Client-server application using Preload

[AMarkov]

Is Preload still relevant for the latest versions of Reforged?

I can't quite remember, has anyone managed to set up communication between the game and an external server using a file? Maybe some kind of stats-tracking application? I'm not really into the esports scene.

For WarCraft Legend, there's a idea to create a server that would let players earn character experience and also show character progression in the web UI.

 

[blufflegendaire]

I did something similar using preload files but it requires an 3rd party tool to read & provide response to these files.

It's def. possible but not easy and not 100% compatible with just reforged features.

For the sake of example:

Some code from the map wrapped around preload natives, reading and waiting for files from "incoming" outside stuff :

Said "outside stuff" :

What the game receives :

Unit created with twitch username :

Most of these things are somewhat made to look like a complete library ; but the 3rd party tool doing the process is still home made and requires specific development per map (probably).

On the side of things that are possible, you can probably make it work with only one player having the 3rd party tool and using sync natives to provide the request's result to other players, making it less of a hassle to setup.

What's left to you is how hard you're willing to commit to these kind of stuff !

 

[AMarkov]

Well, yes, it's probably overkill for my tasks. Most likely, saving statistics will only work locally. An average user is unlikely to want to download a client for full synchronization with a server (not to mention the need to purchase a server that's convenient for different locations around the world). Prototypes of such systems were already being developed back in 2013... overall, it's an interesting direction, but too niche.

As a web developer, I have no problem creating a server. The issue lies with the client—some kind of executable application in C++/C#/Python. Otherwise, alternative workarounds without a full-fledged client will likely be heavily flagged by Windows, and the connection will probably be blocked. I'll just output the player's statistics to a local file and this file will serve as the connecting link between all the maps in my project