On the UI/browser side: * The biggest change is how chat and game information displays. No longer one long scroll. Now “bubbles” that fade after a time. You can still see everything that’s happened on the new “Log” tab. * The “Need Cash?” tab has been moved into the “Store” tab. * The satellite locator is now bigger. * More command buttons, including more in the store. * On the “Options” tab, some new options: > Command Buttons on the Right (Classic layout0 > Open Store UI automatically
July 6th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I found and fixed a couple issues: * Bots had a tendency to “Head West” (left). * Padding wasn’t bouncing anywhere near as much as it was supposed to.
These fixes have been booted in.
Thanks for playing! -DavidRM
July 10th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I’ve made a few minor changes to the browser UI, and I added new colors of paintballs into the gunshop. The paintballs all function the same. They just add some color. =)
Today I booted in a minor change that should improve performance on both the server (reduced bandwidth usage and memory churning) and the UI (reduced display updates).
Have fun!
-DavidRM
July 18th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I booted in a handful of changes. Some minor, some … less minor.
I set the minimum bot payout to $1. NOTE: That won’t double on double day. You just won’t get $0 anymore.
The less minor changes are mostly behind the scenes. Hopefully. =)I’ve spent a lot of time this week profiling the code that gets the most use. I’ve done a lot of refactoring, and I completely overhauled how updates are sent to the players. I don’t know that you’ll notice much, but the net result is we can have a lot more players on a server without performance issues.
Now all we need is the “lot more players”. =)
In the meantime, let me know if anything looks weird.
Oh, yeah, and I added the secret store last week. It shows up every so often during games. To tempt you out of cover and into the dangers of retail…
Have fun!
-David
July 26th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
A few minor additions to the secret store this week, and I updated how the game handles idle players. Now, if you’ve been idle for a few minutes when a game starts, you’re put on standby (and not pulled into the game).
I’ve started working on a phone-specific UI. This will be separate from the default browser UI, at least in the short term. The nature of a phone’s (small) screen means I have to use different assumptions and really approach the problem of how to play in a new way.
I knew when I started that making Paintball Net work on a phone would be a challenge. Now I have a better idea of how much of a challenge.
If you can read this, you are invited to take part in testing Paintball Net. (Remember that word “test.” It’ll come up a lot.)
NOTE: THIS IS A TEST (See?)
While I’ve been testing as I go, I’ve had a lack of multiple mes. So most of the testing has been me logging in, typing commands, running around, that sort of thing. Now I need the type of testing that only comes from people who are *not* me.
I’ve probably developed bad habits while playing solo survival games. So I need those beaten/splatted out of me.
Because THIS IS A TEST, it’s entirely possible one or more of the following will happen: * Repeated crashes. * Wiping the player database and starting over. * Unannounced lack of availability. * Shit not working as expected. * The “help” command providing information that is way out of date. * Swearing. * Asking yourself, Is this my beautiful house? (Talking Heads reference)
You can report the inevitable issues to my email (davidrm@davidrm.com) or here on FB (IM is better).
In a similar vein, since this is the resuscitation of a game that was looking pretty retro even in its hey-day of the late 1990’s, I feel like I should point out: * Yes, it looked pretty much just like this. I used the exact same art resources. * Yup, those are some rough sound effects. Same sound files, but converted from WAV to MP3. * And, you know, nostalgia provides a filter even Instagram would envy. =)
Oh, one last thing: Remembering to type ‘c’ before chatting is *still* a pain in the ass. 😉
You will need to create a player, verify that player, then actually login. After that, you can just login.
Left-click on the map to move. Right-click to fire. Stay away from bots. They feel no pain and will not stop.
Have fun! Report bugs!
-David
Jan 9th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
OK. I wasn’t expecting quite so many old players quite so rapidly. =)
I’m working on the server crash issues as a priority and other issues as I can. <mumbles something about a day job>
It’s exciting to see everyone again, and hear how we’ve all gotten just… old. ;-)Also, a bit humbling. It’s been kind of a rush of emotions .In a good way.
More news as it happens.
-David
Jan 10th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I’m excited to say the server stayed up all night. A milestone. =)
After having to do a full inventory wipe TWICE yesterday, I’m hoping we can wait a few days before having to do that again. I hope the Mass Item Duping of PBN 2019 was as much fun as you always dreamed it would be. =)
Keep those bug reports coming!
In a similar vein, I’m curious how “game balance” feels. I’ve seen more than one comment about turbo boots maybe being too big a leap forward. Maybe those need to be nerfed a bit? Or made more expensive?
Finally, if one of you with the bootleg copy of the server source wouldn’t mind sharing it with me, I’d like to be able to compare. I’m pretty sure the bootleg server source is older than what I have, but I’d like to see what’s different.
Thanks!
Jan 11th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
Another long patch with no server crashes. 11 hours and counting. =)
Yesterday’s fixes/enhancements: * Better handling of game ready when you’re out of games. * Better checking for automatic resetting games played. * Added command “screen center/left/right/up/down”. * Fixed “team promote” to avoid negative team levels. * Better handling of ending game when the player is in motion. * New server configuration setting for port #. * Fixed error in confirmation text for “give” command. * Improved server logging.
And, of course, added more items to the to-do list. Wouldn’t want to get, you know, caught up. 😉
Sometime in the next day or two I’ll (finally) implement giving admin privileges and grant a couple lucky souls tournament master (and reset games) privileges.
I now have a copy of the bootleg server source. I’m curious what might be different between the 2 versions. So thank you to those of you who sent that to me.
And thanks everyone for your help with testing and feedback!
-David
Jan 14th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
The game survived its first weekend. More or less. There was even a small tournament or two that mostly worked.
In between chasing server crash bugs I’ve been updating the game with little features that had been left out in the initial port. Those are mostly done, I think.
My current priority is fixing teams and knocking items off my to-do list. There are some (hopefully) simple features I want to add to the client this week to make it work better on phones (AKA devices with really small screens).
-David
Jan 15th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
The server is going to be down for a bit today as I prepare for something a little different.
When the game comes back online later today, I will have cleared all inventories again, BUT… * All players will have some stupid amount of money. Like $500K or $1M. * All playeres will have an equally stupid weight allowance. I haven’t even thought of how stupid just yet.
That state of affairs will run for a couple days, so have fun with it. =)
Also, at that time, you will want to do a force reload of the client web page. On Chrome, that’s Ctrl+F5.
-David
Jan 16th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
So, while testing my “lockout” feature, I locked myself out. <sigh> But it’s fixed now.
In better news, I’ve fixed the error with using Unicode emojis in aliases. Then discovered there’s an issue with using Unicode emojis in command buttons. That, at least, won’t cause an error or lock you out of the server. Just won’t work.
Since yesterday, I’ve fixed a number of other issues, such as spread kits firing funny and invisible grenades and bots and lots of little things here and there. Turns out, you port thousands of lines of code, one at a time, sometimes you get typos. =)
The stupid money and silly weight allowances are still in effect, so if you haven’t had a chance to try those on for size, go for it.
-David
Jan 18th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
That was fun. =) My thanks to everyone who participated in Something Stupid Tuesday (Wednesday & Thursday), with $1M in cash and 10K weight allowance.
I think we were able to test every piece of equipment and most combinations of mods. Special Thanks ™ to Tammy Shaw-Mcguire for going through every available command and finding my typos and just plain poor choices. =) Hell, we even found and fixed some bugs that were in the *original* game. 😉
Client changes include support for numpad movement, and option to use the arrow keys for movement. And hopefully cleaned up the who list display more.
Last night I managed to get the game so it at least works with Firefox, even if there’s still some rough edges to smooth. I learned that Google’s “optimize your page for Chrome” tool actually *breaks* the page for Firefox. Who would have guessed such a thing?
As of this morning (Friday), I have cleared all inventories and set cash back $1000 and restored normal weight allowances.
I’m hoping we’ve found the last crash bug (cue crash in 5…4…3…) and that the server will stay up all weekend.
NOTE: I have decided that I will be resetting all stats before the game goes live. When is that? I don’t have a firm plan, but I’m guessing it’s sooner than I was originally thinking. My hats off to Douglas Michael (AKA “Dug”) for creating a stable platform that I was able to port and be off to a huge head start. Most of what I have left is updating the help command, getting the client so it shines, and setting up a web page that’s welcoming to new players. You know. That’s *all*… <sigh>
Anyway, thanks again, everyone!
-DavidRM
Jan 21st, 2019
Paintball Net Update
The server is definitely more stable now. That’s cool.
Still, there’s some performance issues, so I’ve added profiling to see if I can narrow down the bottlenecks.
On the client side, I made a number of improvements, especially for those brave souls trying to play with a phone. I don’t have the UI quite the way I want it yet, but it *is* playable that way (within certain values of “playable”).
Even if you play the old-fashioned way, I recommend doing a “forced reload” of the page in your browser (Ctrl+F5 in Chrome).
Tammy’s been going through the “help” command for the game. Much of the game is still the same as it ever was, but the help still talked a lot about text terminals and all those weird options in the “screen” command. I should be able to integrate her changes before the end of the week.
-David
Jan 23rd, 2019
Paintball Net Update
Been mostly working on infrastructure this week.
The big news is what I’m currently calling “redemption codes”. There’s still no way to purchase upgrades, but when I get that done, you’ll be sent a “redemption code”. In the game, you’ll type in “redeem <code>” and you’re upgraded. My plan is to eventually be able to offer more than just upgrades this way. For example: special equipment. But that’s very much a future thing.
In other infrastructure news, I was able to trace down the minor bottleneck I had spotted and get that resolved.
I have more infrastructure to prop up, and working on that is probably going to take the rest of this week. And maybe some of next week.
The game is stable and seems to be working. If you’re worried about the impending stat wipe (still probably weeks away), just think of it as free practice. =)
Thanks to everyone for their bug reports, suggestions, and encouragement!
-David
Jan 24th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
This update is mostly to say that it will be a bit before there’s another update. =)
Probably next week some time.
What I’m working on is on the server side. Just so you know I *am* working on *something*. =)
-David
Jan 25th, 2019
Paintball Net Update Update
I’m still working on the backend changes, and still don’t expect to be finished with those before next week. Might even spill into the following week. But I wanted to give an idea of where the game is headed.
First, though, I want to mention that the game as it is in testing right now is probably the closest it will get to the game that went offline in September 2000. So if you want the Most Authentic Nostalgia Experience Possible, get it while it’s there. =)
After I finish the backend redesign, I will begin changing the game in a few ways.
The most significant changes will be: * Every player will have access to the commands to clear their games, rename objects, and even rename themselves (subject to moderation of course). Those commands will cost in-game money to use. * “Levels” will go away. Instead, players will be able to use in-game money to buy the ability to give/drop items, buy a locker, buy more carry weight, and so on. * Which also means that “level upgrades” go away, replaced with buying in-game money and (eventually) items that can’t be purchased at the in-game stores.
All of this is going to necessitate changes to the in-game economy, and might take some time to balance. But I think these changes will simplify/reduce the administrative overhead of the game, making it easier to keep running, and modernize the in-game economy.
These changes also make it possible for the Truly Cheap among us to never actually pay for the game, honing their skills and leveraging the built in “portion sizes” to avoid playing all day every day. And for the Strategically Frugal to pay for only those parts they want. Both of which approaches work for me. =)
I expect this will evolve as testing continues, but that’s the gist of it.
-David
Jan 31st, 2019
Paintball Net Update
OK. This is taking longer than expected. Typical optimistic programmer scheduling. 😉
In case I haven’t mentioned it already, what I’m working on is splitting the game server and the underlying database.
The goal is to have a central “player database” that can be used by multiple game servers. The central player database, which I call the “PX”, will handle all loading/saving of data, plus keep track of which players are logged in to which games, and so on.
The original PBN did this in a different way. In short, the main game server provided PX functionality for all the remote game servers. The remote servers had “player names” and logins and would connect to the main server. They had special commands, invisible to normal players, for loading/saving data and such. It was clever. =)
I wanted something more scalable, though, and with more distinct separation of duties.
I’ve had some solid progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I had to code some low-level “scaffolding,” which slowed me down, but now I have that and can build on it. I’m working through replacing all direct database access in the game server with calls to the PX.
Assuming anyone is still reading, this is one of those cases where you expend a lot of effort, break the code and rebuild it, so that at the end you have something that works just like it did before–but with more options for the future.
Once I get this done, I can work on the UI again, and start on the changes I mentioned last week.
Thanks again to the brave testers! I appreciate your patience. =)
Not a lot of update this week. Still crunching along on the PX backend while modifying the game server to use it.
I’ve had to engineer a few solutions I didn’t expect, but that’s the fun part, actually. For most of what I have left on this part of the project I already have a solution. I just get to apply that solution over and over until done. Which is the not-exactly-as-fun part. =)
This week the other parts of my life reminded me they still exist and need some attention, so I’m pleased I got as much done as I have.
As I’ve worked on the PX, I’ve also been envisioning how the other parts of the project will need to work. PBN is splitting into multiple servers now, each with a job to do. The game server, which I can have as many of running as seems useful. The PX, which is the backend for everything. And I’ll be working on a simple (mostly invisible) “lobby” server and a final server (maybe a REST server) to deal with purchases. And then there’s the browser-based UI that gives the game a face for the players.
Sort of like this: UI -> Lobby -> PX UI -> Game -> PX Payment Processor -> Purchase server -> PX
Because I’m sure people really want to know how the plumbing works. =)
Right now, my plan is to proceed thusly: * Finish PX, reset player DB, relaunch game server * Tackle mobile and other usability issues with the UI * Build the purchase server * Build the lobby server and reconfigure the UI to use it
Almost seems too simple… 😉
Until next week: Have fun!
-David
Feb 15, 2019
Paintball Net Update
Still working on the PX. The end is in sight, though.
I’m thinking that next week I’ll be able to move this new version into place and start testing with players.
So, yeah, this has taken a bit more than twice as long as I expected. I guess I shouldn’t have been so optimistic about how long it would take to more or less redesign how the game talks to its database. 😉
This week I had to implement a new locking mechanism, then strip out the old one. By “locking”, I mean giving one game (or the PX) exclusive access to a player or a team to make changes. Can’t be letting processes just do their thing without some attempt at coordination.
I also had to change how the top 10 lists work. In Ye Olde Days, each PBN server had its own set of top 10 lists. These were based on global data, though, so it’s not like they were *really* local. Just…local-ish. Now they will be fully global, updated at intervals (10-15 minutes).
Oh, and team stats will be accurate across servers too. Which will actually be a first. 😉
More news next week.
-David
Feb 18th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
Since my server host is having issues anyway, I went ahead and pulled down the game.
I will be spending the next day or two getting the revisions into place.
I’ll post when it’s back.
-David
Feb 22, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I got a lot done this week. Shell scripts, database updates, PX testing. I expect to let players back in next week. There will be 3 game servers running, so we can see how everything works together (or doesn’t).
I reset all players back to newbie status, including wiping stats. If we’re lucky, we don’t have to do that again.
With Tammy‘s help, the in-game help command has been overhauled. It still has some work needed, but at least it seems to be for this version of the game now. =)
More news next week.
-David
Feb 26th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
PBN is open to players again. (same link as before)
What’s new (so far): * 3 servers are running. Beginners/default server, Tournament server (which lets tournament games be played back to back), and an experienced players server (requires 100 splats to log in). * rtell and rreply are back, allowing communication across servers. Tournament masters also have rannounce for announcing across servers. * the web page’s “touch mode” option now has a rough draft/sorta ugly “touch pad” located hopefully about where your left thumb is to support movement. I’m still working on this, but it needs testing and I’m open to suggestions. So you use that to move and you touch the map to fire. (No more quick-touch/long-touch.) * speaking of movement, that should be improved (less berserking and running off into the weeds). * new commands for every player (prices in game money): > resetgames – clear your own games ($100) > buy cangive – buy the option to give/drop ($2000) > buy moreweight – buy +25 carry ($2500) > buy moregames – buy +10 games/day ($1500) > buy morealiases – buy +10 aliases ($500) > buy locker – buy a locker ($2500) > rename – rename an item ($200) > renamechar – rename your character ($1000) * updated the in-game help command * new UI option to “default chat”, so what you type is considered chat unless you start it with a /.
That’s the major things (i.e., what I can remember at the moment). Most of the work the past month has been creating the infrastructure to support multiple games. With that out of the way (at least in testing), I can focus on the web page more. Also, I’ll be working on the infrastructure to support payments (to buy in-game money, mostly).
More news as it happens.
Thank you for your patience. Have fun with it. =)
-David
Feb 27th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
Some of you players are really good at extracting money from games. You’ll have to write an article or two for the new newbies. =)
I updated the UI last night with some improvements to the touchpad. So if you want to check that out, do a forced reload of the web page (Ctrl+F5 in Chrome).
The touchpad can be used 2 ways: 1) You can tap the “outer” ring of buttons to move one. Press and hold to move more than one (as long as you hold it). And tap the center to center the map (if that didn’t happen already). 2) You can press the center, then push in the direction you want to go. Kinda like a joystick. So long as you’re pressing, it’ll keep you moving as fast as the terrain permits.
The real test, I guess, is: When you play with the touchpad versus someone with the keyboard-and-mouse, do you feel competitive?
Thanks for your help!
-David
Feb 28th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I seem to have a working purchases server now. I call it the PCH, because I’m creative like that.
In short (ish), the PCH is a Node.JS REST(ish) server that handles requests from the payment processor. The PCH communicates with the PX to create redemption codes based on the purchase, which codes are then passed back to the payment processor, and from there to the buyer. It’s all so wonderfully asynchronous.
At this point, Paintball Net now consists of: * PX – player database and communications facilitator * Game – the beating heart of the game * UI – the browser part of the game * PCH – the purchases handler
So many moving parts, and I’m not done yet. 😉
I still have to make what I’m (so far) calling the “lobby”, which won’t actually be a lobby. Instead, it will be a server the UI communicates with to get the list of active games and players on those games.
But, hey, I’m making progress. =)
For now, I’m using BMT Micro as my payment processor because I’ve used them for years. I may get more fancy later.
I have 2 purchase options: * Paintball Net Cash – Basic Package – $5000 for $4.99 * Paintball Net Cash – Gold Package – $12500 for $9.99
I have no idea if FB will allow these links, but here we go:
Been a busy few days. Among other things: * You can now buy in-game money in the UI. Click on the “Need Cash?” tab. My heartfelt thanks to the handful of players who have already done this. =) * I’ve fixed the bug that was sending team stats through the roof. * With Tammy‘s help, I fixed the “stuck-after-a-game” bug that afflicted mouse-users (numpad players weren’t affected). * Most of the “top10” lists are now live as of this morning. I still need to code the “last game” and “best” top10 lists, though. * I overhauled how the game logs what it logs (which is, frankly, almost everything). Soon I’ll be writing a bunch of reports. * Renamed items now require the “sellbig” command, so you don’t accidentally sell your customized items. * I tinkered with cans. Then un-tinkered with them. * I tinkered with padded items so they now have a chance of *not* bouncing regular ammo. Not a huge chance, but a chance.
Overall, I think the game is coming together pretty nicely. Though I feel like my to-do hasn’t shrunk by much…
I bought a domain name over the weekend, so I hope to get the web page setup this week. Then I can I start writing all those tutorials.
Have fun!
-David
Mar 7th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
If you play tonight, make sure you do a forced page reload.
Player names now display below their icons. If there’s more than one player in a location, the name is the guy on “top”.
And there were other changes here and there. All the top10 lists should be working now, for example. And I put in code to keep the scroll from getting too long and slowing you down. And, you know, stuff.
The game is coming together. Running smoothly. If you’ve been putting off checking back in, you should give it a go. =)
-David
March 9th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
A bit of weekend experimenting.
I’ve added the following items to the Armor Shop (because that’s where the boots were): * Running Shoes ($100) – fast movement on grass/hills. Lightweight, small (ish) * Trail Shoes ($200) – fast movement on grass/hills and forests/jungles. Lightweight (ish), small (ish) * Hiking Boots ($300) – fast movement on forest/jungles, mountains, and deserts.
While I was at it: * Padded Boots are now $250. * Turbo Boots are now $1500 (turbo kit $1750).
The trail shoes are actually slightly faster in forests/jungles than turbo boots. Same goes for hiking boots in forests/jungles, mountains and desert. Why? Because turbo automatically affects all land terrain and the new “fast move” is terrain-specific. But you can totally kit out a pair of hiking boots with turbo and flippers and have some truly remarkable footwear that would probably scare small children and most service animals. =)
Nothing’s set in stone. I just want to see how the idea plays out. Recent weeks have shown that new players are at a huge disadvantage without turbo boots, and this seemed like a way to fill that gap. Newbies can get some running shoes or splurge on some trail shoes and they are pretty much good-to-go, with the option to upgrade later.
Also, I figure, worst case scenario? I just introduced the first rare items into the new PBN era. 😉
Have fun!
-David
March 12th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I posted a new UI today, so use Ctrl+F5 (or local browser equivalent) to make sure you’re using the latest.
Assuming I was clever enough, this new UI should allow you to be on the game indefinitely. Before, after a while, the amount of text in the scroll area would cause your browser to slow way down (and/or crash), especially when going into (or leaving) a game.
This has been an issue since the beginning, but maybe the past few days of crunching on this (and learning more about how the DOM works) means I can finally cross it off my list.
With that out of the way, I can move on to the so-called lobby, which will finally allow you to see who’s on each server *before* you log on. Among other things.
I’m also hoping I can get PBN’s actual web page going this week. I’ll post the URL when my ISP *FINALLY* updates their DNS and I can reach it. (grumbles)
Thanks for playing!
-David
March 13th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
The game’s UI improved significantly yesterday and today. Besides fixes/improvements for the info scroll and the whoa-that’s-a-lot-of-splats freeze bug, I also worked on the touchpad. I have the touchpad scale larger/smaller based on the resolution of the device, and made it give some visual feedback.
On the game side of the fence, I implemented a more compact form of the “who game” output (at the request TheQtPie), made it so the game won’t spam you with “you can’t leave the holding area” messages, and overhauled newbie equipment.
Newly created players now get: * a paintball gun (+ full hopper) * a woodland camo jacket * running shoes * $1000 (same as before)
Plus I changed the default buttons to reflect those equipment changes. I even made the “Get Token” button be “get token & put token jacket”. Because I’m nice like that.
I also reorganized the gunshop’s list a bit. Moved the paintball ammo to the top of the list. Renamed the free gun/rifle/ammo so they just say “free” and don’t include that very misleading word “beginners” (because everyone knows the free gun is *not* for beginners).
I’m still waiting for my domain name to resolve, so no news on the web page.
Thanks for playing!
-David
Mar 14th, 2019
Paintball Net Update and Open Question
First, the update: The beginner server and tournament server now randomly generate their maps when they start up. I was able to use the map generator code Dug wrote, and twiddle with settings until it seems to generate “mostly useful” maps. We’ll see how it goes, and how crazy random can be. =)
Second: I want your suggestions/ideas for how to keep the beginner server beginner friendly.
-David
Mar 16th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I just booted in a couple new game options: Free Gun Survival and Free Gun Teams
The only weapons that work in those games are–wait for it–free guns. =)
These games are sort of an experiment. A test case for how I’m thinking I’ll configure the beginner server. A first step in that direction. Also, I was curious if anyone actually *wanted* free gun games that were enforced by the game itself. 😉
-David
March 19th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
The Beginner Server now has new restrictions on equipment. When you log in, if anything in your inventory is affected, you will be notified.
Currently, “turbo” is disabled on the beginner server. This just means turbo doesn’t work. If you have something like “hiking boots[swim][turbo]”, only the turbo part doesn’t work. The rest of those odd footwear work as expected.
What also doesn’t work: cloaking, refracto, xray and infrared. And probably interference. And I think I took flying out too.
Weapons: If it shoots “paintball” ammo, it’ll work (all variations, fast, no-bounce, etc). And you can still throw grenades (but you can’t launch them). Rocket launchers and rockets are a no.
The stores on the beginner server don’t list anything that won’t work there.
The other 2 servers have no equipment restrictions.
At least, all of that is the plan. I booted in the changes. Now we’ll see how they hold up to actual playing. =)
Thanks for playing!
-David
Mar 21st, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I just booted in a few more changes. Besides plugging more holes in the beginner server’s restrictions, I did something maybe a bit odd. Burst-mode weapons now show a stream of paintballs (instead of just the one “stack” of paintballs). Because it looks cool. Or I think it does. =) In fact, I’m thinking about upgrading the minigun’s default to a burst of 5 (and raising the cost, of course).
In other news, I’m working on the so-called lobby now. Once I have that ready I can show all the servers and who’s on which as part of the login.
The web page (paintballnet.net) is still (slowly) propagating through the various tubes of the interwebs. I’ll be adding to it a bit at time.
Though work on another project and the day job have been taking up a lot of time lately, I have managed to get in some work on PBN.
I updated the play page this morning with some changes to the who’s online list and the store and locker item lists. They might even be considered improvements. =)
My plan is to work on the web page next, especially tutorials.
The bots would like to talk to you about “bot farming.”
Not only have I added a “gun bot”–which is essentially a smart bot with a burst-mode weapon–but I have upgraded the dumb bot, smart bot, and really smart bot to have guns as well. They shoot regular paintballs (though at varying ranges). The stealth bot, for reasons of “I thought it was funny”, is now armed with paint grenades (but it can only throw them a short distance).
All the bots still have their traditional “find you and paint you and/or the surrounding territory” weapons, of course. Tradition is important.
A hint: Don’t stand still in Invaders games anymore.
Have fun!
-David
May 8th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
First I gave the bots guns.
Now I’m making them smarter.
Or, at least, I’m trying to. =)
Set your bots to 5 and see how well you do in Survival. Or see what a bot swarm can look like in an Invaders game.
I’m not done with them–I have plans–but I wanted to share.
Have fun!
-David
May 9th, 2019
Paintball Net News
1 & 2 June will be the Official Launch (Relaunch?) of Paintball Net.
I’m planning weekend-long “double day” payouts, and special commemorative tokens and flags. Maybe some other stuff as I think of it.
-David
May 10th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I’ve added a “Tutorials” tab to the game. Right now it has links to the existing tutorials, opening them in the game (iframes).
I plan to keep improving the tutorials and making more over time. And maybe I can improve how the tutorials are displayed in the game.
I also fixed a minor display bug.
Do a Forced Reload of the play web page to get the latest UI. (Ctrl+F5 in Chrome)
-David
May 16th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I booted in some changes this morning. I extended the idle time to 15 minutes, and made a few more preparations for Launch Day weekend.
Also, if you have a gun with a burst or spreadfire kit attached before today (16 May), you now have a slightly rare item. I fixed those mods to slow down the firing speed of the weapon they way they’ve always been meaning to and just weren’t. You’ll probably need to examine the gun to spot the difference.
One of the things I added today is a new type of patch. Like the team or name patch, except they have specific text. There will be special commemorative “Paintball Net Launch Day” patches on sale in the chop shop over that weekend.
Have fun!
-DavidRM
May 31st, 2019
Paintball Net Update
Because a few last-minute, oh-look-we-launch-tomorrow features/changes never hurt anyone…
;-)A few changes as of this morning:
Padding now has a 20% of chance of *not* bouncing regular paintballs.
Scopes now provide a new advantage: increased accuracy–which means a better chance of *not* hitting someone where they’re padded.
%rhand and %lhand can now be used in aliases. And so can %body, %eyes, %head, and so on. These macros (or whatever you wanna call ’em) now get expanded when the command is executed (not just when you hit the button).
I hope everyone had a great time over the weekend!
It was a lot of fun seeing everyone again. I had fun splatting and being splatted. And making up odd patches to hand out. And creating rare items. That sort of thing. It was, as I said: Fun. =)
I wanted to thank Theman and poormanjoe (who have, you know, real names) for their help with the Launch Day Weekend. It couldn’t have happened without them!
I updated the game a bit this morning. Because that’s what I do. And again this afternoon. (See?)
A few minor new features in the UI (do a force reload to see them): * The arrow move option now supports shift+arrow to move the target. * There’s now a quick visual highlight of where you are at the start of a game.
Thanks again for everyone’s support and enthusiasm!
-David
June 7, 2019
Paintball Net Update
I seem to have spent the week after Launch Day crashing the game. Sorry about that. =)
I noticed some performance issues over the Launch Day weekend, and set about correcting them. After a number of reboots and crashes, I think I got ’em.
Also, over the last day or so, I’ve updated the web page UI to support WASD movement. If you check the Arrows/WASD option (on the Options tab), you can now toggle back and forth between the command edit and WASD using the ESC key. If there’s any call for it, I’ll add an option to specify a command (or alias) to execute when hitting the spacebar (and maybe other keys) while in WASD mode.
My plan for the next week or so is to see if I can get the game *really* playable via mobile. I think the touchpad movement is quite workable already, but I’ll be investigating new ways to target and fire.
Thanks for playing!
-DavidRM
June 12th, 2019
I just uploaded my next (2nd? 3rd?) attempt at a viable mobile version of the game’s web page. Press Ctrl+F5 to force a reload.If you don’t use the new features, they won’t (or shouldn’t) affect you.New options:
Touch Mode (replaces old Touch Mode option)
Zoom Out
See the image to check out the new touch mode controls. There is a “target” button, and a set of buttons for quickly changing how the map is centered on you.In short:
You touch the map to move.
You press the “target” button, and touch the map at the same time to fire.
You press the view buttons to see more of the map in a particular direction (or center the map).
Also, there is a new “Zoom Out” option that uses smaller graphics for the terrain and pictures. This should help pack more game display into small phone screens.I’ve been testing this all week, but there still might be issues. Don’t hesitate to let me know.Have fun!
-DavidRM
June 19th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
This week I spent some time on tournaments. Besides fixing a few issues, I added some new features: * Tournaments can now be either the regular “Teams” game or “Free Gun Teams”. * Tournaments can now be “random teams”. Players sign up, and the server randomly assigns them to a set number of teams.
I also made a few changes/fixes to the web page UI, though mostly on the fringes.
I have started working on an overhaul of the game’s equipment. This will mostly be a simplification and removal of redundancies. I’ll let you know more when I’ve finished my analysis.
Thanks for playing!
-DavidRM
June 21st, 2019
I just booted in an overhaul of available equipment. Some things disappeared from store shelves. Some of them were redundant, some just not relevant any longer. Many things became less expensive (like gun modifications).
Most of the changes were fiddly. Adjustments to weights and volumes. Price changes. Some fixes.
Some changes were just…well…it turns out there was *no* functional difference between “high-velocity” and “very high-velocity”, for example. Just words in their descriptions. This was because of how velocity *really* affects the speed of moving objects.
Anyway, overall, the game should *feel* about the same. Just a bit simpler.
Still, I will be making adjustments over the next few days based on how everything plays.
Other updates: * Beginner server no longer allows burst mode. You’ll just shoot one paintball at a time there (saving a lot of money on ammo, I’ll bet). * Fiddling with bounce %’s based on the ammo’s velocity (faster == less likely to bounce). * Increased throwing range of grenades.
Thanks for playing!
-DavidRM
PS The “Secret Store” is going to pick up most of the items that were removed from the regular stores. More about the Secret Store next month. =)
June 24th, 2019
Unexploded ordinance is now a thing.
If you drop a mine in a game, and the mine isn’t triggered, it now remains active until you log off.
NOTE: This doesn’t apply to mines dropped in the holding area. Those are cleared at the end of the game.
-DavidRM
June 25th, 2019
Paintball Net Update
If you do a forced reload of the web page (Ctrl+F5), there’s a new option on the Options tab: Command Buttons on Right (Classic Layout)
-DavidRM
On the server side: * Fix for when getting stuck with “not enough players for flags”. * Bots can now be set up to 9 (was 5 max before).
