Re: Solitaire Full Thrust?

On Thu, 14 Nov 1996, Mike Miserendino wrote:

> Scott wrote:
> >Also, for anyone interested in programming starship combat tactics, 
> >there is a game available called Starships.	The last version I've
seen 
> >was 3.0, and that was several years ago.  I haven't looked on the
'Net 
> >for it (probably will after finishing this post:)), but it is
probably 
> >out there.  The preperation for the game consists of writing the 
> >controlling routine for 1 or more starships, using a sort of
specialized 
> >assembly code (not as daunting as it sounds.)  The ships are then
loaded 
> >into a master module that runs the combat according to the programmed

> >instructions.  The game is very instructional in just what a task
good 
> >AI is.
> 
> Ever try Trek28, PRobot or CRobot?  Trek28 came out several years ago
and
> had computer oponent option as well as modem play.  You managed small
fleets
> in combat as well as exploration.  Great game for the time.  I wonder
if it
> was ever improved upon?  The latter two taught the user a little
Pascal or C
> language in order to give your robot AI that would instruct it how to
fight
> against other robots(programs).

How about "The Cosmic Balance"?  It was a game on the Apple platform
(*gawd*, 14-15 years ago) that has some of the feel of FT (and possibly
SFB, but I've never played the latter).  It was modelled more on the
Star
Trek universe, though.	Basically, you controlled 1-3 ships against an
opponent (don't remember if there was an AI). You programmed your ships
at
the beginning of the turn, your opponent does the same, then the
computer
plays the turn out.  I remember it being alot of fun, though I was in
junior high back then. ;)  I think there was eventually a DOS version as
well.

On a whim, I looked for TCB on the web last night, and found a current
version on the Windows platform.  I don't know much about it (I just
downloaded it last night), but it looks pretty similar to the old one.
Anyone who'se seen it have any thoughts on it before I look at it more
tonight?

A temporally displaced		Bill Nitsche (bnitsche@u.washington.edu)
	hobbit			Oceanography, University of Washington