The evolution of /logging

[Daldaen]

I’m not clear if the ability to create log files was inherently in the game prior to the mid-late Kunark era. However even if it was, it was tedious and clunky. See below path notes:

August 17, 2000 Patch (http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20000817b.html)

The EQCLIENT.INI has some new features, including one allowing logging (/log) to be on by default. Updated documentation for the EQCLIENT.INI file is at the end of this patch message.

August 23, 2000 Patch (http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20000823.html)

Log - TRUE for logging on, FALSE for logging off.

November 15, 2000 Patch (http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20001115.html)

The eqlog.txt file now has a name that includes the server number and character name. For instance, if your character is named 'Bobb', and you are on Server 1, your log text file name would be eqlog_01_Bobb.txt

So a rough run down of the logging timeline.

August 2000 (17 months after launch, 4 months after Kunark) - Players gain the ability to enable logging by default in their eqclient.ini file.
November 2000 (20 months after launch, 7 months after Kunark) - Log files begin to have unique names rather than all logs being entered to a single text file across all characters.

I’ve looked as far back as I can and I really can’t find much about when the ability to log came in but it seems like prior to the August 2000 patch it really wasn’t prevalent as logging had to be enabled each session you logged in, and your logs when to a base file shared by every character you played.

I’m curious if the devs have the ability to or would consider disabling the ability to use logs on Green99 until the August 2000 portion of the timeline? The use of logging 3rd party programs is extremely prevalent on P99 in general, and it would seem that they just weren’t feasible options for all of classic and the beginning portion of Kunark.

For most CSR purposes, GMs tend to favor screenshots over logs anyways, so I’m not sure this would be a concern. But I do understand if this is a game mechanic you don’t want to replicate as it does remove a valuable information tool players may rely upon.

[YendorLootmonkey]

Going from "prior to August 2000 we didn't have the ability to turn logs on by default" to "logging never existed prior to August 2000!! Remove it from Green!" is a pretty wild, unsubstantiated leap you're making there.

You had to run the logs through a parser to help type up your end of shift Guide report, if I remember correctly.

[Sunderfury]

I have log file entries from as early as August 1999

[Dolalin]

I admire that the intention here is to neuter GINA but maybe it could be done in some other way, such as making the log file unreadable while EQ is still writing to it. I think you can set options like this when you open the file handle.. if I'm remembering right from my old C++ days. Could be something to try in the client .dll.

[Dolalin]

Yeah it looks as straightforward as I remember. LockFileEx()

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/839856/using-stdfstream-how-to-deny-access-read-and-write-to-the-file

Not to imply the disassembly and hooking would be a simple matter of course :D

[Izmael]

Sounds like something good for Green.

Not sure if LockFileEx() will suffice to prevent GINA from running if it's ran as administrator.

[Dolalin]

That I'm not sure of, would require some testing.

[AbstractVision]

Doing good work over here trying to stop GINA and Zlizmap from being used.

Unfortunately logging always existed, it only changed to being to be automatically on versus having to type /log everytime you logged on.

I'd be fine with disabling logging altogether to stop it.
Raid officers can screenshot /who in chat just fine.

[Daldaen]

I have log file entries from as early as August 1999

Fair enough. As I said above I wasn’t clear on when they came in but it does sound like you had to manually activate it every session and it would log to a default eqlog file for every character for all of classic and some of Kunark.

In light of that, I’m not sure if either of those are aspects the devs would like to try to replicate.