Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

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JeffM
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by JeffM »

The main problem I have with the old method is that I just don't think the "side by side" layout works when the radar gets over a specific size.

as you can see here, http://www.awesomelaser.com/crap/bigradar.png as the radar gets larger it squishes out the chat. If you extend that to the full screen the chat is gone.

I think we need a new mode that can be toggled to while playing that changes to an "under over" setup where the map data is shown above the chat window and sized independently.
http://www.awesomelaser.com/crap/mapview.png

This would offer maximum flexibility since you could be in the normal side/side view when you don't want the distraction of full screen radar, then tab to the map view when it's time to line up shots, dodge, etc... There would also be settings for what mode you default to, separate zooms for radar and map view, opacity, etc...

I feel this solution is a cleaner design and much more flexible over a wider range of game modes then simpler solutions such as having the server limit the max size. The server doesn't know the personal preference of the end user, and any limit it set could be something that makes a player uncomfortable, giving them a disadvantage (based on the logic in the original posts).
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october rust
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by october rust »

JeffM, thats it :)

Even cooler than expected. Great job!
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JeffM
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by JeffM »

that is just a picture I made in photoshop to show the idea, not real code. I am working up a design document on the wiki now.
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blast
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by blast »

It seems that people are confused about what a "HUD" is. The radar is part of the HUD. The 3D view is not the HUD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HUD_(video_gaming)
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horton
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by horton »

Uh... I've been playing on a port of BZF 2.4 made in iOS SDK 4.3. So what are you guys complaining about? Of course it's rather hard to play on an iPhone with fingers on screen and keypad, but with a the help of a small capacitive stylus and my reading glasses and a little trial and error getting used to things, it works just fine. Keep it real!
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by dereliction of duty »

HoRToN wrote:and my reading glasses
guess we're dreaming that bz will be around when it can be played "on" your reading glasses!

Of course, I'm sure someone has already set it up on some sort of virtual goggle thingy already...
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blast
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by blast »

HoRToN wrote:Uh... I've been playing on a port of BZF 2.4 made in iOS SDK 4.3.
Riiiight.
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JeffM
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by JeffM »

I play on a port that runs on white lies and unicorn farts.
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Mopar Madness
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by Mopar Madness »

making a bzflag mini game for smart phones wouldn't be a bad idea, not the full game by any stretch of the imagination, maybe a game were gravity affects bullets, your tank doesn't move and you only have x many bullets to kill y many moving tanks that fire occasionally at you, wearing down your health (which adds a time limit to the game). The game could have ads on it and make some income to help further real BZFlag development while also making a little noise for the game.
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by JeffM »

That game is called "Scorched Earth" and there are several thousand versions on iOS and Android.
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yosef
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by yosef »

Mopar Madness - Combat Arms is exclusively a 3D game. Do you spend any time even looking up at the map? It doesn't even show you enemies!
Also, read what some of the devs are saying. The game was originally developed as an offline multiplayer. Along the way it got nice graphics and online networking until we get to today, when current technologies do not match what the state of things was when it was created in the 1990s. The way it was developed means that it's got a lot of parts that do a lot of things. Frequently, there is no description of what each part does (no comments). In-line comments are few and far between. It's a mammoth project by now, in terms of how tough it is to add even one little part to do something new. The problem is that you can't go back and start all over, 'cuz there isn't any desire by people to do that; you can't go forward much because the code sucks (pardon me), and you can't really stay where you are because everyone else keeps moving.

Minecraft is simple, but there's a lot of network stuff going on behind that. It also costs money to play, which helps hire developers to work on it. BZFlag has no income, so people work on it because they like to. You can tell them all the improvements you want but they won't act on it until they get the above problem solved. Catch-22 anyone?

(Oops, looks like I didn't see page 2)
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Re: Problem playing BZFlag on small screens

Post by sn0w_m0nkey »

I'm glad to see this thread is resulting with players and devs, that are the bzflag community, discussing elements of the game with potential changes. It's great to see people still care and enjoy this game!

So now do this: Join Game->Find Server->Connect
Then come look for me in bzflag, because I want to shoot your tank with my monkey-love bullets.

Sincerely,
SM
oi!
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