EVE Technology Lab

No, really. I want to make a rumble pack.

I'm a new player who also happens to be a do-it-yourself type of guy. I like building things, and that includes battle stations and simulated cockpits for spacecraft.

I know how to build a simpit or acoustic/haptic feedback devices (rumble packs) for windows applications, but what I can't see is any easy way to get the Eve client to trigger effects in real time.

Ideally, there would be a way to register hooks (program entry points) with the running Eve client program that would get called by the client when it's time to trigger an effect. For instance, the player's ship getting hit by enemy missiles would be one hook. Another one would turn on a whine simulating the warp drive, and a third would make a light blink signaling blasters ready to fire, etc.

The hook routine would signal (via a pipe or dbus) an effects program in real time, allowing the hook routine to return from the original call immediately, thus keeping the code in the Eve client simple and fast. The second program is then free to make a noise, a vibration, turn on a light, etc. As far as I can tell, the Eve client doesn't have a way to do this. I do see that client logs get created which I could parse for events, but I don't see a reference to their format or anything anywhere, and there would be a little lag due to buffering.

Also, I don't see a way at the moment to use multiple monitors with eve... for instance, to put the chat window and overview on a second monitor, leaving more space on the primary for the main "space" display. Is there a way to do this other than making the Eve full screen window span desk tops (if that's even possible)?

It's pretty easy to make up an alternate control input set-up since there are so many keyboard controls and there are consumer devices you can buy that let buttons emulate keyboards, but getting information going the other direction so the Eve client can shake you in your seat is harder.

Has anyone ever discussed this or asked CCP about it? I didn't see anything in a search.

Thanks!

Thanks for the multi-screen info. I'll play with that a bit tonight.





You mean they make it easier? I can understand that if it's CCP's position, I guess. No need to give the malicious types and ISK farmers any help. Of course, they certainly know people already use workarounds to do that sort of thing.

It sounds like I'll probably have to do things along the same lines then if I want to catch those events, which is a pain in the rear but perhaps is unavoidable. Such is the price of building unusual things.

That shouldn't be a problem... if only because they don't seem to have an issue with people using third party programs for things like assistive technology (which, by the way, having a set of those hooks or a message passing API would help with). They seem to draw the line at using programs or scripts to multiply actions or automate tasks in Eve, which I wouldn't be doing regardless.

Probably I'll have to take the route of emulating eyes anyway... watching for the same lights and messages on screen that a player does, and making a light pop up on my panel accordingly. The logs the client builds may help as well.

To be clear, I'm not going to be violating the AUP.

It's too bad CCP won't consider making some accommodation for disabled users in the client. New Eden could provide a healthy, cheap way to let a lot of people who can't walk or sit up on their own fly a spaceship :)

Actually, it's not. If you read what I was saying, I'm not touching the client at all except to read the logs or watch the screen. I'm guessing maybe English is your second language?

My driver (for the haptic feedback stuff) will have exactly the same level of program interaction as for example a web browser that's running on the same computer as the Eve client in the background. All it does is wait until Eve outputs something - a sound, a light on the screen, or whatever, then makes something happen in my hardware.

Also, I did some research, and checked this post: https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=387571

... and from what I can see, since what I'm proposing does not alter the client, automate anything or broadcast commands to anything CCP won't have an issue with it.

So, despite the fact that you seem to be misunderstanding what my intentions are or what I'm doing, I'm going to work on making my dream real.

Thanks anyway for the conversation.

if you create the programing for this and give schematics on how to build your own POD i would love to help you beta test this :)