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About NetTron

NetTron © 2002 Itamar Faybish

Program Website: http://www.geocities.com/ifaybish/nettron.html

Author's Website: http://www.geocities.com/ifaybish


Introduction

NetTron is a multi-player version of the famous Tron game. Its particularities are that it uses simple graphics, it can be played by up to 8 players simultaneously, there is a team mode, 2 against 2, 3 against 3, or 4 against 4, and it is very simple to configure/play.


The Control Panel Form

This program contains two main forms, one being the Control Panel where all the options are configured, and the other one being the actual game form.

The Control Panel has three main parts: the common, the server and the client parts. The server is the machine which starts the game, and is the only one which configure all the options. Clicking on the button "Client Registration" in the client part registers you as a client, with the specified name, on all the instances running in the network. Once clicked, you cannot change any option, unless the server does a "Reset All".

The common options are:

- Name => Defines the player's name.
- Point Color => Defines your point's color.
- Back Color => Defines the forms background color.

Command buttons:
- Pause => Pauses the game

the server options are:

- Thickness => Defines the thickness of the moving points.
- Snap to grid => Defines whether you want the points to move in a virtual grid (equal to the points thickness).
- Speed => Defines the speed of the moving points, it will need some adjustments to suit your taste. Note that it is relative to other options, so if you for example change the thickness, or the width and height of the playing form, then the same value for the speed option will actually have a different "true" speed.
- Turbo => Defines if you want to play with the possibility of a Turbo button for each player. Turbo doubles your speed during play, and is activated (and desactivated) through pressing the space bar.
- Warp => Defines whether you want the form to be "spherical", meaning that if you touch the left border, you will come back from the right.
- Complexity => Defines how complex the scene will be; meaning how many obstacles there will be in the scene.
- Match => Defines how many games one must win in order to win a match.
- Players => Defines how many players are playing the game.
- Team => If 4, 6 or 8 players are playing, then you have the possibility of playing in a team, 2 against 2 (Server and 1st client against 2nd client and 3rd client), 3 against 3 (Server, 1st and 2nd clients against 3rd, 4th and 5th clients), or 4 against 4 (Server, 1st, 2nd and 3rd clients against 4rd, 5th, 6th and 7th clients)
- Fixed Position => Defines whether the players will alternate their positions after each game.
- Diagonal motion => Defines whether the points can go diagonally. This option is only available if the thickness of the points is 1.
- Width => Defines the playing form's width.
- Height => Defines the playing form's height.
- Grid Color => Defines the color of the playing grid.

Command buttons:
- Start Match => Starts the match
- Reset Match => Resets the match
- Reset All => Resets all the options in all the running instances

This program uses Multicast messages for comunication purposes, making it ideal in local networks having "intelligent switches". If you have a "simple" network, then it will be just like broadcast, provoking considerable bandwidth consumption during play.


The Game Form

This is the actual form on which the game is played. The keyboard configurations are the same for all players: The cursor keys are used for choosing one's direction (Up, Down, Left, Right), and the space bar is for both activating and de-activating the turbo (if the server choose this option). The turbo makes you exactly twice as fast as normal, and is recharged slowly once de-activated.


Contact Information

For any problem, suggestions, bugs report, you can contact me at the following email address:

yfaybish@hotmail.com

You can also check for updates at:

http://www.geocities.com/ifaybish/nettron.html