🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Bx2su8.DoD@rahul.net> wilsont@rahul.net (Timothy Wilson) writes:
>I'm writing a game that plays over the modem.
>it'll be like BattleZone with a few more weapons nothing special.
>just an exercise.
>
>At any rate, i'm trying to figure out what types of data i should be
>sending across to the other players ( internet connection sockets and servers
>with 2400bps modems to home computers)
>
>if a tank fires a shot.. say a HEAT shell (500m/s), what would i send?
>"i'm firing a shot at this angle"
>or
>"heres the x,y,z of my shot"..."heres the xyz of my shot"..."heres the xyz...."
>
>the first would be fine for static wind, slow tanks, and a non controllable 
>projectile.
>
>the second for missiles etc.. 
>it would also be more flexible, (all types of weapons). but make more data 
>traffic.

The main question is: how predictable (to the computer, not the player) are
the locations (or other outcomes) of the events. For example, if both computers
use the same homing algorithm for the missile, all you would have to ensure is
that the location of the target (presumably the player-controled, and thus not
completely predictable) is sent back and forth. The only time you should have to
send info across the line is when something non-deterministic (i.e. player-
initiated, or "randomly" computer generated) happens.

For things no under the control of one side -- wind shifting, for example --
you should probably have the computers make a random decision when they first
hook up, to determine which one controls things. That computer will tell the
other(s) about changes when they occur.

>any other ideas on other aspects of modem gaming are greatly appreciated.

Take maximum advantage of the double-blind element! If you get the chance, and
want some inspiration, go take a look at The Perfect General, Command HQ, and
Net Trek. Net Trek is probably the only place I have seen the Cloaking Device
done justice. It greatly increases the challenge when defeating the enemy is
not just a matter of lining him up in your sights. Instead, you have to find
him before he finds you, and make trade-offs between ability to see and the risk
of being seen. As far as your tank game goes, I suggest you allow the players
different means of finding each other (visual, IR, radar) with varying
advantages and drawbacks (visual is blocked by intervening terrain, IR can be
masked by nearby heat, and radar is long-range but gives you away by broadcasting a signal). Chaff, smoke canisters, wooded areas, and burning wreckage could
be methods of concealment.

Lack of knowledge of the enemy's strengths and objectives is also something to
factor in. To draw on an earlier AI/BattleTech discussion, what if the enemy is
not interested in destroying you, but instead wants to get past you? What if
that seemingly-overwhelming force he has is, unbeknownst to you, short of ammo
and/or fuel? Dangerous terrain known to one (or neither) side can also be
interesting -- minefields, for example, come into their own in a modem game.
Let the player experience the "fog of war."