Oh, one more thing. TWGS is largely a replacement for the MBBS version. To run the MBBS version required a Worldgroup registration (over a grand) AND an HVS TW registration (over $400). Given that fact, it's not surprising that this is only the second complaint I've heard about the $80 full TWGS Gold registration. And remember you can run TWGS for $40 including a TWv3 registration, and for only $25 if you already have a TW registration.
You have to consider the situation. As the author of the server, and until now NOT the owner of the game, I had to have some incentive for the project. The server is $25 for a lite version (4 node) and $45 for up to 100 nodes. TWGS is $45. The rest is for the registration of Trade Wars, which is $25 for classic and $45 to get the Gold expansion. TWGS Gold is $80, and that's $10 less than you'd pay if you bought separately. I honor all TW registrations, so there's about 30,000 people out there who already own a TW registration and can be up and running for $25 or $40. That's not quite as bad... You can't sell a product to Linux users. If it's not freeware, it's not worth it:( John Pritchett Epic Interactive Strategy
I heard about the announcement here so I thought I'd stop by to post some info about the current TW development.
For those of you interested in checking out the latest version of Trade Wars, you can download the beta TWGSv1.01 (Win32 TW server) at http://www.eisonline.com/twgs/beta. Keep in mind that this is a 4 meg distribution, and since I don't have mirror download sites it might be slow during peak hours. We had a wave of hits coming as a result of this post:( If you're not getting a few K per second, come back later.
Here are a few answers to common questions:
Who are you?
EIS is just one person, John Pritchett (me). Because of my circumstances, it is impossible for me to relocate and seek employment at a computer game company. Therefore, I am trying to build my own company around my vision of online gaming. I am not a fan of "massively multiplayer" games, and am trying to promote an online game style based on the strengths of the BBS door model. My TW server project barely scratches the surface, but it'll be slow going as long as I'm the only developer on the team:(
What's new in TW these days?
In my current project (TWGS), I have worked hard to retain the classic gameplay while adding some new twists through the Gold features. If you played TW back in the early nineties, you'll be able to jump right into a modern game. Games today are multiplayer, can have up to 20,000 sectors, can have customized aliens, ships and planets, can be played in classic, MBBS emulation, or Gold customized modes, and can be hosted from a computer without a BBS.
What is TWGS?
My goal with this project is to provide a more modern parallel to the BBS. It's not supposed to provide all of the features that a BBS provided, since the web already does a better job of that. All it is meant to do is provide a cheap, accessible multiplayer online game platform where small, amateur developers can target their games. I've started with Trade Wars, and TWGS is a devoted server for that game. I intend to generalize the server in coming months, and plans are in the works to bring LORD to the server as the second game. At that point, I intend to open the market to any interested developers (royalty free).
Anyone with a Windows-based PC can run a server, and a cable-modem connection or better can host a decent sized game. The game is built from the original code, so it isn't as optimized as a game of this type could be. But on the other hand, it's much more efficient than any other implementation of Trade Wars 2002.
Why Delphi?
Trade Wars was originally written by Gary Martin in Borland Pascal. When I decided to do a port, it was either a rewrite or a recompile. I wanted to keep the game as close to the classic as possible, so I simply recompiled it under Delphi, then added sockets code. I've added a considerable amount to the game, but the classic mode is nearly identical to the game you played as a BBS door.
Can I please write a Linux port?
I get this question quite frequently. I want to wait on the Inprise (Borland) port of Delphi first, because that would save a great deal of effort. If that fails, I will consider letting another programmer do the port. Please don't swamp me with requests at least until Borland's port is out and I've tried that approach;)
What is the future of Trade Wars?
I am very interested in bringing some ideas for a more mainstream game to some of the computer game publishers. I believe the name still has a solid recognition factor, and a modernized game that retains the essence of the original could do very well.
Finally, I'd like to comment about the history of Trade Wars. Clearly, Gary Martin was not the first person to develop a game of this kind. The first, as mentioned in other posts, was outlined in a book on BASIC, and is nearly as old as the modern computer. Early BBS versions were developed by Sherrick and Morris CONCURRENT to Gary's efforts. Mr. Martin explains that there was a friendly race between these two early versions, until Sherrick started to make negative comments about Martin's version. He was able to put a stop to the claims made by Sherrick simply because they were not true.
There is little dispute that Gary's final version, Trade Wars 2002, was the most popular, and it continues to have a solid following. It is my hope to continue the Trade Wars tradition, both with the classic running under TWGS, and a future, mainstream version of the game.
Thanks for your interest in TW2002. To keep up with the developments, go to http://www.eisonline.com/twgs and follow the forum or add yourself to the mailing list. And I'm always available for comments at jpritch@eisonline.com.
Slashdot Mirror
Oh, one more thing. TWGS is largely a replacement for the MBBS version. To run the MBBS version required a Worldgroup registration (over a grand) AND an HVS TW registration (over $400). Given that fact, it's not surprising that this is only the second complaint I've heard about the $80 full TWGS Gold registration. And remember you can run TWGS for $40 including a TWv3 registration, and for only $25 if you already have a TW registration.
You have to consider the situation. As the author of the server, and until now NOT the owner of the game, I had to have some incentive for the project. The server is $25 for a lite version (4 node) and $45 for up to 100 nodes. TWGS is $45. The rest is for the registration of Trade Wars, which is $25 for classic and $45 to get the Gold expansion. TWGS Gold is $80, and that's $10 less than you'd pay if you bought separately. I honor all TW registrations, so there's about 30,000 people out there who already own a TW registration and can be up and running for $25 or $40. That's not quite as bad... You can't sell a product to Linux users. If it's not freeware, it's not worth it :( John Pritchett Epic Interactive Strategy
For those of you interested in checking out the latest version of Trade Wars, you can download the beta TWGSv1.01 (Win32 TW server) at http://www.eisonline.com/twgs/beta. Keep in mind that this is a 4 meg distribution, and since I don't have mirror download sites it might be slow during peak hours. We had a wave of hits coming as a result of this post :( If you're not getting a few K per second, come back later.
Here are a few answers to common questions:
Who are you?
EIS is just one person, John Pritchett (me). Because of my circumstances, it is impossible for me to relocate and seek employment at a computer game company. Therefore, I am trying to build my own company around my vision of online gaming. I am not a fan of "massively multiplayer" games, and am trying to promote an online game style based on the strengths of the BBS door model. My TW server project barely scratches the surface, but it'll be slow going as long as I'm the only developer on the team :(
What's new in TW these days?
In my current project (TWGS), I have worked hard to retain the classic gameplay while adding some new twists through the Gold features. If you played TW back in the early nineties, you'll be able to jump right into a modern game. Games today are multiplayer, can have up to 20,000 sectors, can have customized aliens, ships and planets, can be played in classic, MBBS emulation, or Gold customized modes, and can be hosted from a computer without a BBS.
What is TWGS?
My goal with this project is to provide a more modern parallel to the BBS. It's not supposed to provide all of the features that a BBS provided, since the web already does a better job of that. All it is meant to do is provide a cheap, accessible multiplayer online game platform where small, amateur developers can target their games. I've started with Trade Wars, and TWGS is a devoted server for that game. I intend to generalize the server in coming months, and plans are in the works to bring LORD to the server as the second game. At that point, I intend to open the market to any interested developers (royalty free).
Anyone with a Windows-based PC can run a server, and a cable-modem connection or better can host a decent sized game. The game is built from the original code, so it isn't as optimized as a game of this type could be. But on the other hand, it's much more efficient than any other implementation of Trade Wars 2002.
Why Delphi?
Trade Wars was originally written by Gary Martin in Borland Pascal. When I decided to do a port, it was either a rewrite or a recompile. I wanted to keep the game as close to the classic as possible, so I simply recompiled it under Delphi, then added sockets code. I've added a considerable amount to the game, but the classic mode is nearly identical to the game you played as a BBS door.
Can I please write a Linux port?
I get this question quite frequently. I want to wait on the Inprise (Borland) port of Delphi first, because that would save a great deal of effort. If that fails, I will consider letting another programmer do the port. Please don't swamp me with requests at least until Borland's port is out and I've tried that approach ;)
What is the future of Trade Wars?
I am very interested in bringing some ideas for a more mainstream game to some of the computer game publishers. I believe the name still has a solid recognition factor, and a modernized game that retains the essence of the original could do very well.
Finally, I'd like to comment about the history of Trade Wars. Clearly, Gary Martin was not the first person to develop a game of this kind. The first, as mentioned in other posts, was outlined in a book on BASIC, and is nearly as old as the modern computer. Early BBS versions were developed by Sherrick and Morris CONCURRENT to Gary's efforts. Mr. Martin explains that there was a friendly race between these two early versions, until Sherrick started to make negative comments about Martin's version. He was able to put a stop to the claims made by Sherrick simply because they were not true.
There is little dispute that Gary's final version, Trade Wars 2002, was the most popular, and it continues to have a solid following. It is my hope to continue the Trade Wars tradition, both with the classic running under TWGS, and a future, mainstream version of the game.
Thanks for your interest in TW2002. To keep up with the developments, go to http://www.eisonline.com/twgs and follow the forum or add yourself to the mailing list. And I'm always available for comments at jpritch@eisonline.com.
John Pritchett
Epic Interactive Strategy