PHP, Zend Framework and Other Crazy Stuff
Astrum Futura
QGL under the New BSD License
Feb 2nd
The Quantum Game Library (“QGL”) is a PHP5 library aimed at creating a bunch of reuseable classes for use in PHP games. We’re still in early days but with two dedicated developers, lots of feedback and suggestions we’ve already put together a few starting solid components and have others in progress.
Over the last few months the QGL has evolved from a minor offshoot of the Astrum Futura project into a fully independent library. I guess everyone on the team saw a generic game library as something really useful; we’re all game developers on varying projects.
To reflect the library status, as well as to widen the net for potential users and developers we have decided to move from the GNU General Public License (which rules Astrum Futura) to the far more liberal New BSD License. We’ve also provisionally determined that copyrights should be centralised to a degree, this currently is not in operation since the number of contributors remains manageable but may be (pending contributor feedback obviously) in the future.
Given licensing is now decided, file header updates in progress (if gradual), and some useful components are hitting stable, it’s likely we’ll make a public preview release in the near future. Given out focus on doing things right, this will only occur once documentation is completed and our unit tests verified for good measure.
As a summary (feel free to request details on the QGL Forum Section) the current near-stable component list includes:
– Quantum_Db
– Quantum_Coordinate
– Ai_Pathfinding
– Quantum_Map_Measure
– Quantum_Map_Grid
– Quantum_Turing
This is far from complete, and there are literally dozens of possible additions. Those in planning are already shaping up to offer some cool second iteration functionality. That’s not even including the planned ext/qgl PHP extension…;).
Factions: Social Control on Newbie Bashing
Jan 30th
A recent discussion was sparked on the Astrum Futura forums regarding player retention and new player protection. It was one of those times when the discussion branched to a higher view – a wider look at how players interact on a large scale.
The current suggestions called for players to be penalised for undesireable actions, e.g. attacking a new player who is incapable of defending him/her self. This remains a long standing issue in many online games. AF could resort to enforced levelling – limited who a player can attack, and be attacked by. But this is all artificial – in the real world it’s open season on anyone.
Cyberlot (Richard) raised the question of penalising through a Karma rating. As a player attacked newcomers they would attract negative Karma marking them out to other players. I can see the rank of “Newbie Basher” emerging as an undesireable outcome for many players. But Karma while adding some measure, does not address enforcement. Exactly who enforces what and when? Who set’s the standard for interacting with other players?
From there we hit the subject of Factions. A Faction would be a specific group of players sharing a common interest. This obviously includes Races, but is also extendable to a Merchant Guild or a Pirate Clan. The point is to give players an instant group they are a member of. Now where it gets interesting in how the player and game logic would respond in the presence of Factions.
Say you have a Faction, Earth Humans United (go Terrans!). What happens if a member of this Faction attacks a new player who is joining the Earth Humans United Faction? Can’t have allies killing each other off (even if it might reflect reality 
). The answer is in the Karma. Killing a new member of your own faction is stupid, damaged the Faction, and makes other players less likely to join it. That member should sur be paying tax to the Faction, which is needed. Such a player would immediately get negative Karma.
So we have Karma, and we have Factions – how do they relate?
Karma is a measure of one’s standing within a Faction. If your Karma falls below a minimal level you’ll be declared an enemy of the Faction, and then its time to start running before you’re hunted down by your peers. Where do you flee? If you’re lucky, some other Faction still has you as Neutral.
But this is where Newbie Protection get’s interesting. It’s not Faction specific – your bad Karma is classified when killing a new player as a “Stigma”. It decreases Karma for *ALL* Factions. It’s the ultimate punishment – imagine playing when nearly all the Factions refuse to grant you trade access, when your planets are penalised with “special tax charges”, when other players are unable to maintain an Alliance with you once you become Factionless (Outcast). In short, if you gain a reputation for killing new players, you’ll be kicked, booted and sent to Hell with a one way express ticket. No Admin interference or funny AI fleets required. Society will put you straight or else…
More on this later as details are worked out, but it looks like it’s a feasible and supported suggestion.
