been a while since i've seen this. this is actually a java re-make of another game. except for a few graphic improvements to the 'tanks', this is exactly the same thing. it might even just be a later version.

there was another game like this, only a bit more sophisticated. you had 'parts' you added to the tanks and then programmed. it was more graphical and set in a 3d room with some obstacles. sorta fun for a while, but you really need an online place to pit your prototypes against others to make it work well as a game.

the core of all this goes back to a programmer's game called 'core wars'. programmers would compete against each other by writing programs that essentially acted as objects. these 'objects' or 'bots' could be fed into a piece of ram together, 1 versus 1. the object was to destroy, dominate, control, or otherwise render your opponent's bot worthless. it was played for years on mainframes by clever programmers and i believe it even got to be a sort of national event, with some limited prizes, or at least a bit of notoriety. i believe there was also a limit on the size of your code. therefore, it had to be some pretty clever code.

i recall hearing about one such event. contestants made things that would 'eat' another person's bot, assimilate it, wipe it, destroy it, render it inactive and so on. truly a geek war if ever one was invented :) therefore, i was a bit of a fan :)

K.