Almonaster Work-In-Progress

Page last updated: September 1, 2000

The latest development version is build 617

New in 617 beta 1

Almonaster:

• Modularized map generation code;  also improved performance over older implementation
• Modularized scoring system code
• Both map generation and scoring systems can now accept plugins that implement the IMapGenerator or IScoringSystem interfaces
• Wrote map verifier for debug builds, to facilitate map generator plugins
• Fixed case where if last message target was selected as the default, then a message had to be sent before it kicked in
• Fixed map sharing bug that could cause both planet sharing with unrelated empires and non-sharing with deserving empires (thanks, Galaxia)
• Fixed password protected game creation by under-privileged empires
• Fixed nuke histories from diplomacy screen profiles (thanks, AtomAnt)
• Fixed empire broadcast flag toggling
• Added message size limit to chatroom, created clear messages option for administrators (thanks, Green Chicken, Galaxia)
• Added "disconnected maps", game class option that causes no links to be created between empires' planets (thanks, dofiki)
• Games with exposed maps can no longer have subjective views
• Classic score points for a ruin is now -1.0, just like classic SC
• Ruins are now counted separately from nukes, just like classic SC
• Added Almonaster Score Significance, which used to be Nukes + Nuked. Significance can now be carried along with inheritance
• Add the "victory sneer", a message sent to the victim when a nuke or surrender occurs (thanks, CultureJamming and Lugdunum)
• Reorganized diplomacy screen to include ruins and Almonaster score
• Global configuration settings are now cached at the beginning of updates, for the sake of consistency
• Renamed "Server Rules" to "Server Status"
• Added the following classic SC compatibility flags to the config file:
      DisableColonySettles
      DisableFriendlyTerraformers
      DisableSuicidalDoomsdays
      DisableColonySurvival
      DisableTerraformerSurvival
      DisableTroopshipSurvival

Alajar:

• Fixed log and report display in admin page sources
• Fixed division by zero in statistics processing

New in 617

Almonaster:

• Corrected a couple of code oversights (thanks, Agt)

Todo

• Finish Alajar.html documentation
• Update FAQ about:
  Map generation algorithm
  Update algorithm
  Exact ship special action descriptions, math
  
  Ruins == -1.0 to classic score
  Update profile representation
  Document new compat flags:
      DisableColonySettles
      DisableFriendlyTerraformers
      DisableSuicidalDoomsdays
      DisableColonySurvival
      DisableTerraformerSurvival
      DisableTroopshipSurvival
  Document new ChatroomMaxMessageLength config file option
  
• Codework:
  • String casts, table names on stack
  • TODOs
  • Combine Context and Gui class. Make IHttp* interface ptrs members
  • Combine ProfileViewer and EmpireAdministrator search interfaces into one

   

• BUG: Statistics_2000_09_31.stat appeared on 09/01/2000
•  
• Write TOS, find place for it in UI
•  
• Implement 3.0 ships (morpher, jumpgate, carrier, builder)
• Implement 3.0-style surrenders
•  
• Do Game Histories properly
  Add the following events:
      Game creation time
      Empire entries, exits, resignations, deletions
      Pause events
      Each update:
          Time
          First contacts, diplomacy level changes
          Idle empires
          Planet colonizations, invasions, terraforms, nukes, annihilations, links, etc.
          Fleet battle outcomes
          Surrenders, obliterations, ruins
  Save async buffered strings from each update.
  Save map from end of game to .html file, without body markups, but with default UI elements
  Make logs + map available in big Game History collection, provide collection trimming in Server Administrator
•  
• Provide a way for Alajar filecache to update files at runtime
•  
• Feature: build option in map / planets pages (dofiki)
• Feature: truce / trade / alliance ship combat penalty option (CJ)
•  
• 3.0 database:
  One file for all tables
  Create ITransaction interface that inherits from IDatabase and dispenses out ITransactionTable interfaces. Implement with private MemoryManager for all affected tables
  Create ISearchTable, which uses copy on write to give you your own private table to play with without a read lock
  Remove need for QI for IID_IReadTable when you have a write table
  Make all IxTable objects contained instances of Table objects, so no need for allocate/delete on each use
  Delegate all read / write requests to Read / Write tables - don't have two implementations
  Return out of memory on all allocation failures
  Add support for sparse files on Windows 2000
  
• Alajar: multi-hosting, full Http 1.1 support
•  
• Osal: add more meaningful Osal error codes for the various classes and namespaces
•  
• Create cooler gameclasses for default install, with simpler games for beginners and descriptions
• Experiment with Chatroom frames
• Implement mechanism for saving and restoring "game state"
• Implement ship / fleet auto-control interface
•  
• Add Independent Planet graphic to themes
• Replace temporary buttons with final versions in black button set

Future enhancements:

Alajar

• Organize ports to other platforms, especially to Linux
• Create a page source that provides CGI-like functionality
• Implement standard SSI support
• Implement an FTP server
• Implement byte range requests

Almonaster:

• Make all groups of connected database updates fully transactional

Database:

• Implement SmartTransactions
• Implement ODBC interface
• Change indices to use trees, allow duplicate data, range searches