So .. not being in python-land I really didn’t feel like reinventing the networking-wheel this time.  So I grabbed enet for this project and it rocks.  I had no notable trouble (beyond normal laziness when it comes to reading documentation) getting it up and running.  And after I got it going nicely in my linux environment, it worked out-of-the-box for compiling to the iphone 🙂  Thanks to lack of endian issues, I didn’t have any trouble there either!  Here’s the screenie:

On my TODO list is:

• Add Settings (Sound effects on/off, favorite colors for MP game, user / password login for MP game)
• Add Server List (must figure out how to do HTTP requests from C with minimal strain)
• A bit more testing and some odds-n-ends

I hope to have it all done soonish!

On a development-side note, I implemented some automated testing of the network code.  This saves me from having to run over a dozen use-cases any time I mess with the client-server code.  So it’s saved me a bit of time, and given me that great “feels like it will work” feeling.

So .. here’s a game design question for you to ponder.  Everyone, of course, says it would be awesome.  But why?

Here are the pros I see:

• You could play against your friends who are in the same room as you!  Yay for LAN parties!
• You could get ranked against many other Galcon players!

Here are the cons I see:

• You can’t chat, so you might as well be playing against bots.  (Playing against complete strangers seems mildly pointless.)
• You can still compete for rankings in the single player game if I set it up to score certain rounds, etc.

Anyway, I could use some feedback.  I’m likely going to be adding the MP game, but I need to know WHY, as that’s really important to how I design the interface.

# urpmi mysql
installing mysql-5.0.45-8.1mdv2007.0.i586.rpm from /var/cache/urpmi/rpms
Preparing…                     #############################################
1/1: mysql                 #############################################
080721 13:04:46 [ERROR] Error message file ‘/usr/share/mysql/english/errmsg.sys’ had only 469 error messages,
but it should contain at least 472 error messages.
Check that the above file is the right version for this program!
080721 13:04:46 [ERROR] Aborting

The really rough bit is now my mysql install doesn’t work anymore 🙁  Blah.

Hey, I’ve just finished porting Galcon to the iPhone and it’s now in the App Store!  You can read about it here!

I don’t *really* have anything super pythonic to say about the porting experience, other than .. I probably wouldn’t have bothered to do it if I hadn’t been hanging out at pycon and having people show me their iPhones and telling me how I should totally port Galcon to it.  So thanks to those people for getting me started!

The link above is where all the fun is, but just so this post isn’t all boring text, here’s a screenshot:

And if you want to know more about the porting experience, I’ve been blogging about it.

When uploading your app, be sure to upload JPGs for your 512×512 icon and for your screenshots.  I tried uploading PNGs, but it wouldn’t allow those.  So I figured I’d try TIFs .. which worked!  Except when my app showed up on the store my icon was a “broken link”.  So I’ve re-uploaded using JPGs.  Hopefully their server’s will get that update out soon, it’s sort of embarrassing having the one broken icon in the store 🙁

(And for anyone who can’t wait another moment, you can buy the app now in Games > Strategy .. it’s just got a broken icon.)

Here’s a tip to any people trying to launch an app to the store:  while setting up your Distribution profile at some point it says to put in “iPhone Distribution: My Company” in the “Code Signing Identity > Any iPhone OS Device” line.  It -seems- as though you’re going to get a list of items and you can select one.  But actually you have to double click on the line and then TYPE in the identity.  And then you’ll probably have to quit X-Code and start it again for things to get worked out.

Anyway, I spent an hour figuring that little oddity, so I figured I’d share the tip.

(the result of my participation in a 30 minute drawing compo “Shoulder Pads”)

A few people have mentioned that the purple pants aren’t quite manly enough.  Shows what they know.