Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Have you tried PlayByWeb? That will process the turns as fast as the slowest person can give their orders. Or are you wanting sequential play with tactical combat?

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

I don't know about Yonkyu, but I really want tactical combat multi. I designed and built all those ships. I will never trust anyone but me to resolve combat.


[This message has been edited by Yojinbo (edited 29 June 2001).]

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Yeah, I love tactical combat! So for me, it'll be hotseat.

What we really need is a way to save inbetween sequential turns, so you can't see other people's empires.

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

I use PBW, and I like it a lot. But the lack of true IP connectivity is STILL a sore point with me http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon9.gif

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Lack of TCP/IP is a sore point with me, too. I can live without the tactical combat for a while, but would expect that to be added eventually.

Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Greetings,

I'm a Newbie to the forum but an Oldbie to SE IV. I am curious about a rough time frame for a patch with TCP/IP internet connection for SE IV. It appears to be a taboo to talk about it since your little spat with whats his face, but I and a buddy of mine could really use this to speed up the transfer process. It would be nice to play 50 turns or so in an evening rather than in two months.

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

IMO, TCP/IP would be good to have in the game (especially for combat, as long as some way to prevent huge fleet battles delaying larger games unnecesarilly). However, there are some UI issues, still a few bugs to be worked out, still more features (simpler ones, such as drones) to be added. They take priority. Remember, Aaron is one person, and he is the entire programming department of MM. http://www.shrapnelgames.com/ubb/images/icons/icon7.gif

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses.
To Suicide-junkie: Yes I would love to have serial tactical combat included, but I figured that would be WAY to much to ask for now. And the PBM site is OK but not much of an improvement to me. I still have to wait much longer than with a direct connect it still depends on the e-mail response time which can be real slow.
To yojimbo: I agree completely. Tactical combat is really essential for a complete feel to the game.
To possum and Gera (good to see ya here, bud): it is indeed a sore point with me to.
And finally to Will: Uh, as I am new to this forum, do you work for MM. If so, I think Aaron can speak for himself and doesn't need a "bodyguard". I realize the amount of effort that is needed to keep a game like this going but the IP connection issue is not difficult. There are many tools out there now to do the trick with minimal additional programing. I appreciate your input but the original question stands (unanswered): What is a rough time frame for adding an IP connection? And from the sounds of others, I think drones are way down the list of priorities.

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

This was address once before,
TCP/ip was never truely promised to be added to the game. It was stated as something they would like to do sometime in the future.
So to answer your question there is no timeframe and may never be a timeframe to add this.

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Yonkyu:
And the PBM site is OK but not much of an improvement to me. I still have to wait much longer than with a direct connect it still depends on the e-mail response time which can be real slow.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is incorrect. You can't have actually played a game there with your buddies and still think this. You really should try PBW. You will be suprised if you give it half a chance.

You don't have to wait for email. You can download your files directly from the website and upload directly to it. You can literally play as fast as you all can get your turns done. There is a little more clicking than you have with a persistant TCP/IP connection, but it's just as fast once you get the flow. No email lag at all cause you aren't using email.

geoschmo http://seiv.pbw.cc

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

I have to agree with geo there,
the pbw can work just like tcp in a sense.
You all can upload all your turns to the site and a minute later download your turn, repeat. no waiting for e-mail. I ran 10 turns in a test game this way before the e-mail sent me the 1 turn.

I think for tcp to truely work in this game, you would have to code the game so that the player who set up the game was always the first player and the others would have to join in turn. once the required number of players joined then the host would have start the game. the game would have to be able to link to all the copies of itself on each system. Sounds like a lot of coding.

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

I one important way, PBW is actually better than TCP/IP.

In a TCP/IP game, what happens if the host has isp problems, or has to leave the game to work. I suppose you could save the game and pick it up later.

But then what happens if the host gets wiped out in the game? Is he/she supposed to stay on line so the others can keep playing?

With PBW you don't have to worry about that cause the server is the host. If a player leaves, the others can decide to stop and come back later, or they can go on without him and let the ai do it, or they can even find a replacement to take over for him.

Just something to think about.

geoschmo

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Click "End Turn". Select option to keep game open or to close it. Use preferred method to upload files to PBW site. Scan for game files. When available, download files. Load into SE4. Play turn. Repeat cycle.

Yeah, that sounds a lot better than true TCP/IP where you only click "End Turn" and the game notifies you when the next turn begins.

As to some of your other comments, many people only play multiplayer games with only one other person. If the host gets eliminated, the other player wins. Schedules are not an issue. If one player has ISP problems, postpone or play by modem. The solution to the problem should accomodate this type of play as well as play of larger Groups.

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Gera,

In my post I acknowledged the extra clicking. I was simply stating that there wasn't the email lag to deal with that the other person was talking about. I was strictly talking about the speed of play. It's not perfect, but nothing is.

geoschmo

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Yonkyu: I dont know for certain what Will would say, but he was just trying to say that only one guy is doing this, so we can't always get what we want immediately... its just a fact of life... life sucks doesnt it?

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

If it'd be possible to include tectical combat to a multiplayer game, it'd be GREAT.

But yet, due to that i know that all PBEM games are using strategical-only, and i myself use tactical only when i REALY need to win (im talking about single-games)

------------------
Emperor Klis't of the Taera Republic.
Proud member of the League of Empires.

E-Mail -
Ora Planet - Taera Republic - League of Empires

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

If anyone is going to "bodyguard" Aaron it should be me....

Seriously, I don't mean to imply that TCP/IP and or tactical combat would be easy in any way. In fact, the proposition of retrofitting a non-networked application with multiplayer TCP/IP seems daunting. I find the file sharing PBEM options to be quite ingenious (reminds me of Spaceward Ho!) and workable - minus tactical.

I would be willing to wait for SE5 and fork over some more money for true multi. This is MM's decision, all I can do is make my will known.

But when that glorious day arrives I do want tactical combat. I know this would slow down play. The first turn-based multiplayer game I ever played (Robosport) addressed this with time limits on orders (OK, RS was simultaneous execution, not sequential turn based - but if you remember that game you're almost too old to still play PC games). Time limits would in a way reflect the increased difficulty of managing a larger fleet...

Re: Any progress on TCP/IP connection.
 

Spaceward Ho! was retrofitted with non-PBEM multiplayer (IPX and direct modem; don't remember for sure about TCP) in the Last Version with very little change to the basic game play. It worked very well from what I remember.

Yonkyu and I do remember Robosport. We had been playing multiplayer games for a while before it came out, and we will not be too old to play computer games for many years, yet to come! Robosport was an excellent game, but time constraints would not work well with SE4 unless the basic structure of the game was changed to make micromanagement less necessary.