ChatBlade Debuts Middleware Chat SDK For MMOs

Oregon-based ChatBlade has announced that its middleware chat SDK of the same name, which enables MMO developers to incorporate chat functionality into their games, has been released, shipping as royalty-free C++ source code, and including HTML documentation and sample apps. The SDK is Unicode compliant, enabling chat in languages including traditional Chinese, Korean, Swedish and English, and supports features for moods, in-game languages, "drunken speech" and chat filtering. Additionally, the middleware recognizes in-game "slash commands" -- those commands recognized by typing a "/" before entering them -- from various MMOs, allowing users to work with the chat commands to which they have previously become accustomed. Flex Dolphynn, ChatBlade's software architect, commented, "We wanted to create a chat component where the players were in control. Moving from game to game and having the Group Chat command change from /g, to /p, to /team is frustrating for MMORPG players. ChatBlade gives developers the ability to let players choose their own slash commands and incorporates the best chat features found across multiple games."