Difference between revisions of "Importing Data from VR Games"

Revision as of 06:33, 25 November 2014 (view source) Mclean (talk | contribs) (→‎Old stuff) ← Older edit		Revision as of 06:34, 25 November 2014 (view source) Mclean (talk | contribs) (→‎How it works) Newer edit →
Line 5:		Line 5:
	Once you have found the request string for your boat you can configure VRTool to send the same request to the VR server. This configuration is done in the '''Boat Data''' control panel on the '''Boats''' tab. The game server responds with the data for your boat (and your friends if you want it). VRTool uses this to generate a track for each boat on the chart.		Once you have found the request string for your boat you can configure VRTool to send the same request to the VR server. This configuration is done in the '''Boat Data''' control panel on the '''Boats''' tab. The game server responds with the data for your boat (and your friends if you want it). VRTool uses this to generate a track for each boat on the chart.
−
−	This page is adapted from the instructions provided by '''Didier''', who is the skipper of '''"Le Grand DIC"''' in VR games.
	There are two main steps to establishing a link between VRTool and the Virtual Regatta game server:		There are two main steps to establishing a link between VRTool and the Virtual Regatta game server:

---

Revision as of 06:34, 25 November 2014

This method works for Virtual Regatta games only. It requires VRTool version 2.06 or later.

How it works

When your game console needs information about your boat it instructs your browser to send a request to the VR game server. The game server has to know who you are, so the request includes your username as an encrypted string. This means the request is unique to each player (and to each race). If you want VRTool to request data from the server you have to figure out the contents of the request message for your boat. Fortunately you can use the developer tools built into modern browsers to "sniff" out the request on its way to the server.

Once you have found the request string for your boat you can configure VRTool to send the same request to the VR server. This configuration is done in the Boat Data control panel on the Boats tab. The game server responds with the data for your boat (and your friends if you want it). VRTool uses this to generate a track for each boat on the chart.

There are two main steps to establishing a link between VRTool and the Virtual Regatta game server:

Step 1: Obtain the URL that the game console sends to the VR game server to query the boat positions.
Step 2: Configure VRTool to use this URL.

These steps are explained in the following sections.

Step 1: Obtain the Query URL

This is the trickiest part of the process, especially if you are not a little bit "geek". The process depends on which web browser you are using.

Some browsers are continually upgraded, and the developer tools in web browsers change with every update. So it's next to impossible to keep these instructions exactly up to date. The browser version for which the following instructions have been tested is shown for each browser.

Using Google Chrome

Current for version 39.0.2171.65.

In your web browser:

• If your Virtual Regatta game console is already open then close it.
• In your browser go to the Virtual Regatta page where you can see the button which starts the game. Don't click on it yet.
• In the top right corner of the browser click the menu button and select Tools --> More tools --> Developer tools. A window called Developer Tools opens in a separate window.

In the Developer Tools window:

• On the menu bar click Network.
• On the toolbar click on to clear any current traces.
• On the toolbar check that the Record Network Log button is red. If it's not then click on it to turn it on.

In the Virtual Regatta window:

• Click on the button to start the game console for your game. Log in if you have to.

In the Developer Tools window:

• The calls made by the game console to the game server are displayed.
• On the toolbar click on the Filter tool. In the filter box type "Service" (without the quotes).
• Scroll down and look for the record that starts with "ServiceCaller.php?service=GetUser&id_user=....". This is the call that the game console used to retrieve your boat information from the game server.
• Right-click on the record and select Copy link address.
• Now go to Step 2 - Parameterise VRTool.

Using Internet Explorer

Using Firefox

Step 2: Parameterise VRTool

• In VRTool select the Boats tab. Open the Boat Data control panel.
• In the GetUser field at the top, paste the URL address that you copied in Step 1.

• Click on the icon beside this control to send the GET message to the game server. If it's successful the field on the control panel will populate with your boat data. If you click the icon more than once in a 10 minute server cycle the data returned will a repeat of the previous data and it is ignored with the message "Same or old boat data".

• Select Auto update in to make VRTool to update the boat position automatically every 10 minutes, and draw the boat track on the chart.

Tip: When you first set up the link, VRTool can't draw the track on the chart or display the boat icon until it receives the second set of data for a different position. So you may see nothing on the chart other than a dot until your boat moves, which is 10 minutes later in a VR game. However you can verify that the link is working by looking at the data on the Boat Data control panel.

The other controls on this panel are explained under the Boats Tab.