

Suggestions:
Not test yet, only analyse code. First ideas transform it into a addon, and name variables with CoCNS instead of rN, make it free server trigger and create an object for placing it on the map (change the cfg of the radio for exemple) and use the init of the object, create a list of command for the end scripter just like comref, create simple applications for demonstration of the possibles use or list them.

As says "Les Compagnons du devoir" : You are a Compagnon now,your chef d'oeuvre is achieved.
Compagnon of scripting, sound well  

[bn880]

Thanks Uiox,

First ideas transform it into a addon,

Yes I have been checking this out already, may force mission designer to place init line in addon object to do handshaking in Briefing.  

and name variables with CoCNS instead of rN,

this I have been thinking of also, but you see it is part of my studies of OFP Network communication, the longer the variable name used in PublicVariable, the fewer you can fit one one IP datagram.  Therefore if this were an addon, it will use all communication variables starting with rN not even rNC, not with the accepted addon prefix CoC_     (it is essential for performance in this case, and why not rN can be "registered")

make it free server trigger and create an object for placing it on the map (change the cfg of the radio for exemple)

 Okay I will see what you mean by trigger and radio addon modification.  So far I think I will create an object like you say with the mission maker having to place one init string in the init line of the object.  Allright that's what you say also

create simple applications for demonstration of the possibles use or list them.

 Yes I think the Digital Communications is a fairly simple example of how NS can be used. (the visible Laptop, still Beta)  The command reference you would like me to create is in the readmeCoCNS.txt  (not 100% reference but everything should be there).  I will think about creating a more formal one.  

Compagnon of scripting, sound well  

 I think so, why not.  ;D

[bn880]

Hi Uiox, and everyone else who is interested  :-\

One bug has been located in the CoC_NS 1.0
the flag rNisServerClient is always false, therefore use the combination of rNisClient and rNisServer to determine the above.  There is no impact on the fNSend function or anything else internal to CoC_NS.  

And as to addonizing this, it is now well under way, just the naming convention left and some testing.  ;D  Perhaps better documentation will be published to go along with that.