Re: [sfbol-planning] Similar Projects - A couple more

[Devlyn D. <de...@ya...>]

Continuing to do research on the different open source
strategy games out there...  I guess I'm looking for
inspiration as well as places from which to borrow
code, if applicable :)


Xcong
http://sources.redhat.com/xconq/
This project seems reasonably mature.  It also appears
well documented.  I'm impressed by the goals stated
for this project.  Below are the stated goals for
Xconq's Game Design Language (GDL).
===================================================
PORTABILITY
Xconq should be able to run on a wide variety of
machines. However, new versions need not restricted by
the limits of old systems. 

AI 
It should be possible for a game AI to play any side
in any game. 

NETWORKING
It should be possible for any player on the net to
play any side.
 
SCALE 
Xconq should work well for games of strategic and
operational maneuver based on a 2D surface. It does
not need to work well for tactical games, adventure
games, space games, or anything requiring full 3D.
(This doesn't mean that it should be excluded from
those types of games, just that they are not required
to be possible.) Xconq should be able to handle very
large games.
 
GAME DESIGN
The designer should be able to use GDL to build any
strategic-level game desired. There should be multiple
computational models available to the designer, such
as different algorithms combat resolution. 

GRAPHICS 
It should be possible to use graphics of a high
quality, but it should not be required to produce a
playable game. The designer should be able to adjust
all aspects of a game's appearance. 

PLAY ACTION
It should be possible to design both turn-based and
real-time games, the choice being left to the game
designer. It should also be possible to design both
simple easy-to-play games and complex detailed games. 
==================================================

I think going with the same basic idea, but with the
idea that it'll be client/server from the ground up
(and, of course, suitable for SFB :) would not be a
bad start.  

I'm going to play around with Xcong in the next week
or so, just to get a feel for it.  Maybe some ideas
will come to me after playing around with it.

Chaotic Domain
http://chaosrts.sourceforge.net/
This is another real-time strategy game.  I'm
impressed with the progress they've made.  I like the
chat server they came up with, it seems to work pretty
well.  They noted they they wrote their own networking
core, I don't know if there's anything to be learned
by snooping that.  I also *think* I like the webstart
dealio.  It seems like an easy way to distribute the
game, but since that was my only experience using it,
I'll reserve judgment.

-Dev




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