With the massive size of combat replays (25 MB, 75 MB...), PBEM with SE5 is a bit inconvenient to do (not to mention impossible with many email providers to use 75 MB email attachments). Thus, the only way to do it is to manually transfer the files, such as via an FTP server.
But, there is a better way, especially for larger numbers of players in a game: Bit Torrent! Some BT clients and trackers use RSS feeds for automation these days. Azureus' embedded tracker, for example, publishes an RSS feed. Thus, all the host has to do is create a torrent for the turn, and all the players will automatically get the savegame files through RSS. It will work much better than the SE4 TCP/IP system (and probably SE5) because the upload bandwidth of the players will be used to help spread the savegame files.
So, the host of the game needs to run Azureus (and enable the embedded tracker). I'd recommend disallowing the "enable external torrents" option.
Each time he processes the turn, he needs to create a torrent of the savegame files (including those pesky combat logs), then "host" the torrent in Azureus. This is a simple process using the built-in torrent creation tool. You create the torrent using the New Torrent wizard in the file menu. Once the torrent is created, open it in Azureus and start it. Then, right click on the torrent and click on "Host" to host it on the embedded tracker.
It would be a good idea for the host to register a free dynamic domain redirection to avoid the hassle of IP numbers (such as
dyndns or
no-ip).
Torrent file names should be in a standardized format, such as "savegame.turnnumber". For example, you might have turn 34 of the game "lowtech", so you would create the torrent and name it "lowtech.34".
Each player needs to use a Bit Torrent client with an embedded RSS reader. I will use uTorrent for illustration, because I am most familiar with it. To set up automated retrieval of torrented turns:
1) Go into the RSS Downloader configuration (there is a RSS-like button in the toolbar).
2) Add the feed on the Feeds tab. It will be something like:
FyronSE5|
http://kazharii.no-ip.com:6969/rss_feed.xml
3) Create a new Favorite for the savegame.
3a) In the Filter box, put the name of the savegame (eg: lowtech).
3b) Put the location of SE5's savegame folder in the Location box.
3c) Choose the appropriate feed (eg: FyronSE5).
3d) Possibly set a label for the favorite in the label box, such as "SE5 Savegames", or maybe the name of the savegame, whatever you like.
4) Go to Releases tab and click "update now". Check if you have the savegame files listed (assuming the game has started already; otherwise wait til the game has started).
5) Watch as new savegame turns are automatically downloaded!
External Links:
Azureus
uTorrent
dyndns
no-ip
Play by P2P
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