About the Game
Battles is totally free for download near the bottom of this page. I
require no payment or donations (though I wouldn't say no if you were
feeling generous). It is more of a hobby for me than anything else, and I
enjoyed programming it. Please download the game and have a play!
Currently, Battles is only available for Microsoft's Windows operating
system. Anyone interested in porting the code to another platform should
get in touch.
Game Technology
The landscape engine in Battles is not particularly advanced, but
demonstrates a wide range of techniques. Firstly I have included a fully
recursive plasma-fractal based landscape generator for creating realistic
scenery in which to hold your battles. This works by firstly generating a
flat landscape, and then introducing more and more detail by subdividing the
existing landscape into increasingly smaller sections, halving the
side length each time. As the scale decreases, on each pass a random height
offset is added so that the level of random fluctuation is dependent on the
scale size of the area being generated. That means that there is very
strong short-range order, for example flat areas or hillsides. However,
there is much less long-range order, for example one can generate a
landscape with high hills and lakes next to each other.
Secondly, I have written a terrain engine which relies on a hierarchical
variable-level-of-detail (VLD) model in order to render the landscape to the
desired accuracy. Distant regions are rendered in very low resolution,
using triangles of side length 64 metres. Nearby regions are subdivided to
1m accuracy. Coastlines are carefully interpolated so that they increase in
detail as you approach them. Trees are drawn to variable detail depending
on the distance to the observer. Detail levels are largely customisable.
Fighting Battles
Battles are run in a turn-based system. Full viewpoint control is allowed
so that you can see exactly what your troops are doing, and where they are
in relation to the enemy. Troops have a fixed number of movement points to
use up each turn, which can be used either to turn, move or attack. Elite
troops are given slightly more movement points per turn so that they become
more effective. They also have slightly higher attack and defence
attributes.
Battles are resolved statistically based on the relative strengths and
weaknesses of the attacking and defending units, the armour worn and weapons
wielded.
The winner is the last army left standing at the end of a battle.
In-Game Screenshots
Here are a selection of some screen shots from the game, demonstrating the
general look of the interface and the battle arena. These are slightly old
screenshots so the latest version may not look identical to this.
Screen 1 (52k)
The enemy take up formation over the opposite side of a large lake.
Screen 2 (56k)
A trebuchet checks the range to a target and prepares to fire.
Screen 3 (49k)
Two mighty armies face off across a rough mountain range.
Screen 4 (50k)
The Army Design utility.
Download the Game
Here is a list of the files available for download, free of charge.
ReadMe.txt - README file for the game (16k)
Battles.zip - Main game and data files (75k)
Requirements;
- Microsoft Windows 98 or higher O/S (might also work on '95)
- 16Mb 3D graphics card (I've not tested it on smaller cards)
- Pentium-II (or superior) CPU
Known problems;
- None
Try the game entirely at your own risk ;)
Contact Details
If you have any suggestions about Battles, and how it can be improved, then
feel free to email me at colin@frayn.net
Constructive criticism only, please ;)
I'd be especially pleased to hear from anyone who has altered the data
files and introduced more units into the game. If anyone wants a copy of
the source code then send me an email and I'll see what I can sort out ;)
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