Can finally have a break now.

The entire last week was spent on making the bot easier to use. The bot is fairly stable now, and AV ability has been added, and users can now customize all aspects of the bot with javascript. That leaves the only thing for me to do, is making the bot easier. Config utility has been totally re-write, now it can be invoked by one click on the "Config" button, and your current selected bindings file will be edited.

So this week will be my relax week :-)

Back from vacation

Finally back from 2 week vacation, and during last weekend I rushed out most of the improvements and fixes that were pending (battle ground, configuration utility, shama script, loot distance updates on UI).

Yesterday I finally thought I could put the development on zolofighter aside for a while and play on some other stuff, and found the looting is not as accurate as before :-( So still need to do this for 1 or 2 nights.

I will also post some pictures I have taken on the trip, one is with Root Berry!!!! They rock I have to say.

Javascript engine bug again!

I was very close to release of the initial beta battle ground AFK scripts, when all of a sudden I hit a strange problem when start run with release version of the code.

When the execution enters a javascript function that accepts 1 argument, the bot skips everything and starts the next round.

A close inspection found that happens when the bot is trying to access that argument. Isolate to that one function, and the script reports it does not known that argument! Samething running with debug mode is just fine.

The first thought I had is it is those #define statements again. But none of that is the case. While I was stepping through the code, parse of arguments mysteriously changed on a totally unrelated statement (on a compare statement)! Inspecting on the resulting assembly code, and I found the stock return was corrupting the arguments passed in. Turned out the Microsoft optimizer is optimizing on nuts!

After put all javascript engine code on /Od (disable optimization), problem solved.

So that concludes another wasted night.

Demo timeout increased to 1+ hour

I increased demo timeout to more than 1 hour, so now all demo users can enjoy at least 1 hours of play without buying a key (the time out is actually much higher).

I have decided that the buy link should be more or less a 'donate' link.

The main reason is health and family related. If the service is perceived to be paid, I am under pressure to perform, and recently there is a sudden surge in support emails etc, plus my family/work/WOW and other developments, I am stressed out.

I will keep working on maintain the current bot, but make it free so I could worry less when my job/family/life took priority (i.e. my upcoming vacation :-) )

strange crashes give me headaches

I got an email from a user about program crashing. As usual they never include program version, os version, os language version. I do believe there is a crash, but debugging crashes that happens on a user's computer will be hard. It sort of ruined my afternoon, knowing that there are strange problems happens to users.

But all crashes happen with a reason. My steps will be to use logs (Yes, I tried DrWatson but the dmp file is always in use, and if I cancel the submit to Microsoft button, the dmp file will be deleted), and see exactly where the crash happens.

Good thing is users usually will be happy to go through some emails than spending hours fishing or grinding stuff, so I just got lucky.

Anyone else got better ideas as how to debug remote crashes without a debugger? This reminded me of the old serial port debugging days, upload a program, see the output of serial port (or sometimes even LEDs) and figure out problems. Could be fun :-)

bad script error

Just notice today while farming with zoloFighter. Someone speaks to me and the bot did nothing! so checked script file, and my whisper detection code is full of bugs LOL. Turned out I never tested it and was afk boting most of the time.

I have fixed it now and will put script.js on fighter website for download.

Funny WOW on TV post

Just visited http://casualwow.blogspot.com/ , the blog today features some of the TV appearences of WOW, and some of them are very funny :-) I will need to find out what the name of the show is, seems like a UK show?