Visual Chat System

[kevintje]

Ok, this is gonna take a while to explain, but here goes.

I'm making a 2D chat program that uses IRC for communication.

So my idea was to make it so that it could be integrated into #adisc on irc.blitzed.org, without making it confusing for people who don't use the program (I believe in choises, if you don't want to use it, you don't have to).
Now there are some problems I have at the moment.

Please check the attachment now.
Here

So... the problems:

* Every object in the virtual room is usable... this means, if you (for example) pick up a plushy, it will generate an action on #adisc, saying /me picked up a plushy. Now imagine that with like 20 people on the chat, it isn't plesant for the people that don't use it.

** If I remove those actions, it might confusing for people who don't use the program (imagine if I would remove the action "/me throws a plushy at XXX", and someone would go *OUCH!* in the middle of a conversation, load of explaining to do, so it would be annoying.

*** Imagine a plushy fight with 20 people in my program, and imagine how that would look for people who don't use it (100 times /me throws plush at XXX)

**** The graphics are too plain, I would need help from somebody on this site to help me create new graphics.

***** The room has a maximum population, I guess there's space for about 25 people in there, there's place for more, but then there are going to be problems with showing each other's text...

****** If I don't integrate it into #adisc, but in a new channel, we woul have 3 different chats... that can't be good

******* I'm a lousy programmer, it would take a long time to finish IF I ever get it finished.

...


SO,... I wanted to ask y'all if you:

1: have a solution for the problems above

2: would use the program if it ever got finished? (vote in poll please)

3: comment on your votes, so I have a better idea to continue with it, or just put the code in my 'FAIL cabinet' of failed programs.

4: if you like the idea, give me more ideas for things to put in the room (I would like to see some things for the furries too), cuz the room is too empty at the moment...

[Customizer]

The idea is great. Put a tight limit on /me commands of no more than 20 people doing something per minute. Make the room a little smaller. Get graphics. ??? PROFIT.

[ayanna]

I'd use it...mostly because I like graphics when I'm chatting (I'm wierd that way).

Is everyone going to have a different 'avatar'?

Things you might consider adding...Diaper (guess that's kind of obvious), candy... I could probably think of other things if I had some energy. Sorry...bad day for me.

[kevintje]

Diapers are allready in it, they are on the changing table. candy would be good ^^.

for the avatar part: it seems impossible to make users create their own avatars, altho it now has the option to choose from 10 male and 10 female avatars.

[chevre]

Cute idea, but unless you release the source or make a linux binary I wouldn't be able to use it. (Yes I know about wine and no I don't care to use it ).

[Mickal]

This would be really cool to use. It would liven the chat up a bit too instead of plain text.

[kevintje]

Originally Posted by chevre

Cute idea, but unless you release the source or make a linux binary I wouldn't be able to use it. (Yes I know about wine and no I don't care to use it ).

source code would be public, but since it's visualbasic(please keep your opinion of this language OUT of this topic!), you wouldn't be able to use it on linux anyway... I don't even know if this thing would run under wine.

[DarkSunDS]

You're using Habbo Hotel avatars! :P

I'd probably use it if it worked, but it'd be cool to see smoother, better graphics and more actions between two users like the "throw plushie" action you used as an example.
As for furry actions, I think the best thing you could do is make BF/Furry avatars.
Customizable avatars would also be very cool, but everything I said seems hard to make. :/ I hope you finish it at least, or get more help from other people, that would help.

[avery]

no offense, but that looks to me like it would wind up turning into a big pain in the ass. our plushie pile works better in my imagination than it does as an image, and it's very easy to have a plushie fight in a text-based format. i think text is preferable.

[UnMarth]

Originally Posted by avery

no offense, but that looks to me like it would wind up turning into a big pain in the ass. our plushie pile works better in my imagination than it does as an image, and it's very easy to have a plushie fight in a text-based format. i think text is preferable.

You wouldn't find me using any type of graphic chat program. Chat see whats wrong with plain text really. I think that the IRC channel would just be spammed with autogenerated action messages. I think it would be better if used a different IRC channel/server. And use specific commands for the program to understand. That way it would make it less of a headache for you. But then again, we just split the groups apart and would have 3 chatting systems. Irc, Flash and Now your graphic programme.

I think you should keep it as a personal project and when its in a semi-useful state. A few odd bugs need ironing out here and there. Post back and let some people use it. But I can't see that happening any time soon. No offence but whenever I feel I am getting nowhere in a project I just dump it. But I am not too sure about you though.

But I hope to see this a success anyway. Whether or not it works. It was an actual tested idea.