HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: siegl@risc.uni-linz.ac.at (Kurt Siegl)
Subject: Re: xtrek biff
Organization: RISC, J.K. University of Linz, Austria
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 10:59:14 GMT

In article <BzqEMv.K2B@cs.bham.ac.uk>, jwh@cs.bham.ac.uk (James Hawtin) writes:
> I here there is an xtrek biff where do I get it from?
>

At melmac we have modified our server in such a way, that it creates a file called
/usr/local/lib/netrek/on whenever a player logs in and removes the file as soon
the daemon dies. Using that change you can use the standard Unix Mail biffs:

A simple xbiff would look like:

xbiff -update 60 -file /usr/local/lib/netrek/on -name trekon \
   -xrm 'trekon*emptyPixmap: trekoff' -xrm 'trekon*fullPixmap: trekon'

As soon a player logs in the xbiff changes to the "trekon" flag. I've generated
some nice bitmaps for that purpose.

A better version uses the port -1 stuff. Whenever a player logs in a window with
all the information about the player pops up.

Here it is:

xlbiff -update 60 -file /usr/local/lib/netrek/on -name trekonl \
   -scanCommand "metaserver melmac 2591"

It automaticaly updates the window whenever a new player joins.

The required changes on the server are quite simple:

daemonII.c:97:        system("rm -f /usr/local/lib/netrek/on");
daemonII.c:111:        system("rm -f /usr/local/lib/netrek/on");
daemonII.c:2045:    system("rm -f /usr/local/lib/netrek/on");
enter.c:44:       system("echo on >>/usr/local/lib/netrek/on");

The line numbers are from our local version, but at least they should give an hint
where to put the statements. Removing before exiting the daemon and writing
whenever a new player enters.

At melmac we run that tools with great success. Tell me if you have problems, further
suggestions or you like some nice bitmaps.

Have fun,

Kurt (007)
Pumping Iron (ENL RISC team)
Server GOD at melmac
From: jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: From the coUnCiLbOy: INL Council position openings. Please read.
Date: 10 Jan 93 06:21:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.sfI4ngy00YUo01upYF
	<1il2ur$9th@agate.berkeley.edu>
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


tom@soda.berkeley.edu (Tom Holub) writes:
> In article <1993Jan7.174744@IASTATE.EDU> exodus@IASTATE.EDUIn article <1993Jan\
> 7.180718.7210@coe.montana.edu>, osyjm@cs.montana.edu (Jaye Mathisen) writes: w\
> rites:
> )> 
> )> Selection will be by popular vote, subject to the following limits.
> )> 
> )> Only 1 representative from any school/company present on the council at a
> )time.
> )> 
> )   I hate to bring this up again, but the above limitation is _really_
> )stupid. There are more qualified people for INL council membership at
> )CMU & Berkeley than the rest of the country combined. I don't think
> )the "at-large" member compensates for this at all. We're just hurting
> )ourselves by only allowing 1 per school.....
> 
> I disagree.  The reason not more than 1 rep from Berkeley or CMU is
> allowed is for representation purposes.  The council can't really afford
> to expand beyond 7 members--it's bulky enough as it is--and if there
> were, say, 2 Cal reps and 2 CMU reps, the interests of top-quality
> schools would be woefully overrepresented. 
Actually it wouldn't be over representation.  Consider, out of 18
teams last year 3 were from CMU.  Now look the number of people on OTR
(around 18 I think, much larger than most teams).  Then consider the
number of CMU'ers on at large teams (Hell's Bagels had 2, IC had 4,
and TWNN had 2).  And the farm teams had a good number of people from
CMU.  So, the CMU population in the INL was much closer to 2/7 than
1/7 of the INL.  Try a different argument that disproportionate
representation.

	joe
	Purple haze
	Lamb, Leg Of
From: bellew@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Douglas V Bellew)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Elements of teamwork (long)
Date: 9 Jan 93 17:58:45 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <C05EqG.LuF.1@cs.cmu.edu> hde+@cs.cmu.edu (Herbert Enderton) writes:
:>Okay, here's the first draft of a guide about teamwork.  Comments
:>are welcome.
:>
:>  -- Red Shirt
:>
:>----------------------------------------------------------------------

[Good descriptions deleted....]

:>Escorting
:>
:>Some basic facts to bear in mind:
:>
:>(1) A ship can't dodge when orbiting.
:>(2) Enemies killed reappear near their home world, refreshed.
:>(3) A ship in place has a huge tactical advantage over an enemy
:>    rushing towards it.
:>(4) All cloakers look alike.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	Just my $.02 but it seems a large amount of people forget this.
One thing I find is a pain as a defender and a tends to work well
is to get basically on top of your carrier (Note: at the beginning of
the run and not on the planet) and then either run in, and do the escort
thing, getting people who would normally have known who the carrier 
was by following the galactic to shoot at me, 
or go to another nearby planet where I can draw  people to.
It makes it tough to tell who the real carrier is.  (insert here all
the nifty variations like comming at right angles and switching 
flight paths, etc.)


	Doug
	Vampyre
	guest!
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: nlc@vulcan.xtel.co.uk (Neil Cook)
Subject: Re: Changing the alignment of an altar???
Organization: X-Tel Services Ltd.
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 09:57:34 GMT

In article <ewing-040193164024@usrv13L>, ewing@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu (Rick Ewing) writes:
|> I've heard that it is possible not only to change your character's
|> alignment during a game, but it is also possible to change an altar's
|> alignment (not without consequences, I suspect).  is it indeed possible,
|> and if so, an clues on how to accomplish this?
|> 
|> --Rick Ewing
|>   Vanderbilt University

Yes, this is fairly easy using the Eric's new client, and a server
with the KSU nethack chaos mods. You have to kill the Medusa guarding
Earth in a LPS situation, using the mirrored assault ship. You can
then orbit the Earth and  use the #change alignment extended command.
You may have to change your keymap to do this.

A litle known feature is the ability to genocide a race by picking
up and reading the scroll hidden on Mir.

Neil.
Neophyte Drax...
From: leonard@mimsy.umd.edu (Leonard Dickens)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: INL council election method
Date: 8 Jan 93 05:47:47 GMT
Organization: Deep Thirteen, Gizmonics Institute

Exodus writes:
>> INL Council position openings.
>> Selection will be by popular vote, subject to the following limits.
>> Only 1 representative from any school/company present on the council at a
>> time.

>   I hate to bring this up again, but the above limitation is _really_
>stupid.

I don't think it is stupid, but neither is it as good as it can be.
On the other hand, I think it is time to lay the argument over the
election system to rest for now, and concentrate on electing some
people so that the council can get on with its work.

One of those work items may very well be to change the system for
running the council -- for next season.  Right now, we need people to
make the decisions for the Spring INL so that it can happen promptly.

-Leonard
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: jecoleb@eos.ncsu.edu (have clue, will travel)
Subject: Re: Was that the real PIG BOY? (+ others)
Reply-To: jecoleb@eos.ncsu.edu
Organization: The Ghost Of Christmas Past Society
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 08:49:04 GMT


wang@db.toronto.edu (Huaiqing Wang) writes:
>On a serious note, I used, oh, more than 10 character names on various
>servers. I have maybe 4-5 on bronco alone. 
>Hmm, I guess I have to get a few more characters to beat ensign for the
>most character name owned. :) :)
>	Paper Boy!, Newbie, me, KillMePlease, Rafix, Rabbit Hunter,
>           OgScum + any case variation such as "newbie" "Me" or whatever.
Heh.

Heh heh.

Just TRY and match my cast o' characters, chum. :)
	
	---Video Sex Pope/Dr. Spooge/Dr. SPOOGE!/Iceweasel/Black Adder/
	RandomAnnoyance/Don King's Hair/Don Ho's Crotch/CrossEyed Tammy/
	the big xtc fan/Nixon's Colon/more blank's blank body-part chars/
	Evil Nazi Ogg/Socialist Frog/Anarchy Frog(sometimes)/Speeeeeeeeedy/
	DetachablePenis/Garden Weasel/Free Beer/many case variations of those/
	MUCUS POPE/Mojo Sex Pope/Pope's Back!/Pope on a Rope/Flapjack/
	Pork Product/Poodle of Death/MANY more case variations with !s/
	ChiaPetsOnCrack/Dexecutioner/Dr. Heller/chi__________ (from the
        UPenn era)/Jimmy Buffett/many, many more... get the idea? :)
	
	coming soon:  Ensign DatabaseBloater joining as R1...

	"But my friends call me Sybil."
			

--
     jecoleb@eos.ncsu.edu      \\              To KLH:
 "I don't know where you took   --=--      Love ya, Katya!
 me, but I didn't want to leave."   \\  have clue, will travel.
       ---------------------------------------------------
From: echeverr@scf.usc.edu (5150)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: INL plague code (was: Re: INL pop code)
Date: 9 Jan 1993 16:53:22 -0800
Organization: <censored>
NNTP-Posting-Host: phakt.usc.edu

In article <C0I2In.5I0.1@cs.cmu.edu> spot@CS.CMU.EDU (Scott Draves) writes:
>yes, currently the mid-game lasts so long that the opening has little
>impact on the outcome of the match.  i don't like this.  i think INL
>matches should be shorter, more like 60 minutes.  that's short enough
>(i think) to actually hurt the team that screws up the opening.
>currently, a team can dick around for 30 minutes, lose all but their
>core, and still win if they are the better team.  why play those first
>30 minutes if they don't matter?  i think adding emphasis to the
>opening will add a new level of variety and strategy to the game.

So take those 30min away, and have 90min INL games.  2hrs is grueling, and
1hr games aren't long enough to really make a point to who the better team is
IMO.

5150
coming soon to a scrimmage near you: will ogg for food
From: dtabb@ecst.csuchico.edu (Don Tabb)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: CLUE GAME
Date: 10 Jan 93 22:37:59 GMT
Organization: California State University, Chico
NNTP-Posting-Host: hairball.ecst.csuchico.edu



so far I only have 3 people what want to play in a 
clue game.   

Wreck
Red Shirt
Spaceace!

If you want to play, send me mail.  


don
dtabb@cscihp.ecst.csuchico.edu
scorn!
From: spot@CS.CMU.EDU (Scott Draves)
Subject: Re: Scattered Pops in INL
Originator: spot@COBOL.FOX.CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 08:56:21 GMT


Stephen> Additionally, I'd like to know everyone's opinions on: Do
Stephen> scattered pops make netrek more, or less, strategically rich?
Stephen> *Why* is a 10-second or 1-second or 100-millisecond
Stephen> granularity better than a 40-second granularity?

i think the game is more interesting with the 40 second granularity.
it adds some additional tradeoffs like

  can i do X in Y seconds?
  how does failure effect my getting to the new armies first?

it adds a certain rhythm to the game which i always found enjoyable.

Mergatroid

-- 
				orgasm
Scott Draves			nitrous
spot@cs.cmu.edu			death
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: sherod@news.Colorado.EDU (Scott Herod)
Subject: Re: Cluechecking on servers - get the twinks!
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 00:33:51 GMT

In article <1iifnqINNari@agate.berkeley.edu>, sfd@soda.berkeley.edu (Scott Drellishak) writes:
|> In article <1993Jan7.155555.62539@cc.usu.edu> sl7sg@cc.usu.edu writes:
|> )  [ "CLEVER" SCHEME DELETED ]
|> )
|> )		Comments?
|> 
|>  How do you expect people to learn how to play the game?
|> -- 

I don't know about Scott's comments.  What I think you may see is people
purposely not sending the clue word to get one of these ships and see if
they can kill others.

Mad DDogg
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: rwd@CS.CMU.EDU (Randall Dean)
Subject: MUCUS PIG
Originator: rwd@RWD.MACH.CS.CMU.EDU
Reply-To: rwd+@CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: Carnegie Mellon
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 15:02:07 GMT

What you all have not realized is that MUCUS PIG posts
on r.g.n all the time.  Have you ever noticed that
MUCUS PIG always plays from mucaspig@esmeril.warp.  That
is just a common account for all of the people who play
with the name MUCUS PIG.  There has not been just one
MUCUS PIG for years.  The people who play MUCUS PIG
just post from their own accounts so you will NEVER
know when MUCUS posts.

Sorry to ruin a legend, but its all a scam.
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: jeffw@cs.tamu.edu (Jeffrey A Waller)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: ntserv
Date: 7 Jan 1993 22:08:02 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Texas A&M University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: ai1.cs.tamu.edu

In article <JRICHARD.93Jan6231845@cs.cs>, jrichard@cs.cs (John 'MacGyver' Richardson) writes:
|> 
|> The way I see it there are two solutions to the problem.  
|> 
|> 	o First off, the protocol I built makes a new UDP socket for each 
|>        conntection.  This simpilfies things so I don't have to compare
|> 	  addresses to find which slot should be getting the packet.  So
|> 	  the potential borg would have to know what port he was connecting
|> 	  to on the server end.  Granted, there probably is some way to do
|> 	  this (I'm no datacomm wiz, so I don't know offhand), but it could
|> 	  be done now anyway (just no TCP packets could be sent).  I think.


When put in verbose debug mode, all the clients I have used tell you both the
local and the foreign ports used.  Assuming that this info is taken out, then
someone could determine the local port using netstat(1), and simply wait for
the server to send a packet, and use 

int recvfrom(int s,char *buf,int len,int flags,struct sockaddr *from,int *fromlen);

though he would know in advance that from would really be a sockaddr_in* and 
fromlen would be sizeof(sockaddr_in).  The port could be determined as follows:

unsigned short port = ntohs(((sockaddr_in*)from)->sin_port);


|> 
|> 	o Periodically send a request for ID to the client.  If it isn't
|> 	  able to respond, nuke him! :)


This is what I was driving at;  verification using one-time checks can be 
gotten around by killing and rebinding to the old client port.  Come to
think of it, exactly how does the server reestablish a connection after
a ghostbust?  The server attempts the connection doesn't it?  

Does the server reverify after a ghostbust?



							-Jeff
From: bellew@pixmap.seas.upenn.edu (Douglas V Bellew)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: INL Freelancing... Player Catalogue
Date: 13 Jan 93 00:15:19 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

Hey Everyone...

	I was just thinking... instead of everyone who wants to go
freelance, or join an INL team and doesn't know who to go to,
posting to the newsgroup, how 'bout those people send me a small
 description of themself, with things like:

(Here's an example:)

	Real Name:			Douglas Bellew
	Most well known alias:		Vampyre
	Highest rank/location:          Commodore/rwd/disc/etc...
	Years/Months playing:		14 months.

	Rating yourself 1-10 on :
	
	Ogging:				(What.. I'm not 
	Planet taking:            	doing this to get
	Escorting:			flamed. :) )
	Basing:
	Scout Bombing:
	Dogfighting:
	(any other I might have forgotten)

	Any special comments like INL experience, etc...

	3 seasons INL experience.
	20+ INL games as primary SC bomber

Then, captains or captain wanna-be's can mail me for a list of 
eligible players.

	Making life "easier" to get the INL season started...

	Doug
	Vampyre

	
	


Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: exodus@IASTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: Cluechecking on servers - get the twinks!
Reply-To: exodus@IASTATE.EDU
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 00:58:00 GMT




  heheheh
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: amueller@beech.cis.ohio-state.edu (andrew j mueller)
Subject: Re: INL pop code
Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 15:03:06 GMT

In article <MfGqZVG00YUn895KYE@andrew.cmu.edu> jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck) writes:
>
>I'd like to make an INL proposal to change the pop timer from the
>current 40 seconds to a 25% every 10 seconds (like the final Bronco
>release).  People have commented that it doesn't make much difference
>how the pops work but it *does*.  If you know that your opponents
>won't be popping any armies for 30 seconds, that certainly changes
>your SC bombers strategy (they're now free to ogg for awhile).  Also,
>you can take an AGRI in 2 trips and be certain of it not popping in
>the meantime.  If you aren't popping for awhile there's no reason to
>sit in your home space and wait for armies.  It fixes this, and
>shouldn't be that difficult (the code has been written).
>
>Comments?
>
>	joe
>	Purple haze
>	Lamb, Leg Of

	very interesting point. while most people are still trying to
	learn how to fly a ship or bomb a planet, joe (while SC bombing)
	KNOWS he has 30 seconds to OGG and get back into position to
	bomb any possible popping armies. it's refreshing to see some
	careful analysis of the game shared in the newsgroup rather
	than worthless flame wars.
==============================================================================
Andy                           | I remember now
amueller@cis.ohio-state.edu    | I remember how it started
                               | I can't remember yesterday
bloodwing                      | I just remember doing,
:MINDCRIME                     | what they told me...told me...told me...
==============================================================================
From: sfd@soda.berkeley.edu (Scott Drellishak)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: INL pop code
Date: 7 Jan 93 00:43:42 GMT
Organization: Metaphor Computer Systems
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu

In article <MfGqZVG00YUn895KYE@andrew.cmu.edu> jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck) writes:
)
)I'd like to make an INL proposal to change the pop timer from the
)current 40 seconds to a 25% every 10 seconds (like the final Bronco
)release).  [ STUFF DELETED ]
)
)Comments?

I think this is a good idea, but why go half way?  The problem is:

	All planets are given a chance to pop every 40 seconds.  This
	makes pops too predictable -- there is a galaxy-wide burst of
	armies every 40 seconds.

I don't think the proper solution is reducing the chances of a pop by
a factor of 4 and then popping 4 times as often -- there is still a
galaxy-wide pop every 10 seconds, although a smaller one.  This is
still too "discrete" of an army growth pattern.  The solution I
implemented on bezier, ages ago, was to randomly pick one planet every
second and give it a chance to pop.  The total army growth rate of the
galaxy is unchanged, but now players can't easily predict and prepare
for a galaxy-wide pop.

Comments?
-- 
/--------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| Scott Drellishak   sfd@neuromancer.metaphor.com                          |
|                "Spumco ... the Danes call it quality."                   |
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------/
From: takekosh@aludra.usc.edu (Tetsu Takekoshi)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: manual for newbies
Date: 6 Jan 93 22:09:03 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

has anyone written a basic "how to play" manual for newbies?
i'd be willing to crank one out if it'll help clue at all.

Crunchy Frog
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu (Alec Habig)
Subject: Re: RSA client request
Organization: Indiana University Astrophysics, Bloomington, IN
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 08:03:28 GMT

In article <C0n1qu.3xn@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu (Alec Habig) writes:
>Hello all you server gods,
>
>I'd like to make a request for you to put in an RSA key.  The AIX v3.2 client
>in pittslug.sug.org does not work on any servers (well, except for borg
>servers).  It is not reserved.c blessed for those servers which aren't RSA, and
>does not seem to be in the key lists of any of the RSA servers.

Well, it turns out that this key is not in any servers for a reason - it
doesn't work.  Mike Polek just put it on the RSA test server to verify this.

Thus, a new request - please take this client off of pittslug, as it's broken
for all intents and purposes, and if it's not available people won't get
confused by it.

	Alec
	(Entropy)
From: el0g+@andrew.cmu.edu (Erik Lauer)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Traitors
Date: 4 Jan 93 20:56:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.cfGH4Da00VB4822UUB
	<1i93qrINNbmv@agate.berkeley.edu>
Organization: Doctoral student, Mathematics, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

tom@soda.berkeley.edu (Tom Holub) writes:

>"Move under your maxwarp?"  There's no reason for a base to be getting
>info on you; if you try to get away, he tractors, and if you try to 
>suicide, he pressors.  Why does he care what your max warp is?

I was watching Craig play.  He gave away lots of kills, held people
(even teased them with torps he detted before they could), and was
really hard to ogg.  He info-ed people constantly, trying to keep them
hurt so they could not outrun his tractor, should they cloak.  He was
really amazing at cripling the people too - I figured the fact that he
info-ed so much helped him cripple the people.  When he gets back from
vacation I will ask him.

>Obviously, this scenario happens only when the ogger is out of fuel; I
>doubt Wreck or any other good base is going to fool around with a good
>ogger when he (the ogger) has fuel.  And if you fire point blank with
>shields down going warp 0 on a base that has even a little bit of a brain,
>you will do exactly 100 points of damage.  Not what I would call an
>efficient attack.

The base I saw held people who had plenty of fuel remaining, he was just
awesome at dodging their torps.  If you do the 100 points of damage that
you speak of, obviously the base killed you and you have your fresh
ship.  The damage is obviously the threat, and why the base kills you -
what you wanted, right?

>The only real option, if the base is good, is to look for a clueless
>opponent, or to wait for a teammate to ogg the base.  Well, the real
>option is not to survive the ogg in the first place, but that's not
>always possible.
> -Mojo

Maybe you were not ogging the base when you got stuck, maybe you were
trying to kill a carrier who was near the base.  I really don't think
you get stuck for a minute when there is an ogg wave going on.


Erik
---=
From: jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph E. Beck)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Server pop code
Date: 10 Jan 93 06:11:28 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.AfI4ek_00YUo41umwR
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


I'd like to get this cleared up.  Several claims have been made that
no server other than Bronco and rwd4 use 10 second pops, all the way
to almost all servers use 10 second pops.  If you're a server god
could you please post which pop method you are using, 10 second, 40
second, or a system of your own.  This way we can get an idea about
what most people are used to.

	thanks,

	joe
From: paulsen@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Brian Paulsen)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: CLUE GAME site
Date: 12 Jan 93 14:56:40 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

Given the huge numbers of people who want to be in a clue game, and also
given that a good number of them are TWNN members and further given that
nearly everybody on the list is of very high caliber, we (TWNN) were thinking
of running a 2nd clue game concurrent with the first one.  This clue game
would be of a TWNN vs. the World style.  Send me mail for more details...

Brian