Collaborative TCP based Snakes game

[PaulLewis]

/\/\isanThr0p recently posted a topic which I became interested in and in the process of attempting to help, I have decided to see if anyone is intrigued by the simple but
fun idea of creating a Snakes game for "play" over the internet.

More specifically, the idea is to collaborate on a class structure and a game engine/rule base which we as programmers can then use to implement new AI's. The real fun comes from trying to write AI's which outwit each other...

I can see it now, my HungryKillerAI gets beaten by your SurvivorAI thanks to some clever coding on your part...hehe

The project need not be huge but it would allow sharing of knowledge in certain areas which some are stronger than others in.

For example:
TCP Comms
Data Structure Design and use
Classes and Interfaces Analysis and Design
Graphics programming

If anyone is interested, drop me a line and I will send a version of what I have thus far...


Regards

[/\/\isanThr0p]

This Idea sounds just like great fun!

But I think it would be even funnier having a 2D scrolling Shooter. With Obstacles, Doors that need accescards, some different wapons and of course medikits.

The best thing about this is, that when some real good AI's are done, with some modifications we would have a cool single player game.

I'd program a 2D shooter engine(I allready did some code I could reuse to have the game done real fast), and I could have the TCP/IP stuff done by somebody else.
I think when there are about four people we could start programming AFTER discussing everything that will be included to the game and the data to be sent.


What do you think?


(we are at top again, please answer here Paul so will stay at top)

[PaulLewis]

I'd have to see the 2-D shooter to see if I thought it would be better than snakes though. You have to admitt, that the age-old snakes game is among one of the most addictive games out there right from when computers first started popping up in homes. I think perhpas because it was one of the first two-player competitive games home users could write for themselves.

Anyhow, I'm all for it. I think an essential component will be a multi-threaded engine so I have to investigate whether VB can be used as an engine or not.

Any thoughts form anyone on this?

[HarryW]

I'd have to agree on the addictiveness point, I was totally hooked on a simple snake game that I downloaded from the internet at one of those crappy freeware games places :)

Also it seems more suited to the simple head 2 head AI concept. Long live Snake!

[/\/\isanThr0p]

Yes snake is very addictive!!!!!!!!

But there are so many good snake games out there. (mine for example lol)
And in my opinion watching a shootergame would be much more fun than watching snakes!
And the programming of the intelligence, too! Because there is so many thing you can do without managing huge arrays to think far into the future.
There are so many functions you can add to your ID so even if there are about 20 they still could have complete different tacktiks!

cu

[/\/\isanThr0p]

I'll begin programming a small demo for a 2D shooter!
(Like alway I need someone for better graphics)!

Hey Paul what do you think about opening a small m=page about it?

[PaulLewis]

It would take me too long to learn HTML and get a site up and running. It's not my area of knowledge you see. Also, during the days, I am working and it is only when I have gaps between projects (like now) that I am able to contribute here. Otherwise it is only during evenings and weekends for about an hour a day...

So if you have time, make a site and I will certainly help out.

Cheers

[/\/\isanThr0p]

Hey!

Do you write pages in HTML? I use just a WYSIWYG editor like Dreamweaver and change some small stuff in the HTML!

Just look at my page. I know it isn't special, but all We'd need! (to me!)

thanks!

[PaulLewis]

If you are going to learn a language, I reckon it pays to know a few tags and so on so yes, I would write a page in HTML freehand as such.

But only to learn. Once I had the basics, I might move onto something else. It's all moot anyhow since I;m not planning on investing that time in the near future.

And regarding your page. And the download I got from there for worms, I had a problem but I don't speak german. I'll email you the screen dump.

Cheers
Paul

[/\/\isanThr0p]

Hey is there still someone interested in that? I'll finish a 2D shooter, or we'll use a snake game.

btw Paul how do you store your snake? I used a buffer, that gives the X and the y for every part of the body. I don't think that would work out very well with the AI concept!
Would you provide the senses by the main program? I think it's the best method, and it makes it easier to have equal chances for every worm! (or player)

CU

[HarryW]

Paul: I learnt the fundamentals of HTML in a day, it's really not that hard. I think it's probably worth investing a day or so in it, that's more or less all you'll need to get a good idea of it.

/\/\isanthrop: If you were writing it in a language that supports pointers then I'd say use a linked list to store the snake details, but since you're using VB I'd say keep the array. I don't think speed is really a big issue anyway, it's more an AI thing.

[PaulLewis]

Never thought this thread would get revived..hehe

/\/\isanThr0p, I stored the snake in my game in a linked
list inplemented by way of a class (a little slow). HarryW
was correct however in that speed was not a major concern
for me because I was testing the concept of having child
processes (currently in VB that means other applications
started from the main application) to play the part of the players.

Each player had the same amount of knowledge about the
state of the playfield and they could each make moves when
they wanted to. The main loop of the game was only
interested in getting the latest move form the player and
processing the move and updating the playfield state.

Note that if a player makes a move and changes the move
before the main loop polled for it, only the latest move
would get processed. This I think makes it fair for the
player because you don't get the AI hogging the processor.

Anyhow my littel 2D test engine never got past the first
couple of AI's because I got onto other things. If your 2D
shooter is ready for me to look at then I'd be more than
happy to revive this project.

Cheers

[/\/\isanThr0p]

Will be ready at the point when I finaly get a first sprite! This GFXler told me to give it to me about a week ago! Now I'm still waiting!!
(I'm not going to write the whole game, when nothing is sure about it)
The graphcs are bad, but it will show what I mean!

MfG

[tonyenkiducx]

Ive got a website thats for my collaborative VB MUD allready, do you want a page on that? I can do all the usual submission forms, and source download if you want?


The address is http://www.enkidu.cx