This is some REALLY old Stuff!
Site news from 9/30/99 to 6/30/99

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9/30 -- Some good news! PV2143 has been brought back (more alive)! I had been waiting for libsocket to get worked on more before I worked on it again (to add mutli), so I didn't work on it as much in single player, which was also due to the fact that I have no support for this game whatsoever, and it's becoming too big for just myself to handle. If anyone wants to help with the project, let me know please. Either ways, I have livened it up a bit and made a few changes, reflected in the PV2143 readme, and after some more work, build 15 will be released.
9/28 -- I finally got around to changing the poll to something new.
9/27 -- I've put up part of the OOP tutorial I have started working on again, which is about half, or a little more than half, of Chapter V of the OOP tutorial (and a new appendix, F, to go along with this). Also a "tutorial" of sorts on setting up the SB Live! card to work properly in DOS applications is on the site as well.
9/23 -- I've reorganized and polished the files for PV2143 as well as providing a one-part mirror. The maps.dat was left out of the update but I don't remember if it needed it, either ways it is in there now, and should update the maps. Also since I got a SBLive! card, I was able to confirm the rumors that Allegro (a library I use in PV2143 for the multimedia) does not work with this card, as well as many other applications in DOS on some setups. This is a very easy fix, and I will write the guide soon, but for those who know how to change settings, try putting the IRQ on 5 NOT 7, the PRINTER port (as it is by default???)!!!
9/22 -- Well I finally got my network connection up, as well as some webspace too, which means I may have a one-part download very soon! I am still exploring this new connection. I don't even know my new address quite yet for my webspace. Also a new version of libsocket came out recently which is more stable under 98 but still unusable. This could still work! I'm still working with the author of the library and if results are good, a new MUUDPIC will be released with the new library, and hopefully will work under Win98!
9/9 -- Well I'm at college but my network is broken so I am writing this manually into my webpage (as opposed to my editor) through this spiffy UNIX SunOS workstation I'm on. I will be awhile until I can get a network connection, for now I don't even have a computer I can program on yet (since I can't download winzip to unzip my compiler!)!!! Needless to say that I am NOT GONE and am still as active as before, so as soon as I get the equipment up I can work on the page and my programs again. . .
8/28 -- Source code for PV2143 is now freely available to download. I was also notified of an error that maps.dat was missing. Sorry for that folks, the file is available for download on the PV2143 page. If anyone has more problems please email me or fill out my contact form because sometimes while it works on mine I'll leave things out that makes it work for others, and I never see the problem.
8/26 -- Released a new MUUDPIC version. Check its news and/or readme for more details.
8/20 -- I finnally found the libjpeg, thanks to an email I recieved awhile ago. Actaully he found it awhile ago but I was just too lazy and forgot about it. I finally remember so it's up now. MUUDPIC news has been updated. In the next day or two I am releasing my source code for PV2143 openly, and I will be putting an all-in-one download on my AOL mirror, which does not have FC's lame 1 meg file limit. An AOL account I have access to has 2 megs, enough to hold my game files.
8/16 -- Preview of MUUDPIC is now RELEASED. The "bugless" beta (meaning the program works and has been successfully tested but not for a long time) of TextGUI is out as well. Keep tuned for a lot of MUUDPIC news in the next few days. More detailed news on its page.
8/12 -- Fixed doublespacing in Allegro tutorial. I also released the JetFight full source code on the Files and Programming Page. The windowing library that is part of the MUUDPIC is now finished, and within a few days I will release this library separately. It makes text windows, and has the options of border color, text color, and background color, as well as changing the border (so you can make the window "inactive") color without destroying the text inside of it (which is displayed using the << operator). It's nothing really super-polished or professional-quality since it's just for MUUDPIC but it's good and gets the job done.
8/11 -- Poll changed. I have posted the results of the old poll up here. Also, almost all of the cord coding for MUUDPIC is completed, and very soon I will be posting sample output as well as source code. One of the libraries that I don't use has a bug in it -- and once I can figure out how to get it fixed (from its author), then the program will go almost immediately into alpha testing and into beta testing a few days later. A few days after that I may consider it "completed" then it will be a week or so until I fully incorporate the code into the PV2143 multiplayer. I anticipate basic multiplayer in PV2143 by the end of this month, assuming I can complete it before my move-in into my new college at the very end of the month.
8/9 -- For some reason preformatted text in my HTML files continues to get corrupted every time I transfer it using Netscape! As you can see every other line gets skipped in the tutorials. I'm trying to fix this now -- in fact I've done it many times but it keeps recorrupting and it takes a long time to remove all the extra space. I'm going to try a permanent fix. I hope this works.
Later: I also added in some information in the mini-dictionary, as well as add a few info links to the MUUDPIC page. I was also able to get rid of the extra lines in the tutorials. Now STAY gone!
8/8 -- Sorry I have been gone for awhile. Anyways I've started on MUUDPIC, which is really a simulation of the PV2143 multiplayer code. I will experiment a lot with this, and when I get it perfect, it will practically go straight into the game code to create the multiplayer mode.
8/4 -- Added a link and added the largest chapter so far, the 4th chapter, to the OOP tutorial! It deals with containership and inheritance. Advanced topics like classes in linklists, classes as datatypes (operators), virtual functions, and protected variables will be covered in the next section(s)!
8/3 -- I changed the way the tank game is distributed. It is all now in one package, in two zips. I wanted to put it all in one easy to install zip file, but because of Fortunecities 1 meg file limit I was unable to! I will probably email them soon to see if there is a way around this, so it will stay as two zips until I can find a way to post the whole file somewhere. I could try my really old AOL site . . . If there is room, and their uploader is really lame.
8/2 -- I worked on the background a bit to smooth it while enhancing detail in true color rather than 256 color. The filesize is now 9.3k rather than 35k as before, and looks better too.
8/1 -- Changed the poll question.
7/26 -- Sorry for the broken links! I just now got word that the game won't download. Remember people there is a very very easy to fill out comment form on the contact page or you could always post a quick message on the message boards! I was also able to get a few really neat engine sounds, which I hope I can turn at least one of them into a really good, loud & roarin' tank engine sound!
7/26 -- I think there may have been a problem with the voting poll, which I have fixed now as it seems to be counting votes now. I really don't know what was wrong with it but it wouldn't vote until I forced one on it in the admin for it. The poll is below so scroll down and take a vote. Also don't be surprised if the message boards "morph" during the day as I will probably will be working on them.
7/25 -- Okay I tried a little bit longer and finally figured out the message boards so I have put them up. Enjoy. I will be around the boards often to discuss topics and to answer questions on learning programming. In the next few days I will be heavily customizing this message board with my own graphics and more!
7/25 -- I've added a poll on this main page. Check it out and vote! I'm also creating a message board, which I've already done but there is a big problem with it I can't resolve (let's say activating it!), so it'll have to wait until I get some help with it *sigh*. I've also uploaded the old map to the PV2143 game (I almost forgot!), so you can play both.
7/24 -- FINALLY! The fourteenth build of PV2143 is out! I spent a huge amount of time the last few days rushing to get everything reasonable in because I did not want to release a game with any significant bugs (excluding gameplay/AI weaknesses)! This version is very much changed, with mission objective windows, redesigned and graphical GUI, suspenseful title music track, complements of Lonnie Taylor, a completely new map and more features and bugfixes listed in the readme file!
7/22 -- I've added the Blackjack game onto the Files and Programming page. I put it up since I didn't have any Pascal source up. It's a 10K download and I was surprised at how fun it was even after so long. I also have a huge amount of other Pascal and QBASIC source I've made in the last 8 years which may be of interest (although I didn't have anywhere near the experience I do now than I did then).
7/22 -- The Project V2143 readme file is now up and active, and will be updated very often (perhaps even daily) when I work on the project. This contains some unedited notes -- when I get ideas or make fixes in the game I list them all here. Already there is a substansial amount of large changes in the game! And expect more comming soon. Also, links all open up to new pages now rather than using the same window. Personally I like this (I always right click open in new anyways). If anyone has an objection to this please let me know by email or the form on my contact page.
7/21 -- I have updated my contact page with a comment form. Now you can send me a comment without having to load your email program. Also, you may have noticed counters in the tutorials and on the game page. This is so I know how many people look at what, so I can determine what you want -- and therefore what I should focus my work on. Also expect build 14 of PV2143, which will be a huge update featuring a menu system with a new organization and look, as well as a new map. Also expect to see a lot better and more completed graphics since I decided to start working on the art full-time now because my artist lost interest. If you are willing to help in one of the areas of my game, contact me.
7/20 -- Wow. Yesterday the record was broken again with 48 hits, and so far today it looks like we'll get that far again! The site must have gotten on some hot spot somewhere -- I wish I could determine referring sites with my counting programs. Anyways the counter is about to reach 1000 people! If you are the 1000th person, email the time (and time zone) that you hit the 1000 mark and I will place your name in the news and place your link or links of your option on the website!
7/19 -- Yesterday I reached a record of 36 hits/day on this site! I would like to thank all of the visitors to the site for comming. Anyways, today I worked hours on the Object Oriented Programming tutorial in C++, and have released a large part of it in the tutorials section. Go check it out. Also soon expect out build 14 of Project V2143, with an exculsive new map, as well as additional graphics if they are supplied in time. On the page as well are Fun Facts about the source code. I have also uploaded the chat programs.
7/16 -- Things have gotten a little hectic recently, but as soon as I can get to it I'm going to be doing a lot of updating (of which I've already started a lot of it). I've done a lot of maintence on the links page, and I plan on releasing a chat server/client pair programs which I developed a few months ago to experiment with coding the multiplayer in PV2143. I have waited to release these until libsocket became stable enough to reliably run the program. There is only one major bug left now, and that is only on Windows 98 and Windows 95b. Comming after this expect to see the beginnings of the game-creating tutorial and perhaps even a networking tutorial (depending on my time and success in the PV2143 multiplayer). I also may release another graphics patch for PV2143 soon as well.
7/12 -- I added the mini-dictionary to the site which has a few terms and information on some of the most important/hard to understand topics on the site. Comments are always appreciated. I just came up with the idea and figured I should try it out. It contains terms from a level of a person who knows virtually nothing about how a computer works to the advanced programmer searching for libraries.
7/11 -- Updated screenshots on the PV2143 game page. Also I have started some REAL work on the TCP/IP server-based multiplayer. The library I got seems to be working well. The multiplayer will be similar to Quake or other action games -- it is "open entry" meaning players can enter/exit when they can, and the game will be server based, rather than peer-to-peer like Starcraft or other online RTS (real-time strategy) games. It will be a low bandwith method so a server and client can run off the same computer, even if the server computer only has a 28.8 modem. The server will be a totally different EXE file, so this process will be invisible to most, and hopefully easy to setup.
7/6 -- I'm leaving to go out of town until Sunday -- so there won't be anything interesting happening to the site or the game until then. But while I'm gone feel free to enjoy the other programs and tutorials on the site :).
7/3 -- Build 13(sorta) is out. This consists of a patch to the data file only. There actually is a build 13 EXE file, but the changes are only very minor asethetic changes and a bugfix in the screenshot taker, certainly not worth an additional 300k download, so I didn't release it.
7/3 -- This game is now part of the Madmonkey independant games site! I also removed the Allegro Games Vault link, which seems to be replaced with a completely different site. It had been inactive for a long time anyways so I'm not surprised. It may even be the same person, as they have links to the Allegro Games Depot, and are making a DJGPP/Allegro game.

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