HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: n8841777@beaker.cc.wwu.edu (Mike Toepke)
Newsgroups: rec.games.xtank.play
Subject: Re: acid sprayers
Keywords: acid, ramming, close-in
Date: 27 Jul 92 23:46:57 GMT
Article-I.D.: beaker.n8841777.712280817
Distribution: usa
Organization: Western Washington University

ratner@ficus.cs.ucla.edu (David Ratner) writes:

>But I post this question for discussion - does anyone else think 
>acid sprayers are too strong?  They generate no heat and do 6 points of
>damage.  For close-range fighting, it seems to be second to none, and
>if you try a long-range fighting vehicle, you must add lots of heat-sinks
>to avoid the massive heat buildup (and of course the heat-sinks take space!).
>In addition, a long-range vehicle must spend $$ making sure it has good
>speed, good acceleration, and good mobility, so a short-range acid-sprayer
>cannot close the gap.

It is for the very reasons you mentioned above that our group has basically
outlawed acid sprayers.  We had some very effective acid sprayer designs
that were winning regularly against other non-acid sprayer designs.

The way to combat acid sprayers is to maintain your distance and use longer
range weapons.  You have to be a fairly good gunner for this to be effective
however, as your opponent is likely going very fast.

We have found that acid sprayer designs are not as effective against
programs which can target well while maintaining their distance, but none of
our players are as accurate as some of the very good programs.

An additional benefit of the lack of heat generation from acid sprayers is
their relative immunity to heat seekers.  We have had battles where a team
trying to shoot heat seekers at acid-sprayer design enemies could only hit
other team members!  The heat seekers would veer off and hit allies because
they were generating much more heat than the intended targets.

If heat seekers could target acid sprayer designs they would be an excellent
choice in fighting them because of their stand-off capability.
Unfortunately, it ain't gonna happen.
For this reason, the acid sprayer designs can also use less top armor than
the other designs, which had to consider whether or not they might be up
against a bunch of heat seekers.

Acid sprayers should do less damage, be more expensive, take up more
space, and/or be heavier.  They are fun to use, but they are unbalanced.
Newsgroups: rec.games.xtank.play
From: jomel@iastate.edu (The Great Deciever)
Subject: Re: HELP!PLEASE!
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 21:31:32 GMT

In <1992Jul20.103112.41744@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> 2foics737@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu writes:

>When i tried to get xtank from mojo.eng.umd.edu the following message popped
>up
>remote connection closed
>Iwas wondering if anyone could tell me how to get in to the site because
>i just can't no matter what i do. when it asked for username i said 
>visitor and then for password my address.  Any help will be gratefully
>accepted

Try using 'anonymous' instead of 'visitor' at login prompt. Then use your email
address for password.             -Joe

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      "What the hell do you climb in Iowa.....CORNSTALKS !!!???
                                  -A wiseass _Mountain Tools_ salesman.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          jomel@iastate.edu

Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: mmoore%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Michael Moore)
Subject: Re: IGGY SB
Date: 30 Jul 92 16:06:33 MDT
Organization: University of Utah CS Dept., Salt Lake City

In article <AeS2QmG00VoqE3TFF_@andrew.cmu.edu> "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.netrek: 29-Jul-92 Re: IGGY SB Michael
>Moore@cs.utah.ed (2920)
>
>> What you've basically got is a stupid robot who serves little
>> purpose but to annoy everyone and help keep Starbases from utilizing
>> middle space.
>
>
>	Now wait. . .
>	For every person I've read say that there is no purpose for Iggy, I've
>heard at least one good use for him.  I don't think that your "only
>purpose. . ." holds any water.
>

	Well, the above was poorly worded I suppose.  What I mean
to say is that all the "uses" are far more annoying than usefull.  Esp.
to the clued players sitting in a clueless game.

	I hope this thread doesn't continue.... I'm content to let the 
Iggy issue drop now, I've said my peace....  Now I just need to find
something else I can bitch about. :-)

	-Michael (Ged.... who you will find has excellent response time 
	          for follow-ups when he's at work, due to his checking
                  news about every half hour (or every compile, whichever
                  comes first...) both from boredom and the compromise
                  of talking about netrek when he can't be playing it...)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+Michael D. Moore     Office : (801) 582-5847x4721  Home : (801)359-6552  +
+Software Q&A Programmer   Evans & Sutherland     mmoore@dsd.es.com       +
+Student                   University of Utah     mmoore@peruvian.utah.edu+
Organization: Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:21:31 -0400 
From: "Jon C. R. Bennett" <jb7m+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Bronco update


terence@bronco.ece.cmu.edu (Terence Chang) writes:
> I'm open for suggestions for closing weekend activities.  Chaos "Top
> Gun" Netrek Hockey, any one?

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!


jon
From: botelle@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Justin Botelle)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Iggy SB's....
Date: 29 Jul 92 01:45:27 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <Bs42tA.6rJ@cs.psu.edu) petonak@chem.psu.edu (Paul Petonak) writes:

))*something*. Hunterkillers are an adequate pain in the ass,
))like when I'm planet-taking, but this is completely overboard. 

You mean when you are busy fiddling around in 3rd space.  Pity.  Since Iggy 
does not come on top of you, all you have to do is run from him, maxwarp, 
and get him so that he is closer to someone else.  Yawn.

)I agree completely. I was 'practicing' basing on rwd4 yesterday as there
)wasn't a really good game going on. I was having fun and doing well until
)Iggy showed up. Most people (myself included) usually can't handle him in a

If you were doing well, then it was not a good practice.  Consider Iggy a
valuable addition to your "practice."  And fun?  It's war, man :)

)normal ship, without help. But having him pop up in a base is pointedly 

Then most people are in need of "practice."

)ridiculous. Also, there's nothing I like better than heading to sir or eri
)to take that planet to have iggy pop up on the screen to blow me and 
)my armies away. 

Again, you really need practice.  Iggy can't go any faster than you, unless 
there are other players nearby.  Iggy is only a danger if someone leads him
in close, and you are not careful enough to preserve the player, or kill
him before he polymorphs into a base.


)He adds WAY to much of a random factor to any game and can

There is nothing random about iggy save a small variance in start-up location.  If anything, he is too predictable.

)really screw things up. I saw him once wipe out a carrier in an lps. Oh well,
)those 3 armies we saved up for 20 minutes, wiped out by a robot. 

You deserved to lose.

)Iggy is worthless. I don't know who the genius is that came up with him
)but I think he should be eradicated.

lies, lies, lies.  Iggy is a valuable "natural" resource.

)Icarus
)Big Nifty Balls
)Oral Annie

(and Ged's just pissed cuz I made him look stupid in a base near Veg with
Iggy as my lone ogging partner.  Really, cut the whining, Mike)

Justin
  Admiral Hector  (rank is meaningless, right Paul :)
  president of the Committee to REElect the Polymorph
From: hayes%valkris@hac2arpa.hac.com (Brian Hayes 74-35 x65129)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Openwindows.FocusLenience
Date: 22 Jul 92 22:52:05 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: 12 Angry Men
Originator: hayes@valkris

I'm running nextrek from openwindows.  How can I effectively set
	OpenWindows.FocusLenience:	True
without editing the .Xdefaults file?

I want to be able to do this because we are short on workstations
and I don't want to have to exit someone's openwindows sessions and 
log them off (typically during lunch) just because I want to play
netrek.

-- 
*** Brian Hayes hayes@hac2arpa.hac.com (310) 616-5129 ***
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: jrichard@cs.ulowell.edu (John 'MacGyver' Richardson)
Subject: Re: Multiprocessors and shared memory bug
Organization: /usr/ug/1993/jrichard/.organization
Distribution: rec
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 13:24:59 GMT

In article <2A6D10B8.14700@ics.uci.edu> hadley@vlsi.ics.uci.edu (Tedd Hadley) writes:

      This should go to reg.games.netrek.programmer, but since that group doesn't
      exist... :)

It really should.  How do we start an alt.games.netrek.programmer?


     [code and stuff deleted]

Sounds good to me (adding IPC_EXCL).  It might be a good idea to add some
type of semaphore operations before placing an entering player in the
memory to avoid the two-people-in-one-ship problem.  If the ntserv
only has to grab a semaphore for adding/removing a player there
shouldn't be any slow down with normal operations (under the
conditions I can think of).

John 'MacGyver' Richardson |"sun dogs fire on the horizon        \ \   \
jrichard@cs.ulowell.edu    | meteor rain stars across the night   * *   \   /\
jrichard@duck.ulowell.edu  | ...the spark still flies                /\  * /  \
                           | reflected in another pair of eyes." /\ /  \/\/
                                                           ------  \   / /
From: hill@norman.VI.RI.CMU.EDU (Robert Hill)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: SB vs 6 Captains
Date: 22 Jul 92 15:09:14 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

fortony@sonne.cso.uiuc.edu writes

> In fact, I strongly believe that lag favors the starbase, especially
> server lag.  There's something about being able to lazily float your
> mouse button over to the slowly uncloaking cruiser and mail off the
> "phaser pressor torp torp torp" order that makes starbases live longer.

> a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
> Felix Sebastian Ortony	fortony@murphy.gis.uiuc.edu

Lag completely hoses the SB.  During the ogg fest, I phasered about 12  
times (at point blank range) which is plenty of time to kill 3 oggers  
before you die and NONE of them hit.  Flint is the lag den of iniquity, if  
you ask me.  If the oggers get lagged, they can still hit the SB, it is  
stationary, after all.  If you can't hit with phasers, what can you hit  
with?  I quit out promptly, btw.

I would wager that a good SB with little lag can survive for a long time  
against 6 captains with little lag at vega if it is repair.  I would like  
to test my theory when I get back from my mini-vacation.  Perhaps next  
wednesday, on a server yet to be disclosed?

Rob
aka Spaceace!
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 01:04:36 -0400 
From: "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Dumb ogging and a fix idea
	<59283@mimsy.umd.edu>

Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.netrek: 28-Jul-92 Dumb ogging and a fix
idea Leonard Dickens@mimsy.um (1088)

> Here is an idea to diminish the practice of dumb ogging: make every
> ship enter with only 1/2 a fuel load, or maybe a flat 4000 fuel, or
> something like that.

Hmmmmm. . . would make an interesting test.  I'd like to see it.  It
MIGHT make ships worth something.  It wouldn't kill dumb Ogging, but
would cetainly lower it's effective range.

ZZnew guy
From: shafto@aristotle.ils.nwu.edu (Eric &)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: LPS comeback and armies
Date: 24 Jul 92 21:07:31 GMT
Organization: The Institute for the Learning Sciences
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4

petonak@chem.psu.edu (Paul Petonak) writes:
: I havehad a question about LPS comebacks and the armies you generate in
: one but my VAST playing experience and reading of this newsgroup has yet
: to answer it.

: So, when you have, say, rom, dra, tau, eri, and sir, and ald is at 3, when
: tau pops to 5, what is the best course of action for that army? It seems
: you have four choices:
: 
: 1) Leave it there and defend it until you have enough to take ald.
: 
: 2) Move it to rom, defend it, and wait 'til you have enough to take ald.
: 
: 3) Have the planet scum pick it up, and float around with it waiting for
:    more until he could take the planet. 
: 
: 4) Pick it up and go dump it on ald to reduce ald's army population by one.

: So....what say you netrek wizards? 

Ahem.  I agree with you that 2 is probably the best out of these.  If
Ald were at 2, I'd say reinforce it, though.  It also depends on how
good your bombing and kill-control are.  If they've got armies and
kills, I'd say reinforce.  If you are keeping them at least moderately
flat, then hold it and try to take.

: 5) Pick up armies and ogg an enemy with kills (which I saw on rwd4 yesterday)

Cute.


--
*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      *
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: josh@cqs.washington.edu (Josh Hayes)
Subject: Pizza Scum?
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 21:24:28 GMT

terence@bronco.ece.cmu.edu (Terence Chang) writes:

> 4. Pizza scum remover.

Pizza scum?

I'm almost afraid to ask......no, I _am_ afraid to ask.....

doctor

--
Josh Hayes, Quantitative Sciences HR-20 U of Washington
josh@mowgli.cqs.washington.edu             206 685-2793
Exclaimer: Hey!           Plan: Birth School Work Death
From: fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Random FYI
Date: 24 Jul 92 19:37:42 GMT
Reply-To: fadden@amdahl.uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

I switched to an ATT on my local server and put 18 Iggys in the game.  They
came crusing along in centipede fashion (deterministic steering algorithms),
and managed to do 16000 points of damage before the torp detonations on my
hull started killing them.

They would've done more damage with straight (or tracking torps), but it was
mostly just amusing to sit there with XSG running and watch this really long
stream of Iggys come barrelling in.  Interesting way to stress-test your
display, too, with 18*8 torps on the screen, phasers firing, etc, etc.

-- 
fadden@uts.amdahl.com (Andy McFadden)
[ Above opinions are mine, Amdahl has nothing to do with them, etc, etc. ]
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 20:24:40 -0400 
From: "Timothy C. Worsley" <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Golden Bears vs. Lagg U
	<1992Jul22.043608.20026@dsd.es.com>

<About Orion or Kli space>

Excerpts from netnews.rec.games.netrek: 22-Jul-92 Re: Golden Bears vs.
Lagg U Michael Moore@itchy.dsd. (1346)

> 	Well, while this may perhaps give your team an edge, I don't
> consider it to be something amazingly unbalancing... In fact, I'd say
> the teams need to be VERY well balanced for this to cause significant
> damage to one team or another.

> 	But perhaps being at cmu all the internal games were even and
> thus this came to be an important factor.


	I don't know about amazingly unbalancing, but I will say this.  The CMU
internal teams were always pretty well balanced.  I can think of three
times that Kli or Ori space were chosen (They were simply considdered
worse.).  In two of those games, it was agreed beforehand that one team
would be Ori and the other Kli, for variety.
	In the last, the original Team Akira (Kli) played vs the CMU Gaming
Club (Rom).  Akira sent almost all of the game down several planets. 
Afterward, Kevin said that he would never play Kli again.  It is
interesting to note, that during an earlier game between the two, Team
Akira spent almost the entire game UP several planets.  

	It should also be noted that these were some of the earliest tournies
at CMU.  Some might suggest that that the difference between the two
games was because the Gaming Club got better.  I am in no position to
ague either way.

ZZnew guy
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: rpowers@panix.com (Richard Powers)
Subject: Wheres the FAQ?
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 17:40:06 GMT
Organization: Panix, NYC
Keywords: New player access

Is there a FAQ for this newsgroup?  If there is I'm sure it answers these
questions:

What exactly is Netrek?

How much is it NETworked?  (How far).

How can I get (remote) access (in NYC)?

Thanks.
From: botelle@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Justin Botelle)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: Iggy SB's....
Date: 30 Jul 92 03:06:49 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania

In article <1992Jul28.224925.1425@hellgate.utah.edu) mmoore%peruvian.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Michael Moore) writes:
)In article <84687@netnews.upenn.edu) botelle@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Justin Botelle) writes:

))(and Ged's just pissed cuz I made him look stupid in a base near Veg with
))Iggy as my lone ogging partner.  Really, cut the whining, Mike)

)	As for the above scenario.... I don't recall any such thing.
)I'm dumb, but I ain't stoopid.

Can you say repression.  Here, let my refresh.  You had ~215 kills (I was
bored and had no help ogging), and were between earth and veg.  I led HK
down there to your right, passed beneath you, and pummeled you from the 
left.  I made sure I got credit for your demise, giving me a new MaxKills
(as SS Botany Bay).


)+Michael D. Moore     Office : (801) 582-5847x4721  Home : (801)359-6552  +

Justin "I may be anal, but at least I'm not amnestic" Botelle

Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
From: mmoore@dsd.es.com (Mike Moore)
Subject: Re: Clue Game Stats
Organization: Evans & Sutherland
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 17:48:43 GMT

In article <Bs7q18.F68@cs.psu.edu>, petonak@chem.psu.edu (Paul Petonak) writes:
|> Everything seemed smooth but and some points, like i said, I really started
|> losing stuff I was sending. Torps streams, phasors, warp changes, etc. Could
|> this be something local? I have been experiencing to on bronco as well. 

	Well, for what it's worth it happened to me as well.  I was in my
SB waiting for the second game to begin (which I don't think it ever
did) and was enjoying the ogging of Duck Dodgers and Ginger Lynn and
some other feds.  

	Things were just not coming out... I'd fire a nice stream of torps
and one or two would come out... I'd det and nothing would happen.  And
all the while my net connection was crystal clear... no lag whatsoever.
I think someone (Ginger Lynn???) said the same thing was happing for them.

	-Michael (Ged)

-- 
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
|Michael Moore                      \  "All men are touched by God's  |
|Evans & Sutherland Employee         \  flaming love."                |
|University of Utah Student          /                                |
|Email      : mmoore@dsd.es.com     /                                 |
|Home Phone : (801) 359-6552        \                                 |
|Office     : (801) 582-5847 x 4721  \    -ArchBishop Fulton J. Sheen |
 ---------------------------------------------------------------------
From: fortony@sonne.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: scrimmage results: Gashouse Gorillas sneak past 12 Angry Men
Date: 31 Jul 92 18:09:57 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Originator: fortony@murphy

fortony@sonne.cso.uiuc.edu writes:

[..a load of crap..]

>rear ensign sunscreamer
>minister of maths, TWELVE ANGRY MEN

or not

>-- 
>a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
>Felix Sebastian Ortony	fortony@murphy.gis.uiuc.edu
-- 
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
Felix Sebastian Ortony	fortony@murphy.gis.uiuc.edu
From: jerryw@cs.umd.edu (Jerry Wieber)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: What to do?
Date: 25 Jul 92 04:40:20 GMT
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742

In article <1992Jul23.210956.204@aio.jsc.nasa.gov> trust@sweetpea.jsc.nasa.gov (Jason Trust 283-4077) writes:


>I have been playing netrek for a long time (from a SUN) and I
>have always wondered if it were possible to play netrek from a 
>PC?  Is there some code that is available for a PC (netrek client)?
>Do I have to have X-windows for a PC first?

Yes you do have to have X10 or X11.  Somebody wrote a cheapie curses
based client, with the expected minimal success.  But it sounded fun,
and boy, it must have been embarassing to be killed by it.

PC's are not really an option for playing netrek, and the Amiga port
has not been released.

>Looking for some information and/or suggestions from ya'll?
>
>
>  DDDDD   EEEEEEE   V      V    OOOO
>  D    D  E          V    V    O    O
>  D    D  EEEEEEE     V  V     O    O
>  D    D  E            VV      O    O
>  DDDDD   EEEEEEE       V       OOOO

Ugh.  This is not alt.fan.warlord.

-Jerry  <Stress> <Dogmeat>  SINL: <Big Bird>
Here's hint.  Lose the .signature.
-- 
                                                           __________ 
 UUCP:     uunet!cs.umd.edu!jerryw   SPOKEN: Jerry Wieber  |/ `-.    | U of Md
 INTERNET: jerryw@cs.umd.edu                                     \_|.|-,  
                                                                    ` -
From: hadley@osiris.ics.uci.edu (Tedd Hadley)
Subject: Re: Bronco update
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Organization: UC Irvine Department of ICS
Date: 25 Jul 92 23:23:25 GMT
Distribution: rec

In <2A70D980.25216@ics.uci.edu> hadley@vlsi.ics.uci.edu (Tedd Hadley) writes:

>   Just to add to the headache: remember that two passwords, though identical,
>   will have different encryption strings.  There's no way to compare them
>   unless you know what the password is.

   Oops, this is wrong.  Terence pointed out to me that if the names and
   passwords are the same the encryption string will also be the same (since
   the 'salt' is player name).  Sorry about that.

++
   Tedd Hadley (hadley@uci.edu)
From: hunky@matt.ksu.ksu.edu (D U D L E Y)
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Subject: Re: DREAM TEAM
Date: 29 Jul 1992 12:40:15 -0500
Organization: Kansas State University
NNTP-Posting-Host: matt.ksu.ksu.edu

>Duck Says:
>>I wonder who would be on our USA Netrek Dream >Team?
>>let's say.. 8 starters 4 subs.... 

ZZnew guy (Timothy C. Worsley) <tw1r+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:

>Red Shirt
>Videodrome
>Araman
>ZZnew guy
>Spaceace
>Warlock
>Westly
>Ray
>West
>Yeah Boy!!
>Drewski
>Sunny
>Tortise

I count 8 starters 5 subs. sheesh!  :)

-- 
D U D L E Y   is hunky@matt.ksu.ksu.edu
Organization: Sophomore, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.games.netrek
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 12:59:08 -0400 
From: "Joseph E. Beck" <jb8n+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Iggy SB's....
	<155hgpINNkcd@agate.berkeley.edu>

>-leading iggy onto a base or home world works only against
>TOTALLY clueless teams
True, try setting lower goals.  How about defending a newly taken
planet, helping you ogg someone, dying and not giving away a kill,
etc.


>any halfway decent player should be able to kill
>Iggy in one run, regardless of ship type.

True, but you just made them waste time.  Instead of ogging
you/picking up armies/escorting carrier/etc.  now they're spending
time fighting Iggy.  It's a minor inconvenience for the team that has
to deal with him.


>The HALs declaring war on everyone is even worse
It is a bit of an inconvenience for the team that has it "go hostile"
next to them.  A fix for this would be nice. 


	joe 
	Purple haze