Print

[Xbox-Scene]

Mimesis v3 W.I.P.-- Posted by XanTium on April 19 12:13 EST
From projectmimesis.com:

Well it's been a while since the news here has actually been about Mimesis(info), the application. So lets change that, shall we?

After a bit of a break from coding, Ramzi and myself have been working furiously on the next version of Mimesis over the past month or so. It's shaping up nicely as a lot of you have seen from the version 3 skin previews posted in the forum. We took some time to rethink the way Mimesis is used, and with much thanks to the users who have given feedback for version 2, we were able to come up with, what we think, is a much easier to use Mimesis. With key additions such as dialog boxes that have buttons for you to make a decision on what to do next to dialog boxes with lists of items to choose from, version 3 is much cleaner and more streamlined. We have given each screen its own identity, and done away with the generic menu that was used on every screen in version 2.

So without further adieu, lets get on with the update!

* The Improvements
- Since the release of the first version of Mimesis, we have been getting complaints about the incredibly sensitive gamepad buttons. Well I am very happy to announce that this is no more. The controller will feel normal in your hands and no longer will you need to mash the buttons into a fine dust just to go back to the previous screen.
- Next on the list was support for all of the controller ports. This seems like a no brainer, but you must remember that we had never written anything before Mimesis. Not just on the Xbox, but anything. So C++ was kicking our ass at the same time that learning this whole new world of Xbox programming was. However, with the past behind us and some experience under our belt, we pressed on and completely rewrote the controller code. Its now not as sensitive and it supports all of the controller ports. It will no longer go crazy on you if you don't have a controller in port one. That was annoying huh?
- Moving on down the list of improvements we have IGR (in game restart) support now! Not much to say in depth about this but, yay!
- The DVD remote is not yet supported. We'll see how things go...
- We have taken a new approach to keeping Mimesis up to date with the latest content in version 3. We set it up to sync with the server on startup (splash screen). It is there that the listing of new supported title's will be downloaded to your Xbox as well as the content listings for each. It will only do this if the server is reporting a newer sync date than your local Xbox. This will cut down on the amount of traffic between the client and the server significantly. It also allowed for a much easier transition into a Mimesis that does not require an internet connection just to manage your content. If the internet is not found on startup then it will prompt you, asking if you would still like to continue using Mimesis. If for whatever reason some of your content listings locally get corrupted or you accidentally deleted some of them... you have a main menu option to manually sync up to the servers.
- Choosing content to install will be much more intuitive in version 3. We are doing away with the B button for install and introducing the choice between installing content one MCP at a time or optionally adding it to a que to be installed all at once in batch.

* The New Features
- New in version 3 is the much anticipated support for game saves and other udata content. This opens the doors to being able to use Mimesis v3 to download gametypes for Halo 2 as well as roster updates for sports games. The possibilities are endless when Mimesis supports both tdata and udata installation.
- A new skin engine is being introduced and you will be able to specify one of any number of skins in your skins folder simply by specifying its name in the Mimesis config file.
- In version 3 you will have a settings screen that lets you see the network settings as well as all of the other settings you can specify in the config.xml
- On the content screen you will have many new features at your fingertips. In one click you will be able to filter the current view from everything for that title, down to just gametypes, or just maps, or anything else that we have supported for that title. The important thing is that its dynamic. Whatever content types are available from the server, are what content types you will be able to filter your view for.
- Also from the content screen you will be able to in one click bring up a dialog box to select another title to jump to. It will take you to the content screen of any other title in Mimesis. This will make it faster to jump around Mimesis without having to traverse back up the screen hierarchy.
- All auto update management will handled from this content screen as well. With only a couple of clicks through a cascading popup menu you will be able to manage all of your AU installations, backups, restores and deletes.
- Content has a new way of being disabled in v3 that will help us move into the future expecting to hit the 50 map limit for Halo 2's main menu. basically the new method will leave the content in the dlc folder but will make it so that the game itself no longer recognizes it as proper dlc. With Halo 2, this will allow you to join a game that is hosting a map that you do not have enabled and still be able to play.
- The dialog boxes in version 3 are all new; you have options now! From combo boxes to choose from a list of options to just simple OK error messages. You will feel more at home with more intuitive OS feeling dialogs.

Thats about all I can think of at the moment. All in all I am very pleased with the progress Ramzi and I are making on version 3 and look forward to a release once its all finished. We are proud of what we have been able to accomplish thus far, but it would not have been possible without the help of so many in the community. Thanks to all of you!

Mimesis v3 in action video (~6MB): here
Official Site: http://www.projectmimesis.com

[LazarusX]

Sounds great.
Now they just need to add alot more of the maps that are available.

[AWD Bus]

Dont listen to the guy above, you guys do great work. There is nodbody else offering anything like this.

The one question that I have is, is this out yet or is this just a teaser? I went to your website and looked around and didnt find it, then I went to the usual places  and only found the older one (part 2 not 3).

What about remaking the older maps off Halo 1 for Halo 2? I know me and my buddys would love that!

Keep up the great work!

[sew3521]

the only maps u need for halo1 would be both versions of NMP....NMP=pwns

[Neorave]

QUOTE(AWD Bus @ Apr 19 2006, 04:17 PM)

Dont listen to the guy above, you guys do great work. There is nodbody else offering anything like this.

The one question that I have is, is this out yet or is this just a teaser? I went to your website and looked around and didnt find it, then I went to the usual places  and only found the older one (part 2 not 3).

What about remaking the older maps off Halo 1 for Halo 2? I know me and my buddys would love that! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/muhaha.gif)

Keep up the great work!

Indeed!  This is one of the best homebrew softwares I've ever seen.  Only problem is that I would usually have some problems controlling the program, but part of that is I'm using the Internet from a college dorm.

And, as you can see, when the site says that it is "in progress", it probably means they're not quite done with it yet.

[LostIt]

I'm pretty impressed with the work to date. I can't wait for v3. With 13 maps for just Halo 2 right now I think it's going very well. Keep it up Xantium and Ramzi. I hope the bandwidth can keep up with the demand. Might need a bittorrent (or other P2P) client built in before too long...