July 31, 2010, 03:58:32 PM

Author Topic: Checklist  (Read 1324 times)

Offline Brian (BDK)

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Checklist
« on: January 12, 2010, 11:39:31 AM »

You can join the beta testers group and receive a newsletter when it's time to test the first beta.
It requires a forum account. Create account and join the beta.


First screenshot released: Go have a look!



Here you can check out some of the things that's being worked on or is planned.
Nothing fancy, maybe a few screens will appear here and there. You are welcome to have a look and drop a comment.

Everything listed here may change as development moves forward.

[X] Done (or almost done).
[O] Work in progress.
[C] Canceled.
[D] Delayed but will be included in an update.
[BETA] In need of more testing during beta.



[D]  ME3RC now supports sound effects. Optional during install. While supported, the actual sound effects require more work. Delayed.

[X] Unlike ME2RC, ME3RC now saves your 'program settings' on the fly. For instance if you enable repetitive playback or change the clock to 12/24 hour mode, these settings will be saved and then loaded the next time you fire up ME3RC.

[X] ME3RC will now snap to the edge of the screen if you move it within 15 pixels. It can be enabled/disabled via the configuration file.

[X] The countdown timer can now be hidden if it bothers you ;)




[X] Current pixel size of ME3RC is 952x652.

[X] Folder secured. When ME3RC connects to the server, it'll retrieve an access key that is valid for 1 hour. If a connection is established for more than 1 hour, a program restart is required to refresh the key or get a new one. A random key will be generated by the server every day so hot linkers and bots are left in the dust, while the user gets full speed across the board. Good times! All this is done completely automatically, you won't have to do anything at all.

Note that this is not a unique key. It cant be used to identify you or your computer in any way. All users will use the same key until a new one is generated by the server.

* A key timer may be added later so you'll know when your key expires. Key generation made by the server and key expire times may increase or decrease once ME3RC is released.

[X] Enhanced skin system. One button to rule them all. Maybe you had a go at making a skin for ME2RC and found it somewhat difficult or trivial with all the different buttons and text you had make. Well now you only have to make two buttons and they require no text at all. One for '0 state' which is the non-selected buttons/categories and a '1 state' for the selected button/category. All buttons are automatically alpha blended so you don't have to. It's also possible to skin button hovers and the progress bar. Compared to ME2RC which used 15 different images, ME3RC only use 5 (6 if you want to skin restart.exe). This also lowers memory usage as less images are stored in memory.
ClearType supported and highly recommended for LCD users.


You don't have to make 500 different buttons anymore ..


[X] Media Player open dialog enhanced to support a more modern layout. Improves accessibility on Windows XP and newer.
Basically the old W98 style open dialog is gone.




[X] Centralized media player controls including a new volume meter.
To watch some early footage of how it's going to work: Click here


Media Player controls (audio)


[X] Buttons and progress bars are now alpha blended, meaning whatever background image is used on the currently installed skin will be viewable through the buttons and bars. This allows for much greater detail in skins and adds variety. Disabled for currently selected content so you know what you're looking at.


Alpha blending examples with two different background images. Old example so disregard the layout


[X] Aero enabled. All standard aero functions (such as see through, animations etc.) can now be used with ME3RC.

[X] Restart.exe done. It now checks if ME3RC is installed and if it is, it will proceed with the restart. If ME3RC is not found it will direct you to the website where you can get the most recent installer. It now includes a basic animation and color coding (red is bad, green is all good). It now utilizes an external image for lesser memory usage and faster load times. It also means that different skins can change the looks of the app but is not required to do so. Most importantly, I can change it without having to compile a new version. Sweet.

[X]  Icon done.

[X]  Installer image done. QU still needs to be updated.

[X] Screenshots and wallpapers now have thumbnails and they can all be downloaded as well. You simply drag the images to where you want to save them. Still need some css loving though.
To watch some early footage of how it's going to work: Click here



[X] News almost done, just need some style loving and a bit of tweaking. Hopefully it'll make things easier to read and it should also look prettier compared to what was in ME2RC =) Oh and yes, you can drop a comment on every news entry.





[BETA] To prevent white flashes when the user clicks on a different content section, either an overlay will be used or the browser object will be hidden while the new page is loading (that way all skins can have a custom "load screen"). This will require some testing to see which option works best. It should be able to be turned on and off as a slight delay will occur if enabled.

Will be needing some beta testers for this one as I'm getting mixed results.

[O] ME3RC will be entirely database driven. This will allow a much greater variety of options. More on that soon.

[D] Playlist will be added for more customization (audio only).

[O] Much more user interaction such as commenting on news, rate videos/screens/wallpapers, live chat, live support (only open when admin is around).

[C] Fullscreen video playback will not be available in ME3RC until a certain issue with Windows 7 has been fixed. This is for the media player only, flash videos will still be able to stream in fullscreen. Not to worry though, the interface is large enough for you to enjoy HD videos in all their glory. Fullscreen may be added later once confirmed that it isn't affecting ALL Windows 7 systems.

Let the proggy live when the game is out ..

Note to self: Verify if ME3RC is making Impulse fail to install games.
It does not, seems to be a common issue. Re-test to make sure.

Another note to self: Make the configuration file optional in the installer so it doesn't overwrite one that is already set by the user.
« Last Edit: July 21, 2010, 11:53:18 PM by Brian (BDK) »

Offline Bandana

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2010, 04:21:22 PM »
will webkit be used? valve is using it now :)

Offline Brian (BDK)

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #2 on: April 19, 2010, 02:08:02 PM »
will webkit be used? valve is using it now :)
No, ME3RC (along with all the other MERC apps) is time limited as it's pretty useless when Mass Effect 3 has been released. Steam is a more permanent app that you'll use for as long as you game so I don't want to over complicate things by using different tech.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2010, 06:31:03 AM by Brian (BDK) »

Offline SmurfLegend

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #3 on: May 04, 2010, 10:31:34 PM »
Starting to look really nice. Would be cool with some bigger screenshots though ;)

Offline Brian (BDK)

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #4 on: May 04, 2010, 11:08:56 PM »
Starting to look really nice. Would be cool with some bigger screenshots though ;)
Thanks.
It's starting to look how I originally planned it, however I'm currently having trouble verifying color layouts on my LCD monitor. I may have to plug in my CRT just for verification. Oh and various screens are supposed to be small, I'm not going to show the whole thing just yet - There's still much to do :)

Edit: I'll start uploading some videos to show you guys an early look of how the different things are going to work in ME3RC.
Due to popular demand in the survey, I'll start with the screenshot plus wallpaper sections. Scroll up to find the video.
« Last Edit: May 10, 2010, 08:33:34 PM by Brian (BDK) »

Offline SmurfLegend

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #5 on: May 15, 2010, 10:05:09 PM »
Pretty awesome videos - Screenshots most certainly needed an overhaul as they couldn't be downloaded or anything in me2rc.
Oh and before  forget, in the player video there's 3 buttons to change colour on that analyzer thing but not in the screenshots posted of it so far?

Offline Brian (BDK)

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #6 on: May 15, 2010, 10:55:13 PM »
.. in the player video there's 3 buttons to change colour on that analyzer thing but not in the screenshots posted of it so far?
It has been moved to an ini file instead. I couldn't really see the point in changing colors on the analyzer but if you want to you can still do it via the ini file.

Offline Bandana

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #7 on: May 25, 2010, 06:57:27 AM »
whoa what happened to the forum? it looks delicious :D everything looking good so far! cant wait to tru it out

Offline powerhouse

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Re: Checklist
« Reply #8 on: June 19, 2010, 02:26:32 AM »
Just registered to say that it's looking awesome so far! Used ME2RC to death so looking forward to this one :)