Offline Mode

iceman · 2013-11-20 09:44:53

It would really be nice to have a way to play offline. Right now, if I wanted to test a mod that altered the properties of the game, I would have to either test it on the normal server (and probably get killed for cheating) or set up my own server, which is a bit of a hassle. An offline version would let you test mods fearlessly, as well as give you a chance to test a house design in the off chance your internet it down.

Especially for testing mods, the nice features would be an unlimited budget for building your house, a way to show how much your house is worth, and a way to self test with tools

colorfusion · 2013-11-20 09:56:35

If you test it in self test mode and exit through the door you'll be safe, just be sure not to reach the vault.

iceman · 2013-11-20 10:00:16

The problem with that is that you can't test tools that way, and you might not have enough money to build something you want to.

colorfusion · 2013-11-20 10:12:27

I agree then that a way to test with tools and death would be nice, although Jason has said he "really wants to keep everything "real" in this game" in response to sandbox suggestions so it's more likely that someone will set up a mod/server with infinite tools and no validation checking.

Last edited by colorfusion (2013-11-20 10:13:43)

ukuko · 2013-11-20 10:22:09

If you're creating a mod then setting up a local server to test it on is the way to go. It's a 5-10 minute job if you're already running php/mysql.

jasonrohrer · 2013-11-20 10:35:39

Hmm... I imagine if you want to get too deep into modding, running your own server will be necessary.

If you've got your own Linux (I see that you downloaded the UnixSource bundle), you'll have to read the mysql tutorials to figure out how to create new users and new databases.... but after you figure that out, my PHP code pretty much does the rest automatically (i.e., you don't need to learn anything else about MySQL).

It's actually somewhat easier if you use a remote web host, because then you can use cPanel (graphical web admin UI) to create new databases and database users. This literally takes a few mouse clicks. (Even I don't remember the details of how to do this manually, from the mysql client, because I use the cPanel method so much.)

I've been using A Small Orange for about... 10 years now, and they rock. You can get a sufficient plan for Castle Doctrine hosting for only $35/year, which is pretty darn cheap:

http://asmallorange.com/hosting/shared/

That doesn't include a domain name, which is another $10 a year or so... but I'm not sure that you need one.... you might be able to use the ASO address of your server directly, which would be free, but I'm not sure.

ANYWAY, the reason I'm advocating for this is that I want more people to try doing it so that I can iron any confusion out of the HowToInstall.txt file that comes with the server.

John The Baptist · 2013-11-20 10:49:04

Scince the copyright on the product is "Do whatever with it, i don't give a damn and neither does the law" you could mod the game to work entierly single player, thus making a sandbox mode to test traps and use tools without fear of death or getting robbed, and you don't need money on there either.
Wether or not somebody can be bothered to make something like this is another story entierly.

jasonrohrer · 2013-11-20 12:07:45

Yep, yep! Modders can go wild.

For me, the question is where to best spend my limited time. Gotta stay focused on the core game and making that as good as it can be.

ukuko · 2013-11-20 12:50:43

As far as I can recall the server installation instructions were pretty thorough.

I've not been able to successfully build an OSX binary, though. Whenever I try it appears to have succeeded but the app itself is about 7MB too small and when launched just loads the black screen with an empty quit box.

jasonrohrer · 2013-11-20 13:05:06

Ah.... you're on Mavericks, maybe? If so, v24b should fix that (but there was no source release for that yet---you'll have to grab it from SourceForge mercurial for both CastleDoctrine and minorGems).

But maybe it's something else. Here's what I do to build it:

1. run configure and pick Mac

2. cd into 'gameSource' and run make

3. cd into 'build' and run makeDistributionMacOSX, supplying the necessary parameters (for the SDL path, I have to leave off the trailing '/' to ensure the entire SDL framework folder is copied).

That creates a working game folder for me inside build/mac.

The Castle Doctrine Forums

#1 2013-11-20 09:44:53

Offline Mode

#2 2013-11-20 09:56:35

Re: Offline Mode

#3 2013-11-20 10:00:16

Re: Offline Mode

#4 2013-11-20 10:12:27

Re: Offline Mode

#5 2013-11-20 10:22:09

Re: Offline Mode

#6 2013-11-20 10:35:39

Re: Offline Mode

#7 2013-11-20 10:49:04

Re: Offline Mode

#8 2013-11-20 12:07:45

Re: Offline Mode

#9 2013-11-20 12:50:43

Re: Offline Mode

#10 2013-11-20 13:05:06

Re: Offline Mode

Board footer