Networked Blood Bowl Game

[SkiJunkie]

>1. Post-match sequence can executed several
> times by "ending the turn".

Wow...I'll have to look at that.

>2. The client doesn't update the .dat file correctly at
>the end of the game.

The dat file is only written at the start of each turn. Excluding the first turn after a kickoff. The dat file is only good for loading games. Why would you want it to be updated at the end of a game? There is really nothing to load at that point. P.S. There are problems with loading network games. Stand-a-lone works fine though.

>3. If you try to start a match with a filename pointing t
>o a non-existing file, the game starts without any error
>messages. The team without a file is empty, and the
>setup fails (with a message claiming that you need
>3 players on the LoS).

I didn't know what to do. I guess I could put up a message saying that. I figured it was pretty obvious that the file was gone or corrupted in some way.

>I'm seriously considering starting up a league that
>uses your client, but I need to make sure game
>reporting is possible in a nice and easy way.
>Any chance the client could be modified to generate
>a "machine readable" format of the game result?
>html isn't too friendly in this respect...

How would you like it output? Did you know you can customize the html output? Look at endGame.tpl. It is an html file with tags like "_TEAM_1_". The program just looks through the file and replaces the tags. So the surrounding html can be customized.

>Also. Not too sure if this already works, but it would be
>nice if you could specify a http-address instead of a
>filename.

Been thinking about adding that for a while. Shouldn't be too hard.

PREVIEW: The next patch will allow you to save and load custom setups so you don't have to drag your players on the field over and over again.

[christer]

Why would you want it to be updated at the end of a game?

Just thought it as a way of sending the result.. Dunno..

are problems with loading network games.

Hmm.. This is bad. Any idea on when these problems will be weeded out? It's a fairly essential feature to be able to resume matches reliably.

I didn't know what to do. I guess I could put up a message saying that. I figured it was pretty obvious that the file was gone or corrupted in some way.

Please do. A game started with only one side is pointless either way. Unless you want to create custom setups.. But that could be done by clearing the team name.. By specifying a corrupt file, you shouldn't have to restart the client to fix...

How would you like it output? Did you know you can customize the html output?

I'd want to get rid of the html tags all together, which would break the window you so nicely give to the players.

One possibility is to have two output files, one html and one intended for machine reading.. The latter could look something like:

_GATE_
_TEAM1_
_TEAM1SCORE_
_TEAM1WINNINGS_
_#_
_NAME_
_CP_
...
_#_
_NAME_
_CP_
....
[empty line to mark end of spp's]
_TEAM2_
... and so on

The idea is to make it easy for a program to read the results..

And while we're at it.. Adding loads and loads of stats from the game would be cool too.. For instance, total "depth" of completed passes, total length a player has carried the ball, number and type of injuries a player has caused / received. Number of successful/failed dodges, gfi's blocks etc... The possibilities are more or less endless

PREVIEW: The next patch will allow you to save and load custom setups so you don't have to drag your players on the field over and over again.

Nice. Just make sure this doesn't allow players to be moved from the ko/dead or injured boxes..

-- Christer

[christer]

Come to think of it, an XML file would be a nice way to output the game result and statistics.. There already exists parsers for most programming languages for XML, so it should do just fine.

Now, coming up with a good DTD would be useful.

-- Christer

[SkiJunkie]

>Hmm.. This is bad. Any idea on when these problems
>will be weeded out? It's a fairly essential feature to
>be able to resume matches reliably.

I need help with this one. Not programming help, but help identifying what the problems are. I've tried recreating it and it seems to work fine for me. Some people report that it loads fine but messes up after a TD. Some say after the half. Some say when it loads everything is correct but the number of re-rolls are 3 times what they should be.

I need someone to play a partial game, stop, and try to load it, and play the rest of it if possible. Then tell me exactly what kind of problems happened and then sent me the .dat files from the server and the client. To do this, play part of a game and stop. Now copy the .dat file from the server and client to a safe place so they will not change. Now load the game and see what the problems are. (P.S. The computer that was the server before, needs to be the server again). Now email be about the problems you found and send me the .dat files you saved. The ones in the game directory will change when you load the game and are not much help.

>Please do. A game started with only one side is pointless
>either way. Unless you want to create custom setups.. But
>that could be done by clearing the team name.. By specifying
>a corrupt file, you shouldn't have to restart the client to fix...

Well, I can add a check to see if it exists before letting you out of the first startup dialog, but once past that point I can't go back. Just the crappy way I wrote it. And since I don't know if the file is corrupt until I start parsing it after leaving the dialog you will be stuck restarting the client when you try to load a corrupt roster.

>One possibility is to have two output files, one html and
>one intended for machine reading.. The latter could look
>something like:
>The idea is to make it easy for a program to read the results..

Adding a second output file shouldn't be that hard.

>And while we're at it.. Adding loads and loads of stats
>from the game would be cool too.. For instance, total
>"depth" of completed passes, total length a player has
>carried the ball, number and type of injuries a player
>has caused / received. Number of successful/failed dodges,
>gfi's blocks etc... The possibilities are more or less endless

Why don't you make up a list for me and I'll do the ones that don't take a lot of time to add?

>Nice. Just make sure this doesn't allow players to be
>moved from the ko/dead or injured boxes..

Yes, I thought of that and that would be bad.

[christer]

I'll see if I can reproduce the network game load problems.. Also, I'll think a bit about the stats..

You happen to need help working on the client? I consider myself a rather good Java coder.. Check out http://tanks.cjb.net for a project me and a couple of friends did for a programming class we took...

-- Christer

[GalakStarscraper]

Ski,

The right person helping can be great.

Ronald allowed me to start helping with the PBeM client and the rules were clear.

1) Its Ronald program if he says a change goes or is being made than I don't question it.
2) The assistant should avoid ever calling it their program. The program belongs to Ronald.

There are more rules related to Delphi about letting each other know which modules you are working on to avoid ever changing the same one.

All in all its worked very well for us. Ronald was afraid at first because he worked for years on the program and did not want an assistant destroying his work ... we talk, we agree, we do and he's the boss. Its worked out great so far.

Galak

[SkiJunkie]

There is a new 2.5 patch on the same download page as the original game download.

http://www.geocities.com/javabbowl/

The 2.5 patch adds the ability to save and load team setups so you don't have to drag the players onto the field all the time. Adds the ability to display position numbers on the player icons on the field. The game now shows the selected player during your opponents move in networked games. You can now specify a http URL for rosters. And I fixed some problems.

Download the "patch2_5.zip". Unzip the contents to the original install directory. It will overwrite the "bbowl.jar", "readme.txt", and several .gif files.

[SkiJunkie]

>You happen to need help working on the client?

Not really ready for that yet. Combination of some bad programming on my part (I don't want other to see yet) and if gets done too fast what will I do in my spare time.

>I consider myself a rather good Java coder..
>Check out http://tanks.cjb.net for a project me
>and a couple of friends did for a programming
>class we took...

That's a cool little game. Of course I didn't get to play with anyone, put it was pretty cool just driving around a shooting. I liked the interface.

>The right person helping can be great.
>All in all its worked very well for us. Ronald was afraid
>at first because he worked for years on the program and
>did not want an assistant destroying his work ... we talk,
>we agree, we do and he's the boss. Its worked out great
>so far.

I can see that. But like I said above, just not ready yet. Now, if Chris starts writing his league manager and wants to integrate, that would be cool. I'd open up some of the code for that shared integration coding. Just not ready to open up the gameplay code.

[SkiJunkie]

There is a new 2.6 patch on the same download page as the original game download.

http://www.geocities.com/javabbowl/

The 2.6 patch lets you use PRO to reroll blocks. Plus other fixes. Mainly a code cleanup release.

Download the "patch2_6.zip". Unzip the contents to the original install directory. It will overwrite the "bbowl.jar", "readme.txt", and several .gif files.

[robpadd]

i am experiencing the problem described in the readme file, except that the game screen is always screwed up. has anyone else had this problem or is it time i bought a new PC?


thanks for any help, i cant wait to play!

[gigatron]

I think that robpadd's problem is the only big problem of this applet, i.e. the game doesn't work under resolutions lower than 1024x758. Would it be possible, Ski Junkie, to solve this? It doesn't seem very difficult. We'll be waiting for your next patch ... or buying a new computer!

And about the former discussion, it seems to me that the problem of how to send the results to avoid cheating is not very important at present. We should play a few matches to help Ski Junkie finishing his game and fixing its problems. We'll have time to start official leagues and checking results and replaying matches, the former could be done similarly to PbEM BB and the latter will require some work.
By the way, I tried to play with a team edited with the BB Editor and the applet worked without any problem ... but, what skills can be used with the 2.6 patch? I think the most important can be, but the 'rare' ones, like Prehensile Tail, Foul Appearence can't, I think.

If anybody wants to play a fast game, please post.

[SkiJunkie]

Here is a list of current skills in the game:

Leap, block, catch, dodge, pass, sure hands, jump up, mighty blow, regenerate, thick skull, dauntless, nerves of steel, stunty, tackle, frenzy, sprint, horns (These are all the skills needed by newly made rookie teams)

Dirty player, accurate, strong arm, break tackle, strip ball, safe throw, big hand, extra arms, prehensile tail, two heads, very long legs, guard, hail mary pass, kick, foul appearance, claw, razor sharp claws, fangs, take root, off for a bite, piling on, bone head, really stupid, pro, stand firm

[SkiJunkie]

>I think that robpadd's problem is the only big problem
>of this applet, i.e. the game doesn't work under
>resolutions lower than 1024x758. Would it be possible,
>Ski Junkie, to solve this? It doesn't seem very difficult.
>We'll be waiting for your next patch ... or buying a
>new computer!

I don't see getting the screen size lower than 1024x768.
It isn't high on the priority list to try . It took me
so long to get the current screen layout right I'm not
wanting (and afraid to) to mess with it anytime soon.

A big problem is that a lot of people with res 1024x768
and higher using Windows XP seem to have this problem.
I don't have Win XP so can't test it. I have recently put in
a fix (hopefully for the win XP) problems. I know it helped
at least one person that emailed me about it. With the
new fix (1.5 or later patch) try loading the game both with
and without the "Resizable Window" option checked. The
guy this worked for had to uncheck the "Resizable Window"
option and restart the game before it started working.

robpadd, give me more information on your screen resolution and your operating system and what options you have selected in the options screen and I will try to help you out.

[neoliminal]

Come to think of it, an XML file would be a nice way to output the game result and statistics.. There already exists parsers for most programming languages for XML, so it should do just fine.

Now, coming up with a good DTD would be useful.

-- Christer

Yes, a decent DTD would be wonderful. Perhaps a project for NAF.

John -

[IronAge_Man]

I've just downloaded your Javabowl tool (patched to v2.6 and with Big Guy support), as part of a renewed interest in Blood Bowl after several years away from it. It's a great piece of software, very nicely done. I can't wait to try it out across a 2 PC network.

Just a few niggles, though...
Check your code for throw-ins; it seems that the ball is always sent 7 or 8 squares in-field when thrown back by the crowd, which I believe should not be.

I downloaded the Living Rule Book v1.2, and will adopt it as my rules standard; when will you incorporate the Handicap table?

The Blood Bowl HTML Team Editor you recommended is rather basic; it doesn't calculate team-ratings, total cost of team etc. yet doesn't seem to allow imported spreadsheets or copy-and-paste from a spreadsheet selection - you can import individual cells, but it's probably faster to type it in. Obviously, this isn't your fault, but it does rather let down an otherwise slick, user-friendly program. Integration with a league manager spreadsheet/database would be superb.

Keep up the good work.