The next evolution of TI-99/4A gaming?

[Omega-TI]

Internet gaming for the TI!

A whole new niche for the TI-Universe

 

Internet Gaming, it's already a reality on many game systems and computers... and has been for many years. Why not the TI too? We have RS-232 ports, many of us already have or can get an inexpensive and easily obtainable Lantronix UDS-10 capable of getting our TI's on the net. It seems like we are halfway there already. The last step seems possible, if so whats holding us back?

 

Can you imagine playing a simple game of Tank, Spacewar, Battleship or even Chess over the Internet with another TI'er using your TI? There are lot's of potential games that could be ported too. We'd have years of new stuff to look forward to.

 

With all these Uber Carts, maybe a 'good sized' game might be developed as well to pack a more complex two player head to head type game of something like Road Hunter? Heck, I not sure about speed, but if a proper data library for XB could be developed, even an Extended BASIC game might be possible... it would sure be fun even for us 'lower level' programmers.

 

Where this could eventually take us, who knows. Thoughts? Suggestions? Exclamations? Expletives?

[Tursi]

If you already have an uberGROM, you can connect the TTL UART port directly to one of the smaller devices Lantronix makes -- I have some I picked up a few years ago that would fit nicely inside a cartridge.

[Omega-TI]

If you already have an uberGROM...

... would fit nicely inside a cartridge.

 

That sounds COOL! Any photos? I imagine this would be a good option for people with Nano's.

[Wildstar]

Internet gaming for the TI!

A whole new niche for the TI-Universe

 

Internet Gaming, it's already a reality on many game systems and computers... and has been for many years. Why not the TI too? We have RS-232 ports, many of us already have or can get an inexpensive and easily obtainable Lantronix UDS-10 capable of getting our TI's on the net. It seems like we are halfway there already. The last step seems possible, if so whats holding us back?

 

Can you imagine playing a simple game of Tank, Spacewar, Battleship or even Chess over the Internet with another TI'er using your TI? There are lot's of potential games that could be ported too. We'd have years of new stuff to look forward to.

 

With all these Uber Carts, maybe a 'good sized' game might be developed as well to pack a more complex two player head to head type game of something like Road Hunter? Heck, I not sure about speed, but if a proper data library for XB could be developed, even an Extended BASIC game might be possible... it would sure be fun even for us 'lower level' programmers.

 

Where this could eventually take us, who knows. Thoughts? Suggestions? Exclamations? Expletives?

 

I would suspect that also the Wiznet Serial-Ethernet Gateway Bridge can also be used.

 

I'll be testing that solution as well. It should be largely invisible to the TI-99/4A.

 

http://www.shopwiznet.com/wiz110sr

 

It should fundamentally function in the same way that the UDS-10 does.

[Omega-TI]

I would suspect that also the Wiznet Serial-Ethernet Gateway Bridge can also be used.

 

I'll be testing that solution as well. It should be largely invisible to the TI-99/4A.

 

http://www.shopwiznet.com/wiz110sr

 

It should fundamentally function in the same way that the UDS-10 does.

 

I scanned the documentation, but on the first pass I saw nothing about how to dial out or telnet to another system using a basic terminal program like Telco. The nice thing about the UDS-10 is that it uses the old style "Hayes Command Set" to dial, or in this case telnet to another system, for example: ATDT68.109.180.48,23! in a macro will 'dial' my favorite BBS.

 

I'd like to hear your results and dialing methods once your testing is complete.

[Wildstar]

http://www.wiznet.co.kr/Sub_Modules/en/product/Product_Detail.asp?cate1=&cate2=&cate3=&pid=1040

 

It mentions support of it. After all, it is designed to support Hyperterminal.

[Omega-TI]

Well, I'll be... it does. I must be getting tired to have over looked that, even on a first pass!

I guess I've spent too many hours in the den today (day off) and on the computer. I'm getting bleary eyed.

 

[Wildstar]

I'll be confirming the commands list to be certain. It supposingly does so I'll be asking to be certain what they are. They do have some special commands for configuration but that can be expected. It can be done accordingly as needed.

[Tursi]

 

That sounds COOL! Any photos? I imagine this would be a good option for people with Nano's.

 

This is the device I bought a few years ago - it seems to work the same as the larger Lantronix devices you have spoken about:

 

http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/embedded-device-servers/xport-direct-plus.html

 

But there are a number of solutions now on this page:

 

http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/embedded-device-servers/?tab=0

 

Or you can even go wifi:

 

http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/embedded-device-servers/?tab=1

 

[Omega-TI]

 

Or you can even go wifi:

 

http://www.lantronix.com/device-networking/embedded-device-servers/?tab=1

 

 

Neat looking alternatives. Did you test one in a cartridge, if so which comm program did you get to work with it?

 

This is another way to go WiFi on the TI, relatively cheap too: << HERE >>

 

I went with the Lantronix UDS-10 basically because:

1) So many others went this route and use the same one, so I knew I could get help if needed.

2) Because of the others that came before me, I knew it would work.

3) It didn't hurt that it comes in it's own nice case. (I hate exposed electronics).

4) The price was right!

5) I did not want to wait.

 

Granted the UDS-10 is not an ultra mini device like the ones you showed, but it's still smaller than a TI cartridge, so I'm happy.

[Tursi]

I didn't try one in a cartridge, I only tried the one I listed with a TTL RS232 device (which is the same as the UberGROM has). It's not going to do anything without new software, so it's only an option for new cartridges. Since you were talking about network play of new games, I figured that was fair game.

[Wildstar]

I have the Vonet Wifi bridge as well which can be used in conjunction with the Serial to Ethernet bridge which is basically doing for my TI that Flyer Internet Modem's Wiznet chip does for the Commodore 64 (minus the roughly 4MB of flash storage used for storing disk images). In the TI sake, I chose the WIZ110SR because I can use the RS232 so I don't have to make a board either for IEEE-488 connection or make a board for Commodore serial bus. The custome PCB production cost would likely put it over the price of an RS232 card module. I would then have to make a DSR and would need an EPROM burner to burn the image to ROM.

 

I could easily add the Wifi bridge from Vonet to connect to WiFi which may be interesting if I can use a dumb hub in between so more than one device could perhaps share the same Wifi bridge but not certain if that will work.

 

The Vonet Wifi bridge would work on the UDS-10 as well. At least it should, once you get the Wifi configured correctly to your network and all. It should be quite interesting what can be done with the array of options out there which was one of the reasons I mentioned about the Wiznet's WIZ110SR as one of the multiple options (along with the UDS-10) that we TI99ers can use and support with new generations of games and applications that can and do make use of networking/internet and the concept of "cloud" being used.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Wildstar