3 ms·

Dude. Glider AND Pararena AND Glypha III? Is today Christmas?

matheweis 11y ago
If only we can get Stuart Cheshire (http://www.stuartcheshire.org http://www.stuartcheshire.org) to give up Bolo! http://www.bolo.net http://www.bolo.net and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_(1987_video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_(1987_video_game)
- pmarreck 11y ago
  BOLO WAS THE BEST NETWORK GAME EVER. Seriously, to this day, I haven't had an experience that quite lives up to Bolo between friends on an AppleTalk network. It is the 1 game that "Windows people" I know who have played, wish existed on Windows.
  - i336_ 11y ago
    What exactly about Bolo made it a good [network] game, in your experience/opinion?
    - pmarreck 11y ago
      To supplement what matheweis excellently related... Bolo vid 1 showing Windows version with some strategy action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5K0qTh-Vmk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5K0qTh-Vmk Bolo vid 2 showing loading it up on Mac and playing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_gYZ5kMvc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_gYZ5kMvc There really (weirdly) has not been anything like it since. It was like the ultimate tank game with resource management and worldbuilding (like 2d Minecraft-like) elements
    - matheweis 11y ago
      It was arguably one of the first (the first?) multiplayer RTS's in existence, so there's probably a significant nostalgia factor... but some of the points being - in order of significance. * In-game map changes. You could create your own walls, moats, mines, create rubble, etc. in game, so everything was very dynamic, especially once you had several players going. * (mostly) limited resources. Trees were required to build walls and boats, but there wasn't an unlimited number of them. Even after they were all used up, more would grow ( although if you had some around they would grow more often). Bullets/mines were also limited; you had to go back to base to refill, and you could also use up the base's resources if you were too aggressive. * Easy to learn/difficult to master. Bolo had just about the right balance for this. * Headless network play. No server was required (a matchup server existed, but not required); any particular player rage quitting didn't end the game for the rest. * Bug factor. Not quite sure how this phenomenon works, but like the bugs in the oddly popular Goat Simulator there were a few glitches in Bolo that you could take advantage of - without cheating - for a (slight) advantage. Not aware of any games in the last 30 years that have a similar balance.
      - pmarreck 11y ago
        Thank you for putting to words what would have been difficult for me to communicate! I would have figured that something comparable/inspired by it would have come along by now
      - i336_ 11y ago
        Thanks for the insight. I have a bit of a side project to find out what forgotten bits of computer history "got it right," if you will, for various contextually-defined definitions of "right," so I'll either be seeing if I can get AlphaTalk going in BasiliskII/SheepShaver (ahahaha...), or I know what I'll want to do if I ever come across a couple old Macs!
  - matheweis 11y ago
    It has existed on Windows for a long time - in fact, as far as I know, it was the only non-original version of Bolo to have received Stuart's blessing... http://www.winbolo.com/screens.php http://www.winbolo.com/screens.php It's popularity was severely hobbled by the fact that it was a $25 copy of shareware.
    - pmarreck 11y ago
      Heh, forgot about WinBolo, but I benefited from Mac access when it was a thing

If only we can get Stuart Cheshire (http://www.stuartcheshire.org http://www.stuartcheshire.org) to give up Bolo! http://www.bolo.net http://www.bolo.net and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_(1987_video_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolo_(1987_video_game)

pmarreck 11y ago
BOLO WAS THE BEST NETWORK GAME EVER. Seriously, to this day, I haven't had an experience that quite lives up to Bolo between friends on an AppleTalk network. It is the 1 game that "Windows people" I know who have played, wish existed on Windows.
- i336_ 11y ago
  What exactly about Bolo made it a good [network] game, in your experience/opinion?
  - pmarreck 11y ago
    To supplement what matheweis excellently related... Bolo vid 1 showing Windows version with some strategy action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5K0qTh-Vmk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5K0qTh-Vmk Bolo vid 2 showing loading it up on Mac and playing it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_gYZ5kMvc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz_gYZ5kMvc There really (weirdly) has not been anything like it since. It was like the ultimate tank game with resource management and worldbuilding (like 2d Minecraft-like) elements
  - matheweis 11y ago
    It was arguably one of the first (the first?) multiplayer RTS's in existence, so there's probably a significant nostalgia factor... but some of the points being - in order of significance. * In-game map changes. You could create your own walls, moats, mines, create rubble, etc. in game, so everything was very dynamic, especially once you had several players going. * (mostly) limited resources. Trees were required to build walls and boats, but there wasn't an unlimited number of them. Even after they were all used up, more would grow ( although if you had some around they would grow more often). Bullets/mines were also limited; you had to go back to base to refill, and you could also use up the base's resources if you were too aggressive. * Easy to learn/difficult to master. Bolo had just about the right balance for this. * Headless network play. No server was required (a matchup server existed, but not required); any particular player rage quitting didn't end the game for the rest. * Bug factor. Not quite sure how this phenomenon works, but like the bugs in the oddly popular Goat Simulator there were a few glitches in Bolo that you could take advantage of - without cheating - for a (slight) advantage. Not aware of any games in the last 30 years that have a similar balance.
    - pmarreck 11y ago
      Thank you for putting to words what would have been difficult for me to communicate! I would have figured that something comparable/inspired by it would have come along by now
    - i336_ 11y ago
      Thanks for the insight. I have a bit of a side project to find out what forgotten bits of computer history "got it right," if you will, for various contextually-defined definitions of "right," so I'll either be seeing if I can get AlphaTalk going in BasiliskII/SheepShaver (ahahaha...), or I know what I'll want to do if I ever come across a couple old Macs!
- matheweis 11y ago
  It has existed on Windows for a long time - in fact, as far as I know, it was the only non-original version of Bolo to have received Stuart's blessing... http://www.winbolo.com/screens.php http://www.winbolo.com/screens.php It's popularity was severely hobbled by the fact that it was a $25 copy of shareware.
  - pmarreck 11y ago
    Heh, forgot about WinBolo, but I benefited from Mac access when it was a thing