Spicy Alternatives? (Read 55019 times)
July 30, 2005, 05:15:01 am 
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Spicy Alternatives?
Some applications are well suited for flash because they don't generate alot of traffic. With an RPG, each button press causes a trip to the server which broadcasts a message to all clients connected, so scrolling for example really generates alot of traffic. Probably the best performance would come from a client-client connection, though i must say i haven't crossed the network bridge using Java or C++ myself, so i need to investigate that.
July 30, 2005, 11:15:14 am
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Shining Spammer 
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Spicy Alternatives?
It actually worked pretty quickly on mine, but then I do have a (fairly) high-end PC. I didn't notice much unusual stuttering, and there didn't seem any lag at all, but that could easily be because the server's not too busy at this time, or any other reasons.
If you guys say Flash is out, Flash is out. Perhaps we could use a point-and-click system with the demo, so that instead of sending over each button press to maneouvre the character around the map, it sends the start and end positions, and lets the algorithm work out which way the character moved. I dunno if that'd be any quicker though - I'm clearly out of my league here
If you guys say Flash is out, Flash is out. Perhaps we could use a point-and-click system with the demo, so that instead of sending over each button press to maneouvre the character around the map, it sends the start and end positions, and lets the algorithm work out which way the character moved. I dunno if that'd be any quicker though - I'm clearly out of my league here
July 31, 2005, 03:46:12 am
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ok well I made this up for a 1v1 scenario to try to hype you guys up a little.
http://www.jaesign.com/desmond/multi1v1.gif'>
~Elvenfyre
July 31, 2005, 11:04:57 am
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July 31, 2005, 05:24:32 pm
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That did hype me up a bit. 
I'm looking at some sample network code in Java right now. I want to make a component out of it that abstracts away all of the messy network stuff, then we could just put an engine on top of it and do whatever we want.
I'm looking at some sample network code in Java right now. I want to make a component out of it that abstracts away all of the messy network stuff, then we could just put an engine on top of it and do whatever we want.
July 31, 2005, 07:00:28 pm
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I have a simple server and client written in java communicating on port 80. As it stands the server always replies "hey", no matter what the client says. We will need to create a protocol, so that the server can appropriately reply to requests from the clients. My plan is to have both a server and a client running on each user machine. So we could have the following timeline:
Code:
. User A starts the application.
- Application creates a server service listening on port X.
- Application connects to a web server and:
> Obtains a list of waiting users.
> Registers User A as a waiting user.
- User A selects an opponent, User B, from the list of waiting users.
- Application starts the client service and:
> Connects to the server running on User B
> Sends a message telling User B to connect to User A.
- At this moment User A and User B are officially connected and can
communicate with therespective client services.
July 31, 2005, 09:33:54 pm
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Shining Sideburns
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As of Wednesday I'll be officially back to my 12 hours of internet a day, so I'll contribute more ideas then.
I'm not too hot with Java, so I think it would be best if I stuck to my strengths and coded my own idea in Blitz. I realise that working together will achieve a lot, but I also think that regardless of how we work we'll all be able to learn things we can share. Like Job's network timeline, a lot of things can be abstracted so they're transferable.
Perhaps a sub-forum for this "challenge" might be a good idea?
@Elv - Like the concept, and I'll be modifying it myself later in the week to make it more look more like a screenshot.
I'm not too hot with Java, so I think it would be best if I stuck to my strengths and coded my own idea in Blitz. I realise that working together will achieve a lot, but I also think that regardless of how we work we'll all be able to learn things we can share. Like Job's network timeline, a lot of things can be abstracted so they're transferable.
Perhaps a sub-forum for this "challenge" might be a good idea?
@Elv - Like the concept, and I'll be modifying it myself later in the week to make it more look more like a screenshot.
August 01, 2005, 01:37:26 am
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I think everybody here wants cross the network bridge in their own way, for experience and maybe a resume filler, so Ty if you want to give it a shot with Blitz that's fine. One thing i would recommend is to use modularity, this way other people will be able to use the code, for example a network component, an engine component... etc. I'm developing a network component right now to make client communication really easy to implement.
August 01, 2005, 01:39:39 am
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Shining Spammer
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awesome job Job
Roger that Ty.
One thing I do want to stress which I probably don't need to because we're all shining force fans here.. the characters should be picked randomly from a set series of characters. (rather than attributes randomly created and a name and image randomly plastered to them based on character type)
Having set characters allows players to feel connected with the various units, and lets people talk about them(especially for strategies and reminiscing and fantalk etc).
Of course this is more to do with the whole player vs player thing.
Roger that Ty.
One thing I do want to stress which I probably don't need to because we're all shining force fans here.. the characters should be picked randomly from a set series of characters. (rather than attributes randomly created and a name and image randomly plastered to them based on character type)
Having set characters allows players to feel connected with the various units, and lets people talk about them(especially for strategies and reminiscing and fantalk etc).
Of course this is more to do with the whole player vs player thing.
~Elvenfyre
August 01, 2005, 01:48:48 am
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I was thinking about using characters from the various Shining Forces. This way i wouldn't't have to worry about creating graphics which i'm neither good at nor do i have the time for.
I want to have a simple Java chat application running as soon as possible, which i'm confident i can finish pretty soon.
I want to have a simple Java chat application running as soon as possible, which i'm confident i can finish pretty soon.
August 01, 2005, 02:02:54 am
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Shining Spammer
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Schoolyard pick'em concept.
Coin toss at the beginning (insert geek prgramming joke here)
Then the player who wins the coin toss chooses a character for his team first, then the other player chooses a character - then it's back to the first guy to choose another, and so on.
In reality, once you've chosen a player, the other guy can't choose the same person(unit in this case).. this is the entire reason for doing it one by one - and the other thing is in a schoolyard pickem since you can see the spots become empty of pictures, you will know what the other guy has on his team, so why not show you what he has in this case - and you can react to his choices possibly with counter-measures in your own choices.
concept art: (I'm letting you imagine the boxes are filled with pictures which you can click on to see stats, and then click a "pick me" button in the stats to choose them)
Coin toss at the beginning (insert geek prgramming joke here)
Then the player who wins the coin toss chooses a character for his team first, then the other player chooses a character - then it's back to the first guy to choose another, and so on.
In reality, once you've chosen a player, the other guy can't choose the same person(unit in this case).. this is the entire reason for doing it one by one - and the other thing is in a schoolyard pickem since you can see the spots become empty of pictures, you will know what the other guy has on his team, so why not show you what he has in this case - and you can react to his choices possibly with counter-measures in your own choices.
concept art: (I'm letting you imagine the boxes are filled with pictures which you can click on to see stats, and then click a "pick me" button in the stats to choose them)
~Elvenfyre
August 01, 2005, 03:11:55 am
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Shining Spammer
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More game principles.
We all know(i hope) that weapon damage= strength - defense(roughly, what, is it 5% difference + or - ?)
I'm also thinking weapon miss ratio = minimum 5% chance (5% + (defenders agility-attackers agility))
So what I've done is come up with a standard warrior character (and a few random ideas to go with it) and start seeing what ideas come out of the woodwork regarding unique characters and balancing characters.
I think nearly every character is worth a shot no matter how imbalanced they seem as long as you give them a weakness as well as a strength - and in testing we will figure out what works and what doesn't.
Basic Warrior Idea
STR: 50
DEF: 25
AGI: 40
MOVE: 6
HP: 100
MP: 0
This means (if we imagine it) it takes this guy 4 hits to kill himself(roughly)
On this basis a normal mage might have the following stats
STR: 27
DEF: 15
AGI: 30
MOVE: 5
HP: 80
MP: (extremely high in this case?)
Magic: 5 square coverage(like blaze 2), roughly 15 damage per unit.
Other ideas for characters obviously include archers, centaurs etc, flying units if the map(s) have a few tactical bushes/streams.
Not to forget healers which I think there would be two types of (only one spell per unit is enough in my book, but I guess that's up to the programmer if he wants to go to the effort of making room for more than one) The Aura healer, who can heal 5 square coverage 40HP per unit, and the Heal healer who heals 1 unit at a time to maximum HP.
Also was an idea for a mage who has a poison spell, again 5 square coverage, but only 5 damage per unit - though it damages them for 10 turns, 5hp a turn(these don't stack if you recast on the same guy) healing may or may not cure it.
Then of course there's the option for some characters to have a single useable item. One might be a fairly ordinary sort of archer except he has a ring which he can use once during the fight that gives him 2 turns in a row immediately after using it(so effectively he has 3 turns cos using an item is normally a turn right) - but the idea is to give him two attacks or moves or whatever.
We all know(i hope) that weapon damage= strength - defense(roughly, what, is it 5% difference + or - ?)
I'm also thinking weapon miss ratio = minimum 5% chance (5% + (defenders agility-attackers agility))
So what I've done is come up with a standard warrior character (and a few random ideas to go with it) and start seeing what ideas come out of the woodwork regarding unique characters and balancing characters.
I think nearly every character is worth a shot no matter how imbalanced they seem as long as you give them a weakness as well as a strength - and in testing we will figure out what works and what doesn't.
Basic Warrior Idea
STR: 50
DEF: 25
AGI: 40
MOVE: 6
HP: 100
MP: 0
This means (if we imagine it) it takes this guy 4 hits to kill himself(roughly)
On this basis a normal mage might have the following stats
STR: 27
DEF: 15
AGI: 30
MOVE: 5
HP: 80
MP: (extremely high in this case?)
Magic: 5 square coverage(like blaze 2), roughly 15 damage per unit.
Other ideas for characters obviously include archers, centaurs etc, flying units if the map(s) have a few tactical bushes/streams.
Not to forget healers which I think there would be two types of (only one spell per unit is enough in my book, but I guess that's up to the programmer if he wants to go to the effort of making room for more than one) The Aura healer, who can heal 5 square coverage 40HP per unit, and the Heal healer who heals 1 unit at a time to maximum HP.
Also was an idea for a mage who has a poison spell, again 5 square coverage, but only 5 damage per unit - though it damages them for 10 turns, 5hp a turn(these don't stack if you recast on the same guy) healing may or may not cure it.
Then of course there's the option for some characters to have a single useable item. One might be a fairly ordinary sort of archer except he has a ring which he can use once during the fight that gives him 2 turns in a row immediately after using it(so effectively he has 3 turns cos using an item is normally a turn right) - but the idea is to give him two attacks or moves or whatever.
~Elvenfyre
August 01, 2005, 07:21:10 am 
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Spicy Alternatives?
Hi All,
I've spent the entire weekend fooling around with models and whatnot.
I've come up with a decent number of screenies . Mail to Elvenfyre is underway.
Please feel free to comment on them after Elvenfyre has put them up.
Cheers everyone
Peter
I've spent the entire weekend fooling around with models and whatnot.
I've come up with a decent number of screenies . Mail to Elvenfyre is underway.
Please feel free to comment on them after Elvenfyre has put them up.
Cheers everyone
Peter
Love is Grand , Divorce ..... a hundred Grand
August 03, 2005, 08:13:04 am
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Shining Spammer
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Well, with a warrior and mage being around, it might be nice to have a 'priest' and a 'rogue' around as well of course
The priest would (obviously) cast healing spells, while the rogue would get a damage multiplier when attacking from the rear or alternatively, may be invisible to the opposing player under certain conditions.
Yet another archetype could be the knight, a warrior with less base agility and hitpoints, but with a nice charge bonus of +5-10% damage for every square traversed in the charge.
Of course, monsters would be needed too. Perhaps a sentient ooze that can attack all squares adjacent to him simultaneously with a splash attack?
The priest would (obviously) cast healing spells, while the rogue would get a damage multiplier when attacking from the rear or alternatively, may be invisible to the opposing player under certain conditions.
Yet another archetype could be the knight, a warrior with less base agility and hitpoints, but with a nice charge bonus of +5-10% damage for every square traversed in the charge.
Of course, monsters would be needed too. Perhaps a sentient ooze that can attack all squares adjacent to him simultaneously with a splash attack?
August 03, 2005, 10:56:48 am
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Shining Spammer
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You're right Devlyn, characters need not be left to be "humanoid" characters in a PvP.. they can be anything I suppose as long as both players have the chance to use them it's worth testing out.
The adjacent square thing is a great idea!
So is the charge thing.. as long as we can specify that somewhere so the player understands it.
I would recommend splitting up the rogue: Invisibility would be a good bonus all on its own I think...
(you can give less weakness then until it balances)
The damage multiplier thing could be changed to perhaps someone who is based on "luck" where they could do half damage(20%), normal damage(40%) or double damage(30%) or triple damage(10%).
-this balances him out so his/her other stats can be pretty normal. . .
The adjacent square thing is a great idea!
So is the charge thing.. as long as we can specify that somewhere so the player understands it.
I would recommend splitting up the rogue: Invisibility would be a good bonus all on its own I think...
(you can give less weakness then until it balances)
The damage multiplier thing could be changed to perhaps someone who is based on "luck" where they could do half damage(20%), normal damage(40%) or double damage(30%) or triple damage(10%).
-this balances him out so his/her other stats can be pretty normal. . .
~Elvenfyre