[Mod] Chat Ranges Popmenu

[Crystal Dragon]

Hey everybody, I decided after some testing and running the popmenu for myself for the last couple months to fine tune it out, to upload my popmenu for using the chat listen/speak distance commands. All this popmenu does is provide a quick access menu in a custom.window to the chat range commands.

 

If you are familiar with popmenu's and already have a custom window set up for them, you can add this pretty quickly.

 

If you are unfamiliar with popmenu's you may need some guidance on setting up. You can find the guide for that right here. 

For the most part this can function as a popmenu flyout on a bind, or via macro button wherever you choose to place it or a global popmenu for your own custom.window.

Setup: From chat: /popmenu Chatranges
As keybind: /bind "popmenu Chatranges"
As macro: /macro popmenu Chatranges
*Thanks @Kataklysm!* 
Iconed macro: /macro_image "Claws_TauntAoE" "Chat ranges" popmenu Chatranges
Bind to mouse: /bind ; popmenu Chatranges

 

There IS a single bug I've found with this command set and it's nothing to do with my popmenu sadly.

 

Multiboxing may run into chat being muted on one client and not on the other for unknown reasons. I ran into this issue with a couple instances while multiboxing and found keeping both set at the same ranges and distances at max fixes the issue.

But this is a known issue and unable to be fixed at this time. I will update if there's any changes in the commands or any news on this particular bug.

The mod file can be installed on the modinstaller from here!

 

UPDATE NOTICE: New version up. 1.0.3

https://mods.cityofheroes.dev/modView.php?id=196

MNU file: Chatranges.mnu

(Thanks for the reminder, @BlackSpectre)

 

If you run into any further bugs or issues, please let me know here so I can keep track and ensure it's not a global file issue.

For bug reports I will need the following details:

Version number of chatranges mod

Last update of game files

OS you installed COH:HC on

 

Current Update

Version 1.0.3 (Bug discovered and fixed, update please!)

Change Notes:

*Whisper adjusted to 4 ft range for right "in your ear" sort of effect in speaking distance.

*New distance added for "Softly" Speak distance range of 10 ft.

*New listen distance added for "Closeby" with a range of 10 ft.

*Range checker, should be available on the bottom of the menu listings.

*As always, feed back is eagerly sought and welcomed on future options, or current.

Dev note: Ranges are approx, rounded up or down to the nearest 0 according to feedback from a few friends. If at first you don't get heard, try again a little closer.

 

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by Crystal Dragon
Updated!

[BlackSpectre]

Having trouble with the website. Would it be possible just to attach the .mnu file here?

 

Thanks!

[Crystal Dragon]

2 minutes ago, BlackSpectre said:

Having trouble with the website. Would it be possible just to attach the .mnu file here?

 

Thanks!

Done, I had completely forgotten to add that. xD

[Michiyo]

11 hours ago, BlackSpectre said:

Having trouble with the website. Would it be possible just to attach the .mnu file here?

 

Thanks!

What issue are you having with the site?

[BlackSpectre]

6 hours ago, Michiyo said:

What issue are you having with the site?

I think I just couldn’t find this .mnu file or the mod at the site. I was doing a lot yesterday and I admit I didn’t look too hard. 
 

Hey, as long as I have you here, do you happen to know the reasoning for why the COH Modder changed to installing .piggs rather than just the .mnu files?

Edited December 5, 2022 by BlackSpectre

[BlackSpectre]

OK! Really liking your ChatRanges popmenu! What I find especially valuable are the ranges you chose for the various levels: whisper, indoor, etc. I know it took a lot of testing to settle on those distances. Great job! And I even like the names you chose for them! 

 

I was going to suggest a 10 ft range for talking in a small group or across a table, etc., but in all honesty with all the testing you've done, you've probably already tested that range. And so... to your expertise I defer. 🙂

 

I do recommend you add the ability to check what chat range you're currently set to though...

    Divider
    Option "Check Ranges" "Speak_range$$listen_range"

I put it at the bottom so as not to interfere with quick role playing.

 

On my version of your popmenu I added the actual feet after the names just so I would have a better understanding on how far the "sound" is going. In practice, once I get used to it, I can totally see just using the names. Here's an example of what I did:

Option "Whisper 3'" "Speak_range 3" 

 

Now if I could only find that dice rolling popmenu I ran across once...  🙂

 

[Michiyo]

8 hours ago, BlackSpectre said:

I think I just couldn’t find this .mnu file or the mod at the site. I was doing a lot yesterday and I admit I didn’t look too hard. 
 

Hey, as long as I have you here, do you happen to know the reasoning for why the COH Modder changed to installing .piggs rather than just the .mnu files?

Because COHModder was the tool that PK wrote and maintained, when he left the HC community he nuked his site in the process.

City Mod Installer, which is the installer linked here in this thread, is my tool that I wrote as a replacement.  PIGGs were chosen as they are the native format the game loads, and loading them is faster than loading loose files (per Faultline), and also simplifies installation, and tracking installed mods.

[Crystal Dragon]

8 hours ago, BlackSpectre said:

I was going to suggest a 10 ft range for talking in a small group or across a table, etc., but in all honesty with all the testing you've done, you've probably already tested that range. And so... to your expertise I defer. 🙂

 

I do recommend you add the ability to check what chat range you're currently set to though...

    Divider
    Option "Check Ranges" "Speak_range$$listen_range"

I put it at the bottom so as not to interfere with quick role playing.

 

On my version of your popmenu I added the actual feet after the names just so I would have a better understanding on how far the "sound" is going. In practice, once I get used to it, I can totally see just using the names. Here's an example of what I did:

Option "Whisper 3'" "Speak_range 3" 

 

Now if I could only find that dice rolling popmenu I ran across once...  🙂

I hadn't thought of that!! That's a great idea, working on it now, trying to find a friend willing to help me test out the ranges and the range checks to make sure it all works. I'll update with progress afterwards with the results of the testing. I appreciate the feedback, truly. Thank you.

 

I chose to add one more option for speak and listen ranges, "Talk" about 15ft range. Basic conversation level speaking distance imho.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Crystal Dragon

[Crystal Dragon]

6 hours ago, Michiyo said:

Because COHModder was the tool that PK wrote and maintained, when he left the HC community he nuked his site in the process.

City Mod Installer, which is the installer linked here in this thread, is my tool that I wrote as a replacement.  PIGGs were chosen as they are the native format the game loads, and loading them is faster than loading loose files (per Faultline), and also simplifies installation, and tracking installed mods.

 

I *DID* notice how fast the game loads with the mods now. I appreciate the forethought on that!

[Crystal Dragon]

Updated the mod file with new options, and range checker addition. This is a super early addition, hadn't tested it out yet, so please feedback is eagerly sought.

Self tested, appears to be functional! I'm excited, hehe!

Edited December 6, 2022 by Crystal Dragon

[Crystal Dragon]

Minor update: A few adjustments to range distances according to report of speak/listen ranges rounding up and down to nearest integrals.

Range checker is confirmed to be fully functional with print out to system text in chat, thus the bright green.

Further suggestions are welcomed for immersive ranges, and adjustments in ranges as needed.

[BlackSpectre]

17 hours ago, Michiyo said:

Because COHModder was the tool that PK wrote and maintained, when he left the HC community he nuked his site in the process.

City Mod Installer, which is the installer linked here in this thread, is my tool that I wrote as a replacement.  PIGGs were chosen as they are the native format the game loads, and loading them is faster than loading loose files (per Faultline), and also simplifies installation, and tracking installed mods.

Ah. OK. That's completely counter-intuitive, that uncompressing something and then executing the file is faster than executing a loose file that doesn't need any decoding. But I get it. If executing loose files in the data folder is an additional sub-routine and requires processing through a lot of additional code, then yeah, it'd be slower than a simple decoding. Good to know, and thanks for the explanation. 

 

I'm only now starting to explore the code side of COH. Not being a programmer (I've only learned a few scripting languages), it's a bit of a learning curve. I'm definitely not comfortable mucking around in the game files yet. If I guessed that tracking installed mods is simpler because City Mod Installer assigns each mod its own ID number and organizes them accordingly in the folder, would I be correct?

 

I really need to try out City Mod Installer. I'm so used to just using the data folder, and having direct access to the files without any need to convert them from another format, that I've been hesitant (I run a Mac which complicates things). Also, adding the flag to the game's launch parameters also gives me pause. Adding ANYTHING extra to the way the game runs gives me pause because it's yet another thing that can break, or become unsupported. But I know enough to either fix things if they break or adjust that really it's just nervousness talking.

 

It's like the various binding apps like City Binder. I know many people love it, but since I have a fairly decent level of expertise in creating binds, and I'm so used to doing them by hand and from scratch, something like City Binder is something I don't really need. To me such an app is a layer of obfuscation between me and the files. This is kind of the way I've been thinking about COHModder. So I've never tried it.

 

May I just say how grateful I am for all that you do, Michiyo? Stepping up like this and writing a new app to take the place of COHModder is yet another example of your generosity and how much you care about COH and its community. I'm glad to be in such good company. 

 

I'll try out City Mod Installer this weekend.  🙂

 

[Crystal Dragon]

Menu updated, discovered a bug in my own coding and it has been repaired.

[Faultline]

On 12/7/2022 at 1:53 AM, BlackSpectre said:

Ah. OK. That's completely counter-intuitive, that uncompressing something and then executing the file is faster than executing a loose file that doesn't need any decoding.

 

Loose files are slower because they need decoding. For textures in particular, the game needs to know the width x height in advance, so it needs to read and parse every single texture file in the data folder to get that information. In a PIGG file, the width x height of each texture, as well as other miscellanous information, is part of the PIGG file header that is loaded directly and needs no special handling.

  

On 12/7/2022 at 1:53 AM, BlackSpectre said:

Also, adding the flag to the game's launch parameters also gives me pause. Adding ANYTHING extra to the way the game runs gives me pause because it's yet another thing that can break, or become unsupported.

 

To address this in particular, -assetpath is how our version of the client natively loads pigg files; by default, the launch parameters contain two -assetpath parameters: one to the original i24 piggs folder, and another to the updates for the server you are launching (live / beta / alpha / dev). The extra -assetpath given to the launcher is loaded after those two. There is no risk of -assetpath becoming unsupported, and the worst thing that can happen is that the game can't load the given path (because you delete a folder or something) which should just cause an error on startup. I'm not sure if the error will even prevent the client from launching or if it's just dumped to the console and ignored.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Faultline

[Crystal Dragon]

"OOPSY" Update 1.0.4! One of my friends contacted me to let me know that I had uploaded the custom.windows file with the last update, OOPS, sorry about that!! Fixed however, should be fully operational!

Updated MNU file for those familiar with modding the game and don't wish to use the City Modder app. Chatranges.mnu

Edited March 5 by Crystal Dragon
OOPS forgot to add the file update.

[Crystal Dragon]

"HOW DO I RESET" Update 2.0! Quick addition of a new option to reset the in game listen/speak values to the zone defaults, to be found under the Check/Reset option on the last menu option. Thanks @McSpazz for helping me with testing to get it working.

Updated mnu available here, or on CityModder's library. Chatranges.mnu