Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!apple!Gibson.Bill@AppleLink.com From: Gibson.Bill@AppleLink.com (Bill Gibson) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.games Subject: Re: Looking for Comments/Suggestions for Spaceward Ho! Version 2.0 Message-ID: <13791@goofy.Apple.COM> Date: 31 May 91 17:31:11 GMT References: <1991May30.185345.10261@neon.Stanford.EDU> Sender: usenet@Apple.COM Organization: Apple Computer, Inc. Lines: 71 In article <1991May30.185345.10261@neon.Stanford.EDU>, commons@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Peter Commons) writes: > > I am about to begin work on a new version of Spaceward Ho! (version 2.0 or > something like that). Goals include (1) speeding up net play, (2) decreasing > galaxy file sizes, (3) improving computer intelligence (especially end play), > and (4) making battle reports more interesting and helpful, among others. > YAY!!! He's refining my favorite addiction. I may never see my wife/kids again! > Large amounts of stuff purged < > 1. Multi-Player Games. What can be done to make them easier? In the Budget window you list the icons representing the other players. It would be cool if their name were used as well. I'd like to know that player 3 was "Jeff" etc... Make a simple addition to your file format that would do a checksum on each players resource... we had a couple of really crafty types "helping" themselves out with resedit. Couple million $ here couple million metal there... > 2. Message Passing. Do you want to send messages to other players? If so, > what do you want to send? And how would you do it? Yes, but make it available as a Startup option when a new galaxy is created. Full communications, communications between only contacted foes, none. > 3. Battles. Does it make sense that every battle is fought to the death? Would > you like to retreat, fuel remaining? What would you like in a battle > summary? What would make a battle more fun to watch? Lots of others seem to have cool ideas here. I echo the sentiment that more graphics would be nice. Bits of your ships blown away. Perhaps damage should diminish the various tech levels of your ship, or different weapons tech levels would make different sounds when used. Other ideas would be to create more than 5 areas for technical research... a stealth characteristic (along with a counter statistic that sats could use) A way to probe a distant system (maybe an expensive goodie that you would buy, the range stat could be how far it could see...). Change the way metal works i.e. One races idea of metal may be different than another, so stripmining planets isn't a guarantee that the planet isn't valuable to an opponent. a given world may have 16k worth of metal to me but be only worth 4k metal to player one and worthless to player two. Perhaps the loss of several profitable planets should drop your tech levels. And finally, consolidate lots of windoids into a reasonable dialog/windoid that double-clicking the planet would produce. > Peter Commons Thanks Peter. ps. are you open to a little constructive screen redesign. I'd be willing to provide some samples, done in Color MacCheese, of course. Bill Gibson Apple Interface Guru Gibson.Bill@Applelink.com These opinions are mine, MINE, all mine... ah haa haah