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From: jmunkki@hila.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.x,rec.games.programmer
Subject: Re: Xbzone avaliable on expo
Message-ID: <1990Dec4.150916.26196@santra.uucp>
Date: 4 Dec 90 15:09:16 GMT
References: <7647@umd5.umd.edu> <BROWN.90Dec1141426@hydra2a.cs.utk.edu> <EbK9GqC00VoRQ32MJT@andrew.cmu.edu> <kbK=HGi00VoRM32EF9@andrew.cmu.edu> <DNB.90Dec3223806@meshugge.media.mit.edu>
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Reply-To: jmunkki@hila.hut.fi (Juri Munkki)
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, FINLAND
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In article <DNB.90Dec3223806@meshugge.media.mit.edu> dnb@meshugge.media.mit.edu (David N. Blank) writes:
>> XBZONE is now avaliable by anonymous ftp to expo.lcs.mit.edu.  It is
>> /contrib/xbzone.tar.Z. The archive contains both the original fortran
>> source, and C source obtained by running the fortran though f2c. It
>> also contains a truly hacked GPR graphics library emulation for X11
>> (tested under R3 and R4).
>
>Has anyone been able to compile this and get it working on a Sun? Thanks.

I haven't tried to compile it on a Sun, but I compiled it on a VAX and
some friends now regularly run it on Sony News workstations. It was
fairly easy to port: mainly changes in the makefile.

Some comments on the game:
   * It looks a lot like BattleZone
   * It isn't really BattleZone:
	- The player tank is quite a bit slower than in real BattleZone
	- Player missiles fly longer than they should.
	- Hit testing of shots is not accurate enough.
	- The gunsight reacts even if the gun is not loaded. Annoying.
	- Missile zig-zags have a smaller amplitude than they should.
	- If a supertank is behind you, there's very little you can do.
	- You can't use the technique of moving past a tank, backing up
	  and killing it while it is still turning. If a tank is behind
	  you, it seems to be able to run really fast. Usually you get
	  killed even before you get past the enemy and even if you back
	  out to confront it, its gunsight is pointing right at you.
	- There are no destructible obstacles.
	- When a tank hits an obstacle, it backs up (as it should) and
	  and moves only a short distance forward. Also, I think that
	  the tanks shoot while doing this. In real battlezone, they can
	  not shoot while trying to avoid obstacles.
   * Well done anyway, who wants to improve it?
   * Suggested improvements:
	- Make it feel more like real battlezone.
	- Add a keyboard mode with controls for left and right treads.
	- Show highscore list after every game and make it graphical.

Of course, I don't have time to do any of this and I'd hate to touch anything
written in Fortran. I was pleased to see this game, but slightly disappointed
when you couldn't use the same skills as in real BattleZone.

   ____________________________________________________________________________
  / Juri Munkki	    /  Helsinki University of Technology   /  Wind  / Project /
 / jmunkki@hut.fi  /  Computing Center Macintosh Support  /  Surf  /  STORM  /
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