Crossfire Archive
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Re: CF: Client protocol and low-bandwidth links

Quoting Philip Brown (philb@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU):
> >>>>[From Bob Tanner]
>     Is client protocol and the current client code make playing crossfire
>     over 28.8 possible?
>     
>     I do not think crossfire will be very popular until.
>     
>     1.) There is a windoze client
>     2.) It can be played via 28.8
>     
>     Real Time brought crossfire to a gaming convention. Just like last
>     year it is a big hit, but when you tell people that it only runs under
>     X, you get a blank stare.
> 
> 
> so why didn't you guys use the java client as well?!!

Why?

1. Java client looks like crap on Win95 
2. Too buggy to run under Sun's or Microsoft's VM under Win95
3. Java client too big and to hard to install (I'll explain later)
4. Too slow

Under Win95 the java client is clipped at the top and bottom of the
screen. I could not adjust the screen to allow full view of the
client.

Now, I know Win95 is not the most stable OS, but the client GPF'd (Dr.
Watson) countless times. Could be Win95, could be the VM, could be the
boxes I installed it on.

The client itself is not that big, but have you ever tried to explain
to a typical windows users to first go download the jdk or jre from
sun (approx 15Mb). Install it. Now go download the client. Install it.
Now try to figure out the classpath thing. Ok, run it. Bleah...

First you get 15Mb? I am on at 28.8, 15Mb will take hours to download.
Then you get what is jdk or jre? What does that do? Why do I need it?
Finally the classpath thing has got to go, this is too complex for
most users. Then to run it? A commandline? Where is the icon? This is
a show stopper.

Finally if they get it to run, it is slow. Very slow.

I don't mean to bash the java client. It works great for me, but I am
a UNIX die-hard running on a ULTRA. I don't mean to bash crossfire,
it's a great game, but we need a windows client.

Some of you might be laughing. But this is the mental level of most
computer users. They what a:\setup and that is it. Java is a good
start if the install and configuration would easier.

Of the other "Free" games on the Internet I look at netrek as a good
model for client/server deployment. The server is unix and clients are
all over the board. Since I also run a pickup netrek server I can tell
the majority of the clients on the server are Windows based.

-- 
Bob Tanner <tanner@real-time.com>       | Phone : (612)943-8700
http://www.real-time.com                | Fax   : (612)943-8300
Key fingerprint =  6C E9 51 4F D5 3E 4C 66 62 A9 10 E5 35 85 39 D9 
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