Beta Engine: R^3 [Updated 6/5/14]

[Garquillex]

I'll use it when it screen cuts :]

[MrPoptart]

I've been having trouble loading some songs on this new version, and it won't start in standalone anymore, anyone else?

Edit: also I would LOVE if there was a way to retry saving your score, if score saving fails for some reason. My connection hiccups every once in a while and if it trys to save my score when it does, It fails and I have to try to get the score again -_________-

[mrpreggers]

i was playing with the font settings and now the text on the side is like 100 font and the text in the middle is .0000000001 font and it won't go away
arc help

[axith]

Originally Posted by mRpREggERs

i was playing with the font settings and now the text on the side is like 100 font and the text in the middle is .0000000001 font and it won't go away
arc help

[4:15 PM] * mRpREggERs has joined
[4:16 PM] mRpREggERs: oh
[4:16 PM] mRpREggERs: the text is all f***** up
[4:16 PM] mRpREggERs: i cant see anything
[4:18 PM] * [24] mRpREggERs has left
[4:18 PM] * mRpREggERs has joined
[4:18 PM] mRpREggERs: nope
[4:18 PM] mRpREggERs: it's still messed up
[4:18 PM] mRpREggERs: lmao it's like size .00005 font

so that's what that was about...

Edit: maybe a reset to defauts button is in order.

[XXXsmittyXXX]

super sick engine. Waiting for screencut

[DayMan951]

anyone have any links to alternate engines that i could add? also could this get stickied?

[axith]

Originally Posted by DayMan951

anyone have any links to alternate engines that i could add? also could this get stickied?

Charu posted a link to the Team Blaze engine and instructions to get it going on R^3 earlier in the thread(Here). That's the only alternate engine that I'm aware of that has a working bridge to R^3.

[TC_Halogen]

Dragons Fury has one as well, but the site is acting wonky for some people.

http://keysmashingisawesome.com/r3.xml

[SC_coolguy44]

Originally Posted by TC_Halogen

Dragons Fury has one as well, but the site is acting wonky for some people.

http://keysmashingisawesome.com/r3.xml

The site being messed up I think is causing it not to load on R^3.

[Velocity]

Screencut might be in the next version released if everything goes to plan. A few things were worked on by me during the last week, and setting the groundwork for that was a bit of it. Settings will also have a reset button in the off chance something goes wrong. Another thing is the basic inclusion of the stays panel whice when finished, will offer the same sorting/filters that the song selection menu will have. (also when thats done).

Sometime next week I'll be releasing a small tool that will allow anyone to translate the game interface into any language they want. It's nearly done but needs a bit more polish.

arc is great though, it's nice having another person around to work on this

[Fluvs]

Whoa nice

[Garquillex]

I'm glad to see improvements happening so fast.
What happened to let it fun in flash 9?

[FissionMailed1]

So I was wondering why exactly R^3 can't be open source? FFR is not monetized AFAIK, so there is no risk in losing profits from allowing it to be open. I'd like to take a stab at implementing different features, but that obviously isn't possible without the source. I feel like it could help breathe new life into the game, and ultimately make FFR a higher-quality game if anybody could contribute to it though.

[justin_ator]

Originally Posted by FissionMailed1

So I was wondering why exactly R^3 can't be open source? FFR is not monetized AFAIK, so there is no risk in losing profits from allowing it to be open. I'd like to take a stab at implementing different features, but that obviously isn't possible without the source. I feel like it could help breathe new life into the game, and ultimately make FFR a higher-quality game if anybody could contribute to it though.

The main two reasons I would think:
1) keeping their work central to FFR, so nobody could steal it to use elsewhere
2) preventing hacking/botting of scores by anyone interested. Giving out the source is a free ticket to hacked scores

[FissionMailed1]

Originally Posted by justin_ator

keeping their work central to FFR, so nobody could steal it to use elsewhere

StepMania is open source, and this has not occurred AFAIK. This can be prevented with the use of something like The MIT License.

Originally Posted by justin_ator

preventing hacking/botting of scores by anyone interested. Giving out the source is a free ticket to hacked scores

Scores are going to be hacked no matter what, open source or not. All it will do is slow people down leaving it closed source. Hacked scores are easy enough to identify anyways.

[Velocity]

Originally Posted by FissionMailed1

Scores are going to be hacked no matter what, open source or not. All it will do is slow people down leaving it closed source. Hacked scores are easy enough to identify anyways.

If you think identifying all the hacked scores is easy, then you trust people aren't that bright. While sure, hacking any flash game isn't that hard, I have tried putting different barriers in the way that would slow people down. There's also many parts of the engines that are directly linked to the site that wouldn't work without it.

While R^2/R^3 is completely mine, the older engines which these are based on aren't. When I took over control of developing the game, I was asked to not release the source if possible. On R^3, I don't feel like releasing the game until I feel ready too, and even then it would be a stripped down version with most of the FFR server interaction removed/disabled.

[FissionMailed1]

Originally Posted by Velocity

If you think identifying all the hacked scores is easy, then you trust people aren't that bright.

Yes, some hacked scores can slip under the radar, but think about it from a different angle. What is the damage that can really be done if some scores slip past? The average ranks could possibly get mucked around with, sure, but wouldn't the frame data show some anomalies if analyzed? A lot of them have been pretty easy to detect thus far (ZOMG DEATH PIANOZ AAA).

Originally Posted by Velocity

While sure, hacking any flash game isn't that hard, I have tried putting different barriers in the way that would slow people down.

Fair point, but again, I don't think that much damage could be done in terms of the scoreboards. It could open upon some vulnerabilities though, such as ripping the level .SWFs from the game, which I didn't think about until just now.

Originally Posted by Velocity

While R^2/R^3 is completely mine, the older engines which these are based on aren't. When I took over control of developing the game, I was asked to not release the source if possible. On R^3, I don't feel like releasing the game until I feel ready too, and even then it would be a stripped down version with most of the FFR server interaction removed/disabled.

Oh, I didn't realize that much code was reused. I thought R^3 was being rebuilt from the ground up. If that's the case, I can understand not wanting to toss the source around.

Originally Posted by Velocity

it would be a stripped down version with most of the FFR server interaction removed/disabled.

That's fine. I don't think this code is even necessary to implement UI stuff anyways.

[Velocity]

Originally Posted by FissionMailed1

Yes, some hacked scores can slip under the radar, but think about it from a different angle. What is the damage that can really be done if some scores slip past? The average ranks could possibly get mucked around with, sure, but wouldn't the frame data show some anomalies if analyzed? A lot of them have been pretty easy to detect thus far (ZOMG DEATH PIANOZ AAA)..

Mimicing how scores are recorded is easy if you know how it's created. Faking the replay is also very easy once you understand it too. Honestly, people complain about scores that affect there average by just hundredths of a point, having

Originally Posted by FissionMailed1

Fair point, but again, I don't think that much damage could be done in terms of the scoreboards. It could open upon some vulnerabilities though, such as ripping the level .SWFs from the game, which I didn't think about until just now..

Protecting the game SWFs from (mass) downloading is a requirement in some of the permissions we have for the site. That's part of the reason I try to hide how the files are loaded. Of course it's easy to figure out if you spend more then 5 minutes, but thats the same for most internet things.

Originally Posted by FissionMailed1

Oh, I didn't realize that much code was reused. I thought R^3 was being rebuilt from the ground up. If that's the case, I can understand not wanting to toss the source around..

While the code itself is completely mine, the layout/gameplay isn't. This is ofcourse to make the game remain the same as it has been for the last 10 years. R^3 was more of a test bed for ideas that were both impossible and fesible in the older engines because of either the lack of features in the AS2 language, or the age of the legacy code.

Originally Posted by FissionMailed1

That's fine. I don't think this code is even necessary to implement UI stuff anyways.

There is a ton of UI things missing from the beta, most of which will appear sooner then latter. The main focus was on the gameplay side to get everything as smooth as possible.

[qqwref]

Originally Posted by Velocity

The main focus was on the gameplay side to get everything as smooth as possible.

Honestly, I think you did a really good job with this - R^3 is way easier for me to play on than R^2, even without the R^3 screencut.

[Xiz]

Just throwing an idea out there, but what are your thoughts on adding a feature where you can search by simfile author? Granted, I can just search for it on the FFR website, but I feel like it would be interesting feature in client.

Just an idea. Whatever. But R^3 rocks. Great job on it.