Re: sunsite.auc.dk

[Mithras <mithras@dhp.com>]

I can see the page fine today (which is, in fact, the first time I've been
there).  Looks nifty.

Let me introduce moiself, as per Ian's request.  I'm nobody special,
except a linux hacker and an avid gamer.  I've committed myself to writing
some computer games; I've just *got* to hack something I'll enjoy, know
what I mean?  What I have in mind is a simple (imho) game demonstrating
full screen graphics & networking.  Ian recommended we describe our game
ideas on the ML, so here it is:

This game would be a platform for playing 3-D 'Go' and chatting with the
other connected players.  Players can run games, review game histories,
replay from earlier game states, and edit & share arbitrary game views
(so like in traditional Go, players could use depictions of the game for
puzzles or teaching.)  The program would render the game space in 2 modes:
a traditional camera perspective mode, and an experimental
multi-perspective display:
                 ,'`.
               ,'    `.
             ,'     b  `.
        ,'`. \    d c   / ,'`.
      ,'    `.\        /,'    `.
    ,'    b   `\__a___/'    b   `.
    \      a   /      \  a    d  /
     \        /        \    c   /
      \_d__c_/    a b   \______/
           ,'`.        ,'`.
         ,'    `. d c,a   b`.
       ,'   a    `.,'        `.
       \       d  /\  d       /
        \     c  /  \   c    /
         \_b____/    \______/
which I found (only, so far) in a fantastic statistical graphics book by
Edward Tufte (the title of which escapes me).  I hope this display proves
to be as intuitive as when I first saw it in print; if so, we could
sidestep the tedious business of exploring a space with a camera for some
,ahem, 'applications' (such as, say, a real-time tactical space battle).
I'm interested in 3d Go for itself, but also for the ease of implementing
its rules.

Some questions I'm asking myself are:
1. would it be better to implement chat internally or provide telnet
connections, allowing players to meet over existing network chat media
like irc or mu*?  I like the thought of imbedding new games into existing
online communities.
2. what would be a good keyboard/mouse metaphor for navigating
through/selecting objects in the experimental display?  what ought to
happen if a user 'dragged' the mouse inside a pane?  between panes?
I'm considering assigning keys to each of the 6 visible panes for
'space-strafing' perpendicular to each.
3. should the capture rule of 3d 'Star Go' relate to the four closest
neighbors, as in traditional 2d Go, or perhaps compare "Gaussian
distributions" of friendly/liberty(void)/hostile?

If anybody has comments or suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.  I'll
inform the list when I have something to show.
-><-
ben taylor
http://www.dhp.com/~mithras