Auto Admin for PBE?
 

After reading a thread about how a lot of people wanted to play a PBEM game but couldn't find someone willing to take the time/effort to host, I thought, an automated admin app would be great! Maybe one already exists, if so, even better.

Essentially, it would be an app running 24/7 on a machine that would at a given time fetch all the game related emails from players. It would then run Dom2 and process all the game data automagically. Once done, it could either post the next turn files to an ftp/http site, or email them back to the individual players. This way, the admin isn't burdened with very much at all, leading to more people willing to host big games. (the hope being 17 ppl games not being a rarity)

Good idea? Is there a demand for something like that?

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

I have played Dom I games hosted by a number of different players who were able to set up automated servers, so it's definitely doable.

Occasionaly the server needs to be reseted or players will require a change in the hosting times/quickhost, but I believe it requires little more maintenance than that so long as you have the spare computer, the conection & whatever tech knowledge that be required.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

I was thinking of something along the lines of a standalone Dom2 Server Server app that anyone could d/l to support automated PBE.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">If you're actually doing dedicated hosting, you shouldn't use PBEM anyway - you should use the TCP/IP server option. Then the players connect as TCP/IP clients, download their turn, play it, upload it, and then wait for the server to host. No messing around with email (well, except for diplomacy, if the players agree to use out-of-game email for diplomacy). There were plenty of TCP/IP hosted MP games of Dom I - although I never saw one with all 14 nations, I think there were some.

It's not that hard to set up, but the host does have to have DomII installed.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

You may want to talk to the people who run the SEIV Play by Web system.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Or just go play Laser Squad Nemesis http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

That's the best BPEM system ever. It requires a subscription... but then, you never have to buy the game initially. To bad it has no singleplayer mode.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

As Chris's description states, it is possible in DOM II...we are testing this aspect now. All nations have a human player...the server is set to process turns 3 days per week. There is a 'timer' showing how long you have to process your turn until the next occurs. It's very easy, and nice, from the "joining player's" standpoint. Also, a 'list' of the nations are displayed, showing who has/hasn't processed the current turn.
Illwinter has mentioned numerous times that they developed the game with MP play in mind, and it shows in the 'server' http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

The problem of hosting a TCP/IP server game is that many residential connections while broadband and always on, don't allow the outside world to "see" the actual machine.

[ November 01, 2003, 01:10: Message edited by: Tourmalyn ]

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Id be very interested in this. I have a linux (debian) server and can put up a much larger (solaris) server if need be. Ive been trying to prod some webmaster into creating some sort of interface they would like to manage but so far no one has bitten.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

[/qb][/quote]Id be very interested in this. I have a linux (debian) server and can put up a much larger (solaris) server if need be. Ive been trying to prod some webmaster into creating some sort of interface they would like to manage but so far no one has bitten. [/QB][/quote]

Not sure that I understand the 'need' for an interface...Doing a TCP/IP server for DOM II is (or similar) to the DOM II server being a Terminal Server. The player enters the IP address and port number to make the connection. They are then using the server to actually play the game (for the most part). Illwinter would have to supply the specifics on just how it's working. The player processes the turn, then hits the 'End Turn' button the same as if they were playing a single player game.
Hopefully this clarifies things a bit, instead of confusing http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

Quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf: Id be very interested in this. I have a linux (debian) server and can put up a much larger (solaris) server if need be. Ive been trying to prod some webmaster into creating some sort of interface they would like to manage but so far no one has bitten. Originally posted by Strider: Not sure that I understand the 'need' for an interface...Doing a TCP/IP server for DOM II is (or similar) to the DOM II server being a Terminal Server. The player enters the IP address and port number to make the connection. They are then using the server to actually play the game (for the most part).

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Yes Ive played those games in Dom 1 and I love that Illwinter provided that option. Its a great option especially for new players so they dont really have to understand the old PBEM methods. Its how most of the games have been run so far. And you are correct that there is no 'need' for an interface if I were 'hosting' a game.

But if I were going to become a game server for Dom 2 then an interface would be a good idea. The way you mention would mean that I would need to run multiple copies of dominions all the time each watching a different port. Im not sure how many could be run that way since I dont know how much CPU and memory the dom host requires.

With a web interface then 100 games could be listed. Different maps, different settings, signup forms showing what races are taken in each game and which ones are open. The turns would be turned in by FTP or Email. Each game could have its own email box for this and its own webpage for game statistics/information.

Whenever a game gets all of the turns received then it would run Dom in host mode to process the turns and move them to an FTP directory or email them back. That would be quick and it would then quit the dom program. Thats why a hundred games could run on a PBEM server even if its a very small machine.

[ November 01, 2003, 18:23: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

If you do want to see why an interface would be needed, you may want to have a look at Play By Web for Space Empires IV. When the server is back Online that is. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif

PBW ran *a lot* of games (somewhere above a hundred, likely two hundred and some) from two to twenty players, with different settings and even mods were featured, along with all the features Gandalph mentioned.

I do not know what were the specifications of the server though, so I cannot say how much is needed. And don't ask me either how PBW is working. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif But it works very well, while you would have a problem to handle a hundred of games without an interface.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

Ahhh...now I have a much better understanding of what you're after, from reading this and your post in another thread. Thanks for explaining.

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

[quote]Originally posted by Gandalf Parker:
[qb]

Quote:

Originally posted by Gandalf: Id be very interested in this. I have a linux (debian) server and can put up a much larger (solaris) server if need be. Ive been trying to prod some webmaster into creating some sort of interface they would like to manage but so far no one has bitten. But if I were going to become a game server for Dom 2 then an interface would be a good idea. The way you mention would mean that I would need to run multiple copies of dominions all the time each watching a different port. Im not sure how many could be run that way since I dont know how much CPU and memory the dom host requires. With a web interface then 100 games could be listed. Different maps, different settings, signup forms showing what races are taken in each game and which ones are open. The turns would be turned in by FTP or Email. Each game could have its own email box for this and its own webpage for game statistics/information. Whenever a game gets all of the turns received then it would run Dom in host mode to process the turns and move them to an FTP directory or email them back. That would be quick and it would then quit the dom program. Thats why a hundred games could run on a PBEM server even if its a very small machine.

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Other than the open Dom / process turns / close Dom I can do that given a server with Cold Fusion 4.5+ installed on it (The only ones I have access to ATM are at work).

Sammual

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Illwinter has made that easy with switches. Dom 1 even had it where you could run the host action from a bat file or any other script. The only problem I had before is that it still seemed to want a graphic library which I didnt have loaded because I dont load my servers with any GUI stuff. I understand that this is fixed but I havent tested it. It wouldnt affect most people anyway since most windows/linux/solaris servers tend to have a gui interface loaded. Its just us old coming-out-of-unix die-hards that have a problem. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Auto Admin for PBE?
 

Apparently....
./dom2demo -STq --hosttime 0 22 --ipadr X.X.X.X. --port XXXX

should work for running a text-only server. Of course its the type of server where people log in to play one game. Since a game can run for months I dont see where a server could run enough of these to keep a game available for joining most of the time.

Id rather see an example of a process&quit command line.

[ November 03, 2003, 01:32: Message edited by: Gandalf Parker ]