We are pleased to announce the release of a new Web Client for GemStone IV.

This Client is geared toward new users and will actually be the default client for them from now on, which will hopefully eliminate the technical hurdle that the old Launcher, SGE, and Wizard/Stormfront combination presented to incoming folks.

This new Client is set up with new features that one might see from a standard MMO, while still keeping our text-based heritage at the forefront.

* Hotkeys (number keys 1 through 0) allowing auto-prepping/casting of your favorite spells or using macros (drag and drop the spell/macro icon onto the hotbar)
* Expandable / Collapsible inventory with integrated auto Open / Close of pocketed items
* Searchable inventory
* Spellbook tab with mouse-click functionality
* Spell Buff and Effect Icons for tracking which buffs are currently active on your character
* Auto-docking Room Window - The room you're in "docks" at the top of the screen. You'll see how it works and it should make lots of sense.
* Macros with customizable images and names
* For point-and-click users, the main window will pause scrolling if the mouse has moved recently to cut down on hotlink chasing. (Once the mouse stops for a bit, the text that has buffered will be output to the screen.)
* Character INFO/Wound tab

The new Client is HTML5 and Flash based for now, but the Flash requirement will soon be removed. What does that mean?

In a nutshell, this means that we now have a universal client that requires no download/install process and should work on most PCs, most Flash-capable Macs, and (currently) most non-iOS tablets. In the very near future when the reliance on Flash is removed, this will include iOS tablets (i.e., iPads).

A couple of additional notes:

As mentioned, this Client was built primarily with newer players in mind. Our veteran players will see that it is missing many "advanced" features that our more experienced players use (windows for deaths, logins/outs, ESP, Familiars, etc.). While we hope this option might come in handy for you older folks in certain situations, we know it's not going to appeal to those of you who are in that uber-adventurer/veteran category. That's ok! Lots of you have your own preferences and requirements in the client you use to access the game. What we do hope, however, is that this will make it easier for a new player with little or no GemStone experience to get into the game more quickly and more easily. Utilization of some of these features will be added as we move forward, however.

We'd like to suggest/request that everyone at least check the Client out so you know what it looks like and how it works, so that if you come across a new player with questions, you can be somewhat familiar enough with it to help them out and not just immediately suggest they dive in to StormFront or Avalon or whatever...at least until they're comfortable enough with the game mechanics to "step up their game".

While this version of the new Client will work on most tablets, they offer some unique differences when trying to maintain the same functionality that we have for desktops (namely, the ability to drag and drop things like spell/macro icons to the hotbar). A solution for this is in the works, but if you plan on using a tablet for now, you'll want to set up your hotkeys and macros from your desktop first. There may be some other tablet-centric issues that crop but, but we'll try to address those as it's necessary/possible.

Customization and Settings (text color, background color, font, Room Window toggle, etc.) are forthcoming. Macros and hotkey setting and such are saved on our servers, so you can have the same setup no matter where you happen to be when you log in with the Web Client.

If you happen to clear your cookies, the Web Client will automatically be selected as the Default Client if you log in and "Go Play" through the website. Experienced users will want to make sure they select their client of choice and (unless you clear your cookies again), the website will remember.

I'll address any other questions as they pop up!


Solomon