[Ogre] Unbridging the gap.

[Robert Kern]

Tristan Koehler wrote:

> Sounds alot like cyberboard or aid de camp.  Both these programs allow
> you to email moves back and forth and then watch the other persons
> move.  I've also heard that Vassal can do this too, but I don't know if
> an Ogre module is done for it yet.

I am working on one. I'm using maps rendered by Ville Tirronen's
mapMaker program[1] slightly modified to also render railroad tracks and
the standard Ogre craters-and-rubble terrain. At the moment, I've
extracted the counters from your Cyberboard gamebox. Once I'm satisfied
with the module and have obtained permission to redistribute the counter
art, I will apply for a license from SJG.

There are a couple nice things about using VASSAL. Foremost for me is
that it actually runs on my Powerbook as well as Linux and Windows. It
also allows for live play as well as PBEM. Counters can have behaviors
attached to them: one can toggle the disabled status of a selected armor
unit by pressing Ctrl-D, or change the strength of an infantry counter
with Ctrl-[ and Ctrl-], or view the attack radius with Ctrl-1 (also
2,3,4 for Ogres). If someone were to get the urge to do some Java
coding, one could implement some more interesting behaviors, too.

VASSAL can also do miniatures games. I could re-render the maps to a
larger size and remove the hex-grid. I would need artwork for the minis,
though. Models like Guido's would be really useful for this. Actually,
they might make good replacements for the hex-game counters, too.

[1] http://www.cc.jyu.fi/~aleator/me/mapmakerEng.html

-- 
Robert Kern
robert.kern at gmail.com

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
 Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
  -- Richard Harter