PLEASE READ THIS POST IN FULL FOR SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION, INCLUDING INFORMATION REGARDING A CHANGE IN PRICE OF THE UPGRADE COST OF JSCOMPASS PAID.
I have just made jScompass version 1.36 available for download. I encourage you to download it today.
Tonight’s release includes some cool new features, such as a Paintball Functions panel that I’m still evolving. I am very interested in feedback on this feature and also very thankful to xSnoopy for giving me the idea for the feature. Give it a try and see if you like it. Because it’s new, it may have bugs. If you find any, please let me know so I can work to fix them. Thanks.
A number of other new features are included in today's release, including /bal to display your Therebucks balance, and /mypoke and /mylaunch, which work like /myping but for the Poke command and for a “launch message” to be displayed when the compass loads (usually at login). Have fun with these new features. I have also enhanced the message box system in the compass to allow different size ads to be displayed. Some of these ads may be a little larger, but the main point was not to increase the size but to allow different proportions of images to be used. This rewrite of the message box system also improves some other things about how they operate. If you find a bug with a message box, please report it to me so I can fix it. Thank you very much.
I also need to let you know about two important changes in the compass: /rainbow and /vout. The /rainbow command in jScompass now defaults and enforces a much longer delay between color changes. This is because rapid flashing of colors can make people physically ill. In extreme cases, they can cause seizures. In other cases, it can cause discomfort to a person viewing the text. While it is possible for a person to go away from someone using the rainbow command, I never intended the command to cause harm to anyone ever. So I have researched the issue and dramatically slowed the rate that the color changes happen. I will continue to monitor this and may make further changes, if required. In addition, I have introduced a new command that can be used by someone if they’re around a person who won’t stop using the rainbow when asked. The command is /rainbow stop. This command will disable rainbow text from all avatars in the area of the person. A person does not need to be a user of jScompass in order to issue this command. I have provided this command out of an abundance of caution and as opposed to removing the /rainbow command entirely. I am of the opinion, in most cases, that the person providing a legitimate tool or utility, such as my compass, is not responsible for how they are used and cannot control people who may with to use a useful tool for a destructive of abusive purpose. Giggles is similar in that it can be used to spam and harass people. However, in the case of /rainbow, with the potential to cause real-life physical discomfort to a person sensitive to flashing colors, an exception from this thinking is merited out of an abundance of caution. Yes, /rainbow stop can also be abused, by stopping people from being able to use the /rainbow command for no reason. However, this is a better outcome to me then hearing that someone had a seizure due to jScompass. That is not something I’m comfortable with, and I will do everything to prevent that. Please, if someone asks you to turn off /rainbow, please just do it.
I also need to tell you about another change in jScompass. The /vout command has been removed from this release. This is in response to a request from There, and a series of communications I had with senior staff members of There. It was never my intent for /vout to be used to invade the privacy of other members, and while most members don’t have a problem with you viewing their outfit, I have come to learn that some certainly do. I do not want the compass to be used to violate the TOS of There and in the sense that outfit details are considered private information, it could be used to do so. Therefore, I have removed the function. While I know some of you may be upset about this, I encourage you to read and/or post in the following There forum post about some improvements I have suggested to the View Outfit Details function in the There client to improve the situation for those who do not mind their details being viewed. This post is located at: http://forums.prod.there.com/forums/showthread.php?p=31458. I have suggested making a way to toggle View Outfit Details, not only for 5 minutes, but until you turn it off, similar to how the forcefield works. While I know There is very stretched for engineering resources, it is my hope that one day something like this can be put into place. Also, I am thankful to There for handling the issue in the way they did. There is Makena’s game, and they make the rules. If they decide something is against those rules and they can present a valid case regarding it, then it’s not my intention to ever fight them on any issue. That would be counterproductive and a disservice to the users of jScompass. A cooperative attitude towards Makena/There is a much better approach to take. I hope you understand my reasoning on this matter.
Finally, a number of people have expressed concerns to me about the advertising feature now in jScompass, and I have stated quite a lot on this topic. Please look in the There forums for more details on my feelings on this matter. One important thing I want to note is that I am planning on increasing the price to remove advertisements from jScompass. While I do not yet know the amount of the increase, it will not be an extreme amount of Therebucks. I am strongly considering making the price 1000 TB (1K). I do, however, know the day that the price increase will take effect, and that date is Monday, January 4, 2010. I need to be able to balance keeping the ad feature relevant for advertisers as well as keeping an upgrade cost affordable. I wanted to wait until after the holidays to introduce a price increase. More details will be made available when everything is finalized.
Thanks again for all of your support and thanks so much for using jScompass. Last night we reached 5000 avatars using jScompass (Platinum, I cannot count people using Basic), and the list continues to grow every day. Thank you for supporting this little project as it grew and benefited more people. I hope you continue to do so.
RELEASE NOTES, VERSION 1.36
- Fixed the “Close There Central" function.
- Redesigned the msgbox system into "complexbox", which will allow more configurability in the box design. This will allow additional box sizes, and also means that ads appearing will not pop up until the image and/or MP3 have fully loaded.
- Added Paintball Functions panel. This panel allows you to quickly take out a paintball gun and turn your forcefield off at the same time. It also has a reload button, and when you click the button to activate it, it will copy a special command into your clipboard that will allow you to reload by pressing CTRL-V. The Put Away function on this panel also will ensure your forcefield is enabled.
- Added /ffgun,ffpb command to take out your gun, wait for you to press the confirm button, and then disable your forcefield. It also opens the new Paintgun panel, so that you can use the rapid reload and other functions on it. Special thanks to xSnoopy for this idea, as well as the Paintball Panel idea. Please note: These panels are untested and may not function as expected. If there are problems, please notify me and I can make changes in a future release.
- Added /bal command to display your Therebucks balance. Thanks to JennaLovesMouse for this great idea!
- Added /mypoke and /mylaunch. These work like the /myping command in that they allow an easy way to override the /ping or /poke text, which is saved on the server (these commands only work for the current session in jScompass Basic). In addition, the /mylaunch command allows you to define text that will be sent to bubble chat text shortly after the compass launches. There is a bit of a delay, as sending text too soon causes the client to not catch any emotes you might have used in the text. Enter the commands without a parameter to restore the text to the defaults. Thanks to Mistyy2290 for this great idea!
- Added server-side support to allow config overrides on a per-avatar basis.
- Fixed title bar not restoring when using ~unoverride command to unoverride the holiday text/colors.
- Added a webpage that will open when the Flash local storage pop-up is triggered, that explains what the pop-up is and that I recommend clicking "Allow".
- Removed /vout command at the request of There.
- Changed /rainbow speed to 3000ms (or higher), and added /rainbow stop option that will disable /rainbow from all people in the area. Thanks to coolnet560 for making me aware of the potential issue with this command.
- Added the ability to add views to an advertisement in an automated way using the Ad Manager. The system will guide you through the payment process. All of this is always double checked and especially so during its early days. If you have questions, please contact me.
- Changed the way /ad upgrade works to be compatible with the new payment system.
- Added the ability to view your own ad through the ad manager panel.