Richard's Play-By-eMail (PBeM) Server Monthly Post

From: rognlie@lute.gcr.com (Richard W. Rognlie)

Date: Mon, 08 May 1995 00:00:00 +0000

[ Article crossposted from rec.games.abstract,rec.games.board,rec.games.corewar,rec.games.programmer,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++ ]
[ Author was Richard W. Rognlie ]
[ Posted on 8 May 1995 12:24:18 GMT ]

A generic Play-By-eMail Server has been set up at pbmserv@vtsu.prc.com.  It
currently supports the following games:  Trax, TwixT, Hex, Abalone, Terrace,
Tanbo, Tanbo3d and C++Robots.  Other games will be added in the future.

To get more information send mail to pbmserv@vtsu.prc.com with 'help' as the
subject line.

Games Currently Supported

Trax ((c) David Smith)

Trax is a game played with square tiles.  Each tile is identical
    to all other tiles, one side has a white line connecting opposite
    edges and a black line connecting the other edges, and the other
    side has a white line connecting 2 adjacent edges and a black line
    connecting the other edges.

The object of the game is to create a loop of your color while
    preventing your opponent from doing the same.  An alternate winning
    condition is to create a line extending from one edge of the board
    to the opposite edge of the board when the board is at least 8
    tiles wide (or tall).

TwixT ((c) Avalon Hill)

On a 24x24 board, players take turns placing pegs of their color
    on the board.  Any time a peg is placed a "knight's move" from
    another peg of the same color, a strut is placed, connecting them.
    A strut can not cross over (through) another strut.  The object is
    to connect your sides of the board while preventing your opponent
    from doing the same.

Hex

On a 11x11 diamond board, players take turns placing stones of
    their color on the board. The object is to connect your sides of
    the board while preventing your opponent from doing the same.

Abalone

On a hexagonal board (radius 5) two to six players have armies of
    marbles.  Players take turns "pushing" 1, 2 or 3 linearly connected
    marbles, attempting to push their opponents' marbles off the board.

Terrace ((c) Siler/Siler Ventures)

On a terraced 8x8 board, 2 to 4 players take turns attempting to
    either capture their opponents' key pieces or moving their own key
    piece to the opposite low corner.  The board is terraced so that two
    opposite corners are low (level 1), and two corners are high (level
    8).  Unusual movement and capture rules make this game interesting.

Played on a Go board, Tanbo crudely models a system of plant roots.  Roots
    which are growing, competing for space, and dying.  In beginner play, the
    roots grow much as the roots in a garden. Over time, the roots become
    shrewd and calculating.

To win, a player must eliminate all eight of his opponent's roots.  One
    player will always win.  It's impossible to repeat a board configuration
    in Tanbo.  Therefore a game cannot result in a draw.

Tanbo3d extends the game of Tanbo into three dimensions.

An ongoing "King of the Hill" (KotH) tournament in which players
    use the C++ language to create a control program for a robot.  Your
    robot then fights each of the other robots "on the hill".  If you
    do well enough, your robot will "make the hill", bumping the lowest
    robot from the hill.

Robots have the ability to scan for opponents, fire a cannon, move,
    and determine current position and status.

Conceptually based on C-Robots written for the IBM PC by Tom Pointdexter.

--
  /\/\/\  | Richard Rognlie / Sr. Computer Analyst / PRC Inc. / McLean, VA
 /  \ \ \ | E-Mail: rognlie@gcr.com         rrognlie@vtsu.prc.com
 \  / / / | Phone:  (Home) (703) 361-4764   (Office) (703) 556-2458
  \/\/\/  |                                 (Fax)    (703) 556-1174