The new 1.0 code has been a definite success and a huge step forward in the development of Battlecity.
Although from a players perspective it may seem buggy right now, from a code stand point the game is definitely much more flexible and extremely stable. The code is now multiplatform and uses databases for accounts. The winsock code, which was resposnible for some strange bugs, was completely rewritten as well.
By macking all these changes to the code, some new bugs have been found. They should all be fixed and taken care of within the next little while.
One problem remaining is that the current computer used as the server for Battlecity seems to have some possible hardware problems which are causing some issues and increased lag. Milo, who hosts BC, has a 70 ping when connected to the server which is not normal. When ReMoTe hosts and connects with the same code, his ping is 1.
ReMoTe will most likely try hosting the server himself a little bit in the future to demonstrate how much better it runs on a better server computer. However, ReMoTe cannot host from his computer permanently because BC will lag whenever he uses it for other purposes or further development. The game needs its own computer used only for hosting it.
The cost of purchasing a computer for the purpose of hosting Battlecity will be about $500. Any donations received will go towards this as well as money made through advertising services.
ReMoTe also hosts another game named, “Odyssey”. In order to handle the increased traffic of hosting Battlecity, he will need to upgrade his internet connection. The costs of this upgrade will be split between both Battlecity and Odyssey, so any donations made to Battlecity will only be used for Battlecity.
Once we are able to purchase BC’s new server, most lag related problems will no longer be an issue. Its hard to guess how many players it will hold without having tried and tested, but it will definitely surpass the 20-25 it held when ReMoTe previously hosted. The server computer will be an independent machine FAR FAR superiour to the one it was previously hosted on and his connection speed will be over 3 times faster.
