17 replies to this topic

[Worshipper]

Are APIs effectively dead? I'm not seeing anything in here for an age, and being new to the game I hoped there were some excellent APIs I could use for my own amusement if nothing else!

Worsh

[Appogee]

I too have been waiting for two years for them.

Which is the recurring theme of MechWaiting Online.

[The Basilisk]

What are APIs?

[Surn]

Get your hands off of me you damned dirty API!

[Appogee]

The Basilisk, on 27 February 2016 - 12:40 AM, said:

What are APIs?

Application Programming Interfaces.

They would enable the software developers amongst us to access game and user data, and create cool 3rd party apps for MWO players.

For example, I have 75% coded an inventory management app which enabled me to track my Mech loadouts, where my modules and engines are currently being used, etc. Without an API, I have to enter all my Mech data manually into the app, and manually keep it in sync. With an API I could sync my app with the MWO client.

A more forward-looking games developer would have provided APIs two years ago, so that an ecosystem of developers could actually help them and their customers - free of charge.

But all PGI seem to care about are mech skins.

[The Basilisk]

Thought ingame 3rd party programming aka overlays and so on was brought finaly to grave in one of the early townhall meetings or DevVlogs, together with map creation, custom cammo and the return of mech topling and other mech terrain interactions ?

Why ? Safety against cheats, hacks and stuff.

Since most things are serverside anyway, I'm not realy sure where you would plug in any 3rd party programm that wouldn't be either simply a tolerated (because not game changing) cheat, or simply just funny stuff not worth the efford.

Sure you could style the atm animated but non functional cockpit monitors as for additional mods that do nothing but show some infos the normal UI shows in an other way but the moment it would do something or show something the normal UI doesn't its nothing but an unfair advantage against vanilla players.

I can see why they excluded it pretty fast and right they are.

Edited by The Basilisk, 29 February 2016 - 09:11 AM.

[I am RED]

The Basilisk, on 29 February 2016 - 09:02 AM, said:

Why ? Safety against cheats, hacks and stuff.

There is hardly a safety issue when you're serving mostly GET and few very limited POST requests. Take EVE APIs, for example: you can use them on different apps or websites without any worry (except counter intelligence against you) because the API doesn't expose anything beyond a small set of functions.

Any programmer worth his salt could come up with a secure API.

The Basilisk, on 29 February 2016 - 09:02 AM, said:

Since most things are serverside anyway, I'm not realy sure where you would plug in any 3rd party programm that wouldn't be either simply a tolerated (because not game changing) cheat, or simply just funny stuff not worth the efford.

Sure you could style the atm animated but non functional cockpit monitors as for additional mods that do nothing but show some infos the normal UI shows in an other way but the moment it would do something or show something the normal UI doesn't its nothing but an unfair advantage against vanilla players.

As is the norm with most online-gaming-related APIs, interactions with the client are a big no-no. The behavior you described above is nowhere near normal for the typical behavior you'd expect of an API for MWO.


Edited to add:

As a programmer, here are a few behaviors I'd expect the API to have. This list is by no means meant to be exhaustive. It's here merely to help you understand the concept of an MWO API. Keep in mind that all of these behaviors must be accessed through a secure (HTTPS) connection:

POST Requests:
(Risk to security: depends entirely on what you're exposing - in MWO, you shouldn't have to expose much)
* Authentication requests (should never require the user's username and password - ideal solution is EVE-style, delimited personal API key)
* Requests for very specific sets of data not easily exposed through GET requests (player stats, lists of unit members, list of items in player's inventory, and other data sets that change from user to user)

GET Requests:
(Risk to security: almost nonexistent - only the most absentminded programmer could mess this up)
* Current state of CW
* List of all units and their general statistics (number of unit members, activity levels, etc.)
* Current store prices
* Chassis/OmniPod quirks
* Weapon and equipment data
* Complete list of playable chassis/variants
* Player population statistics
* Game server status (online, offline, maintenance, etc.)
* Other data sets that are the same for all players


Now, if you review the list above you'll notice that most of the data available in the API can be outputted in list or tabular format. In GET requests, list and tabular data sets are almost entirely benign. POST requests carry some risk (because the server has to process the data sent to it, and that data might contain something dangerous), but setting severe limitations to these requests - having them adhere strictly to certain criteria - and limiting how the requests interact with the database, which, for extra safety, should be a read-only mirror of the master database, already invalidates most exploits.

Edited by abrtn00101, 01 March 2016 - 06:07 AM.

[Appogee]

Abrtn00101 nailed it.

I'd just want the items listed as GET requests above.

I'd go further and say there is ZERO risk in letting us retrieve those.

[Bugiroff]

Ok, I'll drop my nickel...

I envision an API that allows us, as programmers, to create programs that can give us absolutely no in-game value what so ever. But, say you want to know if your CW buddies are online. That would be simple. Or you want to go all in and create a database of your entire group's mechs. Be able to pull up stats for different players in your drop to see what benifit they can give. Maybe even design a map with pins of all the current active players.

Yes, I've put some thought into this. I really don't want to type all that info into it though. It's all ready there! We just need access.

[Night Fury76]

Bugiroff, on 03 March 2016 - 04:03 PM, said:

Ok, I'll drop my nickel...

I envision an API that allows us, as programmers, to create programs that can give us absolutely no in-game value what so ever. But, say you want to know if your CW buddies are online. That would be simple. Or you want to go all in and create a database of your entire group's mechs. Be able to pull up stats for different players in your drop to see what benifit they can give. Maybe even design a map with pins of all the current active players.

Yes, I've put some thought into this. I really don't want to type all that info into it though. It's all ready there! We just need access.

Yes this

[The Basilisk]

Huh ok.
Judging from your description of Items you want as 3rd party program for MWO you discribe a statistics and CW stuff pumped up smurfy.
Prices and current mechs on sale are already shown as well as the Mechs that are ingame.

Regarding player count and CW stats there was indeed a statement from pgi that this stuff won't be made public available anytime soon. ( Players online and players in game where once shown in closed beta but this display was removed with or shortly before release. )

[Graugger]

The Basilisk, on 29 February 2016 - 09:02 AM, said:

Why ? Safety against cheats, hacks and stuff.

Wha, wha, what, did you say hacks? No, no, no, you must be thinking of another game there's no fear of cheating or hacking in this game. Nawwwwwww, that's impossible.

[Exbe]

API.... tasty!
Does anybody from the team responded about current state?

[Surn]

The problem for pgi is that some experienced mech developer like me might make a whole separate strategic game that usurps a revenue stream or planned revenue stream.

Unfortunately, the do not understand things like bitcoin which could revolutionize their business model.

[Exbe]

What if experienced api and mech developer group together and try to contact PGI about this subject?

I don't mind to put some effort into it (e.g. crowdsource feature development if you wish) =)

As far as I know we have only: http://mwomercs.com/...ressources-ref/ for now

User statistics is not there and probably to avoid any side effects from publishing everyones' achievements.
I believe social or mobile experience can be used here: user/account owner will decide which application to use and whom to share his data.

Thoughts?

[phatbhuda]

I believe the developer that was working on the API in his spare time is no longer with PGI. So yeah, the APIs are effectively dead until someone else takes them over at PGI.

[Archivar]

yes, sadly Jon Cunningham, who started the API on his own, is away since 1 year. See this post:
http://mwomercs.com/...age__p__4393762

Edited by Archivar, 24 April 2016 - 09:59 AM.

[Exbe]

I reject to believe that API is dead. It is harder to do without PGI support, but it is still doable.