WinBolo
- Home Page
- www.winbolo.com
- Download
- WinBolo.com [ext. link]
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WinBolo
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Version 1.13 was released Mar 9, 2003, in rapid succession after 1.11 and 1.12 which came about a year after 1.10. The versions are not compatible with each other so check to see what version it is you're trying to join.
After much suspense, Winbolo.net [ext. link] is finally here. This is a game tracking and player ranking web site that is integrated into the latest version of the game.
WinBolo (WB) by John Morrison is the most recent and one of the most complete Bolo clone projects. It also established a major milestone in being the first to make a public release of a full-featured Bolo game. With the release of the network-compatible LinBolo, it is also the first to allow direct cross-platform play (Windows and Linux). This game is legal and its release has the consent of Stuart Cheshire, the author of the original Bolo, who is splitting the shareware fees with John. WinBolo was renamed from its original name of pcBolo to avoid confusion with PC Bolo (the precursor to Armoured Alliance) as well as countless wannabes with similar names. John is a 4th year student at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia, working his way towards a Bachelor of Engineering in Software Engineering.
How does WB stack up against the other clones, Tank Assault (TA) and Armoured Alliance (AA)? John started the project in early 1999, and in less than a year he really put together a very impressive project. WinBolo is the most complete and perfect clone of Bolo that I have ever seen (although admittedly it's been a while since I've seen the original PC Bolo). There were times when I forgot I was not playing on a Mac, although I am merely experienced but not expert at Mac Bolo. (See this expert discussion on how WB differs from Bolo.) Unlike TA and AA, WinBolo unabashedly copies Bolo's look and feel. WinBolo is written in two parts, a generic C back-end that is potentially cross-platform compatible, and a specific Windows front-end that relies on Win32 API and Microsoft DirectX. A Linux/Intel variant was also released, other platforms (maybe even Mac OS X?) may be coming.
Win/LinBolo's networking uses a server/client approach, which is probably the best way when broadband and/or modem players are involved. There is a mix of UDP and TCP protocols, with lots of provisions for networking failure of the server or clients. The first Internet WinBolo game was played on Nov 7, 1999, between Damon Taaffe aka Kax and myself, followed by an hour-long epic battle between Kax and Alan Baydush aka Max. Since the official release, we have anectodal evidence that modem play seems acceptable.
A lot of newbies ask about these. The truth is, you shouldn't rely on them. Even the best brain (fully automated computer player) will never match even a bad player, and borgs (partially automated helpers) discourage you from learning proper skills. You should just get online and play against real humans as often as possible in order to learn and improve. The whole point of Bolo is to have fun playing against other people. If you just want to blast computer drones, go play some shoot 'em up game. :-) Final note - all of the following date back to version 1.08, they may or may not work with later versions. Questions may be directed to Min by email (look for the link on his site) or on IRC.
