Not to curb the enthusiasm, but here is another worthwhile suggestion: Why not just have a web interface which offers a file upload? This is what I'd offer players on my servers, if for some inexplicable reason (firewall) they wouldn't be able to use the game network interface anymore.
Pro's:
- regardless of operating system, everybody has a web browser
- no binary needs to get executed by the players (security concern)
- instead of complicated POP/SMTP code, all it takes is overwriting the game files on the server (after checking)
- clients don't need to update their software, as all the code is on the server
Con's:
- no persistant storage of configuration (savegames location), although one could use cookies for that
- hmmm...
- makes the need to use email as transport medium for those PBEM games unnecessary?
