GameMaster is essentially a game server. It is modular like After Dark (tm or something), in that games can be added and taken away at will. Each game is called a RuleBook. It is also capable of playing these rulebooks over a network. It can be run in the background and ignored, until someone connects to you over the network and asks you to play a game. One of its features is that if you do not have that rulebook, and you want it, GameMaster will automatically download it (or learn it), so you can then play it. It also handles upgrading in much the same way. If someone has a newer version of a rulebook that he wants to play with you, you can upgrade it automatically. GameMaster works over a MacTCP connection or an AppleTalk network (using ADSP) or both.
GameMaster is for one or two-player games only. It does not support multiple (more than two) players. (It might in version 6, or when System 8 comes out, whichever's sooner :-) The games can usually be saved half way through so they can be started again at a later date.
Distribution
GameMaster is distributed under the Povertyware banner. If you enjoy this software please send $10 to the address given below, even a Postcard would be nice. Our goal is to be developing a colour capable version of GameMaster on our own LC. If you dont want to pay the $10 you may as well use GameMaster anyway, just share the source and executables around. We write for fun, not just for profit.
Any Postcards or money should be sent to
Rhys Hollow
60 Birdwood St
Innaloo WA
Australia 6018
Any comments can be posted via email to:
(please specify GameMaster in the subject)
Rhys Hollow (gurhs@uniwa.uwa.oz.au)
Peter N Lewis (nlewispn@cc.curtin.edu.au)
Quinn (quinn@cs.uwa.oz.au)
Jager (marcus@cs.uwa.oz.au)
Installing GameMaster
Installing GameMaster is simple. Just create a folder to put GameMaster in, and put the rulebooks in the same folder. GameMaster will automatically recognise their presence and place them on the New Game menu. Rulebooks can also be placed in different folders (other than the GameMaster folder), however to play them you must either double click on the rulebook itself, or open it from within GameMaster (using the Open menu). Any new folder GameMaster encounters this way, will be added to it's search path, so launching a rulebook from a certain folder shows GameMaster all of the rulebooks in that folder.
If you wish to use GameMaster's networking capability, you must have either MacTCP installed, or ADSP (built into system 7), and have AppleTalk activated.
Running GameMaster
GameMaster can be launched three ways.
1. Launching GameMaster directly (ie double clicking on the GameMaster icon (tastefully designed by Quinn "The Eskimo"). GameMaster will initially know about all the rulebooks in its folder
2. Launching a rulebook directly. This will launch GameMaster and a new game of that rulebook. GameMaster will know about all of the rulebooks in its own folder and that of the launched rulebook.
3. Launching a saved game directly. This is the same as launching a rulebook directly, but instead of a newgame of being started, the saved game will be resumed (you will need to connect again if the game was being played remotely)
GameMaster can be played in the background without any fuss. Just launch it and forget about it. If anybody tries to connect to you, it will notify you via the notification manager.
Playing Games.
Once GameMaster is started, you can start a game by selecting the New Game Hierarchical menu in the File menu. GameMaster presents the names of all the rulebooks it knows how to play. If there is not enough memory to play that game, it is greyed. Selecting a rulebook from that menu opens a window with the board in it, and you can start playing immediately.
GameMaster supplies two standard commands for every rulebook. Restart and Swap, and they can be found in the Game Menu.
Ñ Restart does exactly that, it restarts the game. Useful for when you have finished a game and want to play again
Ñ Swap is used to swap players. For example if you are white in a game of chess, then selecting Swap will make you black instead. Swap can only be used if the game is being played remotely, and GameMaster first asks the remote player if he wants to swap too.
These menu items can only be selected if it is your turn to move or play.
Games can be saved for playing later as well. Just select Save from the File menu, and a standard file alert asks you to place the saved game somewhere in your file system. These games can be restarted via the Open item in the File menu.
GameMaster Dialogs
To eliminate the use of Modal Dialogs in GameMaster, each game has a panel at the bottom of its window. Most of the time it just displays the GameMaster motif, but if GameMaster or the rulebook wishes to ask you a question, the panel slides down to reveal a message and up to two buttons. All user input to that game are suspended until the dialog is answered, at which point the panel slides back up.
If the dialog has no buttons, then it is being used as a state indicator, telling you what it is doing. The panel should slide back up when GameMaster or the rulebook finishes whatever it is doing.
Connecting Games.
To play a rulebook remotely, you must connect it via the Connect command in the Game menu. This will be dimmed if you have neither MacTCP nor ADSP (AppleTalk).
GameMaster will bring up a modal dialog, asking you for the address of the machine you wish to connect to. From here you may select either MacTCP or AppleTalk.
If you wish to connect via MacTCP, you should type in the address of the machine into the Edit Text field presented. ie "111.22.33.44" or "mac.freddy.kreuger". Hitting return or clicking the OK button will start GameMaster connecting. If it fails it will inform you.
To connect via AppleTalk, the alert provides both a popup menu and a scrolling list to select the machine to connect to. The network zones are presented in the popup menu, and the machines running GameMaster in the selected zone are given in the scrolling list.
The address of the remote player is put into the title bar of the window if you successfully connect.
If you are on the receiving end of a connection, GameMaster brings up a new window with a copy of the sending game in it. The panel slides down and asks you if you want to play it. This is your chance to check the given game, and make sure you are given a fair chance of winning. The game is presented exactly as it will be played. So if it says it is white's turn and you are black, then, should you decide to play, you will have to wait until white moves before it is your turn.
Disconnecting
Once connected a game can be disconnected a number of ways. The player can select Disconnect from the Game menu or close the window directly. Quitting, which closes all windows, will disconnect the games if they are connected.
Learning and Upgrading.
If someone tries to connect to you with a rulebook that you do not have, GameMaster will ask you if you wish to learn it. If you decline, the caller will be told to go away. If you agree to learn it, GameMaster will download the rulebook over the network link already established. It will save the rulebook in the GameMaster directory, and then continue with the connecting routine as if it knew it all along. If you are going to download rulebooks, make sure the GameMaster folder is write enabled. GameMaster doesn't check for this yet (I haven't got around to it, but I promise I will fix it soon)
The same procedure is followed if you have an older version of the rulebook. GameMaster will ask you if you wish to upgrade. If you decline, and your older version is compatible with the newer version, GameMaster will still open a game window and ask you to play. If your older version is not compatible, it will tell the caller to go away.
Caution
Be careful when learning or upgrading rulebooks. It is possible for someone to write a rulebook which formats the hard disk the moment it is run. This is of course a worst case scenario, and I don't believe it will happen, but paranoia is a wonderful state of mind, don't you think?
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the following people who were crucial to the development of GameMaster.
ÑPeter N Lewis - who wrote the MacTCP code, helped design the rulebook interface, debugged and tested and wrote 5 rulebooks (so far).
ÑJonathan Quinn - who wrote the RuleBook Programmers manual (which puts this user manual to shame). He also helped with the GameMaster code, debugging and testing, and wrote 2 rulebooks (so far).
ÑMarcus Jager - who wrote the ADSP code (very quickly I might add), helped to test and debug, and is in the middle of writing Empire for GameMaster.
ÑDavid "John" McKenna - who helped to test my rulebooks, and who very kindly allowed me to use his internet account.
