Torparse Application Update

Hey everyone, so I got in another good weekend of coding on the desktop application.  I don't really have much to show this time, because a lot of work was put into optimizing the server code.  I ran into some unforeseen problems once I started connecting more than two clients at a time... so ya, that wasn't good!  But, I have fixed the bugs, optimized the code, and re-worked a lot of the code.  I'm sure it's not perfect yet, but it has come a long way since I started on it this weekend.  The real test of the server code is still yet to come, but it is now handling several connections at once extremely well.

I did get in some work on the desktop application itself.  The layout of the main portion of the program is coming along nicely.  I have nearly finished the following features: Friends List, Private Messaging, and a Notification system.  These features will all play in very nicely to the group feature.

Some quick notes about the Friends and PM feature.  In order to be "friends" with someone, you add that person and then they must confirm it.  After it has been confirmed, if one person deletes the other from their friends list, they will no longer be friends. PM's are limited to friends only.

Check out the screenshots below to see what these features look like. Once again, please remember that this is not a final product and a lot will and can change.

This screenshot will give you a general idea of how the main portion of the application is looking.  You can see the Friends List on the left hand side, and the "Notifications" tab is currently selected.  This tab is where incoming friend requests, and more importantly, incoming group requests will show up.  It is built with a lot of flexibility allowing for other general notifications.

This is a screenshot of the PM feature in action.

So, next I will start work on the foundation of the grouping feature.  I plan on trying to make it as close as possible to an MMO-type group.  By this, I mean that these are my ideas/goals:

• There will be a group leader
• The group leader will "invite" people to the group
• There will be group "assistants." People in the group can be promoted to "assistant" by the group leader and then they can invite people.
• The group leader can remove people from the group
• There will be a group chatroom
• The group leader and group assistants will be able to issue a ready check
• The group leader and group assistants will be able to set a break timer.
• Everyone will be able to see who is in the group
• The group leader and group assistants will have access to start group parsing.
• The group leader and group assistants will have access to stop group parsing.

These are my ideas so far.  I think it will turn out nicely.  After I get all this in place, I will start work on the actual group parsing meters.  I want to do the basics on these, like damage, heals, etc, but I also want to include a Recount-style (WoW) window.

That's all I got for you this time!  If you are interested in helping me test the group feature, please email me at james@torparse.com. Thanks!