DotWar
a.k.a. Myrmidon

In the mid '70s I distributed this manual for DotWar, a multi-user real-time computer game intended to replace the then extremely popular and recently outlawed game called Star Trek.
 

Environment       This prototype simulation takes place in a three    dimensional, near infinite space.  Each user in the    system is a zero volume object that is free to propel    itself about.  Control is via an acceleration vector    which may be changed to any value (within limits) at    any time.  The rest is under control of newtonian    mechanics.  An object named 'earth' has been provided    as a reference point.  'Earth' has no acceleration.    Printout       The printout from each update run provides the    following information. 1) Elapsed time since object    creation.  2) Current acceleration vector.  3)    Acceleration, velocity and position vectors for all    other objects in the system relative to this object.    4) List of all pending commands for this object.    Input       No commands need be specified.  If specified, commands    must be of the form:          at <time> move <x accl> <y accl> <z accl>       Each element is seperated by one or more blanks.  If    <time> is less than the current time, the current time    will be used.  If any acceleration is greater (in    magnitude) than 1.0e6 then 1.0e6 will be used.    Limitations       Fixed storage allocation is used.  Space is provided    for 20 users and a total of 40 pending events.  It is    recomended that each user restrict himself to no more    than two or three pending commands at any given time.    Commands delayed more than a day or two should be    avoided.    Example       The following job will print current status and add one          command.          12345,abc,cm15000,t4.       pfiles(get,myr1,id=acd)        myr1.        &eor       at 15.5 move -500 0 2.7e5

 
The idea was to move the game out of the computer and into the leasure-time world of the players. The computer would just keep score. I argued that players wouldn't tie up public teletypes since the timescale of the game wouldn't give online users any advantage. Gordon Letwin thought otherwise. I challenged him to a game of tag.  Here Gordon recounts the rules and claims victory in this email posted at the end of the 2-1/2 month bout. (Abr and acd are university login codes assigned to Gordon and me respectivly.)
 

Sent to group myr in id=acd  mail from abr, 10:11:54  01/31/75  tcb l174, 66 users         The Battle Of The Century Has Been Decided         Yes, sports fans, as many of you know, last year, in    debating some fine point in the design of a new myrmidon,    acd and abr challenged each other to a blood-curdling battle.    Acd was to start in some position distant from earth, and abr    was to start at earth. Abr was to produce a printout showing    himself within 1.e7 miles of acd, making abr the victor. Acd    was to produce a printout showing him within 1.e7 miles of    earth, making him the victor.          Around thanksgiving of last year, acd began moving out.    While acd traveled out to near the orbit of pluto, abr stayed    near earth, perfecting his battle computer, widely acclaimed    to be one of the most intellegent, (not to mention polite)    battle computers around. After matching with a few near-earth    targets to 'blood' the computer, abr set out after acd just    before christmas vacation.          Throughout vacation, up until about jan 9, acd was the    model of nonchalant sophistication. He just cruised out in    far space, not varying course or in any way deigning to    notice the approaching abr. Abr became so overconfident at    what he interpreted as the signs of the acd captain being in    a drunken stupor, that he manually overrid his battle    computer (it knew better) to approach acd faster, so fast, in    fact, that for a 30 hour interval, acd could have returned to    earth before abr could slow down his rush and return.          As fate would have it, acd saw his oportunity and took it.    Jan. 11 Saw acd aproaching earth, abr also blasting towards    earth, but with about 1/4 c of relative velocity towards acd.          Things became closer, and acd and abr were expected to meet    saturday morning. Space-war analysists all agreed that due to    the deformed structure of space, acd could dodge abr in the    3rd dimension without slowing in any way his return to earth.          However, abr (with the aid of his battle computer) was    alert. During acd's lunch hours, abr would reverse blast, and    pick up a little bit greater relative velocity to acd, thus    moving up the meeting timetable.         Finally, when the computer said the signs looked right, abr    made an outright dash for acd. Acd, not noticing, was    accelerating towards earth, and thereby right towards abr.    They would meet in 38 hours.         Early thursday evening, abr and computer came to realize    that acd had postponed his move to late. In the y and z    dimensions, all that acd could do would be to postpone the    meeting from 03:59:12 to 04:05:57. However, a 1 and 1/2 hour    headstart in the x dimension, due to the warped structure of    myrspace, would put acd in the clear. Abr checked out the    situation every 45 minutes, and around 11:30, acd made his    move. Abr caught it in just 13 minutes, followed with a    pursuing move. Battle computer calculations showed that    although acd could increase the passing distance to 1.2e6,    this was not enough. Nothing he could do to prevent    destruction at 4:01:12 that morning.          Acd slept on unsuspecting, abr slept smugly. At 03:45:00    abr's alarm rung, he arose, and fired a salvo of jobs at    04:00:00.          Acd was dead.         Friends, I can tell you now that this scenario is not    fictional: it actually happened. Acd was intercepted at    04:01:00 thursday morning, abr is now blasting victoriously    homeward on a pillar of fire.     *** End of mail  09:46:58  01/31/75

 
My strategy had been simple. Head out for a month, turn around, and head back in hoping Gordon wouldn't know how to estimate my time of arrival. No such luck. Gordon's battle computer had me pegged.

The battle was waged once more, this time using team tactics. Harry Chesley lead the white team, Gordon led the black. White was routed.

The database was finally corrupted by who knows what mechanism. I was working on the manual for the much more elaborate version two by then so restarting version one seemed inappropriate.
 

Sent to group myr in id=acd  mail from acd, 14:06:17  10/22/75  tcb l043, 80 users      The end has come.  The universe is no more.  In preperation    for the celibration of the second anniversary of the creation    of the universe I discovered that pace the myrmidon    data base, had been destroyed.  This is truely a   sad moment, as all of us have vannished with it.  I have   decided not to recreate the universe as this would be dis-   respectfull of those that have passed away, and I am sure    that a second generation would be unable to raise itself   to the level of achievement seen in the early days of myr1.       Those of you who never saw the early battle computers,   the console's ship, faster than light travel, galactic tag   the myrmidon forum or the epic battle between good and evil,   do not despair for there is still talk of a new and better   universe someday.  One with all those things that were   lacking in the first prototype like fuel and bombs,    secret identities and federation spies, and wealth and   greed and hate.  Keep your hopes up, we may all live again.     *** End of mail  12:26:23  10/22/75

 
See also:

• Fortran Source for DotWar program
• Unfinished Manual for Version II
• Wiki Page about DotWar and players