GatlingEngine Overview
From CCG Workshop Wiki
The gatlingEngine is one of the components of the gatlingNet.
The gatlingEngine is a Win32 application that uses the Internet to play hobby and strategy games online. Games available for play include Collectible Card Games, boxed card games, board games, dice games, tile games, and miniature games.
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Powerful
The gatlingEngine allows developers to create their own games. It is powerful enough to allow as much rules checking and automation as the developer needs. The gatlingEngine supports multi-player play easily. Turn-based and free-for-all games are handled with no problem.
Integrated Chat Room
With gatlingEngine, you don't need AIM, ICQ, or IRC to find opponents. The gatlingEngine has a built-in chat room. You simply login to gatlingNet and start chatting. The chat room also facilitates finding opponents, and announces when players are looking for a game, started a game, or finished a game.
Deck Building
You don't need a separate program to build your decks. Open the Deck Manager within the gatlingEngine and and build some decks for your favorite game, or if new, use one of the supplied pre-constructed decks.
Finding that one card to finish your Deck
The Card Set Manager allows you to browse the cards of a game. You can filter out cards by keyword or expansion, or easily search for a particular card using incremental name entry or a full-text search. Want to find all cards in the 2nd expansion that contain the word "discard"? No problem!
Integrated Tournaments
Each game has built-in tournament support. Report matches and see standings within the gatlingEngine!
Finding Opponents
Game matching is handled by gatlingNet. Open a slider and all players who are hosting your game will be listed. Simply double-click on that listing, and you are connected to that game. gatlingNet uses the lobby metaphor. A lobby is a virtual location where players meet right before entering a game. This is where last minute tweaks to your deck are done. Once the game begins, all players are moved out of the lobby into the game.
Saving Games for later
The gatlingEngine also allows you to save games to resume at a later time. Games are saved on the gatlingNet server for 7 days, after which they will automatically be deleted.
Observing others play
You can also observe games in progress. Don't know how to play? Or would you just like to watch your friend trounce all over someone? The gatlingEngine will allow to you "spy" on a game, without bothering the players. Of course, the players will also know you are watching their game and have the ability to kick you out at any time.
Community
Members can sign up on hourly time slots to give Tours to teach others how to play, or be a consistant player to play against at a certain time.
Coordination
Each game has a Game Wall, where you can post on the wall when you would like to meet up with anyone to play. You can also sign up for email notification. Any member can click a button to email everyone on the notification list that they are online and willing to play.
Teaching and Learning
Each game has a Learning Wall where members can post they are interested in learning the game. Any other member can click a button to have their contact information emailed to the student so they can coordinate a time to meet online for a lesson.
