RE: The Digital Battlefield

timj@uk.gdscorp.com writes:

@:) For a good example of this. The programs used to create these maps
@:) were different but the best (because its free) is the one written
@:) by Alun Thomas which is freeware if you have a C compiler. It only
@:) runs on unix systems but hasn't been ported to Win95 or NT or Mac
@:) yet, I intend to do so (intel) when I get my C compiler.

  For anyone considering writing an FT map-drawing program or a
program for working out FT movements, I strongly encourage that you
take a serious look at Java as the language to use.  I think the
community using this list operates in quite a heterogeneous computer
environment and to me it seems that writing a Visual Basic program, or
a program in a UNIX version of C would only be wasted effort because
not everyone would be able to use it.  Better, in my opinion to write
the thing in a portable language.  Of course I work for Sun so you can
take my statements with a grain of salt, but I really do believe this
is a perfect environment for Java.

  Also anyone considering creating such a project in Java should
probably talk to me or Daryl Lonnon (if he still reads this list)
about some of the stuff we've done.  Among other things, we created an
automatic map-generator with ship identification (including all ship
status), hypothetical movement calculation and range and arc
determination.	The system works with Mark Kochte's FT data files and
is relatively bug-free but not perfect.  However, it contains all
sorts of useful code - everything from how to get a firing arc from
two XY positions to how to move a ship given a standard FT movement
order as written in a normal (non-computerized) FT game.

  So the point is that a lot of this stuff has already been done and
if people are really eager to get a finished product working they
would probably do well to build on the work of others.	I don't think
I really have enough time to go back and fix up Daryl's and my system
(and I think Kochte's data files are not too great for computer
interpretation) but the work is definitely doable.

-joachim