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Re: Stars! dying

Tue, 21 February 2006 20:16

sirgwain

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 86
Registered: March 2004
Location: Tucson

I hope they are successful. It's a pretty major undertaking. The game could really benefit from both things though. Some people would love to have a new version with the future option to add new rules, others would merely like an updated version of the original.

Plus it would make figuring out some of those funky algorithms a lot easier if the source were public. Smile

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Re: Stars! dying

Tue, 21 February 2006 21:56

Kotk

Commander

Messages: 1227
Registered: May 2003

sirgwain wrote on Wed, 22 February 2006 03:16

The game could really benefit from both things though. Some people would love to have a new version with the future option to add new rules, others would merely like an updated version of the original.

Plus it would make figuring out some of those funky algorithms a lot easier if the source were public. Smile

Do you have some spare programmers who would really like to evolve that old code? Rolling Eyes

Programmer who has studied the source code said something in effect of:
Deal

It is written in antique style C.
Deal

Its for windows 3.1 and for 16 bit compiler.
Deal

There are quite strange programming techniques used.
Deal

It is probably less work to write new and better one than to refactor that old code.
Deal

Jeff McBride (one of the authors) had opinion that releasing the source will just cause some hackers to write cheating tools for stars! and it causes even more work on that bad old source.

As for extracting algorithms from it you are probably right ... the disassembly of Stars.exe is also bad to read. Very Happy

Obstacles you will meet with the authors of Stars!:
A) they have parted their ways with each other with a quarrel
B) they have changed their e-mail addresses
C) they have their e-mail spam filter set to delete all e-mails containing "stars!" off server
D) they do not read this forum
E) they do not read this thread
F) they care not what you will love to have.

So if you are real good a strategy wolf there then solve the puzzle. Wink

[Updated on: Tue, 21 February 2006 21:58]

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Re: Stars! dying

Tue, 21 February 2006 23:14

sirgwain

Senior Chief Petty Officer

Messages: 86
Registered: March 2004
Location: Tucson

Haha, I've had my fill of working with antique style C, but there are plenty of suckers out there who like that stuff. Smile

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Re: Stars! dying

Wed, 22 February 2006 11:37

Tomasoid

Chief Warrant Officer 3

Messages: 182
Registered: December 2005
Location: Ukraine

Hi!

sirgwain wrote on Wed, 22 February 2006 06:14

Haha, I've had my fill of working with antique style C, but there are plenty of suckers out there who like that stuff. Smile

I wish they would like Stars! as well Sad

WBR, Vlad

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Re: Stars! dying

Wed, 22 February 2006 11:42

Tomasoid

Chief Warrant Officer 3

Messages: 182
Registered: December 2005
Location: Ukraine

Kotk wrote on Wed, 22 February 2006 04:56

Do you have some spare programmers who would really like to evolve that old code? Rolling Eyes

Programmer who has studied the source code said something in effect of:
Deal

It is written in antique style C.
Deal

Its for windows 3.1 and for 16 bit compiler.
Deal

There are quite strange programming techniques used.
It is probably less work to write new and better one than to refactor that old code.
Deal

Jeff McBride (one of the authors) had opinion that releasing the source will just cause some hackers to write cheating tools for stars! and it causes even more work on that bad old source.

.............
So if you are real good a strategy wolf there then solve the puzzle. Wink

Well, I'll try...
Sherlock

See highlighted option above. IMO, it is well worth to write new code or even a new game instead of playing with all other options. I tried both old-style C code and disassembly. Another such a try and it probably would ba a major shock Shocked

for me because I already get used of C# and Java Cool

WBR, Vlad

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Re: Stars! dying

Wed, 22 February 2006 23:00

Ptolemy

Commander

Messages: 1008
Registered: September 2003
Location: Finland

Quote:

Update: I just emailed cssales@empire.co.uk (customer service), any other ideas?

I actually like this idea. So, everybody in the Forum needs to send a mail requesting new serial numbers once a week - or twice a week or every day Laughing

. Empire will get so tired of getting deluged by mail that they'll do something about our problem Very Happy

Ptolemy

Though we often ask how and why, we must also do to get the answers to the questions.

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Re: Stars! dying

Wed, 22 February 2006 23:34

Dogthinkers

Commander

Messages: 1316
Registered: August 2003
Location: Hiding from Meklar

Ptolemy wrote on Thu, 23 February 2006 15:00

Quote:

Update: I just emailed cssales@empire.co.uk (customer service), any other ideas?

I actually like this idea. So, everybody in the Forum needs to send a mail requesting new serial numbers once a week - or twice a week or every day Laughing

. Empire will get so tired of getting deluged by mail that they'll do something about our problem Very Happy

Ptolemy

I've just emailed them too. Whisper

I reckon they're more likely to just filter out our messages, but hey, if you don't try, you can't win. Very Happy

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Re: Stars! dying

Thu, 23 February 2006 00:17

Madman

Officer Cadet 1st Year

Messages: 228
Registered: November 2003
Location: New Zealand

Ptolemy wrote on Thu, 23 February 2006 17:00

I actually like this idea. So, everybody in the Forum needs to send a mail requesting new serial numbers once a week - or twice a week or every day Laughing

. Empire will get so tired of getting deluged by mail that they'll do something about our problem Very Happy

I'll add in a suggestion here: Please only contact them if you'd genuinely buy a serial number if offered (or are writing on behalf of someone that would). They'll know how many they've been selling, and if there are a _lot_ more emails than that, they'll correctly dismiss it as 'astroturfing', and assume (incorrectly) that there are no potential sales behind it.

Also, it's worth making it clear to them that we aren't asking them to reprint the game - that's not going to happen - but are willing to pay just for valid serial numbers. Perhaps the idea of someone forking over good money for an eight letter code will appeal to someone in the organization.

Any news on how Ron got on with his approach to Jeff?

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Re: Stars! dying

Sun, 26 February 2006 12:25

BlueTurbit

Lt. Commander

RIP
BlueTurbit died Oct. 20, 2011

Messages: 835
Registered: October 2002
Location: Heart of Texas

Looking back:

2002:
Nov. 16, 96/100 games, 758 active players (537 unique).
2 new games started in last week.

2006:
Feb. 26, 46 games, 323 active players (266 unique).
2 new games started in last week.

BlueTurbit Country/Rock

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Re: Stars! dying

Sun, 26 February 2006 22:32

BlueTurbit

Lt. Commander

RIP
BlueTurbit died Oct. 20, 2011

Messages: 835
Registered: October 2002
Location: Heart of Texas

BlueTurbit wrote on Sun, 26 February 2006 11:25

That's a lot of serial numbers stuck in limbo out there?

BlueTurbit Country/Rock

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Re: Stars! dying

Sun, 26 February 2006 23:14

Dogthinkers

Commander

Messages: 1316
Registered: August 2003
Location: Hiding from Meklar

I asked Empire for a serial number and... They gave me one.

Rather unexpected. Go figure.

http://starsautohost.org/sahforum/index.php?t=msg&th=284 3&start=0&rid=326&S=3cfcf52d8ba2e219026ec5d13518 a8a6

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Re: Stars! dying

Thu, 02 March 2006 03:28

c64k

Petty Officer 3rd Class

Messages: 42
Registered: March 2006
Location: .us

BlueTurbit wrote on Fri, 06 January 2006 22:34

I see there are new members

I'm a new member. Smile

*waves* Just registered today, and have been browsing around a bit. I never knew there was such a large community. It is sad to see that fewer people are playing this game, but I have to admit that I'm surprised that it hasn't died out after over a decade.

Quote:

but did they buy Stars! or did they inherit their packages from dying Stars! relatives. Salvage from burnt houses and sunken ships? Surely every Stars! player has left his prize CD in his will?

CD? What CD? Wink

I bought Stars! back in the day when it was put on a single 3.5-inch floppy (which I have misplaced Crying or Very Sad

, but at least I copied down the serial) from Star Crossed Software, packed with an invoice that had a hand-written "Enjoy :)", and mailed in a simple diskette envelope, after having gotten addicted to the shareware that I played on an old 386 running Windows 3.1 (and it kicked VGA Planets' ass). This is why I'm pleasantly surprised that there is still a community around. I just regret not having thought to look earlier.

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