1This file contains the most recent changes to the COW client, with example 2.xtrekrc options to deal with them, and the clips from the documentation that 3explain them. If you're upgrading from an old version of COW, this file should 4make it a painless experience. 5 6***************************************************************** 71) Change Log 8***************************************************************** 9 101.03 pl1 11- map/unmap the motd window button [dearing] 12- RCD docs update [ahabig] 13- FTP server switched from infant2 to bigbang [ahabig] 14- SGI X crash bug fixed [siegl] 15- security enhancements [siegl] 16 171.03 pl0 18- configurable destination macro keys [siegl] 19- added lots of tricks to XTREKRC.example [siegl] 20- invalid robots race char fix [siegl] 21- upgraded to autoconfig 2 [siegl] 22- add external rint() replacement function [siegl] 23 Fixes by [Soutter] 24* Added a playerlist option "sortMyTeamFirst". 25* Added phaser shrink options "shrinkPhaserOnMiss" and "theirPhaserShrink". 26* map() now has its own module and is a little faster I think. 27* local() now has its own module and is a little faster I think. 28* Bug fixed: Lock symbol sometimes blurs on the galactic. 29* Bug fixed: Macros of the form "mac.<key>: <defn>" don't work. 30* Bug fixed: Tractors sometimes drawn out of place if shrinkPhasers used. 31* Bug fixed: Local map not updated until you first move. 32* Bug fixed: Playerlist kills not updated when you first enter the game. 33* Bug fixed: Some buttons in the Short Packet window are not always drawn. 34* Bug fixed: When two ships overlap, the resulting color is sometimes black. 35* Bug fixed: Planets on the galactic are sometimes partially erased. 36* Bug fixed: You can write slightly longer messages than can be sent. 37* Bug improved: Stationary players can be hidden by planets on the galactic. 38* Bug fixed: When observing a player, the dashboard does not show 39 torps, kills or max armies as it would in normal mode. 40* Bug Fixed: Holding down the `n' key for a few seconds will crash the client. 41* Bug fixed: Obviously dead torps/phasers/plasmas are sometimes drawn. 42* Bug fixed: The why-dead message is slightly different after window refresh. 43* Bug Fixed: Failed meta-server reads effect the metaCache file. 44* Bug Fixed: No positive feedback of selection from the meta-server window. 45 46 47***************************************************************** 482) Cut and past changes to make COW work like it used to. 49***************************************************************** 50 511.03 pl1 52 53The WQ window looks different now and there's no way to get back 54the old one ;) 55 561.03 pl0 57 58No changes visible exept all the bug fixes :) 59 60***************************************************************** 613) Cut and past changes to turn on *all* new features. 62***************************************************************** 63 641.03 pl1 65 66No new features 67 681.03 pl0 69 70# 71# Set symbolic names for macro 72# key.[key].[dest]: [name of key] 73# If the destination isn't specified the key default to team. 74# Set the actual destination by sending a message: 75# set [name of key] [destination id] 76# to the shell ("!") 77# 78key.C: captain 79# Set Captian to target player 80mac.^C.!: set captain %g 81# Macros to the captain. 82mac.o.C: Hi Captain let me suggest a base ogg? 83# 84key.B: base 85# Set Base to target player 86mac.^B.!: set base %g 87# Macros to the Base 88mac.a.B: BASE: Free armies for me? 89# 90key.m.A: me 91# set the me (m) key to myself 92mac.^m.!: set me %c 93# some Macro sent to myself 94mac.t.m: TIME 95 96 97 98theirPhaserShrink: 6 99# 100# Range: 0-16 101# 102# How much to shrink everybody else's phasers by. "phaserShrink" 103# still effects your own phasers. 104# 105 106 107shrinkPhaserOnMiss: on 108# 109# If on, a phaser is shrunk even if the phaser does not hit. 110# 111 112 113sortMyTeamFirst: on 114# 115# This option only applies if "sortPlayers" is on. 116# 117# With this option, the playerlist is order with your team at the top. 118# Otherwise, the playerlist has the enemy team(s) first. 119# 120 121 122**************************************************************** 1234) New manual sections 124**************************************************************** 125 126*************************************************************** 127* Symbolic names for macro destinations - Kurt Siegl 27/4/95 128*************************************************************** 129 130You always wanted to send a macro directly to the captain, base, 131or the second SC bomber? 132 133Symbolic macro keys will solve your problems. Here how it goes: 134 135In the .xtrekrc file you assign a key to a symbolic name: 136 137 key.[key].[dest]: [name of key] 138 139If the destination isn't specified the key defaults to team. 140 141Examples: 142key.C: captain 143key.B.t: base 144key.m.A: me 145 146Then you can use that new key in your macros. 147 148Examples: 149mac.o.C: Hi Captain let me suggest a base ogg? 150mac.a.B: BASE: Free armies for me? 151mac.t.m: TIME 152 153Finally during runtime you may change the actual destination 154by sending a message: 155 156 set [name of key] [destination id] 157 158to the shell ("!") tools. Of corse this may be done with macros as well. 159 160Examples: 161mac.^C.!: set captain %g 162mac.^m.!: set me %c 163 164You can check the settings on the shell tools window "M". 165 166 167*************************************************************** 168Connection Types: UDP and TCP explained 169*************************************************************** 170 171UDP provides an unreliable, packet-based protocol for sending data 172across an IP network. There are a variety of ways that a UDP packet 173can be lost or discarded, including a failure of the underlying 174communication mechanism. UDP implements a checksum over the data 175portion of the packet. If the checksum of a received packet is in 176error, the packet will be dropped with no indication given to the 177user. A queue of received packets is provided for each UDP socket. 178This queue has a limited capacity. Arriving datagrams which will not 179fit within its high-water capacity are silently discarded. 180 181Guest Rd 71 27 2% / 13% 182 183The stats above show a typically UDP connection. It has loss of 184packets but its round-trip times are fairly low. 185 186 187TCP provides a reliable, flow-controlled, in order transfer of data 188across an IP network. There is nothing fundamentally different about 189the way UDP and TCP packets travel over the wire. The only real 190difference is that TCP will keep sending the same packet over and over 191again until it gets an acknowledgement back. As a result, TCP 192connects are typically slower than UDP connections and usually require 193more bandwidth. TCP is slower because it guarantees that packets will 194arrive in order and so a lost packet can hold up later packets. 195 196Example: 197 198Guest Ff 405 669 0% / 0% 199 ^^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^^^^ 200 201The above shows possibly the same connection with UDP turned off. 202There is no loss but the round trip times are much higher. 203 204 205NOTES: 206 207* COW always uses TCP for some things. For example, the text messages 208 that you can send to other players are implement in TCP to guarentee 209 that they always arrive. However, if a UDP connection is also 210 available, it is used for the vast majority of communication. 211 212* COW will fall back to using a TCP only if it fails to open 213 a UDP link. If you find that you have high lag and no loss, you 214 probably should display the UDP control window (the default key is 215 `+') and turn UDP back on by pressing the top button. 216 217* You are recommended to use a TCP connection if you are at the same 218 site (within a few milliseconds lag) of the server you are playing on. 219 The main reason for using UDP is to reduce your round trip times. 220 221* The option "tryUdp" can be used to set a preference for using 222 UDP (tryUdp: on) or TCP only (tryUdp: off). 223 224