Multiplayer FPS

NeoScriptor · Post by **NeoScriptor** » Mon 01 Aug, 2005 8:37 pm

What do you think? Something like Gemini, with link capabilities and some added movements, like jumping, and terrain, rather than an all-Doom style game. Something more along the lines of Duke Nukem, where it is still "raycast-style" yet includes platforms. I realize that this would be a lot of code, time, loss of speed, but think of the fragging! I'd love to be in science, link up, and destroy my class-mate with a pistol. I'm definitely not talking about the next halo, but it could be possible.

(I would imagine a large file size

)

Spooner · Post by **Spooner** » Mon 01 Aug, 2005 9:45 pm

Possibly but I sure could not code it. This defintly be something that I would play we just need someone to code it.

Spengo · Post by **Spengo** » Mon 01 Aug, 2005 11:41 pm

Well, I've always thought that even the completely flat fps games (as all 83+ ones are currently) could use multiplayer.

I dunno if a calc could handle z values as well tho.

coelurus · Post by **coelurus** » Tue 02 Aug, 2005 1:06 pm

_The_ routine:

http://coelurus.thorntwig.tk/data/main.c

Grab and port it and you guys got variable wall heights. I'd recommend slowing down the player and scale things down a bit vertically to make the impression that the world is larger than it is.
No textures, but they are mostly a drawback on the calc anyway.

As for linkplay, I have no experience in that.

nepmarauder · Post by **nepmarauder** » Tue 02 Aug, 2005 3:02 pm

Ya, a friend and I were going to try that. coelurus posted that same routine to my post, but I didn't know enough about z80 or C to port it.

Now, I know a little bit more about z80, still nothing about C.

But, we still wanted to develop a shooter. So, we decided on a 2D-Railshooter with 3D-looking levels. Pretty much, you can only move left or right, but the level design gives a look of a real-life 3D scene.
We took this game basis and combine it with a Star Wars: Battlefront type stategy. This includes features such as command posts, full-army control (press numbers 1-5 to attempt to take over corresponding command post), respawning (if you get killed and there are still other guys in your army you can respawn), and multiple types of soldiers each with different weapons.

Check it out. Just click the animation below.
Then you can click on "First ALOC Level Design" and download the .8xp for the look and basic idea of the game.
If you are intersested, I may recruit you to help out...

threefingeredguy · Post by **threefingeredguy** » Sat 13 Aug, 2005 7:58 pm

gemini has such a fast frame rate that i doubt adding 2 player option would slow it down too much.

nepmarauder · Post by **nepmarauder** » Mon 15 Aug, 2005 2:08 pm

It might work, but good luck coding.
If you aren't an expert coder with raycasting, link port routines/timing, or z80 itself that it will be a long, tough project.

1) Raycasting
I don't really know much about it. However, it shouldn't take to much work. Here is how you could have a 2-Player mode.

First, have one player select Host, giving them the options on level select, lives, guns, etc. When he continues onto the level, a variable is sent to the other calc telling it to load that level. Both calcs begin at the same time. Simple as that. The only thing you would have to add is the enemy, which is the guy controlled by the opposite calc. You would have to send the coordinate variables and display the corresponding view to the opposite player.

Also, you could go along the same lines, but keep the enemies. Both players would work with each other in a 2-Player Campaign Mode (like Halo).

2) Link Routines
You can try to find some link and timing routines on the net. The only problem is the timing must be exact. When one calc is sending the other is receiving.
I have seen some pretty good routines before but they use halts. You can't with a real-time raycaster because halts stop everything. Stops the code dead in its tracks for about 1/20 of a second. This means everytime you send or receive a variable the screen image would slow down and seem glichy. And believe me, you would be sending variables often. The best way would be to have them in an interrupt, that way after every line of code the coordinates, health, etc. are updated.

katmaster · Post by **katmaster** » Mon 15 Aug, 2005 6:53 pm

sounds like an awesome idea. there needs to be more multiplayer games for 83+...

threefingeredguy · Post by **threefingeredguy** » Tue 16 Aug, 2005 12:32 am

actually i think that french doom83 had a multiplayer mode...

Spengo · Post by **Spengo** » Tue 16 Aug, 2005 5:14 am

No, it had it on the main menu but you couldn't select it. :'(

threefingeredguy · Post by **threefingeredguy** » Tue 16 Aug, 2005 6:02 am

oh. i just figured it was cause i had an 84+ with the mini usb link instead of the round one.

DarkerLine · Post by **DarkerLine** » Tue 16 Aug, 2005 4:39 pm

The 84+ has both. At least mine does.

threefingeredguy · Post by **threefingeredguy** » Wed 17 Aug, 2005 12:52 am

i have both, i just only had the mini usb (84+ to 84+) cable. no regular link cable.

MathStuf · Post by **MathStuf** » Fri 19 Aug, 2005 3:44 pm

I did have a few ideas about how to get multiple calculators connected. It would only work for the 89Ti and 84+ series though. Loops of calcs could easily be made with those. If you made a string of calcs, one regular 83/89 could get onto the end. The problem would be syncronizing all the calcs. Turn games would be easy (such as cards and board games) , but real time would be very complicated. The data being transferred would need to be bit-packed to the max.

coelurus · Post by **coelurus** » Sat 20 Aug, 2005 12:56 am

Are there any realtime games with linkplay? I've never touched the link port and I probably won't delve deeply into it, but it'd be nice to see working routines and to expand on them. The TI83 SDK has some info, but nothing proven for realtime apps.