Zappy Server

A server, created in C, that generates the inhabitants’ world.

Usage

USAGE: ./zappy_server -p port -x width -y height -n name1 name2 ... -c clientsNb -f freq --auto-start on|off --display-eggs true|false [-v | --verbose]
    port        is the port number
    width       is the width of the world
    height      is the height of the world
    nameX       is the name of the team X
    clientsNb   is the number of authorized clients per team
    freq        is the reciprocal of time unit for execution of actions
    auto-start  does the greeting is send automaticly #(see bonus part)
    display-eggs    eggs are visible and destructible

The server is executed in the form of one, single process and one, single thread. It must use select to handle socket multiplexing; the select must unlock only if something happen on a socket or if an event is ready to be executed.

The team name GRAPHIC is reserved for the GUI to authenticate itself as such to the server.

AI protocol

Each player responds to the following actions and only to these ones, with the following syntax :

In case of a bad/unknown command, the server must answer “ko”.

The AI client’s connection to the server happens as follows:

1. the client opens a socket on the server’s port,

2. the server and the client communicate the following way:
    Server --> WELCOME\n
           <-- TEAM-NAME\n
           --> game informations (see tha above array)

X and Y indicate the world’s dimensions.

CLIENT-NUM indicates the number of slots available on the server for the TEAM-NAME team. If this number is greater than or equal to 1, a new client can connect.

The client can send up to 10 requests in a row without any response from the server. Over 10, the server will drop the incomming commands.

The server executes the client’s requests in the order they were received.

The requests are buffered and a command’s execution time only blocks the player in question.

Trantorians have adopted an international time unit. The time unit is seconds.

An action’s execution time is calculated with the following formula:

action / f

Where f is an integer representing the reciprocal (multiplicative inverse) of time unit.

For instance, if f=1, “forward” takes 7 / 1 = 7 seconds.

By default f=100.

GUI protocol

The GUI client’s connection to the server happens as follows:

1. the client opens a socket on the server’s port,

2. the server and the client communicate the following way:
    Server --> WELCOME\n
           <-- GRAPHIC\n
           --> game informations (see the above array)

Informations

Incantations

This ritual, which augments physical and mental capacities, must be done according to a particular rite: they must gather the following on the same unit of terrain:

• At least a certain number of each stones
• At least a certain number of players with the same level

The elevation begins as soon as a player initiates the incantation. The player who starts an incantation will receive ko if all the requirements are not satisfied and the incantation will be canceled, the player will receive the ko instantly after the initial server check (not at the end of the incantation duration).

which means that it will make the next action received by the server.

It is not necessary for the players to be on the same team; they only need to be of the same level. Every player with the corresponding level and present at the beginning and at the end of the incantation attain the higher level.

During the incantation, the participants can not make any action until the end of the rite.

At the end of the incantation, the exact quantity of resources needed by the rite are consumed.