HUDINFO
From BattletechMUX
Contents |
What is HUDINFO?
The HUDINFO protocol is designed to allow easy communication between the MUX server and any automated or semi-automated Battletech client. It provides all info players can get through the conventional commands, but drops issues such as readability and hysterical raisins in favour of flexible and efficient communication.
In essence, HUDINFO allows developers to create specialized BTMux clients that feature neat gadgets like armor diagrams, heat bars, tactical map.
There are currently only a few clients that support HUDINFO. These can be found on the MU* Clients page. The most popular are Xpertmud and THUD.
Developing with HUDINFO
For HUD development with HUDINFO, we strongly recommend finding an existing MU* client with scripting support and building a HUD plugin rather than developing a new client. For example, Mudmagic has an excellent client with support for Perl and Python. The benefit of this is you are free to focus on HUD work rather than getting bogged down with maintaining the client, fixing bugs, adding many of the complicated features that players expect (triggers, aliases, macros, etc.), and other fun things.
Assisting an Existing Project
Perhaps the best thing one can do is assist an existing HUD project rather than striking out and creating a new one. Improving an existing client focuses development and keeps you from burning out long before your product is finished. The results are more immediate, and players will be able to get their hands on your improvements fairly quick.
The HUDINFO Spec
The HUDINFO spec can always be found in our Subversion trunk in the docs directory. While this changes from time to time when HUD developers request expanded functionality, we do strive to maintain backwards compatibility.
Related Links
Developers
HUD-Enabled Clients
Extension-Enabled Clients
- Mudmagic Client (Perl, Python)
