On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 12:06:01PM -0400, Bryan Smart wrote: > I'd appreciate an answer on the following from anyone. If I decide > that a particular feature is necessary to play with the audio client, > can that be easily added as a configurable option on the server? Yes. The client would have to indicate to the server that it desires use of a configurable option before the server would begin to use it for that client. We handle this with CP_FEATURE and SP_FEATURE packet exchanges. > As long as people are notified if special conditions are in affect, > then adding special conditions like this shouldn't be a problem. > Right? I don't set policy for servers other than my own, but I think it would be unwise to hide the special features. I'd prefer there be a way for people to find out, even if it is through the message of the day. > A question, though. What was affected by that old setting? Slowing > down the speed of the physics in the game is all fine (motion of > ships, speed of torps, etc), but does it also hopefully scale down the > other time-based elements in the game (army growth time, repair speed, > bombing speed, cloak time, etc)? Yes, it slows or speeds everything, since they are all based on the same timer. > It seems like the clients have complete information about everything > in the entire galaxy at once. Nearly true. The information is held back by the server or manipulated, according to game design. For instance, information about planet army counts are not sent until a team has orbited a planet. Position information about ships is sent very slowly and somewhat randomised if they are cloaked. Position information about ships is sent slowly if they are off tactical. Position information about torps is not sent at all if they are off tactical. > If this is so, then there is probably some standard about how much > should be revealed at any given time. Is it up to me as a client > developer to restrict the tactical to a certain range, or to not allow > players to know certain things about planets until they are close > enough (some fog of war type situation)? Yes, client developer is responsible for this, but generally if the server tells you then you may as well tell the user. It isn't always useful though, and it can easily hinder. As an example, if an enlarged tactical is provided, the result is that torpedos launched from a ship off tactical appear out of nowhere when they cross the tactical boundary. Also, ships have a jerky movement off tactical. As another example, if cloaked ships are shown, they occupy a single location with an incorrect heading, then jerk to a new location. -- James Cameron http://quozl.linux.org.au/