Sample screen shots with a graph open.
Alternate skin in the background (40% smaller
than actual size).
No New Version in Development
February 2004
For a long time I had a teaser up for a new version of the Thingy, but that was over a year ago and we all know how things can change in a year.
In short it's not going to happen any time soon (if at all). I've been working on nifty fun stuff, but I haven't had time to play any MMP games the last year. My lack of time combined with a lack of support on Funcom's part for new features in the data pretty much make this project dead.

As far as I know it still works well enough (However there's a lot of data that it doesn't display, mostly because (AFAIK) it's not provided.) This page should remain up until I hear that the Thingy doesn't work at all any more.

Funcom is serving Rubi-Ka 1, 2 and Test Dimension data!
August 27, 2001
As of this morning FunCom is serving data for Rubi-Ka 1, Rubi-Ka 2 and Test. (before it was only Rubi-Ka 1) This means two things:
  1. The current version of the Thingy (1.1.2) has access to a lot more data.
  2. The previous versions of the Thingy (1.0.1 and earlier) will only show the Test server, and unless you only play on Test, you should probably download the new version.
Finally, it's fixed! V1.1.2 out.
August 23, 2001
I seriously apologize to the hundreds of you who downloaded and had some small problems with the previous version of the Thingy. The new version had fixed the "dimension down" problem that was haunting me. I've tested it very thoroughly this time, and I hope to have no further trouble with it.

I'm sorry for the trouble. I thought I was helping people by rushing the release and initial bug "fix" but I was obviously wrong, I'll try to keep it from happening again.

Patches are now available
to bring everyone up to date. See the download links below.

New Version Released! Get it now!
August 22, 2001
I got a very nice email in my in-box this morning from Hans Birkeland, FunCom's guy in charge of server monitoring and whatnot. (Okay, his official job title is "programmer") Anyway, it included a sample of the new server data, the upshoot is now that I have a sample of the official data and I have updated the Thingy and I can let you have a new version.

What does it do?

  • It monitors Anarchy Online Dimensions, Servers and Playfields and lets you know if they're on or offline, what the server load is and what percentage of online people are in what playfields.
  • It shows what percentage of people logged on are Clan, Omni-Tek or Neutral.
  • It will display any system messages.
  • Regularly updates its self and maintains the information in handy graphs.
  • It plays an audio alert when the Dimension comes on line.
  • Links to Anarchy Online resources.
  • and more!

    And what is new in this version?

  • Multiple dimension monitoring Rubi-Ka 1, Rubi-Ka 2 and, yes, the Test Server.
  • Skins. You will be able to make custom backgrounds and title graphics. Not extensive yet, but it’s a start.
  • Configuration file. Now you can set all sorts of options like default refresh time, web link locations and more. Have the “Clan”, “Neutral”, or “Omni-Tek” buttons link to your clan’s home page, or set the links on the “tools” page to your favorite community sites. Bunch of other stuff too.
  • Doesn’t timeout as much. Or at all, depending on how you have it set up.
    And more…

    		•
     
      Download it now (402k)

    Patches:

    Do you need to patch?
    Launch your current version of the Thingy and click on "About" on the top menu bar. If the top line of the about menu reads:
  • "AO Sever Monitor Thingy V1.0.0" or "V1.0.1" you can not patch an need to download the full version above.
  • "AO Sever Monitor Thingy V1.1.0" Download this patch (36k).
  • "AO Sever Monitor Thingy V1.1.1" Download this patch (34k).
  • If there is no "About" button, you can't patch and should download the latest version above.

    • How to use the patch:
  • Save the exe patch file in the same folder as the Thingy (AOThingy11.exe). Typically your Anarchy Online folder.
  • Double click on the patch file (named either "aosmt110to112.exe" or "aosmt111to112.exe")
  • It should pop up an alert saying "Suitable start file "AOThingy11.exe" found. Do you want to update this file?"
  • If the file listed is in fact "AOThingy11.exe" click "Yes". If not, click "no".
  • If it couldn't find a suitable file, it will say so and then you should click "Browse" to find "AOThingy11.exe" and apply the patch.
  • Make sure the patch version is working right and that it says "V1.1.2" in the About window.
  • You can now delete the patch file and the backup file it made. ("AOThingy11.exe.bak").

    That's it! If you're at all uncertain about patching I recommend you download the full version and install that instead.

    •  

    FAQ
    Q: The time displayed is wrong. What's up with that?
    A: The clock in the AO Thingy gets its information from Windows, so make sure you have Windows configured correctly. Make sure the local time, time zone, and automatically adjust time for daylight saving changes is set properly. If you suspect what the Thingy is showing as GMT is wrong, go to http://greenwichmeantime.com/ to see what the official GMT is. If you've done all that, and it's still wrong, let me know.

    Q: How do I make my own custom Skin?
    Q: How do I change the configuration?

    A: Full instructions for making skins and changing the config file come with the Thingy in the "readme.html" file.

    Q: I downloaded a skin, how do I install it?

    A: Create a folder called "skins" in the folder that you installed the Thingy (typically your Anarchy Online folder). Put the skin files there.

    Q: Can you make a version that minimizes the the system tray?

    A: For information on how to minimize the Server Thingy to the System Tray, click here.

    Q: Will there ever be a web-based version?

    A: Not right away. Due to security issues in Flash a web-based Flash movie can’t access the server data unless it’s being hosted on the same domain as the server data. In this case FunCom.com. As FunCom isn’t likely to host the Monitor Thingy and I’m not likely to host the server data, it’s probably not in the near future. I have some thoughts of a workaround, but I'll have to wait until I have somw spare time to work it out.

    Q: How can I get it to work through a Proxy?

    A: Right now, you can’t. Currently the development environment doesn’t offer the options needed to run the Thingy through a firewall. I may have found a way around this, but it will have to wait for at least the next version.

    Q: Can you please list the number of players? [or other/more statistics]

    A: Not yet. The thingy is 100% reliant on getting the data the FunCom is providing. Currently the Thingy shows every bit of useful data that’s provided. Version 1.1 is made to read version 0.5 of the Server Information (see the “Information” tab). If this number is anything other than 0.5, I should be working on an upgrade to take advantage of the new information.
    Comments, suggetions or bug reports are always welcome. Send them to steven@balo.com.

    Anarchy Online, its images, sounds, and trademarks are property of FunCom.