Feature request: Launcher/patcher login options

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by globeadue, May 14, 2021.

  1. globeadue Lorekeeper

    First feature request: Login to active character from launcher/patcher.
    As a player, I want to be able to select an option from the launcher/patcher to login to the currently active character in the account. When clicking play, the player is prompted with "There is currently an active character [charactername] on [servername]. Are you sure you wish assume playing this character? This would be a similar popup to the server select screen prompt when a active character is detected. The benefit of this would be faster to playing experience, bypassing both the server select and character select screens.

    [PLAY]
    [x] Login to the active character.

    Second Feature request: Quick Connect to Last Server
    As a player, when ready to click play from the launcher, I want to be able to choose a quick connect feature that takes me straight to character selection of the last server I was playing.

    [Play]
    [x] Quick connect to [servername]

    Third Feature Request: Quick Connect to Last character you were playing.
    As a player, when ready to click play from the launcher, I want to be able to choose quick play last character, and load into the last character I was player.
    [Play]
    [x] Quick play [charactername] on [servername]

    Fourth request: Server & Character login direct from Launcher
    As an authenticated account on the launcher, I want to be able to choose server and character on the launcher and log straight into that character. As a developer, it should be easy to poll the list of servers, when a server is selected, poll the list of characters on the server. The user makes a selection of those two options and clicks [PLAY] The launcher passes the server name and character name to the EverQuest client which attempts to login straight to that character. This is the ultimate feature and I had to pick any of these idea, this is the one I'd pick.

    The amount of time I spend looking at loading screens starting my game session or when EQ crashes is annoying. Any one of these would be a really nice QoL change.

    As a note, if you launch EQ without the launcher, you get the quick connect feature option as seen here: https://i.imgur.com/iJExpqN.png
    Vumad, Jumbur and Fanra like this.
  2. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    As someone who only has a single char on a single server, this option would be convenient for me. :)

    This is assuming that the time spent loading the server list and the char-select "zone", is significant. Im guessing most of the time is spent initializing required sub-systems, and not something easily skipped though.

    But anything that can save me 2 clicks, is fine with me.
  3. Waring_McMarrin Augur

    I don't think this is something that is possible with the current architecture that they have in place. I know in EQ2 you can chose which character (or at least used to be able to) from the patcher and I would guess that isn't in EQ because that isn't something they could add.
  4. Accipiter Old Timer

    Good idea(s). I would also like to see a persistent "Autoplay" button on the launcher. It's dumb that I have to click the Play button every single time.
    Jumbur likes this.
  5. Accipiter Old Timer

    I would guess that your guess is wrong. ;)
  6. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    If my guess was wrong why wasn't it added to the game when it was added to the launcher for EQ2 and other daybreak games? This isn't the first time that it has been asked for and I recall in the past that they said they couldn't do it.
  7. Accipiter Old Timer


    I'm not asking you to quote your source but I'd like to see that post. My opinion only: I'd put this request at "relatively easy" to implement.
  8. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    Is the fact that they have redone the launcher several times over the years and this feature is present in their other games but not everquest not evidence enough that it either isn't currently possible or that it would be extremely difficult? My point is the fact that they have done this at the launcher level for other games so why would they not do it for everquest which according to new info is the most profitable game?

    If it was easy to implement it would have already been done by now in one of the many launcher updates.
  9. Accipiter Old Timer


    Yeah, I heard you the first time. You do you, man.
  10. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    It doesn't seem that way as you keep saying you think it would be relatively easy to do. The fact that they have done it for other games but not everquest should be a sign that it isn't as easy to do as you think. If it was there is no reason why they wouldn't have done it before as it would be an easy way to make lots of players happy.

    If you think it is so easy can you explain why they haven't done it in 21+ years of everquest but have for other games?
  11. Accipiter Old Timer


    I have grown tired of this conversation. Your sole criteria is "they haven't done it so it must be hard." As a programmer myself, I can't imagine something much easier to implement than this. Reply if you want but I'm done.
  12. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    Your sole criteria is that it sounds easy so it must be easy. Also you seem to be dodging my question about why they haven't done it in EQ1 if it is so easy yet they have done it in EQ2 and other games?

    I am sure it is easy to imagine something is easy when you don't know anything about the underlying codebase and if you are a programmer as you claim how can you not understand that?
  13. ForumBoss Augur

    Good ideas for the most part. I'd like to add a "use old spell effects" checkbox.
  14. Accipiter Old Timer


    I'm not dodging it, it's a stupid question.

    As I claim? WTF is wrong with you?
  15. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    No, it is a simple question. The fact that they have added it to other games but not EQ when it has been asked for in the past indicates that there are technical reasons that it has not been added. Or are you just suggesting that the devs are lazy and don't want to add this feature to the game?
  16. Vumad Cape Wearer


    I think any person who as ever held any job ever knows at least one person who they worked with that this explanation is exactly why something didn't get done.

    I'm not suggesting the devs are lazy and not willing to do the job. It could be the coding equivalent of putting a person on the moon for all I know.

    Side bar: #1 would be the biggest improvement by a margin despite being the most infrequent in need. Reducing the recovering time of a LD would be a huge improvement. All of the other would be great too. Auto play and last server from the log in screen could save me some time.
  17. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    All I have been saying is that there is likely technical reasons they have not added it to EQ1 and they have added it to EQ2 and other games. Yes it would be nice and I fail to see how the devs don't know that this would be a feature that lots of people would like. I don't see any reason that this would not have added this to EQ as they would get lots of happy customers if they did. There is no reason to keep making implications about the devs because someone thinks that adding in a feature is easy.
  18. nitrocutter Journeyman

    I think ALL of you in this thread saying why isn't this done do not understand that the web technology (launcher) probably doesn't exactly link directly with the C++ (EQ game) exe and that you can't just pass through. Your launcher doesn't have what character and server you have logged in. It's only after EQ.exe loads and you choose a server that it detects if you're already on or not. I don't think it's about dev's being lazy or not taking the time to do it. More than likely it's that the game was made way before the launcher was possible and the launcher got shoehorned in after they changed their delivery model from CD to download.
  19. Deux Corpse Connoisseur

    Offbeat question but the client wiped all my character login infos I guess to re-accept the TOS...but now it's not remembering my toons when I log in...not sure if I'm doing something wrong?
  20. Accipiter Old Timer


    I can think of at least 5 simple solutions.