The game party is 12 years old ... Who is more?
Have you heard that one particular multiplayer game lasted more than 12 years? And I'll tell you about it ...
Who remembers what PBEM is? It was funny to hear some people read this abbreviation, pronouncing the letters in Russian. For those who do not know, these are games by e-mail (Play By Electronic Mail). Yes, it was like that. Not always the internet was fast. And he was also expensive. WOW then also was not. True, there was already Ultima Online . The vast majority of the home had only dial-up modems with time-based access. On the one hand, I was tired of playing computer with the enemy, I wanted to compete with real people. On the other hand, constant online was painfully expensive. In such a situation, “correspondence chess” is a wonderful way out. It was then that the direction of e-mail games began. For those who have plunged into it, surely nostalgic memories have fallen by now. The rest, apparently, do not understand.
But I'm not going to describe these same games by email. About them you can find a lot of articles and sites that are still alive. Even on Habré was an article .
And I want to tell you about one particular game, one particular game server, on which one game lasts (note, it did not last, but it lasts) for more than 12 years!
It will be about the game Atlantis , which is still hosted on my server. There is no ultimate goal in this game. In theory, you can win all and stay alone. But in practice it is practically unrealizable.
Around 1996, when I was at university, I had access to the Internet. Then everyone could not even dream of a home Internet (I am not from Moscow). And my friends and I discovered the very games by email (PBEM). Schedule of moves in different batches ranged from 1 move per week, up to 3 moves per day. We mainly played Galaxy PLUS. These were wonderful times of study and joint brainstorming over the next move. And somewhere in 2000, we met with the game Atlantis. At that moment I was already studying at the university magistracy and I had my own personal computer, standing at the university and having permanent access to the Internet. Why not a server? I do not know what came over me, but I had an idea to make a new installment of the game Atlantis on this computer.
It was just a crazy idea. Internet at the university was slow and expensive at the time. Of course, receiving and sending letters is not very big traffic. But the use of state-of-the-art equipment in an educational institution for hosting a multiplayer game is a violation of all the rules. I don’t know what I was thinking then, but the idea of ​​becoming a Game Master won over the fear of punishment. Looking ahead, I will say that the “legalization” of the hosting of the game took place about 6 years ago. At that time, the channel on the Internet at the university had already expanded to such an extent that the traffic from the letters began to occupy hundredths of a percent.
So, at that time there was a technical opportunity to seize the server. There was an overwhelming desire to do this. The sources of the C ++ game engine were available. Scripts for processing mail were taken from the Game Master of another server, where we played ourselves.
As a result, on January 18, 2001, the new world of Atlantis was generated, a set of new games was announced, and on January 20, 2001, the first move was made. The game has managed to enroll 46 players. Among the players was myself.
')
And then it started ... It was this party that began to gain popularity. Players became more and more. In the best of times there were about 500 of them. And I had to regularly deal with various difficulties.
For example, during the calculation of the next move on the schedule, the engine could fall. Why? Yes, because there were mistakes! As it is written above, ready source codes were taken and compiled for the server. And the first crash of the engine made it clear that we’ll have to dig deep in the source code! In principle, the code was quite sane. And I just studied as a programmer and fixing bugs in the engine took not so much effort. But added a lot of experience digging in someone else's code.
Having fixed a dozen not the most trivial bugs, I began to understand the engine decently. And soon he was ready to add new features that made my game different from others, which also added popularity.
Later, modified sources were posted with bug fixes and features added. As far as I know, these sources were even used to launch new servers.
The game originated large alliances. Created related sites, forums. There was a gaming newspaper with a designated editor, who paid rewards in game currency for the best articles.
There was a fight against zombie breeding (when one player controls several game factions).
At some point, the players had the idea to apply for some book of records in the nomination “The longest party of a computer game” or something like that. But no one responded to our application.
In general, it was a lot of fun!
I will answer the question “why?” Sincerely - glory in narrow circles. I was not just a player, but a Game Master. I was the one who gave the players the opportunity to enjoy the game. Sometimes they said “thank you” to me. And I was very pleased.
It is difficult to count. Because I have earned only experience from this! Yes, it is the experience in programming and administration. It was then that I had to learn the POP3 and SMTP protocols. Then it was necessary to struggle with hit in black lists of e-mail servers. Then a decent amount of Perl scripts were written. Then there was a need to understand someone else's code and add new functionality there. This, of course, is not my only experience. But this is one of the components of experience, which allows me to now earn above average in the IT labor market in our city.
If we talk about the monetary component, the server support for me was a completely unprofitable venture. At the beginning of the two thousandth, I had a time-based internet access at my home. I had to regularly connect to the server, make changes. And I paid for it from my own pocket. There was an idea to collect donations through the service sms.kopilka. But no one threw a penny. At that time it did not even upset me.
In real life, I learned, got a job, got married, had a baby, etc. etc.
In real life there were even meetings with players in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Both times I came to the specified cities either to the conference or to work and we agreed to meet. At the meetings there were no more than 10 people.
The Internet has become more accessible and players have gone to play WOW, the line and similar games. Players are getting smaller. The bugs in the engine were all cleaned up. The last 6 years they did not get out at all. The server runs on autopilot and I don’t even remember about it. Sometimes I go in to see if any of the players remain. And today, only two people play there. I do not even know what else holds them. Today on the server miscalculated 1685 move. And the server is still alive and working! And it works, oddly enough, all in the same university, on my computer, where I still teach a little.
The idea of ​​the world of Atlantis is quite attractive. Some players had thought to transfer the game to the browser. Add colorful graphics and give the game a second chance. But I do not know that these ideas are embodied in real projects. Honestly, sorry. I would play.
I am very glad that 12 years ago I got involved in such an adventure. I paid for it with my time and net financial costs. But in return, he received invaluable experience, moral satisfaction and a few sincere “thanks” from the players.
In the modern world, these “thanks” are clearly not enough. People are much more likely to criticize if they notice your mistakes and are less likely to express gratitude, even if, for example, they use free software that they like.
PS If suddenly one of the former players of the Atlantis Dsnlab server reads this article, then please share your impressions. Maybe add something.
PPS You should not, after reading this article, try to register in the game. In the post there is deliberately no link to the server. There is no longer a community of players. By modern standards, the game will seem at least strange to you. Do not waste your time. Fasting is not about the game, but about the fate of the server.
Who remembers what PBEM is? It was funny to hear some people read this abbreviation, pronouncing the letters in Russian. For those who do not know, these are games by e-mail (Play By Electronic Mail). Yes, it was like that. Not always the internet was fast. And he was also expensive. WOW then also was not. True, there was already Ultima Online . The vast majority of the home had only dial-up modems with time-based access. On the one hand, I was tired of playing computer with the enemy, I wanted to compete with real people. On the other hand, constant online was painfully expensive. In such a situation, “correspondence chess” is a wonderful way out. It was then that the direction of e-mail games began. For those who have plunged into it, surely nostalgic memories have fallen by now. The rest, apparently, do not understand.
But I'm not going to describe these same games by email. About them you can find a lot of articles and sites that are still alive. Even on Habré was an article .
And I want to tell you about one particular game, one particular game server, on which one game lasts (note, it did not last, but it lasts) for more than 12 years!
It will be about the game Atlantis , which is still hosted on my server. There is no ultimate goal in this game. In theory, you can win all and stay alone. But in practice it is practically unrealizable.
How it all began.
Around 1996, when I was at university, I had access to the Internet. Then everyone could not even dream of a home Internet (I am not from Moscow). And my friends and I discovered the very games by email (PBEM). Schedule of moves in different batches ranged from 1 move per week, up to 3 moves per day. We mainly played Galaxy PLUS. These were wonderful times of study and joint brainstorming over the next move. And somewhere in 2000, we met with the game Atlantis. At that moment I was already studying at the university magistracy and I had my own personal computer, standing at the university and having permanent access to the Internet. Why not a server? I do not know what came over me, but I had an idea to make a new installment of the game Atlantis on this computer.
It was just a crazy idea. Internet at the university was slow and expensive at the time. Of course, receiving and sending letters is not very big traffic. But the use of state-of-the-art equipment in an educational institution for hosting a multiplayer game is a violation of all the rules. I don’t know what I was thinking then, but the idea of ​​becoming a Game Master won over the fear of punishment. Looking ahead, I will say that the “legalization” of the hosting of the game took place about 6 years ago. At that time, the channel on the Internet at the university had already expanded to such an extent that the traffic from the letters began to occupy hundredths of a percent.
So, at that time there was a technical opportunity to seize the server. There was an overwhelming desire to do this. The sources of the C ++ game engine were available. Scripts for processing mail were taken from the Game Master of another server, where we played ourselves.
As a result, on January 18, 2001, the new world of Atlantis was generated, a set of new games was announced, and on January 20, 2001, the first move was made. The game has managed to enroll 46 players. Among the players was myself.
')
So, what is next?
And then it started ... It was this party that began to gain popularity. Players became more and more. In the best of times there were about 500 of them. And I had to regularly deal with various difficulties.
For example, during the calculation of the next move on the schedule, the engine could fall. Why? Yes, because there were mistakes! As it is written above, ready source codes were taken and compiled for the server. And the first crash of the engine made it clear that we’ll have to dig deep in the source code! In principle, the code was quite sane. And I just studied as a programmer and fixing bugs in the engine took not so much effort. But added a lot of experience digging in someone else's code.
Having fixed a dozen not the most trivial bugs, I began to understand the engine decently. And soon he was ready to add new features that made my game different from others, which also added popularity.
Later, modified sources were posted with bug fixes and features added. As far as I know, these sources were even used to launch new servers.
The game originated large alliances. Created related sites, forums. There was a gaming newspaper with a designated editor, who paid rewards in game currency for the best articles.
There was a fight against zombie breeding (when one player controls several game factions).
At some point, the players had the idea to apply for some book of records in the nomination “The longest party of a computer game” or something like that. But no one responded to our application.
In general, it was a lot of fun!
Why did I need all this?
I will answer the question “why?” Sincerely - glory in narrow circles. I was not just a player, but a Game Master. I was the one who gave the players the opportunity to enjoy the game. Sometimes they said “thank you” to me. And I was very pleased.
How much did I earn on it?
It is difficult to count. Because I have earned only experience from this! Yes, it is the experience in programming and administration. It was then that I had to learn the POP3 and SMTP protocols. Then it was necessary to struggle with hit in black lists of e-mail servers. Then a decent amount of Perl scripts were written. Then there was a need to understand someone else's code and add new functionality there. This, of course, is not my only experience. But this is one of the components of experience, which allows me to now earn above average in the IT labor market in our city.
If we talk about the monetary component, the server support for me was a completely unprofitable venture. At the beginning of the two thousandth, I had a time-based internet access at my home. I had to regularly connect to the server, make changes. And I paid for it from my own pocket. There was an idea to collect donations through the service sms.kopilka. But no one threw a penny. At that time it did not even upset me.
Playing a game, but what in real life?
In real life, I learned, got a job, got married, had a baby, etc. etc.
In real life there were even meetings with players in St. Petersburg and Moscow. Both times I came to the specified cities either to the conference or to work and we agreed to meet. At the meetings there were no more than 10 people.
Only one photo has survived.
And what about the final?
The Internet has become more accessible and players have gone to play WOW, the line and similar games. Players are getting smaller. The bugs in the engine were all cleaned up. The last 6 years they did not get out at all. The server runs on autopilot and I don’t even remember about it. Sometimes I go in to see if any of the players remain. And today, only two people play there. I do not even know what else holds them. Today on the server miscalculated 1685 move. And the server is still alive and working! And it works, oddly enough, all in the same university, on my computer, where I still teach a little.
Is there life after death?
The idea of ​​the world of Atlantis is quite attractive. Some players had thought to transfer the game to the browser. Add colorful graphics and give the game a second chance. But I do not know that these ideas are embodied in real projects. Honestly, sorry. I would play.
Results
I am very glad that 12 years ago I got involved in such an adventure. I paid for it with my time and net financial costs. But in return, he received invaluable experience, moral satisfaction and a few sincere “thanks” from the players.
In the modern world, these “thanks” are clearly not enough. People are much more likely to criticize if they notice your mistakes and are less likely to express gratitude, even if, for example, they use free software that they like.
PS If suddenly one of the former players of the Atlantis Dsnlab server reads this article, then please share your impressions. Maybe add something.
PPS You should not, after reading this article, try to register in the game. In the post there is deliberately no link to the server. There is no longer a community of players. By modern standards, the game will seem at least strange to you. Do not waste your time. Fasting is not about the game, but about the fate of the server.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/182290/
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