Multiplayer started

I started working on the multiplayer. To simplify the development process, I designed the multiplayer setup screen with regular Java UI elements instead of Open-IG graphics.

Game organizers will be able to set up all game parameters similar to a skirmish game. AI players may be added to the game as well, which can be in the same group as the human players.

Game organizers may allow the client users to select their own properties: race, icon, traits and groups.

Trading screen concept

Here is the plan for the upcoming Trading screen.

The player can filter the available item list via the category buttons (toggleable). Selecting a row will bring up the item details onto the right part. Apart from the image and description, the list of equipment types and quantities are listed. The player can instantly buy items by clicking on the Buy buttons.

Due to the way the inventory works in Open-IG, equippable ships and stations won't be added to the inventory but deployed near the specified planet. If the target planet is full of stations, the purchase is rejected with a warning. The "deliver to" choicebox will be populated with all the player's planets or just the ones with military spaceport (?). Buying fighters and tanks will be deployed onto the target planet if the capacities permit (excess will go into the global inventory), or can be sent into the inventory directly with "deliver to". Buying other weapons and equipment will always go to the global inventory.

Buying units affects their market price, which is updated frequently. To buy multiple units with the same price, the game should be paused.

Spying concept

Since spying was not part of the original game, I (we) plan to add this as an orthogonal feature with limited effect on diplomacy (e.g., if spies get captured and killed, the relation points will decrease somewhat).

The design and attributes are not final yet, nor are the mechanics behind mission successes and capture-turn logic.

The spy screen will be assigned to F11 (the trading will be assigned to F12). I haven't decided about the new Achievements/Statistics screen keys.

I've picked the Church and Mechanical dev center images and combined them into the new Spy Center. For now, all races use the same building.

Each spy center provides one slot for a spy. You can only build one per planet.

The spying screen has two main views: your spies and captured spies. We might use the IG2's standing figures or use a cropped version of the diplomacy pictures of IG1's races. In the latter case, the layout might change a bit.

(Some assignments will show different controls.)

The second view is for the captured spies which uses most of the infrastructure.

The new "Interrogate" action can be used multiple times to fill in the ??? properties (at some credit cost perhaps). Several outcomes are possible: the enemy spy escapes, dies or survives without harm, depending on its skill set.