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[PN-Dwight]

Dear reader/community/Cooper/Herb/Chris,

"My" webdevs are on the edge of killing me. They are currently working on our own forum system from scratch, to perfectly fit with the game that we are creating, though there is a problem:

HeroEngine uses Oracle, that's great, but to the extent of my knowledge, access to this db is only available upon going live/beta/alpha with an actualy play-server. How would my webdevs get access to this database right now in order to work further on the website? This is a matter of life and death.

I read the thread created by NightShadow (http://community.heroengine.com/forums/index.php/topic,1220.0.html) in which he explains that in HSL, you can export the data to xml, and transfer that to be loaded dynamically through php. This is quite cumbersome and for accounts created on the website (only way), this is a great pain on capacity (sending xml back, etc..).

In short: Can we get access to the db? My life depends on it.

[HE-Cooper]

There is no direct access to the Oracle Database. In fact it's not really how the HeroEngine works, as there are a number of extraction layers in place. If you did want direct access you would require source code and an Oracle dB license, etc. You can script calls to the Oracle dB to track and collate and export any data you'd like though.

But what I suspect you are asking has to do with the account system, not with the Oracle dB. As for creating a separate forum system using accounts from the heroengine account management system: we have API calls to allow for remote authentication against our account system so that users of your game can have accounts in your forums that are connected.

We don't normally make these features available until a game is ready to start beta testing, but we can discuss the merits of giving you access to that API in a timeframe sooner than that. But you will need to have at least some type of game prototype in place.

[sdbaynham]

On a somewhat unrelated note, what about access to data about characters, etc., if we wanted to create a repository of data about the game itself?  Are there APIs to allow this?

[Ineedcash12]

I vote for letting us having access to that database now =]

When you say prototype, does that mean stuff designed on HE or a prototype still on paper/digital thoughts.

I'll have my database/website designer contact you about this since hes gonna create a custom theme in the coming weeks.

[PN-Dwight]

On a somewhat unrelated note, what about access to data about characters, etc., if we wanted to create a repository of data about the game itself?  Are there APIs to allow this?

That would have been my second question: character information. Exporting is not the problem, though the server-costs are if we update it every minute for a bigger playerbase.

[HE-Cooper]

You will need an in game prototype demonstrating your game and art in some fashion. Otherwise I'll have 3000 12 year olds asking us to build them publically accessible beta functionality.

As for API for things like building an armory, that functionality exists, and is tied to the live server environments.

[PN-Dwight]

You will need an in game prototype demonstrating your game and art in some fashion. Otherwise I'll have 3000 12 year olds asking us to build them publically accessible beta functionality.

As for API for things like building an armory, that functionality exists, and is tied to the live server environments.

You could always ask a small compensation for it?

[LastJudge]

I think you can just make your website with all functionality you need (even some prototype armory or whatever system you need) and then just use the API to connect it to actual data once you're in the beta stage. It's not like you would really need it before anyways (unless the game is somehow strongly tied to being able to use the interface to manage some in game items or something). Also I think there are some good reasons behind the decision not to make the API available from the beginning.