HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bav@hobbes.ksu.ksu.edu (Brick Verser)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: What would you call...
Date: 3 Sep 1992 05:20:56 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: hobbes.ksu.ksu.edu

Greg K Chung <gc2n+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Whatever you do, don't play on nova.ksu.ksu.edu!
>
>The 12AM-Illuminus Cartel game had to be stopped half way thru since lag
>suddenly went thru the roof and massive ghostbusts occurred.  

Hmmm...this loud public complaint got me to checking things.  Seems we've 
got a flakey Cisco router.  It runs along just fine and dandy for a while, 
then interjects 700-800ms delays into things.  (If anybody has any bright 
ideas as to why, holler and you'll save me much effort).

   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=62 ttl=255 time=3 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=63 ttl=255 time=3 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=64 ttl=255 time=3 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=65 ttl=255 time=679 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=66 ttl=255 time=289 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=67 ttl=255 time=3 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=68 ttl=255 time=3 ms
   64 bytes from 129.130.7.240: icmp_seq=69 ttl=255 time=3 ms
   
Netrek *IS* the best overall "State of the Network" diagnostic tool I've got.
No joke--it finds these kinds of problems before they grow to the point where
the rest of the network community is whining.

--Brick
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: artc@iplmail.orl.mmc.com (Cool)
Subject: Re: Hints for Beginners
Organization: MMC
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 12:50:38 GMT

In article <1992Sep3.200537.1657@ils.nwu.edu>, shafto@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Eric Shafto) writes:
|> Andrew Markiel (amrk@troi.cc.rochester.edu) wrote:
|> 
|> : I can say that netrek has had at least one beneficial effect for me...I now can
|> : type about three times faster than I could before I played netrek, and I think
|> : a lot of the speed is due to trying to punch out fast messages in combat...:-)
|> : 
|> : -Grey Elf
|> 
|> 
|> 
|> Y7eah, mne too.  IU type mnuch fasre tan I userd to.  Tjhanks,
|> bnetrek.
|> 
|> --
|> *Eric Shafto             * The excursion is the same when you go looking  *
|> *Institute for the       * for your sorrow as when you go looking for     *
|> *    Learning Sciences   * your joy.                                      *
|> *Northwestern University *                Eudora Welty, The Wide Net      *



Yup! now I have a good excuse if i didn't spell a word corractly ....
                                                       ^^^^^^^^^
( if not the complete sentence.......... )


-Cool
From: yohan@shadow.ksu.ksu.edu (Jonathan W Newton)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Hockey? An Offsides Rule (Revised)
Date: 3 Sep 1992 10:49:53 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: shadow.ksu.ksu.edu


From: jgr@ecl.psu.edu (Jim Reisman) 
Still, I support the idea of a (small) goalie box.  As it is, goals are
often scored by a group "gang banging" the goalie away from the goal. However,
the more beautiful goals are scored by accurate passing amoung the
offense.



Me:
I don't think I'd say that is mostly how it happens.  If you have the time, fuel,
and equipment to blow away the defending BB or CA, then it is a useful strategy. 
I can only think of 2 or 3 points I've seen won that way, and only one of those
was really necessary.



From: jgr@ecl.psu.edu (Jim Reisman)
   It has been shown in 2 vs. 1 breaks that two clued scouts can (usually)
score on a BB goalie by using good passing. In fact these are the most
exciting goals.  



Me:  
I agree, in fact, I think that this is the best way to score.  Most clued players
do it this way, even if they do have the luxury of blasting the goalie.  I think
you'll see this strategy more often as clue levels rise.



From: jgr@ecl.psu.edu (Jim Reisman)
   How about this:


Revised Proposal #1:
   Defending players accrue no damage while in their side's
(tighly drawn) goalie box.



Me:
That MIGHT be ok, but only if the people in the box can't shoot back.  Either
way, though, this will result in "goalie scumming", which would be the evil child
of the boarder scumming you see on netrek.cis.  One thing you might do is have
the weapons or overall ship control go off-line for a few seconds when the goalie
leaves the goal.



From: jgr@ecl.psu.edu (Jim Reisman)
 Comments:
    Easy to explain and easy to implement (I think).  Goalies will still
have to watch fuel/positioning while attackers need to use passing
to be successful.

Perhaps we can test out this simple modification and see how it
affects game play.

Do you think this change is reasonable? 



Me:
See previous paragraph




Jon Newton aka Ender
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: patton@phy.uab.edu (David Patton)
Subject: Metaserver
Reply-To: patton@phy.uab.edu
Organization: University of Alabama at Birmingham
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 20:10:33 GMT

Where are the various sites for the Metaservers and how does one use
such a utility.



adTHANKSvance

patton@phy.uab.edu
From: jch+@cs.cmu.edu (Jonathan Hardwick)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: playing with extreme lag
Date: 27 Aug 92 00:21:15 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

danny@cs.su.oz.au (Danny Yee) writes
> hde+@cs.cmu.edu (Herbert Enderton) writes:
> >BTW, use a cloaked AS instead of a BB.
> 
> Why an AS instead of a BB?

He was talking about taking planets.  Very few servers allow you to
fire whilst cloaked...

> If you are going to try spraying torps at planets
> in the hope of a kill a BB is better because of the extra fuel.

Nah.  BB torps are too slow and don't have enough range.  Sit on a
fuel planet in an AS and throw clouds of torps at the closest enemy.
Eventually you'll get a kill.  Run away.  Get 3 armies.  Go for
nearest enemy planet.  Repeat. 

> Also it
> *is* possible to hit things with the phasers if you are careful when aiming!

Only if they're not dodging enough...
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: danny@cs.su.oz.au (Danny Yee)
Subject: Re: playing with extreme lag
Organization: Basser Dept of Computer Science, University of Sydney, Australia
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 05:23:53 GMT

In article <BtIAHL.8H1.1@cs.cmu.edu> hde+@cs.cmu.edu (Herbert Enderton) writes:
>Yes, in a match against a French team (played at a server in France) we

OK!  Are there eight of you brave enough to take an Australian team on on
one of our servers? 

Mwahahaha! 

We need to get NASA to put a server on one of the satellites so we can have
evenly matched lags :-)

Danny.
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: cmlee@cory.Berkeley.EDU (Tom Chen-Ming Lee)
Subject: Re: 3rd space guardian robots
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 03:36:54 GMT

In article <seazf7O00Vp883glAM@andrew.cmu.edu> "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.netrek: 26-Aug-92 Re: 3rd space guardian
>robots Tom Holub@soda.berkeley. (523)
>
>> There is nothing 'clever' about taking undefended planets.  
>>  -Tom
>
> [sympathetic opinions]
>
>	I, personally, will generally only 3rd space scum if MUCUS PIG is on
>the other team.  I'll make an exception if the server is so backward
>that it doesn't even have a timer.
>
>ZZnew guy

Let me try it!  Let me try it!  ...  Hm...  ok...


There is nothing 'clever' about having a timer.


- Iolo
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: rjones@dsd.es.com (Ray Jones - Perp)
Subject: Re: 3rd space guardian robots
Reply-To: rjones@dsd.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp.
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 92 22:54:01 GMT

I wrote:
>I plan on being able to play not just 4
>games, but at least 24 ...

Oops.  Actually, 64 games.  8 possible choices (choose a race, and one of
its two fronts) filling two slots.  64.. yeah... 64 

-- 
                                          rjones@dsd.es.com
From: bav@hobbes.ksu.ksu.edu (Brick Verser)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Demise of nova.ksu.ksu.edu   (Hockey on geo1s)
Date: 27 Aug 1992 05:30:42 GMT
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: hobbes.ksu.ksu.edu

wansari@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Waheed A Ansari) writes:
>A server mod can also be applied so that someone (anyone) can
>send "newgame" to ALL to start a new game.  However, the
>possibility of someone unilaterally spoiling an ongoing game
>cannot be disregarded, and I cant take the time off my other
>life to hack in voting mods.

Someone already requested the mods I made to hockey so I've put 'em out
for anonymous FTP.  This includes a trivial kind of NEWGAME voting.

FTP to hobbes.ksu.ksu.edu:/pub/netrek and check out the code there.
It's basically replacements for a few of the final bronco release modules.  
It adds the 10-update/sec puck mod (absolutely necessary, I think, to
make the puck act in a sane fashion) plus the UDP-enforced-send deflection
bug fix (which ALMOST fixes the problem) and a couple other silly changes.

I do hope someone can find it in their heart to create a dedicated hockey
server.  We've got tons of regular netrek servers out there already.  
Dare to be different.  But please don't dink with the game too much--it
doesn't need fixing.

--Brick
From: davidt@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David Teo)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Borg Servers
Date: 31 Aug 92 10:24:06 GMT
Reply-To: davidt@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (David Teo)


	I really hope that server gods will set up some borg hours instead of
making it completely borgless.  You see, I am creating robots for the
IBL and therefore, I need to test my robots in T-Mode.  My purpose is
not to lower other people's ratio or to improve mine.  I normally login
as guest, just to test anyway.  I need a bronco vanilla server
preferably popular enough to make T-Mode most of the time.  I have
improved my GF robots further and they are nearly finished,
unfortunately I have lots of difficulty finding a borg server at T-Mode
as and when I want to test it.  If I cant finish it before I go back to
my country it would mean that one of my goals that I have worked so hard
for will be shattered. :(

	Not being able to test my bots, I had to settle for sturgeon most of
the time, which is far from being vanilla.  I even tried to test them in
nova.ksu.ksu.edu!!!   Although nova is a netrek hockey server, it was
the only server that was at T-Mode and allowed borgs.  Imagine that! 
(By the way, I'll like to apologise to those at nova at that time, my
bot was in ogging mode and it kept ogging all the enemy hockey players,
well anyway, :) Thanks for helping me test its ogging features).

	I'll like to thank all the netrekers that have helped to test my bot by
playing with it.  You guys are its teachers and if it does well in the
IBL, it is partly due to you guys!  Thanks!
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Thu,  3 Sep 1992 01:22:45 -0400 
From: Thomas Omar Smith <ts2a+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Farm team still accepting members

Farm league, an @large team for Flt Capt and lower rank, is still
accepting members.  Our goal is to field a team where the players may
not win a lot of games, but learn a lot while losing.  If you're
interested in getting better at netrek, and want to experience INL level
play, then Email to me and reserve a spot.

					Tom the non hacker
					Kemp in 96!
					"If patriotism is the last refuge
					of scoundrels,  Then environmentalism
					is the current refuge of totalitarians."
					Bob Jackson
From: hill@norman.VI.RI.CMU.EDU (Robert Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Hints for Beginners
Date: 2 Sep 92 14:35:26 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon


Patrick Chester aka claypigeon writes:
>
3)NEVER try to take worlds with a scout or destroyer unless you are very 
 good.  Neither can carry very many armies and have low damage thresholds.
 Use an assault ships until you gain enough experience to become a vaunted 
 scout bomber.
<

I STRONGLY disagree.  The easiest way to take planets is to take in scouts
and destroyers.  This is because you get to the planet before your enemies 
(in general).  If you are a newbie, and your enemy is clueful, you will  
probably die at the planet anyway.  I'd say to newbies:  don't try to take
planets, unless someone on your team tells you to do so.  I'm seeing alot
of newbies die with my team's last armies.  Instead, newbies could do
things like shuttle armies to the SB or homeworld.  As you become more
clueful, then start taking planets(or if your team has many spare armies).
>
4)Avoid the robot ships until your aim improves or you will be toasted. 
Avoid playing during borg hours (unless you have a real good borg.)
<

Never, ever play any kind of combat borg when you are first learning how  
to play.  It can greatly hinder your development.  Information borgs are
not bad to use, however.

>
6)When typing messages always check your tactical screen for closing enemy 
  vessels. You are helpless when typing messages. It helps to set a course 
  away from a big battle or stopping in an isolated spot before typing.
<

Some suggestions here:  1)  learn netrek shortcuts  2)  use abbreviated
names for players and planets (5 is going for cap).  3)  use a client that  
has the 'm' key (or some other key) that moves the cursor to the message  
window.  4)  if you are new to it, try and type only when going to the
enemy.  Once you get there, don't type unless you or they break off.

>Hope this helps some of you new players.

Ditto.

Rob

ps  My suitemate and I are going to be writing a netrek
handbook for new players.  I'll try and have an initial
draft done in a couple of weeks.
From: fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: MS-II stuff (free program!)
Date: 28 Aug 92 19:27:10 GMT
Reply-To: fadden@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

I added a "flags" field to the "new" display (and will add something
equivalent to the "verbose" display soon).  The only flag defined is 'T'
for t-mode, indicating that the server in question has had >= 8 players
at some time during the lifetime of the MetaServerII process.  This doesn't
serve a useful purpose other than satisfying the curiosity of those who want
to know if a server is really dead or just used when they aren't around.

You can find out how long MS-II has been around from the header on the
"verbose" display.  I don't think it really needs to go on the "new" display.

Reliable connections for distant people are still in the works.  I think the
current plan is to have the connection dropped when the remote user hits
the return key, or after 10-15 seconds, whichever comes first.  This feature
would be accessed by calling a different port, so the current services would
be unaffected.

I'm beginning to suspect that the "short output" syndrome is telnet's fault.
The end of this file contains a short "read from server" routine which might
work just fine by itself.  I'll add the "hit return" ports anyway for
convenience.

/*
 * Connect to and read from someone else
 */
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/types.h>
#include <sys/time.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <netdb.h>
#include <errno.h>


static char buf[4096+1];

static int
peek(host, port)
char *host;
int port;
{
    struct sockaddr_in addr;
    struct hostent *hp;
    int cc, sock;

    /* get numeric form */
    if ((addr.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(host)) == -1) {
	if ((hp = gethostbyname(host)) == NULL) {
	    fprintf(stderr, "unknown host '%s'\n", host);
	    return (-1);
	} else {
	    addr.sin_addr.s_addr = *(long *) hp->h_addr;
	}
    }

    addr.sin_family = AF_INET;
    addr.sin_port = htons(port);

    if ((sock = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) < 0) {
	perror("socket");
	return (-1);
    }
    if (connect(sock, &addr, sizeof(addr)) < 0) {
	perror("connect");
	close(sock);
	return(-1);
    }

    while (1) {
	if ((cc = read(sock, buf, 4096)) <= 0) {
	    if (cc < 0) perror("read");
	    close(sock);
	    return(cc);
	}

	/* don't laugh, it works */
	buf[cc] = '\0';
	printf("%s", buf);
    }
}


main(argc, argv)
int argc;
char *argv[];
{
    int port;

    if (argc != 3) {
	fprintf(stderr, "usage: %s host port\n", argv[0]);
	exit(2);
    }

    port = atoi(argv[2]);
    peek(argv[1], port);

    exit(0);
    /*NOTREACHED*/
}

-- 
fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
[ Above opinions are mine, Amdahl has nothing to do with them, etc, etc. ]
From: botelle@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Justin Botelle)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: 3rd space guardian robots
Date: 26 Aug 92 19:53:49 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <QeaZdj200VpN0ANX99@andrew.cmu.edu) nm0w+@andrew.cmu.edu (Nanci Ann Miller) writes:

)Well, they already have unlimited fuel and a fairly decent firing
)algorithm.  I've known very few people who could dogfight them and kill
)them while remaining alive themselves.  The only reproducable way is to
)just crash into them and put your torps in the right place, and I'm sure
)the SFOPs can be killed in the same way.

Hmmm.  I've found that getting the bot against the wall works wonders.  It
can't dodge much (little room), and it takes damage from the wall.  I reset
the galaxy on a server (bronco? - it had terminators), getting all of my
kills from Iggy and M5/Hal/Guardian.  Hmmm.  Maybe I only took 4 planets..
Got bored after that :)

)Nanci

Justin

)If addiction is judged by how long a dumb animal will sit pressing a lever
)to get a "fix" of something, to its own detriment, then I would conclude
)that netrek is far more addictive than cocaine.

At least it's cheaper.  
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: sherod@news.Colorado.EDU (Scott Herod)
Subject: Way to make netrek much more challenging.
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 17:01:22 GMT

I discovered a way to make the game much harder.  In your 
.xtrekrc file add the line

color.red:	orangered

Then sit in the wait queue for discovery for a half an hour
and hope t-mode is Rom vs Kli.
From: yap@heroes.UUCP (Yap Yap Yap)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: TBird
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 05:39:05 CDT
Organization: The Inn Of Heroes.  Public Access UUCP BBS.

     I think TBird is a very silly server.  With the jacked up scouts, I 
can't imagine anyone actually enjoy playing there.  The Galaxy class 
ships made it worse.  What a keen idea - give the high ranked players
the best ships...  It *is* kinda fun to go in and just ogg the GA's 
though.  Is it just a joke server or what??  An attempt at a chaos 
server??  Product of the mentally disturbed?  :-]
From: probreak@chester.ksu.ksu.edu (James Michael Chacon)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Fairly distressing happenings...
Date: 1 Sep 92 09:43:34 GMT
Article-I.D.: chester.180h56INNsef
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: chester.ksu.ksu.edu

amrk@troi.cc.rochester.edu (Andrew Markiel) writes:

>Oh, that reminds me of something. A while back, I was playing on a European
>server, and the lag was *really* bad (1000+ms). Anyway, on one of my ping
>outputs, one of the packets got lost with this message:

>ICMP Source Quench from 134.222.5.1 for callisto.pas.rochester.edu (128.151.144.141) to 192.33.149.2 port 60160

>I've never seen this before...anyone else ever run into it? Sounds like the
>packets are getting scrunched up somewhere. Anyone know where 134.222.5.1 is?

>-Grey Elf

Well, from an nslookup:
 
Address:  129.130.12.2

1.5.222.134.in-addr.arpa        host name = Amsterdam.NL.EU.NET

So, it appears to be from amsterdam


-----------------------                              ---------------------------
-Oh the joy of finding-       James Chacon           -probreak@matt.ksu.ksu.edu-
-That last pizza slice-                              ---------------------------
-----------------------				     ---------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu (Alec Habig)
Subject: Re: 3rd space guardian robots
Organization: Indiana University Astrophysics, Bloomington, IN
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 11:34:51 GMT

In article <17esu0INN3a4@agate.berkeley.edu> tom@soda.berkeley.edu (Tom Holub) writes:
>In article <BtJFxz.Gws@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> ahabig@bigbang.astro.indiana.edu (Alec Habig) writes:
>)
>)This sounds like too much of a deus ex machina to me.  Making it harder to scum
>)3rd space is a good idea - just banning it is more than a little cheesy.  The
>)more options open the more clever strategies can be developed/countered.
>)Making some options harder than others is good, but eliminating them altogether
>)seems to be a pretty wimpy way out.
>
>There is nothing 'clever' about taking undefended planets.  
> -Tom

Of course not, but if one starts to try to do this, the other team is supposed
to try to stop it, expanding the war some...

Oh well.  We've went over this in the past with no agreement, why start it up
again?

	Alec
From: fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Way to make netrek much more challenging.
Date: 30 Aug 92 22:25:03 GMT
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <17p14pINNle3@agate.berkeley.edu> tom@soda.berkeley.edu (Tom Holub) writes:
>This brings up something I've noticed when I've played on color machines;
>it's easier to see the change to red alert on a black-and-white; the
>dotted borders jump out at you.  I think the color clients should
>work the same way; green and yellow are solid borders, red is dotted.

You have dotted borders...?

Actually, I've used a copy of Tedd Hadley's client a couple of times.  One of
the interesting features is that the alert status is reflected in the big
fat border between the tac and galactic maps as well as the thin border
around your whole display (and on your ship's id letter too!)  Having the
border between the maps change colors is MUCH more obvious than having the
thin border change (and a big improvement over watching the silly little
letter change states).

Haven't been using it much, mostly because I keep forgetting that it's there
(of all the things I've lost, ...)

> -Tom

-- 
fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
[ Above opinions are mine, Amdahl has nothing to do with them, etc, etc. ]
From: fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Proposed MS-II change
Date: 31 Aug 92 22:09:24 GMT
Reply-To: fadden@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

I'm tired of looking at a huge list of servers.  How about I don't put
servers which are completely down on the "new" display, and I don't put
them on the "verbose" display if nobody is playing.  The "old" display will
of course remain unchanged.

This way people looking for an empty server can find one, but people looking
for players don't have to wade through a bunch of "nobody is playing"
messages.

Any objections?

-- 
fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
[ Above opinions are mine, Amdahl has nothing to do with them, etc, etc. ]
From: rone@aludra.usc.edu (Ron Echeverri)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Another voice on sturgeon
Date: 31 Aug 1992 23:50:12 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu


Sturgeon is runnerscum heaven.  You rscum a kill, you upgrade, repeat.

Also, it's incredibly unfair for players who come in and there are people in
the game with 20+ kills (although it won't show in the Kills column) who
toast you before you can say 'Hi'.

Also, this server does not encourage team play at all, so it pretty much goes
into the chaos category for me.  Perhaps all scrod hacks should be included
with the chaos server?

5150
i will NEVER EVER play in Salvatori "the meat locker" lab again
your fingers freeze up and you couldn't ogg MUCUS's grandmama in a crippled
0-fuel CA