Go Netrek

A modern implementation of the classic multiplayer game Netrek in Go.

Overview

Go Netrek is a reinterpretation of the classic Netrek game, implementing its core gameplay elements in a flexible, modular Go architecture. The game preserves the team-based strategic space combat that made the original Netrek popular while leveraging modern software design principles.

Core Features

• Team-based space combat for up to 16 players
• Ship-to-ship combat with various weapon systems
• Planet conquest mechanics
• Real-time multiplayer over TCP/IP
• Configurable game rules and galaxy maps
• Extensible, event-driven architecture

Architecture

The project is structured using a clean, modular architecture:

• Engine: Core game state and logic management
• Entity: Game object definitions (ships, planets, weapons, etc.)
• Physics: Movement, collision detection, and spatial partitioning
• Network: Client-server communication
• Event: Message passing system for game events
• Config: Game configuration management

Getting Started

Requirements

• Go 1.18 or higher

Running a Server

go run cmd/server/main.go --config=config.json

Or to create a default configuration:

go run cmd/server/main.go --default --config=config.json

Running a Client

go run cmd/client/main.go --server=localhost:4566 --name=Player1 --team=0

Development

Building from Source

# Build server
go build -o netrek-server cmd/server/main.go

# Build client
go build -o netrek-client cmd/client/main.go

Testing

go test ./...

Examples

The examples/ directory contains example implementations:

• simple_server: A basic server setup with a small galaxy
• ai_client: AI-controlled client bots with different behaviors

Configuration

Game configuration is stored in JSON format. See pkg/config/config.go for the structure.

Example configuration:

{
  "worldSize": 10000,
  "maxPlayers": 16,
  "teams": [
    {
      "name": "Federation",
      "color": "#0000FF",
      "maxShips": 8,
      "startingShip": "Scout"
    },
    {
      "name": "Romulans",
      "color": "#00FF00",
      "maxShips": 8,
      "startingShip": "Scout"
    }
  ],
  "planets": [
    {
      "name": "Earth",
      "x": -4000,
      "y": 0,
      "type": 3,
      "homeWorld": true,
      "teamID": 0,
      "initialArmies": 30
    },
    {
      "name": "Romulus",
      "x": 4000,
      "y": 0,
      "type": 3,
      "homeWorld": true,
      "teamID": 1,
      "initialArmies": 30
    }
  ],
  "physics": {
    "gravity": 0,
    "friction": 0.1,
    "collisionDamage": 20
  },
  "network": {
    "updateRate": 20,
    "ticksPerState": 3,
    "usePartialState": true,
    "serverPort": 4566,
    "serverAddress": "localhost:4566"
  },
  "gameRules": {
    "winCondition": "conquest",
    "timeLimit": 1800,
    "maxScore": 100,
    "respawnDelay": 5,
    "friendlyFire": false,
    "startingArmies": 0
  }
}

Extending the Game

The modular architecture makes it easy to extend the game:

• Add new ship classes in pkg/entity/ship.go
• Implement new weapons in pkg/entity/weapon.go
• Create custom game rules in pkg/engine/game.go
• Design new network protocols in pkg/network/

License

MIT License