From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.2 (2018-09-13) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-0.7 required=5.0 tests=HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS, HTML_MESSAGE,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,RCVD_IN_DNSWL_NONE autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.2 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (minnie.tuhs.org [45.79.103.53]) by inbox.vuxu.org (OpenSMTPD) with ESMTP id c880a161 for ; Fri, 6 Dec 2019 16:20:00 +0000 (UTC) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 92A929BC7F; Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:19:59 +1000 (AEST) Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F2F2694BF4; Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:19:31 +1000 (AEST) Received: by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix, from userid 112) id 487BF94BF4; Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:19:29 +1000 (AEST) Received: from smtp-out-3.mxes.net (smtp-out-3.mxes.net [198.205.123.68]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id A980C93D35 for ; Sat, 7 Dec 2019 02:19:28 +1000 (AEST) Received: from Customer-MUA (mua.mxes.net [10.0.0.1]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by smtp.mxes.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 4C42C27379 for ; Fri, 6 Dec 2019 11:19:24 -0500 (EST) From: To: References: In-Reply-To: Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2019 11:19:12 -0500 Message-ID: <22df01d5ac50$eca8e330$c5faa990$@ronnatalie.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_22E0_01D5AC27.03D35060" X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 16.0 Thread-Index: AQFC1TbiIP2h8OyRQHuUrqB0zfm6bKjS7wkw Content-Language: en-us X-Sent-To: Subject: Re: [TUHS] Gaming on early Unix X-BeenThere: tuhs@minnie.tuhs.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.26 Precedence: list List-Id: The Unix Heritage Society mailing list List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: tuhs-bounces@minnie.tuhs.org Sender: "TUHS" This is a multipart message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_22E0_01D5AC27.03D35060 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable We were big into =E2=80=9CAdventure=E2=80=9D when I first started on = UNIX. It wasn=E2=80=99t until someone handed me the Fortran source = code did I find we had missed a few things in it (like the rusty rods = with black stars). =20 Rogue was a popular one later. =20 =20 Later at BRL we got a copy of =E2=80=9CEmpire=E2=80=9D from PSL. The = good thing about that game was that your amount of activity was limited = to one hour a day and however many BTUs (Bureaucratic Time Units) your = capital generated. However, people would print maps near the end of = their session and then spend hours planning the next day=E2=80=99s = activity. Finally, the lab management had us shutdown. =20 There was another multiplayer game called =E2=80=9CSearch=E2=80=9D that = would result around 4:30 in the afternoon someone yelling = =E2=80=9CSearch Up=E2=80=9D which was everybody=E2=80=99s cue to join in = the game. =20 Then we got SGI workstations. The flight simulator had a dogfight = feature but it used some networking that didn=E2=80=99t work on our = network (I think it was XNS broadcasts). Fortunately, the source code = was available so I hacked it to communicate via TCP/IP to a central = server (which had its own =E2=80=9Cair traffic control=E2=80=9D display = for my own benefit). At 4:30 everybody would head off to an SGI = workstation and we=E2=80=99d have many people flying. We had the problem of people hanging out around the runway (where new = players appeared) and nailing people as soon as they showed up. I = wrote an automated =E2=80=9Canti-aircraft gun=E2=80=9D that shot at = people who hung out around the airfield. =20 I was at a meeting (probably IETF) and the NASA AMES guys (who had tons = of these workstations as well) found out about my work and made me FTP = it to them right then and there. There went NASA productivity. =20 BRL had a vector graphics system in the early days called a Vector = General. They were left over from a project with the Cyber mainframe = that never worked. The labs had three or four of these things, each a = PDP-11/34 with the Vector General, a card reader, a printer, a DQ-11, = and a 50K modem. At a loss for what to do with them, we put UNIX on = them. Mike used the system to develop the BRL CAD package. The = printers got used for other purposes. The card readers pretty much = were trashed but we kept one to convert old COMGEOM decks. We actually = used the DQ-11/50K modem things to extend the BRLNet (and ultimately the = BRL gateways). One evening, Mike and I decided to write a game for the thing. We = decided to simulate the =E2=80=9CAsterioids=E2=80=9D arcade game. Mike = did the graphics work and I wrote the game logic. We spent all night = writing it and then went home in the morning leaving it running. By = the time we came in later in the day, several of the BRL researchers = (physicists and aerodynamics guys) had hacked on the game logic to make = it more realistic (conservation of momentum and all that). =20 ------=_NextPart_000_22E0_01D5AC27.03D35060 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

We were big into = =E2=80=9CAdventure=E2=80=9D when I first started on = UNIX.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 It wasn=E2=80=99t until someone handed me the = Fortran source code did I find we had missed a few things in it (like = the rusty rods with black stars).

 

Rogue was a = popular one later.=C2=A0=C2=A0

 

Later at BRL = we got a copy of =E2=80=9CEmpire=E2=80=9D from PSL.=C2=A0=C2=A0 The good = thing about that game was that your amount of activity was limited to = one hour a day and however many BTUs (Bureaucratic Time Units) your = capital generated.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 However, people would print maps = near the end of their session and then spend hours planning the next = day=E2=80=99s activity.=C2=A0=C2=A0 Finally, the lab management had us = shutdown.

 

There was another multiplayer game called = =E2=80=9CSearch=E2=80=9D that would result around 4:30 in the afternoon = someone yelling =E2=80=9CSearch Up=E2=80=9D which was = everybody=E2=80=99s cue to join in the game.

 

Then we got = SGI workstations.=C2=A0 =C2=A0The flight simulator had a dogfight = feature but it used some networking that didn=E2=80=99t work on our = network (I think it was XNS broadcasts).=C2=A0=C2=A0 Fortunately, the = source code was available so I hacked it to communicate via TCP/IP to a = central server (which had its own =E2=80=9Cair traffic control=E2=80=9D = display for my own benefit).=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 At 4:30 everybody would = head off to an SGI workstation and we=E2=80=99d have many people = flying.

We had the problem of people hanging out around the = runway (where new players appeared) and nailing people as soon as they = showed up.=C2=A0=C2=A0 I wrote an automated =E2=80=9Canti-aircraft = gun=E2=80=9D that shot at people who hung out around the = airfield.

 

I was at a meeting (probably IETF) and the NASA AMES = guys (who had tons of these workstations as well) found out about my = work and made me FTP it to them right then and there.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 = There went NASA productivity.

 

BRL had a = vector graphics system in the early days called a Vector = General.=C2=A0=C2=A0 They were left over from a project with the Cyber = mainframe that never worked.=C2=A0=C2=A0 The labs had three or four of = these things, each a PDP-11/34 with the Vector General, a card reader, a = printer, a DQ-11, and a 50K modem.=C2=A0=C2=A0 At a loss for what to do = with them, we put UNIX on them.=C2=A0=C2=A0 Mike used the system to = develop the BRL CAD package.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 The printers got used for = other purposes.=C2=A0=C2=A0 The card readers pretty much were trashed = but we kept one to convert old COMGEOM decks.=C2=A0=C2=A0 We actually = used the DQ-11/50K modem things to extend the BRLNet (and ultimately the = BRL gateways).

One evening, Mike and I decided to write a game = for the thing.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 We decided to simulate the = =E2=80=9CAsterioids=E2=80=9D arcade game.=C2=A0=C2=A0 Mike did the = graphics work and I wrote the game logic.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 We spent all = night writing it and then went home in the morning leaving it = running.=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0=C2=A0 By the time we came in later in the = day, several of the BRL researchers (physicists and aerodynamics guys) = had hacked on the game logic to make it more realistic (conservation of = momentum and all that).

 

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