Plans for 1.4

Thanks to you guys, I've been able to knock out some issues with KDM fairly quickly. Many bug fixes have been made and additions to the parser. I've put in a lot of error handling to help expedite future fixes.

I think the damage inflicted and damage received aspects of the parser are starting to mature. I know a couple of features every one wants to see are a breakdown of skills and how much damage each skill is contributing (including pets) and the damage each player received. Code has already been implemented that breaks down this information. All that it would require are a few changes that store it and then show it in a pretty format. I'm thinking something nice and tidy like a ListView control where I can add sorting features.

I think these will be a top priority for the next milestone. We'll see what kind of bugs there may be in-between that need fixing.

It wouldn't be difficult at all to publish KDM as an installer that can create the system.ovr file for you. But seeing as KDM is still in beta stages, I think it might be better for now to just leave it as is. I'm still not sure where I stand on letting it save a file in the Aion directory any way.

Another idea I had might be to help calculate how much xp is required to level and how long it would take to level based on the speed in which you're gaining it. Unfortunately, the log doesn't provide information about how much xp you currently have and how much you need to level. These may be values that the user will have to enter manually. I know it would be possible to obtain these values by reading Aion's memory, but that's a no-no so we'll make the best of what we've got.

As we go along, the more types of damage you guys can report to me, the faster we'll find everything covered. I happen to have one character of every class, but I'm a long way off from being able to play them all and see what the first person events look like in the chat log for every scenario. I also don't know what it looks like first or third person when a godstone procs. So, as far as I'm aware, it wouldn't be captured by KDM. If you have something to report, visit KDM Tickets and post a new ticket with the necessary information from the log file.

Well, I'm done rambling on for the night. Enjoy 1.3.5. It's a good update.

Version 1.3.5 Beta 5 has been released and is awaiting approval.

Changelog:

Version 1.3.5 Beta 5

• Added: Debug logging functionality. Disabled by default, this log can provide information vital for development and debugging.
• Added: "You" alias for languages that don't use "You."
• Fixed: Revised regular expressions.
• Fixed: Power button will now stay in sync with the parser.
• Fixed: "Copy All" will now only copy visible players.
• Fixed: Copy to clipboard features have been shortened.
• Fixed: Unhandled exceptions will now be reported.
• Fixed: Assassin poisons are now captured.
• Fixed: All pets should now be captured properly.

Still Having Pet Issues

Pets are currently parsed properly when some one else summons a pet or if you summon a temporary pet that attacks then disappears like Holy Servant or some other SM pets. But the main SM pets are not being parsed when You are the SM. The following change to KingsDamageMeter.exe.config fixes the issue and will be included in the next release:

King's Damage Meter - Tickets

KDM 1.3.1

KDM 1.3.1 has been released.

Change Log:

Version 1.3.1 Beta 4

• Fixed: An encoding issue that prevented the parser from reading special characters properly. This should resolve any issues with translations.

Ayumi has also provided us with a french language pack available here.

Unzip the contents directly into your KDM folder, overwriting existing file(s). Please note that language packs are only supported as of version 1.3.1. Make sure your KDM is up-to-date.

Beta 4

Beta 4 has been uploaded to Files. A big change was fixing pet damage. Other changes include mostly interface changes and a few bug fixes.

Change Log:

Version 1.3.0 Beta 4

• Added: You can now reset every one's damage and dps from the Options Menu without clearing them from the player list.
• Added: A rounded border to the interface.
• Added: A power on/off button that starts and stops the parser.
• Added: "Reset All Damage" to the player context menu. This resets every one's statistics without having to clear them from the player list.
• Fixed: Player and pet damage should now be properly parsed from the log.
• Fixed: A bug caused the program to crash when the main context menu opened with no players in the player view.
• Fixed: A bug caused the program to crash if you remove a player from the group that has 0% contributed damage.
• Fixed: New players should no longer appear while "Group Only" is checked.
• Fixed: The parser will now start when you "Locate Log" like it's supposed to.
• Fixed: The regular expressions now exist in kingsdamagemeter.exe.config for translations to support other client languages.

More Than One Way to Skin a Cat or a Log File

It would appear that Aion isn't very uniform when it comes to reporting data in the client's log file. While I thought the developers would report information in the same way every time, it's been brought to my attention that I was wrong.

I've found three ways that the log reports a player or npc inflicting damage, two ways to report receiving damage, two ways to report DoTs and two ways to report summons.

This isn't very uniform at all. I'm working on correcting the parser to include these findings and I plan on having another release in the next few days.

Without arduously studying the combat information, it's possible to miss a bit of damage dealt here and there. The vast majority is currently picked up by the parser.

Healing is another matter. I've been near other players that healed themselves and the log gives me credit for the heal!

You restored 55 of Oink's HP by using Revival Mantra II Effect.

I was playing my cleric at the time. I wasn't even in his group. Clerics don't have mantras. Healing is going to be a whole other venture. Wish me luck.

Thanks to Everyone

I want to thank every one who's been so supportive of this project. I was surprised how much interest every one showed over at AionSource. I'll do the best I can to deliver a quality product.

I am concerned about every one's anxiety regarding bannings and hacking. It's a terrible plague that has blighted our beloved Aion. We all live in fear that anything we do will get us banned. And god forbid if we click a link and our account gets hacked.

The finger pointing needs to stop. NCSoft has technology to detect automation. THAT is what they're after. I once attacked an npc in Beluslan at the same time some one else did. I shrugged and dealt more damage so I got the loot. I walked away to the next npc and he sent me a tell, "hmm, bot?" This is getting out of hand.

Another method players use to cheat is hacking. Some hacking I've seen in other MMOs include speed hacks. There are supposed glide hacks in Aion. These hacks use a number of methods that include reading/modifying Aion's memory, modifying the client files and packet sniffing. All of which are against Aion's and just about any other game's EULA. I'll say it again, NCSoft uses technology to detect these cheaters and they will eventually be caught.

I will be the first to say to NCSoft, "I am developing this utility and I am using it." In fact, I've already emailed them and asked them to feature KDM in their next "Eye on Community" article. Until they make a change to the EULA to make exceptions to third party software, you won't get a straight answer out of them because they can't give you one. But I can promise one thing: they're after cheaters, not players.

Damage meters have been around since the Dawn of MMOs. KDM does nothing against the EULA except exist as third party software. And I will see that it stays that way.