RCWeb Tanks Control App
The Tanks Control App (/tanks-c/) is the phone interface for RCWeb Tanks.
Each controller joins one tank in the shared /tanks/ viewer. The viewer owns the round, turn order, terrain, projectile physics, damage, and win/reset flow. Controllers send only player intents: move left or right, aim the cannon, set power, fire, and request a reset.
The layout is built for portrait smartphones with large touch targets and concise turn feedback.
Getting Started
Open /tanks/ on the shared display first, then scan its QR code with your phone. The phone opens /tanks-c/ in the same room and joins as your tank.
The controller uses the shared RCWeb player name stored in localStorage.rcwebName. If you have used another RCWeb app on the same device, Tanks will reuse that name. Use the Name button to change it.
Changing Your Name
Tap Name in the player panel. Enter the name you want shown on the display. The controller stores it on this device as rcwebName, updates your local panel, and sends it to the Tanks viewer immediately.
Names are trimmed, spaces are normalized, and long names are shortened so they fit on the phone and scoreboard.
Turn Information
The controller shows whose turn it is, the current phase, remaining time, wind, your health, and your win count. When it is your turn, the movement buttons and fire button become active. When another player is aiming or the shell is in flight, your controls stay disabled.
The phone receives live status from the viewer, including hit damage, round-over messages, and winner messages.
Moving
Use Left and Right to drive your tank during your turn. Hold a button to move in that direction, then release to stop. Movement is limited each turn, and the remaining amount is shown below the buttons.
The viewer decides whether movement is valid. If the tank is on a slope that is too steep or the movement allowance is spent, the viewer ignores the move and sends a status update back.
Aiming
Use the Angle slider to rotate the cannon. The display updates the visible turret and the predicted shell path while you drag the slider.
Use the Power slider to change shot strength. Lower power makes shorter, softer arcs. Higher power launches the shell farther and faster. Wind still affects the final path, so the same angle and power can land differently each round.
Firing
Tap Fire when you are ready. Firing sends one shot to the viewer and ends your action for the turn. The display follows the projectile, shows the explosion, keeps the impact point focused briefly, resolves damage, then moves to the next active player.
If you tap Fire when it is not your turn or while your tank is destroyed, the controller shows a short "not ready" status instead of sending an invalid action.
Reset
The Reset button asks the viewer to start a fresh game. It regenerates the landscape, respawns joined players, and clears the active projectile and explosion state.
Use reset when players want to restart quickly or recover from a test round.
Connection Behavior
The viewer monitors active RCWeb clients. If this phone leaves the room or disconnects, your tank is marked disconnected on the display and skipped by the turn system. A disconnected tank cannot move, fire, be damaged, or block the round from ending.
If the same controller reconnects with the same client id, the viewer can mark the tank as reconnected and return it to the active game flow.
Control Protocol
The controller sends RCWeb function calls to /tanks/:
- Join and name updates identify your phone by
rc.client. - Movement sends left/right intent and whether the button is held.
- Aim updates send angle and power with a small throttle so the display turret moves smoothly.
- Fire sends a single fire intent.
- Reset asks the viewer to rebuild the round.
The controller does not simulate damage, turns, or physics locally. The display is the source of truth.