This information is for the 1996 MechMania contest.
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MechManiaII Game Model Overview

0. Disclaimer

In keeping with our desire to insure an even playing field and our tendancy to change vital parts of the game model at the very last minute, we will only reveal some general information here. The official game model will be documented in the "MechManiaII Universe Conquest Guide".

1. The Universe

The MechManiaII Universe is composed of N StarSystems, arranged in an XY grid (representing their distances from each other in Hyperspace). N will probably be between 20 and 30, and the grid is looking to be 42x42, but this may change during playtesting.

2. Ships

Each Team (the client program written by a MechManiaII Team) controls the actions of a fleet of starships. These Ships may be at a StarSystem, or in Hyperspace, en route to a new StarSystem. Ships have a fixed amount of Power (provided by a fusion reactor or whatnot) that may be allocated to Engines, Shields, Weapons, etc.

3. The Game

The game itself will be most likely be a capture-the-flag type thing. Exact specifications will be documented in the "MechManiaII Universe Conquest Manual". It will be turn based -- each 'turn' is a year in game time: all ships in hyperspace move, all ships in a StarSystem may take an action, any combat is evaluated.

4. Game Architecture

The game itself is a client-server system. The server maintains the game world, evaluates all actions, and keeps the peace (or lack thereof). The server will run the game. Two team clients will battle for control of the universe. Any number of observer clients will display data (starmaps, team status, etc.)

5. The "MechManiaII Universe Conquest Manual"

All teams will receive copies of this booklet. Inside is a detailed overview of the MechManiaII Game, a reference guide for the MM2 API, a tutorial which describes the demo team code, and other useful information. All teams will receive this vital document during checkin (5-7pm, Friday, October 11th).

6. Questions

Feel free to email mechmania@acm.uiuc.edu.