Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!mcnc!ncsu!hand
From: hand@ncsu.UUCP (Steven Hand)
Newsgroups: net.sources.games
Subject: Re: multi-player unix games
Message-ID: <3084@ncsu.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 28-Apr-86 19:38:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: ncsu.3084
Posted: Mon Apr 28 19:38:13 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 2-May-86 20:46:11 EDT
References: <1800001@labsms.UUCP>, <1800002@labsms.UUCP>
Organization: N.C. State University, Raleigh
Lines: 32

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I played a similar game (multitrek?) in the summer of '80.  It was basically 
a multi-player Star Trek and we were addicted to it, too.   One neat thing about
it was that your stats (maximum shield energy, maximum phaser energy, etc.)
increased with experience and surviving battles.

Which leads to a story...  After several weeks of battling, we thought
we were pretty good, until some new user appeared and systematically wiped us
out.  He was incredible, and would typically hyperwarp right beside you, out
of nowhere, and hit you DIRECTLY with massive ammounts of energy (the units
were "stroms") -- then he would be gone before you could fire back (if you
were lucky enough to survive).  We even tried to gang up on him but it didn't
work, and it was a mystery as we didn't know where he was logging in, and
no one had actually seen him.  It turned out this was a graduate student who
was dialing in from his Apple computer, which he had programmed into a 
*battle computer*.  It calculated the distances and angles, I suppose, and
also helped to enter commands faster (very important in a toe-to-toe battle).
I never met him.

I have always liked multi-user games, and think there is a lot of potential
for networked microcomputers, with their graphics screens.  Imagine something 
like Star Raiders (Atari) or a flight simulator, with interactive dogfights.
Or something like the arcade Star Trek game, with each ship having its own
view of what's going on outside.  With the appropriate protocols,
communication could be kept minimal while preserving realistic movement
(e.g. send a message only when taking a specific action, like changing
speed or acceleration, or firing a shot.).  

Steve Hand	         decvax!mcnc!ncsu!hand     
Box 7911
NC State Univ.           (919) 737-2336 ext. 34
Raleigh, NC 27695        (919) 834-4375