• You've discovered RedGuides 📕 an EverQuest multi-boxing community 🛡️🧙🗡️. We want you to play several EQ characters at once, come join us and say hello! 👋
  • IS THIS SITE UGLY? Change the look. To dismiss this notice, click the X --->
Resource icon

Software EQBC Interface (1 Viewer)

jimbob

Moderator
Joined
May 31, 2014
RedCents
7,152¢
Update:
New Release v.0.08 (8/3/2015)

New sourceforge project: https://sourceforge.net/projects/eqbci/

I have been using MQ2EQBC for years with EQBC Interface from ieatacid. The interface is great, but it's lacking a few features... I'd like to implement additional functionality in EQBC interface, but ieatacid never replied to my comments on the MQ2 forum regarding EQBC Interface.

So, I decided to re-write it from scratch on my Linux box. I would like to add some functionality (mercenaries, customizable hotkeys, etc...), but I don't believe there are TLOs for some of the information I want to get from EQBC to my EQBC interface (I may need help there). I would also like to send additional information through EQBC.

If anyone is interested in an updated interface, let me know. Right now, the basic functionality is there (it looks a lot like ieatacid's interface right now), and extending it should be relatively easy.

I have also considered adding SSL/TLS support to EQBC and EQBC Interface if anyone's interested in that idea...

EQBC_Interface_v0_01.jpeg
 
Last edited:
That's exactly what I used it for. I had a couple AFK spots I would camp, and monitor guild chat, tells, group chat, etc... Oh, the current version keeps a command history as well, so you can use up/down arrows. It loses them when it closes, but it wouldn't be too hard to save them to a file, and load that on startup...
 
I never saw Xeniaz's version, but I used ieatacid's version quite frequently. I managed to cross-compile it for Windows using mingw32. I had a Windows build environment set up for it years ago, but never published it. It's a little uglier in the windows compile, but seemed to work...

Here's a link to download it and try it out (http://www.wortheysoft.com/eqbci.zip). I'll be sure to add the hotkeys. I'd really like to add mercenary statistics, and buttons, but I need some MQ2 TLO programmers to help me out. I found some mercenary TLOs, but they reference Spawn. I want to pull the info that's available to the UI (Mercenary's actual HP/Mana/Endurance, and other stats...). The Mercenary TLO, and the Me.Mercenary objects do not currently expose this data. I tried to find the structures they referenced, and the relevant information, but I don't think the MQ2 devs have a struct for it yet...

- - - Updated - - -

Known bugs: BCG and BCAA are placeholders at the moment... :) When I ran it the other day, it did not notice when one of my eq instances disconnected. If you find any others, post them here... The Windows build has only been tested in Wine on Fedora 22... I'll check it on Windows tonight or tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
I'll check out the server, and see what's going on. I've put other .zip files there without issue...

Ok, I unzipped the .exe, and it can be downloaded directly... I updated the link above.

- - - Updated - - -

I found the first Windows bug. WSA not initialized... I'll fix it shortly.

- - - Updated - - -

It is fixed and uploaded. Give it a shot!
 
Still getting the error, probably best to upload it to here.

- - - Updated - - -

Still getting the error, probably best to upload it here.
 
I'll give it a shot. It appears that when I updated the .exe it caused the same problem as before.

There are some issues with the Windows .exe anyway. I will boot into my Windows development environment, and see if I can get it to compile in Visual Studio, so I can debug the Windows version. Some of the strings are not copying properly. It may be an issue with the cross-compiler, WINE, or some other crap. I'll fix the .exe upload real quick though.

- - - Updated - - -

Uploads/downloads are fixed. You should be able to download the .zip or the .exe directly...

- - - Updated - - -

I am rebooting to Windows to try to compile and fix other issues I discovered in Wine...
 
Yeah, still funny issues with the Windows build. I'll see if I can get it to compile natively, instead of on Linux, so I can debug it.
 
Yeah, the Options dialog doesn't exist yet. It's just a placeholder. I am working on getting a copy compiled with Visual Studio 2013 and QT5 in Windows. I have to convert from easy single byte character strings to UNICODE... It's not pretty, because QT5 changed a lot from QT4 (which is what I originally wrote it for). I might have something useful this afternoon... Stay tuned! :)
 
I never saw Xeniaz's version, but I used ieatacid's version quite frequently. I managed to cross-compile it for Windows using mingw32. I had a Windows build environment set up for it years ago, but never published it. It's a little uglier in the windows compile, but seemed to work...

Here's a link to download it and try it out (http://www.wortheysoft.com/eqbci.exe). I'll be sure to add the hotkeys. I'd really like to add mercenary statistics, and buttons, but I need some MQ2 TLO programmers to help me out. I found some mercenary TLOs, but they reference Spawn. I want to pull the info that's available to the UI (Mercenary's actual HP/Mana/Endurance, and other stats...). The Mercenary TLO, and the Me.Mercenary objects do not currently expose this data. I tried to find the structures they referenced, and the relevant information, but I don't think the MQ2 devs have a struct for it yet...

- - - Updated - - -

Known bugs: BCG and BCAA are placeholders at the moment... :) When I ran it the other day, it did not notice when one of my eq instances disconnected. If you find any others, post them here... The Windows build has only been tested in Wine on Fedora 22... I'll check it on Windows tonight or tomorrow.

Have you tried using PeteSampra's TLO Builder?

I see the syntax should be ${Mercenary.CurrentHPs} but it expresses it as a percent and not absolute.

- - - Updated - - -

I downloaded and tried out what you got........doesn't seem to connect (I run my eqbcs in the cloud). Your console says successfully created socket but don't see the connection being made to my server.
 
Yeah, that TLO internally reaches out to the Spawn TLO, which gives the percentage. I know the actual statistics are in the EQ UI, I just need to figure out where the UI pulls it from in the Character struct, or elsewhere...

There's an issue with that compile. There are some discrepancies between the QT4 on Linux and QT4 on Windows (I built that with Mingw32 cross compiler on Linux), so I am re-compiling it in Visual Studio 2013, and working out the dependencies now. There are some differences in how text is represented. It seems the Windows version uses UNICODE, and I was assuming ASCII. I wrote it for Linux, so I assumed there would be some portability issues... It does actually create the socket and connect, it just doesn't send the proper information to the server.
 
Ok, I got a good compile of the Windows version, and fixed the UNICODE QT5 issues... Let me know if it works, and I'll start enhancing it.

- - - Updated - - -

I also updated the link, and changed it back to a .zip to include some QT libraries. If it does not work, it may require the Visual Studio 2013 redistributable package. Apparently, to use QT in a statically linked program, you have to download and compile QT yourself... So, I opted to include the QT5 DLLs in the .zip instead.
 
I posted the wrong VS Redistributable link...

- - - Updated - - -

That upload is using the VC++ 2013 Update 4 Debug DLLs, so I will compile a "release" version, zip it, and upload it shortly.

- - - Updated - - -

The "release" version has been posted. It requires Visual C++ 2013 Redistributable DLLs. I can't find a package for Update 4 (the version I compiled it with), but you can try:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ph/download/details.aspx?id=40784

It connects to the server, and operates a lot like the Linux version now. Let me know if/when you all get a chance to try it.
 
That's a new one for me. At least it's not Visual C++... I'll look into it, and see if there's a QT5 equivalent...

What version of Windows are you running?
 
Ok, I added another part of QT to the .zip. I am building it on the same OS, so at least that rules out OS compatibility issues.

- - - Updated - - -

I am downloading QT, so I can statically compile it, and reduce this back to one over-sized executable. Let me know if the latest post works or not... I don't have a non-development Windows computer to test on. I suppose I could build a VM.
 
Well, that's a start I guess. It was connecting fine on my dev box... I have another box with Visual Studio, but no QT stuff. Let me try it there, and see what happens...

There's no success/fail dialog/information on connect. I suppose I could add it. I'll make it output some debug info to the "chat" window.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, are you using the password feature, or just username & port? I am not sure I ever tested the password feature. :)

- - - Updated - - -

It works for local connections:
Eqbci-Win7.PNG

- - - Updated - - -

There's a bug using username/password. It connects with them, but shows the interface user in the character box... I'll have to fix that. If you have that name selected, and disconnect, it crashes...
 
Still not able to connect to the server, whether inside or outside my network. Using the other interfaces I can connect both ways. When I tried in on another pc it gets this error, even after installing the redistributables:
 

Attachments

  • eqbci_error.jpg
    eqbci_error.jpg
    18.7 KB · Views: 1,217
You can easily google around to get a copy of MSVCP120.dll. Just put it in the folder of the program you're trying to use. I can't tell you the number of times I've had that exact dll error trying to use some odd random program lol.

I'm sure there is another fix for it, but that's how I normally do it.
 
I'll add the visual C++ DLLs to the package later this afternoon. That should fix those issues...

- - - Updated - - -

Ok, I have added the Visual C++ runtime libraries to the folder. It "should" work now.

- - - Updated - - -

Of course, you'll have to download it again. Once it's working like this, I will start to add features that I wanted in the first place, and I'll fix the bugs I've already mentioned.
 
Ok, thanks. I haven't tried any remote servers, but I did try my local machine by FQDN, and it worked. I'll add some connection debugging too. I'll let you know when it's updated again. Thanks for being an "alpha" tester. :)
 
I probably should have looked closer. I hadn't written anything to allow it to connect to a remote server yet. The code is in there now, so give it a shot. It worked with my test server on the internet. I still haven't fixed any of the other bugs I already mentioned. I just wanted to get it where it can be tested. I added more placeholder buttons for hotkeys too.
 
I'm at work right now, without my laptop, I'll give it a try when I get home.

- - - Updated - - -

It connects right up, inside and outside the network.
 
Cool. Now, I just need to figure out how to get the information I want from MQ2, and have MQ2EQBC send it like it does the current information, and I can add the mercenary info. That, and make those hotkeys useful... I am liking QT less and less as I make progress...

- - - Updated - - -

Updated .zip. Fixed one of my bugs, and made chat panel read only. Working on hotkey support.

- - - Updated - - -

Has anyone had a chance to try the latest release?
 
Did you try using the command line, or selecting a character? That functionality should have already been working. I am considering saving the command history too... Right now, it keeps a history, and you can use the arrow keys to move back and forth through your commands since you started the program, but it does not save it to a file/registry yet. It's not a difficult change, I just haven't done it.

I added primitive hotkey support. You can have up to 10 keys with 5 commands each. The commands run synchronous with the UI for now, so delays in the commands will pause the UI until the hotkey is done executing. I'll make it asynchronous later. I just wanted to finish the initial hotkey support. I think I am going to change the character status portion of the UI later. I might make it show all EQBC character status instead of just the selected character.

The latest version with working hotkeys is uploaded. I have not tested it in game, but it works in EQBCS...

If you want more functionality, what do you want it to do (within reason of course)?

Any MQ2 devs want to help me out with the Mercenary TLO/structs, so I can add mercenaries to the UI with actual stats (actual HPs, MPs, Endurance, etc...)? I have no issues updating MQ2EQBC and such, but haven't had the time to dig through structs/TLOs yet. The Mercenary TLO and Me.Mercenary object use Spawn to get these statistics, so you only get a percentage stats... I want the actual stats (they're available in the Inventory UI, so I know we can get them).
 
Software EQBC Interface

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top