Communications System and Presence

[krayon]

I was thinking how it'd be cool to have a little status icon graphic to show when you're in game or not.  For example, you could have an image URL you could use on websites as well as this forum.  The URL would be something like:
  http:// qelserv.quadronyx.org/serv/status/krayon.png

And would display similarly to how status already works for forums including this one.  For example when someone is currently online and offline in the forum you see something like: and respectively.

Well, anyway, I was thinking about how it was annoying to not be able to communicate with players while I was away from a computer that could run the client.  So here it is:

I am thinking of using XMPP/Jabber as the entire underlying communication system for the server.  XMPP/Jabber is an open IM protocol, as used by Google among others (see http://xmpp.org/ , http://www.quadronyx.com.au/jabber/ and http://qelserv.quadronyx.org/forums/index.php?topic=45.0 ).  What does this mean for the game?  It would provide the following advantages:
  1. You will easily be able to have a presence image like above.
  2. Anyone using a XMPP compatible Instant Messager network would be able to see when you are online/offline from their IM client.  Further if you are AFK that would change your status accordingly (they would see you as "Away" or "Busy" for example).
  3. Anyone using a XMPP compatible Instant Messager network would be able to communicate with you while you are in game.
  4. Anyone with a game account, could login using an XMPP compatible Instant Messager client and communicate with other players and in channels etc exactly as they could if there were in game.

This would take more coding than just a simple message system, but might be justifiable.

What are people's thoughts regarding this?

[Jizzy]

I think its a great idea. though i would not use it.. if i wanted to talk to some one while im not on the game i would forum pm them.. ..

and alot of us have skype and use it while we play..

but im not knocking the idea.. i think its awsome. i just personally wouldnt use it.

[kavvie]

Sounds great, although personally Me, SenZon, LadyAz and more ppls usually have an Skype when we are one, works quite nicely, and good for GM discussion's etc
p.s im dieing to try range demo

[krayon]

I do realise others use some other systems such as Skype, AIM etc ( although my Jabber server has transports allowing you to talk to those ppl anyway ) but unfortunately they are all proprietary closed protocols.

The good news is that XMPP/Jabber is actually superior in most ways to them anyway (with the exception of Skype's audio capabilities but that isn't anything to do with IM anyway).  I'm not saying players would be forced to anyway, just that it would be an option.

The other things would still be a benefit anyway I would think (such as presence information (logged in, AFK etc) as an image on a website, forum sig etc).

I forgot to mention that what would probably happen is your Buddy list would be your "roster" (the list of people you have in a list in IM).  I think it would avoid a fair bit of duplicate coding that way too as I wouldn't have to write a buddy system at all.

[Korrode]

I think people at work, who cant have the EL client open, would really like this.

I'd use it at work to talk to guildies and monitor inter-guild communication, etc.

pr0 stuff.

[LightLan]

that would mean every ingame account would get a jabber account generated as well, nor?

nice, though I probably wouldn't use it, I have my own jabber account

[krayon]

that would mean every ingame account would get a jabber account generated as well, nor?

Yeah pretty much.  Of course you don't have to use it as such but... hmm, that's a thought... I COULD make it that you could provide your own Jabber account... although that'd mean the server storing users Jabber account passwords as plain text