Launcher Auto ip updater

[mburnett]

Download the program here http://eqemulaunch.no-ip.org:83/default.aspx

As promised here are the screenshots so what do you all think this example uses an edited version of peq updater

Before login
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/mburnett1/launcher1.jpg
Creating account

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/mburnett1/launcher2.jpg

Logged in

http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/mburnett1/launcher3.jpg

[mburnett]

I have created a everquest launcher it works with a php or asp.net script to automaticly update the users ip address when they login to the launcher

List of features

Login system with MD5 Password encryption
Account creation system
Launches everquest client
builtin browser window that only shows whether or not the ip is updated or the content of the page displayed when one of the other buttons is clicked
Launches the EQ Client options editor


Upcomming features


EQHost.txt auto updating
Patching system
Compatability checker for eqemu loginservers


SCREENSHOTS

PRELOGIN
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/mburnett1/launcher1.jpg

Account Creation
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/mburnett1/launcher2.jpg

Post Loginhttp://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll278/mburnett1/launcher2.jpg

If i get enough of a user response I will release the source at present i will create custom launchers upon request (Everything is hard coded at present) for anyone who asks (PM me) which will have an installer to install it for the end user so that nothing more then a few clicks will be required to install it

So let me know what you guys think ASAP!!

[leslamarch]

Excellent launcher mburnett I like the way it auto updates the clients IP, its almost like the public login, no need to take the extra step of going to the website. I guess this one trumps mine lol,
Really great job on this one.

[mburnett]

lmao well your the one that asked me to make it do that lmao so id hope you like it bro... cant wait till we get it to do the rest of what i want it to

[mburnett]

Oh an edit it ALSO gives the abbility to easily have two people with the same ip before each changes to a new zone all they have to do is alt tab to the launcher and click refresh account and its done so two people with the same ip can play at the same time quickly and easily with a minimum of effort!

[mburnett]

Well i have my anwer on whether or not people are interested in this so since noone is admins feel free to delete this hope you enjoy it lamarch looks like you are the only one who will have this tool

[Knightly]

I'd be interested in seeing the source for this. I have a launcher / patcher that I work on when it strikes me, be interesting to see how yours is done.

What does the Check For Updates button do?

[mburnett]

well mine is actually pretty basic its written in c#.net with the .net connector from mysql.com its all fairly simple to be honest yours is probably far more supperior then mine is in all honesty

[mburnett]

oh absolutly nothing well it opens a page in the panel on the right there that the server admin defines in the source before compiling the launcher basicly a downloads page i havent gotten to making an actual patcher as of yet
Im working on that part though very very slowly the drawback is that the server admins will have to compile this themselves and set up the mysql connection info in it by hand for it to work as it would be just plain moronic to have a config file with the database information there for all their players to see

[mburnett]

Eventually i want to make a patcher server and this as the client where it sends the information to the patcher server which does the checking and database queries for account creation and so forth but thats a ways off yet but im open to suggestions

[mburnett]

UPDATE I am making a archive of my source i will provide it to any dev or programmer (based on title) and after i rework a bit of it i will post the code here in a few hours

[Angelox]

Just because no one posted, doesn't mean no one's interested. Minilogin is the only server interface we have that belongs to us, so anything that's done to better it is welcomed.
It will take some days before interested people come in the forums and even see this- most people here now, use public login so they are probably not interested. I like/use Minilogin , so I am also interested in this.
Don't worry about what other people think or want, you got something good here (and you know it), so keep working on it, and please keep us updated!

[Aramid]

Well i have my anwer on whether or not people are interested in this so since noone is admins feel free to delete this hope you enjoy it lamarch looks like you are the only one who will have this tool

Give it some time!!! It's the weekend.. Not many people may have seen this yet, as the stats are not correct for views etc from what I've read. It's a Great Looking util to have, but I would want the source to be able to put in my "hard coded" information myself.
What are you using to compile it?

[Angelox]

UPDATE I am making a archive of my source i will provide it to any dev or programmer (based on title) and after i rework a bit of it i will post the code here in a few hours
What's probably going to happen if you post your source, will be privater/custom servers use it to their benefit, and it will never be seen again :). I'd rather you made a launcher for the public , then post the source if you want - This way we all have something from this.

[mburnett]

visual studio 2005 works fine with the .net connector its written in c#.net and pm me with an email address and i will be happy to send you a copy of the code so long as you dont release it to the public yet

[mburnett]

I can certainly make one that would use a config file similar to leslamarchs old one for the button urls and have the launcher setup to automaticly update the ip address the same way i do now there are some tweaks that leslamarch asked me to incorperate for him for easy usage but i can make a basic one for everyone and then build on the more hardcore one so to speak but ill be straight with you all im gunna need a bit of help with where i want to take it from here i cant do it on my own

[mburnett]

Ok everyone I am going to post a link within the next hour or so to a launcher for private server owners this wont have the mysql functionality but will instead utilize a variation of the peq updater script it will have just about all the functionality of the hard coded version but with one addition that being that there is a config file in the build where the server admin can set up the app how they want to with a few very fast edits to the values it will auto update the ip for the user based on their logging into the launcher and for people who play from the same ip there is a button they click to update their ip before zoning so their ip updates with the click of the mouse saving time from having to relogin....

more to come

[mburnett]

sorry everyone hit a slight snag witht he launcher i think im actually getting tired lol might have to wait till later for me to post the binaries

[mburnett]

http://filebeam.com/de7c0b77ca076c1c161398caa6d37710

follow the readme

this is an alpha release so it might be buggy so keep me informed

[Knightly]

I'd recommend being careful about compiling the login information for MySQL into the code. It may be paranoia, but I always feel that anything that goes into the code can be retrieved from the code. Since the user you're using has to have rights to update your account table, it's something you really want to protect.

The way I've seen a lot of them done is that they interface with a back end (other than MySQL) that does the database authentication for them. That way any code authenticating to the back end is client side...but if it's compromised all you have access to is what a user would have access to, rather than what a DB writer would have access to.

If you're not good at client/server programming (I'm sure not), the way that I did mine was using a backend web interface that the user authenticates to. It's just a bunch of PHP pages that return error/success codes. Not to say that's the best way to do it, client/server apps are much more elegant...but it works with little effort.

[mburnett]

actually dofuscator thats all i got to say on that one lol try retrieving it from the code ill even tell you where it is in the code and give you binaries with my db information in them lol however youhavent paid attention to what said this is a version for the community it has none of that and uses an adaptation of peq updater not that it matters because you would need alot more then a normal pc's processing power to successfully decompile and decrypt the binaries

[mburnett]

oh and one more thing as already stated the launcher DOES NOT update the mysql at all a web script does that i would have to say that client server apps that you suggest are by far more insecure because my way they have to decrypt a whole binary and decompile it where as your way all they gotta do is crack the packet structure

[mburnett]

also if this gets a good response in time i want to get togeter with the main emu devs and see if they cant make a version that works with the public loginserver, not really for any reason other then one ease of use for the end user instead of having to make a sortcut and edit it and all that and for a means of making ls accounts besides the forums but i dunno ill have to talk privatly with the devs about that

[TheLieka]

Very interesting.

Dax

[mburnett]

ummm what is? lol

[mburnett]

UPDATE!!!!

i have updated it to automaticly creat the eqhost.txt file based on the info in the configuration file

http://filebeam.com/dad4abaa35da6de89427df5be3ad0816 NEW BINARY

[mburnett]

Ok here is an informational update on the project. As suggested i have begun work on a new version that will use client and server protocol for the authentication account creation and automatic updating of the up address. I have also contacted Doodman to discuss the possibility of working the server end of the authentication code into minilogin itself so taht it accepts the information from the launcher and updates the ip that way. PLEASE NOTE that this will NOT in any way change how minilogin works it will only do this authentication with the launcher not the everquest client IF He decides to help me with this

[mburnett]

ok I have put up a site

http://eqemulaunch.no-ip.org:83/default.aspx

Id greatly appreciate it if a mod or admin could put this in the main post

Id like everyone who has downloaded this launcher to register on the site and use the forums to give me feedback and bug reports and questions / requests as this post will only be updated for major changes from now on

[mburnett]

Ok I have made it a client server application binaries will be up on the site ASAP it works perfectly and the server handles all the authentication and ip updating i havent made it create the accounts yet so keep using the modified peq updater script i include in the zip files

Also i have added the abbility to either use md5 password encryption or turn it off and use plain text in the launcher config file

this requires .net 2.0 to run!
Just putting the finishing touches on the readme in the archives


http://eqemulaunch.no-ip.org:83/page.aspx?page=downloads

TO THE EMU DEVS: if posible id like to get this included in the minilogin releases if you guys need the source just let me know.

[mburnett]

There was a bug in the way the eqhost.txt file updates i am fixing it now sorry guys

[mburnett]

Ok guys I have now fixed the bugs and the launcher server now does everything the peq updater script does except create new accounts ( Im working on that) There will be new binaries uploaded to the site shortly

[mburnett]

UPDATE:

I have added a second server to the launcher system this server is for account creation from the launcher itself thereby taking out any and all need for using the available web scripts to create accounts or update ip addresses.

This should satisfy all the needs of those who wish to run a private serverbut allow more then people on their lan to play, and also give off theilusion that it is a public loginserver.

I dont remember if i mentioned it before but there are two ways to make the launcher work

By setting the MD5On key in the application file to On or Off(Case sensitive) the admin can decide whether to use md5 encrypted passwords (the worldserver http interface and most everything else for the gm stuff uses the md5 encryption for passwords) for added security or plaintext passwords...

I would really appreciate if people could post some questions requests for future featuresfor the launcher bugs they encounter and so forth so i know if anyone is actually bothering to use this lol

I Will have a zip file up on my site within the hour with the complete1.0 rc1 package (launcher file and the registration and authentication server binaries)