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Dreamcast â„¢
rank 39
Posted:
Wed May 31, 2006 1:06 am
quote : #1
profile : pm
Posts: 923
Type: NTSC-U/C
Note: After all initial testing, I am now going to condense my replies into a list of events that's easier to understand:

Thanks to Nikon's "random thread" feature, I came across a thread (but didn't post in it since it veered off course too much.) for the unreleased tech demo "Defense Commander." After doing a little reasearch on the title, I learned that it was a tech demo to showcase Microsoft's Windows CE compatibility with the Dreamcast. That's when I found this quote from the original studio that produced it:

Quote:
Defense Commander is a mini-game we created for Microsoft to demonstrate simultaneous cross platform development and networking between Dreamcast and the PC. Developed from scratch, this project has plenty of cool features such as detailed fractal terrain, spherically mapped multipass sky, trick tracer fire rendering code and cool particle effects. It also features a C++ AI system and multithreaded client side predicted networking.


This got me interested because there was a chance that this game had some sort of online feature or at least LAN capability. I frantically began hitting button combinations trying to "unlock" a hidden debug menu or something along those lines. I even tried the L,R,Y+R and L,R,A,START, but no luck. Then I thought about using a keyboard and much to my surprise, it worked!

Here is what you get when you press the F1 key on the DC keyboard (Also, don't press the (ESC) key. It freezes the game.):

Quote:
HELP SCREEN:

F1 - Toggle this help screen
F2 - Toggle Observer Mode
F3 - Toggle Paused Time
F4 - Toggle FPS Display
F5 - Toggle "Show Triangles" (DOESN'T WORK ON DREAMCAST VERSION.)
F6 - Toggle God Mode
F9 - Run Benchmark
F10 - Quit (DON'T PRESS ON DREAMCAST VERSION! FREEZES GAME!)
F11 - Screen shot


Basically, it's a list of what each of the top function keys do. They're pretty self-explanatory. (for the record, I ran the "benchmark test" multiple times and the DC's "defensemark" rating is around 35 FPS.

Well, now that I figured that out, I was still interested in finding this illusive networking feature. I tried swapping out the modem for the BBA hoping that it might trigger something programmatically and enable a menu for online / local play. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, so I decided to download the PC version of the game to see what menus were available in it. Fortunately, it came with a text document instruction manual that would answer every question I had:

Quote:
NETWORKING:

The networking implementation is quite simple and limited. Its purpose is to
demonstrate the ability of PC and Dreamcast to network together. Only direct
serial cable connections are supported. The server machine can play the game
as normal. The client machine can only act as an observer to what is
happening on the server machine. On the PC, server or client can be selected
on startup. Dreamcast is fixed to operate as a server and retail Dreamcast
machines require a special adaptor to use a serial cable (not readily
available).


It turns out that there isn't any multiplayer support for the game. Basically, it just shows that the PC and DC can talk, but it's still pretty cool. It's just basically a second monitor. You'll need a coder's cable for it to work.

That's about it. I personally am really enjoying this game and would have bought it as is. It's a lot better than some commercial games! It's challenging but fun at the same time. This was one hell of a tech demo. It certainly has a lot packed into it!

Last edited by Dreamcast â„¢ on Wed May 31, 2006 2:22 pm; edited 7 times in total
 
Einhander
rank 20
Posted:
Wed May 31, 2006 2:22 am
quote : #2
profile : pm
Posts: 389
Type: NTSC-U/C
I downloaded it some time ago, and I wasn't terribly impressed. I guess it was more of a project to show cross compatibility between code on the DC and PCs.

It's pretty much a fancy Beachhead.
 
kingofgrills
rank 33
Posted:
Wed May 31, 2006 2:18 pm
quote : #3
profile : pm
Posts: 707
Great work, Dreamcast!

You took the initiative and uncovered a neat little gem on Defense Commander, which in itself was a very unique study on DC PC connectivity. I commend you for your research.
  _________________
Gamespy ID: Kingofgrills
Online with: 4X4 Evo, Starlancer, Quake III: Arena, and PAL PSO V. 1

How are my little crackers doing today?
Dreamcast â„¢
rank 39
Posted:
Wed May 31, 2006 2:28 pm
quote : #4
profile : pm
Posts: 923
Type: NTSC-U/C
Thanks Very Happy. I just wish the multiplayer was a little more interactive.

Here's a list of buttons on the controller and what they do in the game:


  • Start - Returns to the title screen or starts a game.
  • L Trigger - Goes into observation mode
  • R Trigger - Freezes time, but you can still reposition your turret.
  • Analog Stick - Rotates turret
  • Directional Pad - Moves camera in "observation mode"
  • A - (nothing)
  • B - Drops a bomb (you only get three unless you find a powerup.)
  • X - Fires your unlimited cannon fire / gun.
  • Y - Get a lock on an enemy ship and then press the "Y" button to fire a missle (unlimited)
 
SNK 47
unknown
Posted:
Sun Oct 15, 2006 7:06 pm
quote : #5
profile : pm
Posts: 334
I don't need any more games for the Dreamcast.




He says, lying his teeth off.





Sounds really good that demo-tech thing, nice work.
 
JKKDARK
rank 21
Posted:
Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:36 am
quote : #6
profile : pm
Posts: 415
Type: PAL
wow nice job, Dreamcast ™ Smile
 
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