Exploding buildings and structures

[porkchop]

With the 4 frequency limit, controllable static gun emplacements look like a no go.

However, what about exploding scenery? All you would need is an IR reciever to record the hits, attached to a motor to "disturb"the scenery.

Am I overgeneralizing? I know little about IR. What equipment would I need to recognize and decode these signals?

Does each tank fire on its own channel? Is each receiver set up to accept different types of incoming fire? Is this how the damage system is worked out?

[Alard]

One way to make controllable static gun replacements:
Use a tank without tracks, same ID as your mobile tank. Both tanks would fire simultaneously. Both can be shot and put out of action.

The controllers are just like a TV remote, that sends out messages continuously. Each message is addressed to a tank ID. All the tanks see every message that all the controllers are sending out, they decode the ID address, and ignore the message, if it's not addressed to them.

Exploding scenery:
A suitable 40 KHz IR receiver is just over a dollar from Mouser Electronics. Runs on 5V. Limit the angle of reception using a tube, so that it will only be activated from tank level. Otherwise, you have to be able to decode the actual IR signal from the tank 'gun', to decide if it's a control message or a cannon shot, because the receiver will also see all the messages the controllers are sending to all the tanks. How you use this to activate the explosions is your business. I plan to use it to activate flashing LEDs in buildings, simulating fire.

Tank cannon fire:
The tanks fire by transmitting IR messages via the IR LED in the turret. The message is received the same as the control messages, through the window on top of the turret. The uP inside the tank, decodes the message, to see if it is a control message or a cannon shot message. Seems to me that there has to be at least two different kinds of message for the team play functions to work. i.e. making it so you can't shoot your own team mate.

Have fun with all that.