SOme questions about extent of moddability: server capaicty, chat etc

[El Nino]

Well if we got the source code, all 4 are doable... Reprograming the flserver to run on multiple processors, (as a single procesor reached it's maximum pretty much, the server could be pushed about 10% but even that's quite fictious)

Perhaps if the quantum processors would reach atleast testing and then production.

In any case quantum processors will be here any day now(years away), while a chance Microsoft releasing a source code might be quite slim.

---

Donate to the Poor Pilot's Fundation via Sirius Bank /givecash GreenHawk 1000000 now, and support poor pilots sirius wide!
Skype: jure.grbec
My primary char: Jose El Nino - Corsair Elder captain of the SS Greenhawk

Currently Inactive due to pursuit of life long dreams, will be back...*edited* As promised am back.

[Hairyloon]

1) How hard would it be to boost server capaicty to about 500? Reason Im wondering is because the map is quite large and at 150 players I felt maybe we still need more people running aroun in the space lanes (maybe increase numbers of NPCs? see next)

Could you divide the game over several servers? e.g. cut the galaxy into 4 sections, have everything in the NW quadrant run on one server, NE on another, etc. When you fly between the two quadrants, you get automatically switched to the other server.
Obviously the servers would have to be linked to transfer various information between each other.

2) How hard to increase number of NPC ships runnign space lanes?

I don't know, but has anyone come up with a term to distinguish between Non Player Cannon-fodder and Non Player Characters?
Is there any way that the latter could be introduced?

3) How hard would it be to mod it so that clicking on a players name on the HUD opens a chat window to them directly?

Very hard to do directly, but easy enough if you use an external chat client. The trick would be to get it to list all the players on the server(s).

3) Finally --- There is no way to introduce actual economic pricing is there...? I'm not sure if digital anvil even left hooks in the code somewhere.

If you abandoned the automatic trading altogether, and only had trading between players, then it could work to whatever rules you like.
Problem is, there are not enough players, hence the need for "real" NPCs.

[Varyag]

As for running on Multiple processors. If we ran the server on Windows Enterprise server 2003, processor load balencing you happen with the operating system. I know this works, I have a FL server running ent server.

---

"I looked up and all I saw was green death"

[Varyag]

Ohh yeah, and Enterprise Server can address up to 8gb of ram on a 32 bit system!

---

"I looked up and all I saw was green death"