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Tank Assault
- Home Page
- None yet.
- Author
- Aaron Bratcher aka MegaWatt
- Status
- Under active development, although both single-player features and networking are very basic so far.
- Download Information
- Not available for download.
- This page was last revised Apr 7, 1999
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Tank Assault (TA) is the Java Bolo clone being developed by Aaron Bratcher aka MegaWatt. He started the project in the spring of 1998, and after several months' hiatus he recently resumed work again. Before you get all excited, please realize that TA is still in early, private development, so you won't be able to download it any time soon, if ever.
TA is written entirely in JavaTM, which allows programs to run without any modifications on any platform that supports Java, such as Windows, MacOS, Solaris, and Linux. TA's cross-platform approach is unique among the clone projects. Theoretically, you will be able to play TA against anybody else no matter what kind of machine or operating system any of you are using. Theoretically. :)
One reason I have some confidence in TA actually going somewhere is its author. Aaron is a long-time Bolo aficionado. At various times in the past, he was responsible for many key elements of supporting the game, such as providing the first widely used Internet Bolo tracker, assembling and serving the first Bolo FTP archive, and creating many maps including "Oil Rig" which influenced the way games have been played the past few years.
I've organized the available TA info into the following pages, presented in roughly chronological order (from oldest to newest).
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Bolo Server: The Details 10/7/97
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This is MW's first detailed description of the client/server networking at the heart of TA. Although somewhat technical, it describes the limitations of Bolo that TA endeavors to fix.
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First Progress 3/24/98
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MW sent this progress report to me. It describes the unique features of TA that distinguish it from Bolo, and updates us on his progress to date.
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Client/Server Networking 3/25/98
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I wrote this non-technical explanation of client/server networking and how it compares to Bolo's ring networking. There are several easy to understand examples drawn from hypothetical game scenarios.
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TA: First Glimpse
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The first screen capture as TA meets its first goal, with the ability to drive the tank around a map.
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Latest News
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Currently the game has the most basic single-player features, such as the ability to drive around a map, shoot up walls, and refuel from bases. Just to illustrate how much more is still missing, however, you can't shoot or be shot by a pill or other tanks, there is no little green man, and driving into walls results in very disconcerting jumps. Nevertheless, these are niceties that can be added or fixed with finite time. Now that Aaron has demonstrated the feasibility of a Java arcade game, he has turned his attention to networking, which was always his main interest. TA will use a server/client topology to get around Bolo's limitations. Aaron has implemented the basic networking complete with error checking. We've been able to get 3 people into a game even with his slow modem acting as the server, which is essentially a worst case scenario. In the meantime, like Joel did with AA, Aaron also gave TA very different graphics compared to the original Bolo.
The most recent TA beta is dated 3/17/99. Here are some pictures:
[ Picture 1 | Picture 2 ]
