Bolo ｩ 1987-1993 Stuart Cheshire <cheshire@cs.stanford.edu>
(See "Bolo.futureplans" for details of what is coming in the next release)
Release notes, in reverse order
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0.99.2 9th June 1993.
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･ﾊFixed bug in code for autopilot control of joining and leaving alliances.
0.99.1 3rd June 1993.
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･ﾊFixed bug where players menu could get truncated.
･ﾊFixed bug where tank labels could leave trail of letters on the screen.
･ﾊFixed bug where leaving alliances did not work correctly (any pillboxes you put down after that would be hostile to you as well as everyone else).
･ﾊAdded a "Network Info" window, giving more information about the game.
･ﾊAdded option to notify Mike Ellis's BoloTracker whenever you start or join a game.
0.99 26th May 1993.
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･ﾊAdded plug-in brain interface. (See accompanying sample code).
･ﾊIMPORTANT: To use the new Autopilot in Bolo 0.99, you must have a folder called "Brains" in the same folder with the Bolo 0.99 applications, and you must have some Brain files (such as the "Standard Autopilot" brain) inside it.
･ﾊTo help prevent cheating, whenever you save the map, it is announced to all the players.
･ﾊAdded some more colour to the screen display.
･ﾊRemoved the debugging window, and improved the message system some more.
･ﾊAdded "News Wire" service giving news about events in the game.
･ﾊFixed bug in display of the game start delay count-down.
･ﾊAdded time limit option for people who don't have unlimited time to play.
･ﾊAdded password access protection on games, to keep out vandalistic players.
･ﾊAdded "Game Info" window, to show the current map name, game time limit, etc.
･ﾊAdded "System Info" window, to show CPU usage, packet loss rate, etc.
･ﾊAdded option to display identifying name labels next to each tank on the screen.
･ﾊIncluded separate option as to whether you want your own tank to be labelled.
･ﾊFixed a bug when using maps with fewer than 16 start squares defined.
･ﾊIt is now not possible to repair dead pillboxes dropped in deep sea.
･ﾊIt is now not possible to try to build a bridge on (or under) your boat.
･ﾊAdded support for UDP/IP across the Internet. (I'm not making any promises about games successfully spanning the whole world yet).
･ﾊAdded option to disallow computer controlled tanks from a game.
･ﾊAdded option to make all mines visible to everyone.
･ﾊThe tank controls now ignore keys pressed in conjuction with the 'Command' key so that you can use command-key menu shortcuts without accidentally moving the tank at the same time (unless you have defined the Command key as one of the tank controls).
･ﾊFor multiple users sharing the same Mac, you can now have your own preferences file. Just drag a copy of "Bolo Preferences" out of the System Folder, rename it (if you like) and then double click that icon to start up Bolo with your own preferences.
･ﾊBolo now does a quick scan of all the AppleTalk zones and indicates where it finds players. To avoid annoying network administrators, it only sends a single NBP packet to each zone and does not attempt resend those that get lost, which means that occasionally players may fail to show up in the zone scan. Don't complain -- if I did any more your network administrators would probably ban Bolo.
･ﾊIMPORTANT: Change of alliance mechanism:
1. Select a person whose alliance you would like to join on the "Players" menu and select "Request Alliance" on the "Bolo" menu.
2. If agreeable, that person should then select your name on their "Players" menu and then select "Request Alliance" or "Invite New Allies".
If you are in an alliance, the menu choices are "Invite New Allies" and "Leave Alliance". If you are not, then the menu choices are "Request Alliance" and "Cancel Request".
Take care that you have the correct players selected on the "Players" menu when requesting/inviting.
If you are already in an alliance, you must select ﾒLeave Allianceﾓ first before you can join a new one.
0.98 21st February 1993.
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･ﾊFinally fixed the alternating black/white message characters on old Macs.
･ﾊHopefully, I've eliminated map inconsistencies (invisible/unrepairable/phantom pillboxes etc.) which occasionally occurred due to bugs in network error handling code.
･ﾊNames in "Players" menu now include zone names.
･ﾊMore minor improvements/bug fixes to the key setting dialog box.
･ﾊIn my overenthusiasm about how much faster Bolo is now, Bolo 0.96 increased the maximum packet rate to 50 per second. This turned out to be just too much for SEs to handle, so I've cut it back to 25 packets per second.
･ﾊFixed the bug where your parachuting man does not display properly on other screens, and the bug where you sometimes would not lose a pillbox when you die (it thought your parachuting man was carrying it).
･ﾊFixed bug which could make it difficult to pick up pillboxes dropped in the sea.
･ﾊFixed bug which (a) allowed the man to lay mines "for free", and (b) did not allow him to lay mines in forest.
･ﾊYet another sound manager workaround. Let's see if this fixes it.
･ﾊFixed bug which could crash 68000 Macs when you quit.
･ﾊThe man now farms trees 'carefully' without setting off mines. Other heavy construction (roads, buildings etc.) will still set off mines.
･ﾊFixed endless explosion bug when you try to run off the edge of the world.
･ﾊ"Hide Windows" (only really useful under System 6) now correctly hides the message window as well as the main game window.
･ﾊCute visual effect when the tank is destroyed.
･ﾊFixed bug where kills/killed counts could appear in strange font.
0.97 5th February 1993.
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･ﾊFixed bug that stopped you from repairing pillboxes.
0.96. 4th February 1993.
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GRAPHICS
･ﾊFixed bug where mines do not display correctly in 32-bit colour ("Millions" mode).
･ﾊTo make it more understandable on monochrome screens, Bolo now marks your own tank with a black ring, allied tanks etc. with grey, and hostile forces are white.
･ﾊFor people who suffer from Red/Green colour blindness, Bolo now has a menu option to select an alternative colour scheme, similar to the mono one described above.
･ﾊFixed cosmetic problem where Bolo could 'draw through' an After Dark screen saver.
NETWORK
･ﾊApparently, due to a minor mistake, Bolo's network packets looked enough like RTMP packets to confuse some stupid routers (though we never had any trouble at Stanford). I have changed the DDP protocol type now, so this problem should not recur.
･ﾊAdded option to start a new game even when there is already one running in the same zone (instead of being forced to join the existing game). My original thinking was that since Bolo is a multi-player game, then it doesn't make sense NOT to join the game which is already there. I hadn't realized how often the number of people wanting to play Bolo would exceed the 16 player limit.
･ﾊAdded no-network single-player option to maximize battery life on PowerBooks.
･ﾊImproved protocol so that the network is not disrupted by players joining/quitting.
MINES
･ﾊIf you lay a load of mines which no one else can see, and then quit the game, then they no longer vanish from the game when you do. Of course no-one can see them (this includes yourself if you decide to rejoin the game later).
･ﾊTanks now have the capability to detect mines one square in front of them. If you are careful, and drive very slowly, you can see mines in time to avoid hitting them.
･ﾊFixed bug which would allow you to build pillboxes on mines without them exploding.
･ﾊBug Fix: Even though there are none in the Everard Island map, Bolo does allow maps to be defined which start with mines already on them, and these mines are INVISIBLE to all players. However, due to a bug in 0.95, the player who initiated the game (and ONLY that player) got to see all of these mines. This is now fixed.
･ﾊFixed bug where Bolo would let you try (unsuccessfully) to lay mines on water.
･ﾊIt is now no longer possible to head away from the island out into deep sea and keep going for ever. The island is now ringed by mines far out in the deep sea to prevent you from going too far.
PILLBOXES AND REFUELLING BASES
･ﾊThe limit on the number of pillbox shells simultaneously in flight has been raised from 4 to 12. Pillboxes should now fire smoothly instead of in bursts of four shots at a time. The author's decision is final on this, so don't bother complaining.
･ﾊBy overwhelming concensus, the plan to allow tanks to pick up and transport refueling bases (like the way you do with pillboxes) has been rejected, or at least postponed.
･ﾊRefuelling bases now have some sense of self preservation, and will not give you their last two units of armour, which would leave them completely vulnerable to attack.
･ﾊFixed the "Dead but not destroyed" pillboxes which needed a couple of extra shots to finish them off before you could drive over them to pick them up.
･ﾊFixed bug which would allow you to build pillboxes on top of half-shot buildings.
･ﾊPillboxes now actively defend your refuelling bases for you -- if some hostile player comes and starts shooting your refuelling base, then nearby pillboxes will get angry and retaliate.
MAP FILES
･ﾊBolo can now save the state of the map when you quit, and load that map in the next time you play. (Double-click the map file, or use the "Select Map" button in the "New Game" dialog). At the moment it only saves the map -- not alliance information, or pillbox ownership, or mine visibility.
･ﾊBolo will also read the old BMAP format map resources. Create a resource file with creator code 'BOLO' and type 'BMAP' and place your BMAP resource in it with id 128.
･ﾊI had originally planned to write a map editor and create some alternative maps -- a pair of large islands connected by a narrow causeway of land, an archipelago of small islands connected by bridges, a forested jungle island, a Manhattan street map, etc. There are now several map editors (written by other people) and lots of maps on Sumex-aim, so I don't need to do this.
PREFERENCES & KEYBOARD SETTINGS
･ﾊAll settings, including key assignments, are now saved in the Preferences Folder.
･ﾊImproved key setting dialog box to display current settings.
･ﾊFixed bug in key setting dialog box -- it now ignores the Caps Lock key.
･ﾊBy popular request, there is now an "Auto Slowdown" option which makes the tank automatically decelerate as soon as you release the "Go" button. Before you use this though, let me warn you: The result is that you hold the "Go" button down to go full speed, and let go to stop, making it almost impossible to drive at any speed in between. Also, due to deficiencies in certain Macintosh keyboards, if you are holding down two keys (eg. Go and Turn left) then it will not detect any other key presses (eg. shoot or lay mine). The choice is yours.
MISC
･ﾊBolo now has three different game 'modes' which are chosen by the player who initiates the game. You can have an open game, where everyone gets free ammo, or a tournament, where you get some free ammo at the start of the game, but each new tank gets less and less as the game progresses, and a strict tournament for the serious players, where you never get any free ammo even for the very first tank.
･ﾊUser selectable 'Join time' at start of game, so that everyone has time to join into the game before the play actually begins.
･ﾊImproved randomization so when you start a new game, your tank no longer always appears at the same starting location.
･ﾊThe tree growing algorithm is now fixed so that trees will grow over the entire area of the new larger maps which many Bolo enthusiasts have created.
･ﾊBy popular demand, 'free' boats no longer self destruct when you leave them. The new solution to boat overcrowding is that you can sink stationary boats just by ramming them, at no damage to yourself. As before, boats can only be left on shallow water -- if you try to leave a boat in deep sea it will sink.
･ﾊMessage mode has been significantly improved, though it still needs more work.
･ﾊ'Autopilot' mode that you can engage if you are forced to leave the keyboard for a few moments, so that your tank will make some token effort to defend itself while you are away.
･ﾊJust for chuckles, you can set the 'Autopilot' to 'Aggressive' mode and watch it try to win the game by itself. It probably won't.
SYSTEM ISSUES
･ﾊI've done a workaround for the Sound Manager bug which makes it conflict with AppleTalk and occasionally produce those horrible screeching sounds. If you still get the screeching sounds ON A MAC RUNNING SYSTEM 7, please let me know. No promises about System 6 though. Sorry.
･ﾊFixed bug which prevented dragging the window to a position ABOVE the menu bar on a multiple-monitor setup.
･ﾊFixed bug where it was only possible to check the first eight players in the "Players" menu.
･ﾊPerformance on low-end machines (Mac Plus, SE, Portable, Classic, PowerBook 100 etc.) should be noticeably improved.
･ﾊMinimum memory requirement reduced to about 300K (no colour or sound effects).
OLD CHANGES (originally appearing in sub-releases 0.95a to 0.95e)
･ﾊ(since .95e) Fixed a bug which could make Bolo crash on 68040 Macs (eg Quadras).
･ﾊ(since .95d) Fixed a bug which could make Bolo crash when starting up on Radius Pivot displays in landscape orientation, and possibly other systems as well.
･ﾊ(since .95c) Improved low-memory operation by refraining from stupidly loading ALL the sounds it can until there is no memory left.
･ﾊ(since .95b) Fixed minor AppleTalk Phase 1 omission (now selects 'home' zone as initial default in game start dialog).
･ﾊ(since .95b) Fixed bug which made it possible for tank get on top of building and/or allowed man to build buildings underneath a tank.
･ﾊ(since .95a) Improved network performance on Macs which do not provide a Deferred Task Manager (ie a Mac Plus or Mac SE without System 7, and perhaps some others).
0.95. 27th May 1992.
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･ﾊFinally, I have found the cause of the loss-of-ownership bug. It is an obscure timing error which only occurs on LocalTalk -- not on Ethernet, which is why I could never reproduce it on my own machine.
･ﾊBoloSounds now has its own icon. You will have to trash ALL old Bolo files on your hard disk (and remember to empty the trash), drag the new files onto your hard disk, and then restart your Mac with Command-Option held down to rebuild the desktop file.
0.94. 25th May 1992.
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･ﾊFixed minor bug in startup code when you are the first player in a game.
･ﾊFixed bug where sometimes your replacement combat engineer would not parachute in to the right place.
･ﾊBolo now throws up a dialog box to stop you quitting accidentally when you hit Cmd-Q by mistake.
･ﾊBolo now allows you to reclaim your old possessions if you rejoin a game you recently left. You must enter EXACTLY the same name, and check the "Reclaim old possessions" checkbox.
･ﾊSlightly changed the way cursor-keys scroll the screen. You now cannot scroll hostile objects (tanks and pillboxes) off the screen unless you turn off AutoScroll first (Bolo menu). If you turn off AutoScroll then you may get no warning of baddies approaching from your 'blind side', so be careful. If you try to drive your tank completely off the screen, then AutoScroll is automatically turned back on.
0.93. 13th May 1992.
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･ﾊReduced network packet rate so it should run better on Classics etc. now.
･ﾊFixed major bugs in code for non-Colour QuickDraw Macs (Plus, SE, Classic etc.).
0.92. 11th May 1992.
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･ﾊFixed bug where sometimes when you fired, a trail of multiple shell images could appear.
･ﾊWorkaround for a bug in QuickMail which destroys other programs' network connections.
･ﾊImproved startup time on large AppleTalk networks (over 100 zones).
･ﾊImproved performance under A/UX on low-end Macs.
･ﾊFixed a bug where chains of mines could continuously explode.
･ﾊAdded sound effects.
･ﾊImproved screen scrolling algorithm (I think).
･ﾊFixed odd address error on 68000 machines. God I hate those.
･ﾊAdded a bit of Balloon Help for the menus.
0.91. 1st May 1992.
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･ﾊFixed bug where players who quit could leave 'phantom' tanks on other players' screens.
･ﾊFixed bug where players joining a running game could enter in "request alliance" mode, which is undesirable because you should have to explicitly request an alliance.
･ﾊFixed bug where a malformed packet on the network could get the game into a bad state where it got stuck in a loop with interrupts disabled.
･ﾊFixed a bug that made tanks in forest completely invisible, even when got so close that you crashed into them. Tanks in forest now become visible when you get close enough to see them (about 3 map squares away).
･ﾊAdded option to reconfigure the control keys.
0.90. 24th April 1992. First genuinely public release
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･ﾊFixed it so after you die it won't put your new tank right next to a pillbox.
･ﾊGot rid of the five free shells every tank got when it restarted. Now you get some free shells, but it decreases as the game progresses until finally you get none. If one player controls all the refueling bases then the game is over. No more endless dragging out the end of the game. If you have no refueling bases (and noone will make you their ally) then you have no shells. End of game.
･ﾊModified the 'easy start' feature intended for beginners. Giving your first tank 40 shells, 40 mines and a free boat was intended to make the game slightly less impossible for first time players. What happened was that players just kept quitting the game and rejoining to get lots of 'first' tanks. Now the easy beginner mode only lasts until the first pillbox on the map is killed. After that the game is on, and no more free lunch.
･ﾊWhen you shoot a base to capture it from another player, its appearance changes to let you know that you have killed it.
･ﾊWhen you quit the game, any personal possessions you have revert to neutral ownership. Any player joining the game later, and being assigned your old player number will not 'inherit' all your old property.
･ﾊWhen you layed mines using the TAB key, sometimes your allies could not see the mines. This is fixed.
･ﾊWhen you are killed it now waits slightly longer before blanking the screen so that you can see what it was that killed you.
･ﾊAdded a count of how many other players you have killed,
･ﾊand a count of how many times you have been killed.
･ﾊAdded "Players" menu so you can see who the other players are.
･ﾊAdded very simple message system to allow players to type messages to each other.
"Dangerous" version. Wednesday 22nd April 1992. First (semi)public release.
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To my complete amazement, everything worked almost perfectly. There were minor logical flaws which people managed to discover and exploit, but no serious bugs in the network software, and no crashes. This version ran continuously for over 48 hours at Stanford with a varying set of players until it was replaced by version 0.9 on Friday 24th April.
