From: bc@fccn01.fccn.pt (Luis Miguel Sequeira)
Newsgroups: rec.games.pbm
Subject: BattleTech PBeM Development Group
Date: 13 Nov 1992 02:22:02 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu

*******************************************************************

 B A T T L E T E C H   P B e M   D E V E L O P M E N T   G R O U P

*******************************************************************


	There seems to be some feedback about this BattleTech PBeM
stuff, so I propose a news discussion about implementation and
development details, here on rec.games.pbm.

	As I can judge by now, there are some PBM attempts on the
BattleTech game. Speaking for myself, I'd like to know how they
worked, and to build on them to develop a new BattleTech PBeM.

	Most new PBeMs are built from scratch, and usually someone
writes all the stuff by himself, and then improves his work by
listening to comments and suggestions by other players. Of course,
sometimes there is a small group developing the game, and others join,
to debug it or to extend it in some (hopefully) meaningful way.

	This time, I'll suggest a new approach: before even writing a
line of code, to discuss the matter thouroughly here at rec.games.pbm;
not only programming questions (this is only the second phase), but,
as a matter of fact, all ideas about rules, settings, the way orders
are sent and reports received, etc. etc. The first thing to achieve is
a preliminary rulebook, i. e. to explore the mechanics of the game and
to develop them through discussion.

	The second phase would be the implementation. Of course, I'm
not talking about a 100,000-line program or something like that, but
it would be nice to get a group of people working at the same time on
different aspects of the game. Some could specialize just on the input
& order processing, some others on database issues, yet others on
reports, some on the rules themselves, and even perhaps someone just
to collect suggestions and "gripes" from players, and eventually
organize a newsletter about the game.

	If there is really interest in joining such a discussion or
development group, please email me or post here on rec.games.pbm. This
isn't going to be a formal matter in any way! I'm expecting to watch
discussions about trivia such as how to convert 'mech stats into game
terms, for example, and trying to find out common ideas about the
subject.

	Also, if you never heard of BattleTech before, you may help
us, too, by telling us about experiences with previous PBeMs in
details like order processing and report generation, or database
handling, which are universal issues anyway.

	My suggestion is also to post regularly a "digest" on things
everybody has agreed upon, so that newer contributors may know where
we stand. This could also be published on Greg Lindahl's electronic
newsletter `PBEM', if Greg's willing. Two reports per month would be
acceptable, I think.

			---//---

	First issue to discuss: game format. Is it going to be a
tactical PBeM, i. e., an arena-type one, where each player joins with
his lance on a common battlefield, on a free-for-all bloody carnage?

	Or is it going to be an economic/diplomatic/strategic game on
a larger scale, where players lead mercenary units which not only need
to prove themselves in battle, but also need money to keep their units
in working order, and fame & glory earned in battle to achieve better
contracts? Of course, the battlefield level *must* be present in some
form (after all, that's what BattleTech is really about), but how?


	- Luis Sequeira (bc@fccn.pt)


P. S. John (wool8657@mach1.wlu.ca) and Adrian
(agiblett@cch.coventry.ac.uk), I'm counting on you to join the group!...


  _________________________________________________________________________
 /
/
    _/     _/     _/  _/_/_/     Computer scientists do it byte by byte.
   _/     _/_/ _/_/ _/
  _/     _/ _/  _/  _/_/_/       God created Law and Order from Chaos,
 _/     _/     _/       _/       but Chaos was created by computer
_/_/_/ _/     _/  _/_/_/         scientists.

  bc@fccn.pt                              Luis Miguel Sequeira
                                  Laboratorio Nacional de Engenharia Civil
  Phone 351-1-8482131 Ext. 2752   Centro Informatica/Grupo Sistemas Centrais
  "Don't call me, I'll call you"  Av. Brasil, 101 - 1700 Lisboa, Portugal
                                                                          /
_________________________________________________________________________/
Newsgroups: rec.games.pbm