Attorney Online - Revision history

Havoc Crow: /* Log and demo format */ small clarification

2025-10-18T11:25:59Z

‎Log and demo format: small clarification

Havoc Crow: /* Log and demo format */ copyediting

2025-09-10T13:54:47Z

‎Log and demo format: copyediting

Havoc Crow: Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=E-Mail, newsgroups, and forums |extensions={{ext|log}}, {{ext|demo}} }} '''Attorney Online''' (also known as '''AO''' or '''Ace At..."

2025-09-06T21:51:20Z

Created page with "{{FormatInfo |formattype=electronic |subcat=E-Mail, newsgroups, and forums |extensions={{ext|log}}, {{ext|demo}} }} '''Attorney Online''' (also known as '''AO''' or '''Ace At..."

New page

{{FormatInfo
|formattype=electronic
|subcat=E-Mail, newsgroups, and forums
|extensions={{ext|log}}, {{ext|demo}}
}}

'''Attorney Online''' (also known as '''AO''' or '''Ace Attorney Online''') is an open-source chatroom program, designed for online roleplays in a [[wikipedia:visual novel|visual novel]]-like format inspired by the ''[[Wikipedia:Ace Attorney|Ace Attorney]]'' game franchise. In visual novel style, each participant takes on a specific character and can select predefined poses to accompany their dialogue, displayed over a static background.

== Network packet format ==
AO operates on a client–server model, with a single server exchanging network packets with connected clients (players’ computers). Each packet corresponds to an in-game event, such as a music change, an in-character (IC) line of dialogue, or an out-of-character (OOC) system message.

The network packets are documented here:
* https://github.com/AttorneyOnline/docs/blob/master/docs/Archive/Network%20Protocol.md

== Log and demo format ==

By default, during a play session Attorney Online records both bare-bones textual log files and complete demo files. These files are created in the /logs/ subfolder, with the extensions <code>.log</code> and <code>.demo</code> respectively.

The logs are a plain-text dump of all the IC and OOC messages seen by the client, with timestamps.

Example excerpt from a .log file:
<pre>
[Sat Aug 2 05:35:35 2025 GMT] Gumshoe: Howdy all
[Sat Aug 2 05:35:45 2025 GMT] Gumshoe: Here are three dollar signs: $$$
[Sat Aug 2 05:36:22 2025 GMT] Gumshoe: I am angry now.
[Sat Aug 2 05:36:36 2025 GMT] Gumshoe: This is my angry face.
[Sat Aug 2 05:36:53 2025 GMT] Gumshoe has played a song: Ace Attorney/Trial/[AJ] Trial.opus
</pre>

A .demo file is simply a plain-text dump of all the network packets received by the client, interspersed with "wait" commands to record the time (in miliseconds) between each packet. Therefore, a demo file records the session to its smallest detail. Demos can be played back in the client to obtain a near-perfect recreation of the RP session.

Example excerpt from a .demo file (same session as the .log file excerpted above):
<pre>
MS#1#-#Gumshoe#normal#Howdy all#wit#1#0#8#1#0#0#0#0#0#Gumshoe#-1###0<and>0#0#0#0#0#0#-^(b)normal^(a)normal^#-^(b)normal^(a)normal^#-^(b)normal^(a)normal^#0#||#-1###0#0##%
wait#10359#%
MS#1#-#Gumshoe#normal#Here are three dollar signs: <dollar><dollar><dollar>#wit#1#0#8#1#0#0#0#0#0#Gumshoe#-1###0<and>0#0#0#0#0#0#-^(b)normal^(a)normal^#-^(b)normal^(a)normal^#-^(b)normal^(a)normal^#0#||#-1###0#0##%
wait#37404#%
MS#1#-#Gumshoe#mad#I am angry now.#wit#1#0#8#1#0#0#0#0#0#Gumshoe#-1###0<and>0#0#0#0#0#0#-^(b)mad^(a)mad^#-^(b)mad^(a)mad^#-^(b)mad^(a)mad^#0#||#-1###0#0##%
wait#13625#%
MS#1#-#Gumshoe#mad#This is my angry face.#wit#1#0#8#1#0#0#0#0#0#Gumshoe#-1###0<and>0#0#0#0#0#0#-^(b)mad^(a)mad^#-^(b)mad^(a)mad^#-^(b)mad^(a)mad^#0#||#-1###0#0##%
wait#16923#%
MC#Ace Attorney/Trial/[AJ] Trial.opus#8##1#0#2#%
</pre>

In pre-2.9.1 versions of the official Attorney Online client, the demo files are generated incorrectly: the "wait" packet is incorrectly placed ''after'' the message it's meant to delay. This was [https://github.com/AttorneyOnline/AO2-Client/pull/496 fixed in v2.9.1]. Newer Attorney Online versions detect these malformed demo files and offer to fix them before playback.

== External links ==

* [https://aceattorneyonline.com Attorney Online official website]

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 </pre>
-A .demo file is a plain-text dump of all the network packets received by the client, interspersed with "wait" commands to record the time (in miliseconds) between each packet. Therefore, a demo file records the session to its smallest detail. Demos can be played back in the client to obtain a near-perfect recreation of the RP session.
+A .demo file is a plain-text dump of all the network packets received by the client, interspersed with "wait" commands to record the time (in miliseconds) between each packet. Therefore, a demo file records the session (as seen from a single player's point of view) to its smallest detail. Demos can be played back in the client to obtain a near-perfect recreation of the RP session.
 Example excerpt from a .demo file (same session as the .log file excerpted above):

@@ Line 17: / Line 17: @@
 By default, during a play session Attorney Online records both bare-bones textual log files and complete demo files. These files are created in the /logs/ subfolder, with the extensions <code>.log</code> and <code>.demo</code> respectively.
-The logs are a plain-text dump of all the IC and OOC messages seen by the client, with timestamps.
+A log is a plain-text dump of all the IC and OOC messages seen by the client, with timestamps.
 Example excerpt from a .log file:
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 </pre>
-A .demo file is simply a plain-text dump of all the network packets received by the client, interspersed with "wait" commands to record the time (in miliseconds) between each packet. Therefore, a demo file records the session to its smallest detail. Demos can be played back in the client to obtain a near-perfect recreation of the RP session.
+A .demo file is a plain-text dump of all the network packets received by the client, interspersed with "wait" commands to record the time (in miliseconds) between each packet. Therefore, a demo file records the session to its smallest detail. Demos can be played back in the client to obtain a near-perfect recreation of the RP session.
 Example excerpt from a .demo file (same session as the .log file excerpted above):