CCCB-Tanks

Service point display

In CCCB, there is a big pixel matrix hanging on the wall. It is called "Airport Display" or "Service Point Display".

• Resolution: 352x160=56,320 pixels
• Pixels are grouped into 44x20=880 tiles (8x8=64 pixels each)
• Smallest addressable unit: row of pixels inside of a tile (8 pixels = 1 byte)
• The brightness can only be set per tile
• Screen content can be changed using a simple UDP protocol
• Between each row of tiles, there is a gap of around 4 pixels size. This gap changes the aspect ratio of the display.

Binary format

A UDP package sent to the display has a header size of 10 bytes. Each header value has a size of two bytes (unsigned 16 bit integer). Depending on the command, there can be a payload following the header.

The commands are implemented in DisplayCommands.

To change screen contents, these commands are the most relevant:

1. Clear screen
   • command: 0x0002
   • (rest does not matter)
2. Send CP437 data: render specified text into rectangular region
   • command: 0x0003
   • top left tile x
   • top left tile y
   • width in tiles
   • height in tiles
   • payload: (width in tiles * height in tiles) bytes
     • 1 byte = 1 character
     • each character is rendered into one tile (mono-spaced)
     • characters are encoded using code page 437
3. Send bitmap window: set pixel states for a rectangular region
   • command: 0x0013
   • top left tile x
   • top left pixel y
   • width in tiles
   • height in pixels
   • payload: (width in tiles * height in pixels) bytes
     • network byte order
     • 1 bit = 1 pixel

There are other commands implemented as well, e.g. for changing the brightness.

Tanks game

• By default, the backend also hosts the frontend

Backend

• Stack: .NET / C# / ASP.NET / AOT-compiled
• Both traditional JSON over HTTP APIs and real-time WebSocket communication
• runs all game logic
• sends image and text to the service point display
• sends image to clients
• currently, the game has a fixed tick and frame rate of 25/s
• One frame is ~7KB, not including the text
• maps can be loaded from png files containing black and white pixels or simple text files
• some values (like tank speed) can be configured but are fixed at run time

Frontend

• Stack: React / Vite / TypeScript / plain CSS
• There is no server component dedicated to the frontend, everything is a single page after build
• Shows map rendered on server by setting canvas image data
• Sends user input to server
• real time communication via WebSockets, HTTP for the REST

Binary formats

Controls WebSocket

• Client sends 2 byte messages.
  • on or off: 0x01 or 0x02
  • input: Forward=0x01, Backward=0x02, Left=0x03, Right=0x04, Shoot=0x05
• The server never sends any messages.

Observer screen WebSocket

• same image for all clients
• server sends same format as for the service point display
• client responds with empty message to request the next frame

Player screen WebSocket

• image is rendered per player
• server sends same message as the observer WebSocket, but includes an additional 4 bits per set bit in the observer payload
  • first bit: belongs to current player
  • second bit: (reserved)
  • third and fourth bit: type of something
    • 00: wall
    • 01: tank
    • 10: bullet
    • 11: (reserved)
• client responds with empty message to request the next frame

Backlog: Bugs, Wishes, Ideas

• Generalize drawing of entities as there are multiple classes with pretty much the same code
• Generalize hit box collision
• BUG: when standing next to a wall, the bullet sometimes misses the first pixel