[comp.sources.games.bugs] Spacewar running on ULTRIX 2.0

awn@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Wilson) (06/24/88)

	We now have Spacewar running on ULTRIX 2.0, Dec's BSD 4.2
	lookalike.  Everything seems to be performing ok but the
	graphics are a little rough.  We have vt100 emulators here and
	when I tell Spacewar it doesn't complain.  The problems start
	when reverse-video is used in the display.  The display
	manager component of the system doesn't switch reverse-video
	on and off correctly and so we get bars of reverse-video
	printed across the central viewing screen.  Ugly!
	Also we get what looks like control characters coming through,
	lots of fives and threes - Are these "reverse" "normal"
	display characters.

	We'd like to know if anyone else gets these problems and how
	they solved them.

	Is there a wish list for Spacewar yet?  Any one have any ideas
	for enhancing the game?

	Here in the UK there is a game called ELITE running on BBC
	micros.  As well as zapping baddies there is a trading
	element to the game - you carry cargo and buy and sell to
	raise cash for better equipment etc.  ELITE is a realtime
	3D graphics sort of game but there's no chance of putting
	hi-res on a vt100 so I guess graphical enhancement is out of
	the question - except for SUN owners.

	What about an enhancement which lets you dock at a starbase
	and explore in a rogue-like fashion picking up goodies from
	the base before "dusting off and nuking the site from orbit".

	Seriously - Spacewar could be massive - just the best MU game
	on the planet.

	Pity abaout the graphics though...

--Andrew.

awn@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Wilson) (06/24/88)

	I've finally sussed out why Spacewar's graphics were all messed
up.  When you enter the teminal type you've got to put "." or "," or ";"
first eg. .vt100 or ;tvi912c etc.

	This info is in the documentation so I guess my problem comes from
not reading well enough.  Sorry.

--A.

neese@cpe.UUCP (07/02/88)

>	Also we get what looks like control characters coming through,
>	lots of fives and threes - Are these "reverse" "normal"
>	display characters.
>
>	We'd like to know if anyone else gets these problems and how
>	they solved them.

The 3's and 5's are the pad characters in the termcap.  Spacewar writes
directly to the terminal via 'write' but firsts builds a strings with which
to write.  The string will contain the things that tgetstr got when the
terminal was inititialized.  You can solve the problem by deleting the pad
numbers from the termcap, but them you may end up with other problems, i.e.
the terminal may not be able to do un/reverse video fast enough to keep up
and you will end up trash on the display anyway.  The correct thing to do,
for the sake of portability, is to redo the code that updates the display
so as not to 'write' to the tty, but use normal methods to get the data on
the terminal.  This is just an opinion not a flame.


						Roy Neese
					UUCP @	ihnp4!sys1!cpe!neese