On Feb 5, 2008 6:37 PM, Walter Bender <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > As I recall, the Connect activitiy was set up to let the first two > players "play" and everyone else who joined "observe."
I hadn't discovered that, because we have never had enough XOs around at one time out here. %-[ So if we have that code, it should be easy to add to other games. Excellent. Can somebody put that on a Wiki page, and link to it from a development page and the various games pages? Should we bug each of the games with this as a feature request? > -walter > > > > On 2/5/08, Don Hopkins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I want the multi player version of Micropolis (SimCity) [the new one > > based on Python that we're developing, not the old X11/TCL/Tk multi > > player version] to support different roles, including observing and > > chatting. > > Some roles (like observing and commenting, or wrecking destruction by > > playing the monster or tornado) would be simpler and easy for young kids > > to play, and others would be more advanced and require more skill and > > trust and communication with other players. > > Each player who joins the activity could be shown on the map as an > > animated sprite (color coded of their XO user colors) which depicts > > their role, that they can move around on the map. > > For example, to just observe and comment on a game, you could fly the > > helicopter around, and speak to other nearby players through the "PA > > system", but not edit the map or change the tax rate. > > Different roles come with their own abilities and simple focused user > > interfaces (playable with the game controller buttons), like editing the > > map with various tools. > > Roles could be dealt out to different players like pokemon or magic the > > gathering cards, and players could switch between the roles they've been > > dealt, instead of everyone playing in "god mode" with all actions > > available at all time. > > Players, possibly including observers, could vote on various issues, > > like building zones, changing the tax rate, electing other players into > > offices or jobs, like treasurer in charge of finance, demolition > > bulldozing, building roads, zoning land, etc. > > Players should be able to publish remarks (time stamped and geocoded) > > and articles with screen snapshots (and graphs and charts and map > > overlays) in the city newspaper, a blog-like journal that's saved with > > the game. > > You should be able to view all geocoded articles as icons on the map > > like "point of interest" markers, and also on a timeline with a calendar > > like a blog. > > The Micropolis journal would be something like the stories in The Sims > > "Family Albums" that you can upload to The Sims Exchange along with the > > game save file, to share with other players. > > But it would be more geographically oriented, and more like a regional > > newspaper than a family album. > > > > -Don > > > > > > Edward Cherlin wrote: > > > While talking with Josh Waitzkin about the chess software he would > > > like to donate, I realized that it would be very helpful if there were > > > a way to share games on XOs not just with players, but with observers, > > > including kibitzers who want to comment on a game in progress, or have > > > a discussion with the other observers. This function is provided on > > > most game servers, with the players unable to tap into the discussion > > > channel. Chess TV in Russia especially, and weiqi/go/baduk TV and > > > xiangqi/janggi/shogi TV in China/Korea/Japan also have expert > > > commentators discussing games in progress, and there is a market in > > > DVDs of commented games. > > > > > > What would we have to do to the XO collaboration model to make that > > > happen? > > > > > > If we can do that, what would it take to extend it to games with > > > multiple players or even teams online? Chaturanga, the earliest form > > > of chess, was a four-way battle. Many combat card games permit fairly > > > large matches, although I haven't seen any larger than eight players. > > > World of Warcraft has team voice communications that the other team > > > doesn't get to hear. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Devel mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/devel > > > > > -- > Walter Bender > One Laptop per Child > http://laptop.org > -- Edward Cherlin End Poverty at a Profit by teaching children business http://www.EarthTreasury.org/ "The best way to predict the future is to invent it."--Alan Kay _______________________________________________ Devel mailing list [email protected] http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/devel
