Compiling / Building macroquest2

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fasterfind
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Compiling / Building macroquest2

Post by fasterfind » Tue Oct 19, 2004 10:41 pm

I've reread the manual half a dozen times and it's about as clear as baked beans to me.

"MacroQuest2 does not come pre-compiled. You must use either VC6++ or VC.net to compile, preferably VC.net. No other compiler is capable of compiling MacroQuest2."

That means nothing else works...
But a few paragraphs later, the manual states that microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 or Visual Studio 6.0 may be used to decompile/build Macroquest.

ONLY VC6++ or VC.net can work. And NOTHING else at all...
...except for...
Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 can work.
C++ 6.0 can work.

So things are excluded from what works, then included in what works by a later statement in the manual.

My first question is: What really works?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My second question is: Why can't I search for it and buy some of this stuff?

-I've been to MSDN.com, the microsoft knowledge base, ebay, and search engines to determine what is VC.net or if I can buy "VC.net", and all information is ambiguous and I can't find it for sale. I have also performed searches in an attempt to find out if Visual Studio +net, a newer version of Visual Studio, contains the same stuff as Visual Studio 6.0 and will work or not. Still, only ambiguous and confusing information is made available.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Question: Does Visual Studio +net work? (I've found it for sale prices substantially lower than Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 but information about the program package, even from developer sites, is ambiguous.)
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The MacroQuest2 manual states Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 can compile the program.

Question: Is all of the Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0 software package needed, or is it enough to get visual basic (censor: i'm an idiot; please ignore me) 6.0 or C++ 6.0

If visual basic (censor: i'm an idiot; please ignore me) 6.0 standalone works, then it should be included in the manual as something that works.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

My last question is this... I want to make MacroQuest2 work without buying stuff I don't need. I'm not a programmer, just a gamer that could stand to gain a lot from this program, but I don't want to lose more than I have to.

So, when thinking about what works, which software package is the best choice for a user whom only wants MacroQuest2 as cheaply as possible?

Thanks in advance

magictiger
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Post by magictiger » Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:23 pm

Damn... if you can't figure it out from that, I'm not sure MQ2 is what you're looking for.

fasterfind
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Figuring it out

Post by fasterfind » Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:18 am

I may not know know the advanced stuff, but I don't need to. It isn't required here. I'm sure many people are running MQ2 that have never written a line of code in their lives. That means they've written less code than I have. I've written BASIC programs on 8088s under the green glow of monochrome monitors. But I am not familiar with the new world of visual basic (censor: i'm an idiot; please ignore me), C++, and their .net extensions.
>
I simply require knowledge presented in a way which allows for my human brain to compile it without errors.

Information with conflicting statements, and statements which link to objects which are not well defined, leads to errors.

Like a good program, I have processed the given information to the best of my ability and then returned a failure message which references the parts of the information (lines of code) which are generating conflict.

This is my user error. I am seeking input.

"If you can't figure it out, EQ2 is not for you."

-Invalid input, please try again.

Is anything for anybody? Of course it is. A student simply requires basic knowledge before an advanced lecture will mean anything to him. Someone that says, "This is not for you." is ignorant and also does not believe in or promote human potential.

Perhaps you know of a single site that could visit which would answer my questions if I search it. But you won't even provide a single reference of information. Instead you chose to jump up on a pedestal and say, "I'm where you aren't, I know what you don't, I'm better than you but I'm not going to help you, I will make deragatory statements instead and tell you that you should give up."

That was a pretty personal cut, so this reply is personal too.

If you met your younger self, can you imagine how pissed you, your family, and your friends would be if you told youself to give up? - Then why do you do it to others? - That's highly offensive and it shows very poor human nature.

If you aren't going to help me, then get out of my way. Shame on you for imposing a wall on someone that's trying to build a road. I will try until I succeed. The next time you see someone post what may seem like a stupid question, keep that in mind. They are trying to reach people that will help them build their road. And maybe, if you encourage them instead of being an ass, they'll get somewhere and you'll have made the world a better place. Stop being so negative.

If you're gonna act like that, and if you're not going to be for the world, then maybe the world isn't for you. - I hope you can see the lesson here. There's a more enlightened way of interacting with your world, and you should be embracing the golden rule of treating others as you would treat yourself.

If you wouldn't say something to your younger self in the same situation, then don't say it to someone else.

And before you start formulating a reply, if you're going to, remember to include a really good reason for your original post. Tell me just how that was reasonable, justifiable, or even a good way to spend your time? If you really thought that Macroquest wasn't for me and the smallest part of your being wanted to be helpful, you would have recommended one of the other macro programs such as Xylobot. I think you were just feeding your ego or something and I doubt you can really justify your response as meaningful or good in some way.
Last edited by fasterfind on Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by mercdev » Wed Oct 20, 2004 12:31 am

Just get a student edition of Visual C++.Net and you're golden. Something similar to: http://www.gradware.com/ProductDetailT. ... uctID=5101 <- that

You won't get much more help beyond that.
1. [url=http://macroquest2.com/includes/manual.php]RTFM[/url]
2. [url=http://macroquest2.com/phpBB2/search.php]Search is your friend[/url]
3. [url=http://www.macroquest2.com/main.php?p=download]Download MQ2[/url]

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Re: Figuring it out

Post by dont_know_at_all » Wed Oct 20, 2004 1:02 am

fasterfind wrote:If you met your younger self, can you imagine how pissed you, your family, and your friends would be if you told youself to give up? - Then why do you do it to others? - That's highly offensive and it shows very poor human nature.
1. If you are offended now, you should leave.
2. We're not human.

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Post by wassup » Wed Oct 20, 2004 1:28 am

Let's think for a minute shall we?

Other than a few slight typos I have in the manual, I think it's pretty clear that:

1. VS 6 or VS.net contain VC++ 6 or VC.net respectively
2. VC++ 6 or VC.net can be purchased separately (Studio not needed)
3. VC++ 6 or VC.net is required to compile MQ2.
4. Therefore VS 6, VS.net, VC6++, or VC.net will work.

Which is pretty much the short description of the mess you posted.

fasterfind
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Thanks

Post by fasterfind » Wed Oct 20, 2004 1:36 am

Thanks for the link.
1. If you are offended now, you should leave.
2. We're not human.
Yes, I could leave if I'm offended, but I have a higher purpose than that and I never take the easy way out or fall short of my goals.

1. I will succeed in compiling/using MQ2 as well as understanding the programs and program packages necessary to do so.

2. I am an activist for positive change.

While I'm here, I will be encouraging everything but discouragement. And if I see someone that needs to be discouraged from discouraging, I'll discourage them. don't like that, or if it offends them, then they are as free to leave as myself.

As I learn, I'll have the oppertunity to encourage others by freely sharing information with them and telling them that they can succeed. And if I can encourage someone to succeed that would have failed, maybe they'll do the same for someone else. I'll prove myself to be an asset in time.

fasterfind
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Awesome

Post by fasterfind » Wed Oct 20, 2004 1:38 am

I don't think I could have gotten a more concise answer to the software package question. Thankyou!

Awesome support on the boards too. I'll make my donation now.

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Post by p$ » Wed Oct 20, 2004 1:41 am

If you aren't going to help me, then get out of my way. Shame on you for imposing a wall on someone that's trying to build a road. I will try until I succeed.
you should probably keep in mind that nobody owes you anything here. macroquest doesnt come with everquest, youre not "entitled" to anything.

many people are willing to help, which is why this forum exists in the first place. but not when you post thousand word essays on your rights as a human being simply because somebody told you "I'm not sure MQ2 is what you're looking for."

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Post by magictiger » Wed Oct 20, 2004 2:10 am

Let me put it this way...
Before I even CONSIDERED learning to program ANYTHING AT ALL, I was able to compile MQ2. No, I didn't hop in IRC and ask for help. No, I didn't beg a friend to compile it for me. And HELL no, I didn't ask on here.
If you are too fucking lazy to do your own research and learn the smallest bit about the programs you need to build MQ2, then you're too fucking lazy to get help out of this community.

Those who do their own work first, get stumped, then ask for help are rewarded. Those who walk in and start asking without even TRYING to find their own answer get flamed.

fasterfind
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flamed

Post by fasterfind » Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:21 am

I went to the microsoft knowledge base, msdn.com, and search engines to spent six+ hours seeking answers to questions I knew could be answered here in minutes. After a few days of fruitless search, I posted here.

I do get my own answers. I might even be more self reliant than yourself, just less knowledgeable in certain areas. I'm not afraid to ask for help when I may need it. If you don't like me asking for help here, maybe you remember where you used to ask for help, know the name of a good book, or website, etc.

Did I beg anyone to compile anything for me? No. You're starting to make a general rant that's about other people, not me. Let's stay on topic.

As far as flaming, if someone flames, I put them in their place. It's has to do with respect. I'll bet the next time he flames, he at least includes 1 helpful piece of information. Then his flames will have value.

Were my questions simple? Yes.

Will other people have those questions and benefit from answers? Yes.

The world is a better place already.

Perhaps this community could benefit from having a manual for idiots. If there's interest, I'll carefully build a catalog of every question that a guy comes across when he has zero knowledge, but needs to advance to the point that he can do the build on his own. Maybe it would be beneficial to have an idiots forum for the beginners? Then there wouldn't be any beginners asking on the developer boards. Imagine if they all started answering their own questions...

Bust out something for the people that know zero. Then nobody will have to deal with the trajedy and heartbreak of simple questions. I've poked around developer forums before and I'm familiar with the anti-lamer attitude and the pent up emotions that are just waiting to burst out... so when someone asks something simple, if there's a slight hint of lame in the air, they can get nailed pretty hardcore and instead of answers, they get emotions... We've all seen it happen.

There's a lot of RTFM attitude here, and I can understand it being a touchy subject. But that's like telling the kid that wants to drive, that he should study auto mechanics and when he can make a car, he can drive it. You know that's rediculous. -he should be reading a driving manual instead.

What's the point of all this? - the driving manual attitude vs the mechanics manual attitude.

If nobody wants to do the work -don't. I'll do it. Offended by questions? I'll find an unrelated board where other people are studying introductory programming and I'll ask them.

Perhaps it would be beneficial to have directions to where directions are located. "If you know nothing, go here. It's a start." "Driving school, that way." "Library, this way." "Developers forum, developers only."

Please don't reply, just think about the ideas.

If there's backlash, there's a problem. If there's a problem, there's a solution. And I just offered to be part of that solution.

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Post by Frank25 » Wed Oct 20, 2004 4:45 am

respectfully, if it takes you 6+ hours and days of searching to figure out what to use to compile MQ2, it is NOT a program you are intelligent enough to use.
No matter how many words you can fit in a post :P

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Re: Thanks

Post by blueninja » Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:39 am

fasterfind wrote:While I'm here, I will be encouraging everything but discouragement. And if I see someone that needs to be discouraged from discouraging, I'll discourage them. don't like that, or if it offends them, then they are as free to leave as myself.
We're not much for the carebear attitude around here lol ..
fasterfind wrote:Perhaps this community could benefit from having a manual for idiots.
The opinion of many of us around here is that no, this community won't benefit from having a manual for idiots.

The reason is that the more idiots you get using this kind of software, the more obvious to the general eq population it will become. The more obvious to the general eq population it gets, the more they'll whine. The more they whine the more attention from eq devs and gms we get making it harder to continue doing what we do.

Idiots do stupid stuff like running hunter macros in zones where lots of people are. Or exp macros or whatever. People get pissed off when they get KS'd for the 100th time by a badly written afk macro. Like this shaman I grouped with a while back who tells the group, "I'm going afk for an hour but I'll leave my macro running. Just pull stuff close to me if you want it slowed." ..

If SoE wanted to they could put enough resources into fighting the likes of MQ2 that it wouldn't be possible to use in any practical sense. However that would cost them money so they won't until they see a need for it. When cheating becomes a big enough problem to drive non-cheaters away from the game they will.

The reason MQ2 is distributed in source code only is that it keeps a lot of idiots out. Granted, it's not the best idiot test there is but it's still better than nothing. This is how the developers of this software want it and most of us here seem to agree with them. And quite frankly, they put a lot of work into this and they don't recieve a big fat paycheck for it so in the end it's pretty much their call..

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Post by magictiger » Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:10 am

Perhaps it would be beneficial to have directions to where directions are located. "If you know nothing, go here. It's a start." "Driving school, that way." "Library, this way." "Developers forum, developers only."
There's no need for this. If you're so stupid that you can't follow everything telling you to RTFM, you're just going to get yourself banned and bring more attention to MQ2. Not a good thing.
There's a lot of RTFM attitude here, and I can understand it being a touchy subject. But that's like telling the kid that wants to drive, that he should study auto mechanics and when he can make a car, he can drive it. You know that's rediculous. -he should be reading a driving manual instead.
Building MQ2 is about as complex as putting the key in a car ignition. Think of it more as a box of Legos. You put it together, you play with it, then you start to add on to what you made and change it a little. It's probably the most complex set of Legos you've ever played with, but at least you have a manual you can go to when you have problems or questions.
If there's backlash, there's a problem. If there's a problem, there's a solution. And I just offered to be part of that solution.
I agree, there is certainly a problem, although it has more to do with idiots posting retarded questions which have already been answered over and over and over again both in the manual and on the board. With a little searching, you can find anything. This place is not meant to be noob-friendly. If you don't know what you're doing, then this isn't the place for you.

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Post by Cr4zyb4rd » Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:37 am

Words words words...um...words?