Cookie Craft


Table of Contents

1. Running the game
Starting the client
Login / user registration
Registering
Creating a new game
Scores & highscores
Starting the server
2. Playing
Game window
Playing the game
Keyboard shortcuts
Game modes
Football
Volleyball
Paintball
Rumble

List of Tables

1.1. Winning points
1.2. Examples
2.1. Cookie craft keyboard shortcuts

Chapter 1. Running the game

Starting the client

The simplest way to start Cookie Craft is navigating your browser (Mozilla Seamonkey or Firefox; Opera 8 and lower doesn't work) to http://www.cookie-craft.de/en/applet.html. It will take a while to load the 400kiB data, but then you will see a login window.

The second way to start Cookie Craft is by command line if you have the .jar files. You need the cookie-craft.jar, data1.jar, data2.jar and data3.jar. If you have them, open a terminal and go to the directory. Type the following command:

java -jar cookie-raft.jar

to start it. A small window will appear which lets you select where to play. Click on "internet" to connect to the online game server.

Login / user registration

The login window gives you the choice to login as registered user (which means that you can score points in direct competition with other registered people) or to login as a guest.

As a guest, you don't need to register but you can't earn (or loose) any points if you win or loose against another player.

Registering

Click on "Register" to get to the registration form. Choose a user name, a password and type in your email address to which the activation code will be sent. After clicking the "Register" button, an email will be sent to the given address with an activation code. Insert it in the field (on the "Account" tab) to activate the account. Now you can log in.

Note

If the server is in "no activation" mode, you can login directly after clicking the "Register" button. Even though there is a message box claiming that you have to activate, you don't need it. Just go to the "Login" tab and enter your username and password.

The password will be stored md5-hashed, which means that it can't be read by anyone.

Creating a new game

The "Play" tab has a list with all available games on the left side. Select one of them, enter a hint for other people (e.g. "Marco's game") if you want and click "Create game" to open it. Have a look at the Playing section for more information.

If you want to attend an existing game, click the "Refresh list"

button to retreive a list with all running games. Select the one you want on the right list and press the "Join" button.

Note

The list does not refresh automatically. You have to refresh the list yourself if you want to see the current status.

Scores & highscores

Every registered user gets an account with 1500 points. When winning a game, you get some points from your opponent while he loses the same amount. When losing, your winning opponent receives the same number of points which you lose.

The point system tries to be fair; if a professional player (much points) wins against a newbie (not so much points), he won't get much points. If opponents are equal in points, the winning one gets 8 points. The larger the point difference between the opponents is, the more the winning points will differ.

Table 1.1. Winning points

Points of player 2 - Points of player 1Points if player 1 winsPoints if player 2 wins
≤ -1600115
-1599 bis -800214
-799 bis -400313
-399 bis -200412
-199 bis -100511
-99 bis -50610
-49 bis -2579
-24 bis 2488
25 bis 4997
50 bis 99106
100 bis 199115
200 bis 399124
400 bis 799133
800 bis 1599142
≥ 1600151

Table 1.2. Examples

Points player 1Points player 2DifferencePoints if player 1 winsPoints if player 2 wins
15001500088
150014901088
1500145050610
1510143080610

You can earn 15 points at most, but 1 point at minimum. The system shall help that good players play against other good players, while bad players at awarded if they win against good players.

Starting the server

The official server runs at http://server.cookie-craft.de/. However, you can host your own games on your own cookie craft server. For that, you need the .jar files (cookie-craft.jar, data1.jar, data2.jar and data2.jar) to run it.

You can use the wizard to start a server, or do the following:

java -cp cookie-craft.jar:data1.jar:data2.jar:data3.jar com.sjc.foot.server.GameServer -n

The "-n" parameter means that no activation is required, thus users can login directly after registering.

Chapter 2. Playing

Game window

When you open the game window, you will see a list with your username and the number of points you have at the top right. Below your name, there will be one or two "empty" slots. Wait until other people have joined the game and the "empty" entries have changed to their username.

Just below the player list is another one, by default empty as well: The spectator list. If you double-click on it, you move yourself from the player to the spector list so that other people can play while you watch. Double-click on an empty player list entry to become a player again.

The rest of the right is occupied by the chat list. All the chat messages you send by writing in the text box at the bottom right and pressing the "Send" button are shown there. The ones of the other players as well. Spectators may chat with you, too.

Playing the game

If the player list has no "empty" entries any more, click the "Start" button. Your entry in the player list gets a green background, which means that you are ready. Once all players clicked start (and are green in the list), the game begins: The progress bar at the top left begins to move.

Now hover one of your cookie game figures, press the first mouse button and drag the mouse to any direction. You will see that a white arrow apears, pointing from the cookie to your mouse. This arrow determines the direction and the strength, with which your cookie will move. The longer the arrow is, the faster it will move.

If the progress bar is full, you can't move any more and the cookies are moved according to your and the other opponents commands. When simulation is finished, you can give new orders to your cookies. If you're done with commanding and don't want to wait until the time is up, click the "Go" button - your entry in the player list will become green again, signaling that you are ready. If all players are ready, simulation starts - even if the progress bar isn't full yet.

Keyboard shortcuts

The game can be controlled with the keyboard in general. To make sure the keys work, set the focus on the game field by clicking on it.

Table 2.1. Cookie craft keyboard shortcuts

KeyAction
RToggle the "Ready" button
Return/Enter or AActivate the "Go" button
F9Toggle graphics quality
Ctrl + [0-9]Store the current arrows as shortcut
[0-9]Load the shortcut
TabSwitch through the single cookie balls
Up/DownIncrease/decrease the speed of the selected cookie
Left/RightTurn motion direction angle left/right

Game modes

There are some game types which have different rules and winning conditions. But all share are based on the billard-like mode: Move your cookies - they are reflected by the walls and other cookies.

Football

The classic "soccer" game: The ball in the center has to be moved in the opponent's goal. If one of your own players slides in a goal, it's lost - you can't move or use it any more.

If you get the ball in the other goal, you score one point in the game. The first player to get 3 points wins the game.

Volleyball

The sides are separated strictly here: Only the ball can move to any of the two. Your own players are tied in their half of the field, as well as your opponent's cookies.

You lose if the ball is two times in a row on your side of the field. The first player with 5 points wins the game.

Paintball

Goal of this game is to convert all of your opponent's cookies to your color. Cookies change color if they are hit by one of the small balls - they get their color. The small balls can't be moved, so you have to target your big cookies on the small ones to move them.

Paintball classic

There is only one small ball, but you have three cookies. Usually such games take long time to finish.

You win if you are the first with 3 points.

Paintball fast

Every big cookie has a small ball; so this games are faster than classic ones. Attention: Small balls change their colors if the big ones change!

The first one with 5 points wins the game.

Paintball 3 fast

The same as Paintball fast, but with three players: Red, blue and green.

The first with 5 points wins the game.

Rumble

You get points for being at the top field in the center of the field. The longer you stay there, the more points you get. The one with 1000 points first wins.