Latest revision as of 16:54, 28 August 2007

[edit] Welcome!

A friend and I are wanting to start a medeval themed grid based on some of the old games my father used to play when he was younger.

Since about June 1, I have been unable to install or compile a working set of sim or grid software. At some point in the bootup, each server fails miserably. Since the last attempt (with the msi installer) I cant even get the svn to come up in order to download a newer version.

[edit] My Links

OpenSim Eagleflight About my OpenSim world, plus some terrain files for you to use!

[edit] WishList

Things I'd like to see in the project (aside from the basic functionality)

Directly piping in music from WinAmp or other player into each sim. What would be cooler is to have the ability to create a playlist for each sim so that a box running 2 or more sims could have different playlists on each.

The ability to directly modify the default inventory by adding or removing items from the directory. This would work for text files and textures, of the appropriate formats.

The addition of an operator control list for both the grid and the sims. Grid controllers (ala Lindens) would have superuser status across the entire grid. Each sim would have its own list of region-wide superusers. These users would bypass ALL parcel limiters (like build, fly, etc). Right now, on the LL Main Grid, an estate manager can not do this, which is rather stupid.

[edit] My OpenSim Experience

Lord, after the hair-pulling 2 weeks I have had, I deserve a day at the spa. The actual process of getting 4 regions up and running is not really that hard, but the gathering of info and the proper programs was a bit of a pain in the butt. This is made even more elusive by the fact that most of the documentation in this wiki is biased towards 'nix machines, while I run a winblows box.

With this in mind, here is a short 'todo' list for windows machines:

[edit] Windows Setup

• Step 1 - Download the source code
  • You will need a program like Tortoise SVN and install that.
  • In your web browser, type in: svn://openmv.org/opensim/trunk. Tortoise should take over and you will see a folder-tree view.
  • Select the folder named 'trunk'. right click it and select 'export'.
  • place it inside an EMPTY folder somewhere on your computer.
    • I usually make a new folder every time, with a date/time naming scheme.
  • When Tortoise is done, close it and you now have a fresh source code.

• Step 2 - Compiling the code
  • You will need either Visual Studio 2005 or Visual Studio Express (FREE).
    • Make sure that you compile this code in C# and not C++!
    • You may also want to aquire a windows version of Mono.
  • After installing your selected compiler, navigate to the folder you downloaded in step 1.
  • Run the batch file 'runprebuild.bat' and watch in awe as it creates the files you need in order to compile your world.
  • The batch file created a file named OpenSim.sln. Once you have the compiler installed (and, probably a reboot), you should be able to double-click this file and open it in the compiler.
  • In the compiler (again, be sure it is set to compile in C#), navigate so that you have the 'solution' highlighted, or else you may just compile a single part of the project. Right click (or use the menus) and select 'build solution'.
  • After about 2 minutes, the compiler should be done (depending on your computer speed).

• Step 3 - Accessories Setup
  • You might wish to install a few OPTIONAL SUPPORT PROGRAMS in order to have the full range of possibilities for OpenSim:
    • MySQL - Get the community server, it is free. This will allow you to have a 'user database' so that your friends can log into your world.
    • SQLite3 - Used for Prim Storage. Currently the only option for this and it is free. There is no setup for this, simply unpack the archive into your source code directory. Instructions for its use are in the OpenSim: FAQ.
    • L3DT - Used to create custom terrain files. The Standard Edition is free.

• Step 4 - Pre-run setup
  • If you installed MySQL, you will need to edit the 'mysql_connection.ini' file in order for opensim to be able to use it.
  • You will also want to edit the 'OpenSim.ini' file and pay close attention to a few areas:
    • ...[Startup]...
    • For now, leave 'gridmode = false' alone - when you have made sure everything is working properly, you can change this to 'true'.
    • Also leave 'physics = basicphysics' alone. More support will come soon for PhysX and other engines.
    • If you have MySQL configured and the server running, 'storage_plugin = "OpenSim.Framework.Data.MySQL.dll"' is the next line you need. If not, replace the dll variable with 'OpenSim.DataStore.NullStorage.dll'
    • The next line, 'startup_console_commands_file = "startup_commands.txt"' should remain unchanged. The startup commands file is where you may wish to put any commands you regularly use in the opensim.exe console window. More on this later.
    • ...[StandAlone]...
    • If you are running in sandbox mode and wish to have a persistant inventory, you need to change 'accounts_authenticate = false' to 'accounts_authenticate = true'. This will also allow your friends to log into your sandbox.
    • Now you can customize your welcome message. Change 'welcome_message =' to whatever you want to, but make sure it is in quotes!
    • If you have completed the setup of the SQLite databases (as seen in the FAQ), then change the inventory_plugin line to 'inventory_plugin = "OpenSim.Framework.Data.SQLite.dll"'. You do not need to run SQLite3.exe in order to use this feature, only for the setup of the database. You will also need a seperate 'prims.db' for each region you plan to run on your system, each uniquely named.
    • Again, if you setup MySQL (which you will have to do to allow others onto your world), you can change the UserDatabase_plugin line to 'userDatabase_plugin = "OpenSim.Framework.Data.MySQL.dll"'. If not, leave it alone.
    • The next 2 items are pretty easy, considering each region's configuration file will override these settings. 'default_location_x and _y' are the default dropzone for new avatars. The first time someone logs in to your regions, this is the grid location they will land at. Be sure you actually have a region at that grid location.
    • ...[Network]...

(( This is a rework of the previous write-up and is a work in progress ))

[edit] More to come...