Full Thrust and PBEM

I've noted from several web pages that people often play games via email. What
I want to know is a) whether these games are human moderated/computer
moderated and b) whether any software tools are available (such as order
processors, image generators aso..)

Thanks

My games are human moderated and a tad labour intensive.

I use an excel spreadsheet to calculate movement, but I roll the dice and
hand-edit the turn reports.

I've lately experimented with FTMAP, a nifty program (I think it's by Alun
Thomas and Tim Jones) that produces GIFs of the battle.

> My games are human moderated and a tad labour intensive.
Where can you get FTMAP?

> Medains wrote:

FT Showdown and FT Racing had position reports calculated and generated by
Perl scripts, using a Trig/FT Perl library I've written.  FTMAP to
generate
maps (available from FT Computer Core - take a look at the FT FAQ for
the
URL, or I've got a link off of the GZG-L archives I maintain.)  Firing
and Damage are done by hand, for maximum flexibility.

It takes me about an hour to do a turn, two or three if the firing orders
are complex, or if there are a lot of ships.  (FT Showdown had 20-25
ships involved, FT Racing had 8.)

J.

> I've noted from several web pages that people often play games via

Keeping in mind that I am *not* a computer genius or super-programmer
or anything of this sort, the very first two PBeM games I ran (and to my
knowledge were the first two PBeM games run for Full Thrust or from
the list), I hand-edited *every*thing. Later a friend 'threw together'
some very basic movement code for me to use for positional determinations
(input current velocity, heading, location, and orders, it spit out final
velocity, heading, and location - it was finicky only in the way he put
it together with his notations, and totally uncommented (yes, Noam, that
would be Karl-ware  ;-)  for me to easily go in and 'fix up', and not
like I've had a lot of time to do so, anyhow). I've used the tool extensively
since in games I've run, but handedit detection reports, manually roll the
die, etc. Would like to learn more about FTMAP but don't have the resources
for it here.

Mk

> Medains wrote:

There are FTMAP resources available at the FT Computer Core as well as Excel
spreadsheets for cinematic and vector movement. My spreadsheets generate an
FTMAP data file for GIF image generation, but as the other gamemasters have
stated, all dice rolling for weapons attacks and threshold checks are done by
hand. No completely computer moderated FT gamemaster software exists at this
time, but given the state of the art for Diplomacy Judge software, it could be
accomplished.

Human moderated & manual calculations. It get's a little time intensive, but
you get used to working out pythagoras in small games.

If you want a simple demonstration, I'm planning a couple of short Gunslinger
duels, with players having 1 ship worth up to 400 points. Anyone interested in
a fast & frenzied slaughter?

'Neath Southern Skies - http://users.mcmedia.com.au/~denian/
Commodore Alfred K Hole - RNS Indy's Folly (CB)
Task Force Admiral Peter Rollins - RNS Waterloo (MKW)
Fleet Admiral Alberto Doyle - NKV Vesuvius (LFI)

> -----Original Message-----

> Human moderated & manual calculations. It get's a little time

I have played exactly one face-to-face FT game (not counting solitaire
games
since I don't have a mirror in my "war room")--all else is PBeM.  I
always use a spreadsheet for movement and range calculations. Note however
that if
you are spreadsheet-dependent, you will be at a disadvantage in a live
game if you don't have a computer handy; and I don't think it's quite
justifiable to buy a laptop just to play FT.

On 20-May-99 I climb as hard as anybody - I just do it on easier routes.
wrote:
> Keeping in mind that I am *not* a computer genius or super-programmer

I'm currently thinking of writing something to computer moderate a PBEM FT,
being a software developer by trade:) I can see that slight modifications are
going to be required to the turn order, and some restrictions on what people
can do in order to allow a turn to be run in one go. (Otherwise you have a
moving turn/firing turn)
How have those who have moderated their own games handled this? What
restrictions have you made?

> Colin aka Medains <medains@iname.com> wrote:
Be sure to have a look at:
                http://www.rebol.com/
Give it a try and you could find it very helpful in your efforts.

From: "I climb as hard as anybody - I just do it on easier routes."
<KOCHTE@stsci.edu>

> Keeping in mind that I am *not* a computer genius or super-programmer

Even after your Total Immersion Java course?

> Keeping in mind that I am *not* a computer genius or super-programmer

THAT'S IT, NOAM! You've pressed my last (okay, only;) button!

I call you out! I say to you: meet me on the field of battle (or space of
battle, whichever) in two weeks time! (well, some weekday evening
after Memorial Day other than that friday, anyway - if you're free, that
is! :).

M '<mutter> show *him* total immersion in java <grumble>' k

> Medains <medains@iname.com> wrote:

I've got two other things to consider. First, it would be great to make the
code as portable as possible. Writting it in Java or in portable C come to
mind.

Second, people have many changes to the rules. Things like adding new weapons,
changing sensor ranges, or some alien races completely different ships work,
including engery allocation. If the program could be written to allow at least
some of these changes would help.

Third, let's throw in the kitchen sink and have the program
generate wimming lotto numbers :-) :-)

Just a couple thoughts off the top of my head.

Enjoy,

> "I climb as hard as anybody - I just do it on easier routes." wrote:

You think you guys would be less hostile after what happened in Showdown.
(Or what will happen to Noam, in about two turns.  (8-) )

J.

> >Even after your Total Immersion Java course?

That's it! AARON! I CALL YOU OUT! (for not having given Jerry orders yet
;)

Mk

Roared the multinomial creature formerly known as Indy:
> THAT'S IT, NOAM! You've pressed my last (okay, only ;) button!

> I call you out! I say to you: meet me on the field of battle (or space

> M '<mutter> show *him* total immersion in java <grumble>' k

You're going to throw coffee on him?

From: "I climb as hard as anybody - I just do it on easier routes."
<KOCHTE@stsci.edu>

> >Even after your Total Immersion Java course?
... <blah blah posture blah>

and

> That's it! AARON! I CALL YOU OUT! (for not having given Jerry orders

Well. _Someone_ is getting a major 'tude around here. Must be close to
finals time. Better study up!

Rule Number 1 (actually, all my rules are rule number 1 - just different
sections): Never _tell_ anybody what your buttons actually are, unless
you want everybody pressing them all the time.

As for the bluster above, all I can say, code-boy, is bring it on! Right
here <pointing to chin>. Hit me with your best P-Torp fire control
Applet!

> >Even after your Total Immersion Java course?

I'm *done* with that java course, man.:) All done. Done, done, done, done,
done!!

> Rule Number 1 (actually, all my rules are rule number 1 - just

Just don't push the red one...

> As for the bluster above, all I can say, code-boy, is bring it on!
Right
> here <pointing to chin>. Hit me with your best P-Torp fire control

Okay, Noam...how 'bout that ol' BDN of yours in Jerry's game?  ;-)

> Bizarre Lag Phenomena

You have got WAY too much time on your hands, man!

Mk

> At 02:35 PM 5/21/99 -0500, Mk wrote:

Well, I'm sure you'll be glad to hear, my orders are in. (And for those
interested, I also just caught up to reading this message in my backlog of
e-mail.  Several down, something like 1.5 megs of e-mail to go... I was
*not* doing anything on my computer for a long, long while.)