SE 4: Hosting a game via internet? How To?

[Dethgod74]

Hi folks,

I could use a little help here. We are having some problems with the current way we are hosting our game, so I'd like to set up a test game and use it to test a new webserver.

I have a few questions I hope you can help me with.

1) I'd like to create a generic game with spots for FOUR human players. I think I've done this correctly, and I've saved those empires and named them for the player who owns them.

How do I get SE4 to start the game to create the game file needed for each player? I've seen a reference to 'HOST' mode, so how do you start SE4 in this HOST mode?

2) We found a free webserver that bascially published the \SAVEGAME dir in SE4 to the web. Players go to our website, click on the respective game dir, and upload or download their files.
When hosting the game in this fashion, what do I set the connection type to:

Manual File Moving
or
TCP/IP Host?

3) If all the above fails, I've seen something called PBW, which is what I will assume is Play By Web, and should be just like we are trying to do. What I'd like to know is, has someone come up with an EASY TO USE front end to host SE4 and 5 games in this fashion, and possibly, written a webserver especially for SE 4.

Thanks in advance and for all your time reading this!

Regards,

Rob aka dethgod74