Meeting Pearls 3

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Text File | 1994-06-08 | 15.3 KB | 398 lines

NOTHELLO for MUI 2.0 and AmiTCP/AS225 [This document is the amigaguide version sans the amigaguide information. For some reason, I can't get the .guide to work on OS2.x amigaguide. It works fine for 3.0 machines. If anyone is generous enough to find my error, I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me know what it was. Thanks] This application uses MUI - MagicUserInterface (c) Copyright 1993 by Stefan Stuntz MUI is a system to generate and maintain graphical user interfaces. With the aid of a preferences program, the user of an application has the ability to customize the outfit according to his personal taste. MUI is distributed as shareware. To obtain a complete package containing lots of examples and more information about registration please look for a file called "muiXXusr.lha" (XX means the latest version number) on your local bulletin boards or on public domain disks. If you want to register directly, feel free to send DM 20.- or US$ 15.- to Stefan Stuntz Eduard-Spranger-Straße 7 80935 München GERMANY ************************************ ** Introduction ************************************ Introduction to Nothello Nothello is a little project I wrote as a result of being able to play with the upcoming Grapevine IRC client by Brian Cerveny. In talking to Brian, I had visions of all the potentials of having an Amiga-based IRC client, that can start up other clients as a DCC command. Nothello was the first result of my ideas. I know of others who are planning clients, as well, and I have more ambitious plans myself. Nothello was just something simple enough to learn sockets programming, and to develop my own routines and style. While Nothello was designed with IRC startup in mind, it can easily be used standalone, as well. All you have to do is call it with the proper host and port number arguments, which is what Grapevine will do itself. It's just more privy to that information than you are. :) To start it up on your own, which is really the only way until Grapevine itself is released, you just find an opponent with either AmiTCP or as225 installed, get his Amiga's hostname or IP number, agree on a suitable port number to use, and then run it with the proper args. [Note: The /DCC startup via Grapevine is subject to change, as Grapevine is still in development. At this time, the planned support through Grapevine will be by /DCC command, i.e. /dcc nethello danimal If there will be any changes in the startup options for Grapevine compatibility, an appropriate version will be released.] ****************************** ** Disclaimer ****************************** Legal stuff and Disclaimer Nothello is freely distributable, but it is NOT to be considered in the public domain. I'll hold the rights and stuff for my own personal use. Noone, other than Brian is allowed to distribute it for a price other than the cost of a disk. Of course, should I be lucky enough to make it on a Fish disk, that's OK too. I can't imagine what it could hurt, but I cannot accept responsibility for any problems Nothello may cause to your system. At this time, it has been tested reliably on 3.x and 2.x systems, which were 68030 and 68000 machines. Thanks, and even if you don't want to register, please let me know what you think. See Author information for how to contact me *************************************** ** Requirements *************************************** Nothello Requirements Nothello requires: MUI 2.0 A TCP connection to the Internet using either AmiTCP or AS225r2 *************************************** ** Usage *************************************** Nothello Usage The arguments for Nothello are pretty simple. They can be entered either by CLI, or as Workbench tooltypes. Tooltypes can be commented out by using parenthesis, so you can keep the host names of some of your favorite opponents in (), and just un-() when you're ready to play. Here is the CLI argument line: ORIGINATE/S,NICKNAME,LEFTEDGE/N,TOPEDGE/N,PATH,HOST,PORT/N: ORIGINATE Means that when this boolean switch is present, the client runs in a 'server' mode. For a connection to be established, one client must have ORIGINATE set, and the other not. When running via Grapevine, the ORIGINATE client will be the client of the user who issues the /DCC command. This will also be the user who begins as white, and moves first. NICKNAME The nickname of the user. Grapevine will put your nickname here. On manual startup, put your nickname in. It's not really required for play, however. LEFTEDGE/ Not used, as this is an MUI program, and should save the TOPEDGE window settings on it's own. It's there for Grapevine compatibility. PATH Also unused. HOST Defaults to localhost. If using ORIGINATE, set this to anything you want-- it won't be used, as the server mode client will be listening for a connection. If _NOT_ using ORIGINATE, set this to the hostname or IP number of your opponent, i.e. danimal.msstate.edu, or 130.18.80.100. PORT Defaults to 1999. Just use some unused port number, like 9999 or 4123 or whatever. The only requirement is that the port numbers must agree for both clients. Grapevine will take care of this for you, but it's a little extra work for manual startup. So, a sample game could be started like such: Player 1: Nothello_AmiTCP originate nickname=danimal host=blah port=9998 Player 2: Nothello_AS225 nickname=Chuck host=danimals.machines.name.edu port=9998 Note that player 1 doesn't put in a valid host, but it will not be used, because of the ORIGINATE switch. The originating client must be started first, so that it can listen for a connection from the other client. The originator will open it's window, and watch the port, until a connection is made. If no connection is made in 60 seconds, the program will timeout, and exit cleanly. Once the originator is setup on the port, and the other client 'calls' the port, a connection will be made, and gameplay begins. ***************************************** ** Playing the game ***************************************** Playing the game Once gameplay begins, it's just Othello, but with a competitive twist. When it's your move, click on the square to make your move. There is a little message line that tells you whose move it is. Options once gameplay starts include: [Note: An asterisk (*) denotes that this button can only function when it is your turn to move.] *Forfeit your move Taunt *New Info Swap Colors Quit Menus are available, with a couple extra options: Project Game ------- ---- About.. ? New Game N ----- Forfeit F Quit Q Swap Clrs S Taunt T Last Move Show Opponent Moves Show Type.. Invert Selected The [HELP] key will load this amigaguide document if you have it in the same directory. When someone wins and the game is over, both players will have the option to start a new game or quit. If either player quits, then the whole match is over, and both clients will quit. FORFEIT YOUR MOVE When you are unable to move, you'll be forced to use this. It simply skips your move and lets your opponent go again. TAUNT This is a fun little extra, to add some serious competitiveness to this game. Pressing the Taunt button brings up a window with a string requester, where you can type in a verbal assault on your opponent. Of course, you can just tell him that was a good move, but why be nice? It's there to lay into him, and to keep the growls and grumbles off the IRC channel. The tauntee will have a requester pop up over his screen, containing your taunt, and he can't resume play until he accepts it. Have fun with this. :) NEW [GAME] Requests a new game from your opponent. This is a 'chicken' button, to be used when you think there is no hope of winning. Of course, your opponent can allow you to restart and humiliate yourself, or go for the throat and make you continue with the thrashing. :) INFO Simply pops up a window that can be closed at any time, which displays the nickname, host, and port of your opponent. Not particularly useful. ;} SWAP COLORS This can be done at any time, and simply swaps all the colors. If you're white, you'll become black, and your opponent will appear white to you. Note that this is totally transparent to your opponent-- he'll still see you as white himself. QUIT Will quit the game. The window close gadget also functions in the same way. Your opponent can not stop the quit, but he'll be happy that you've apparently given up. :) LAST MOVE Last move will highlight the piece that was clicked on the last move. It utilizes the active gadget function of the MUI user interface, which draws a black border around the piece. This lasts for one second, and will show both yours and his last move. SHOW OPPONENT MOVES Show Opponent moves is a little different from the Last move feature, in that it will highlight all the pieces involved in your opponent's last move. Just in case you blinked or weren't paying attention when his last move was made. Defaults to CHECKED. SHOW TYPE Show Type sets the type of highlighting that you want to use for the Show Opponent Moves function. There are two different show types: INVERT Will use the inverse color for the background of the button behind his chips. For example, if his chips are white, the background will be black. This is the default setting. SELECTED Will use the MUII_Selected image structure for the background of the highlighted opponent's piece. Normally, this is just a slightly lighter color than the normal button background. However, using the MUI-Prefs program, you can use a custom brushmap for the selected image. This makes for some really pretty (or wacky) custom Nothello windows. ***************************************** ** Enhancements ***************************************** Possible Enhancements Daemon operation. Challenge someone whether they're on IRC or not. Or maybe I should say whether they expect it or not. :) Manual startup window. Won't have to worry about CLI or WB args De-MUI the interface. Artificial intelligence. Automatic checking for a forfeit move. Easy to do once the artificial intelligence routines are in place. Maybe some kinda custom object that looks like the Knight Rider car's 'eye,' for when the computer is 'thinking.' 1 or 2 player mode not requiring networking. Could just easily remove all the networking routines, and the thing would be about 15k smaller. Any other enhancements suggested to me. :) send suggestions to djm2@ra.msstate.edu ******************************* ** Bugs ******************************* Bugs Uhhh.... Uhhhh... well, if you find any, let me know. :) Just because I think it's bug-free, doesn't mean it really is. It does appear to be solidly enforcer-hit free. One thing I wasn't able to adequately test for myself was AS225 operation. I only had AmiTCP at my disposal, but I did use the emulator socket.library, and any time I tested it over the net, I always used the AS225 version without a hitch. I dunno if that was a good test of the AS225 version or not. I did have one tester using AS225, and he reported no errors to me. ******************************** ** Credits ******************************** Credits Tons o' credits here. Chuck Woo for his tireless beta testing and whining. Also, for being an easily defeated opponent and boosting my ego. :) Chuck also sent me some documentation on adding AI into games, but (shhh! Don't tell him!!:) I haven't read it yet! :) Brian Cerveny, aka Redwine, for occasional help, and asking me WTF I wanted to do some things certain ways that made little or no sense. Scott Ellis. If it wasn't for his free source to AmiPOP, I wouldn't know a damn thing about programming networking stuff. I horked a ton of lines of his for my own use. Ralph Schmidt, aka Laire, gave me a good argument parsing routine. Chris Feck fixed up my ridiculously short-sighted chip-drawing routine. Seth Harman, known in the underworld as Budha, did the icon. [also changed the name from the original Nethello, cause the icon works better with an 'o'] John Weiderhirn tried for a couple days to figure out what a horrible problem was in my code. I later noticed I hadn't allocated a certain string, which of course, broke my entire program. He also has given me a lot of motivation, ideas, and strategies for a possible career in networking. Thanks John, for the speech, and hope you didn't mind me leading you on a wild goose chase. :) Ezra Story, alias Ezy, showed me a couple of tricks to get my accept a connection routine to timeout, as well as detecting a disconnection. Eric Totel, who authored the really cool Builder for MUI, which I used a little bit so long ago. Just wish I'd had the newest version with 'Copy Object,' so I wouldn't have had to make all those chip buttons by hand... :P Thanks, guys.. ******************************** ** Author info ******************************** Author Information I plan to keep working on it for fun, and if you want the latest version, send something like $3 USD and you'll become a registered user or something like that. You'll get the latest version, and each major version after that. Also a discount on registered versions of the next couple of projects I plan to start soon. Dan Murrell Jr. "Danimal" on IRC djm2@ra.msstate.edu McKee Trailer Park, Lot #7 Starkville, MS 39759