Starting mod-nation MP games in text-only mode

[llamabeast]

Aha, now Gandalf, I think I have an improved method for you (having just read the above linked post)!

You don't need to manually join the game with each pretender (that must have been a nightmare!). Instead:

- Put all the pretenders in the game directory.
- Having enabled the appropriate mods, click "Create a New Game", then immediately cancel. This seems to make Dominions read the mods. This was a lucky discovery!
- Start a network game as usual, obviously using the correct game name. The mod nations will be listed and the appropriate pretenders will already be joined!

So, I would imagine that it would not be that hard for Johan to fix (although of course I know nothing about how the code works) - all that needs to be added is that when hosting a new game the game first automatically does whatever it does when you click "Create a new game" and then immediately cancel. It's very frustrating that this just can't _quite_ be done in text-only mode.

[Gandalf Parker]

Wow I really thought we had hacked every possible action.
Thats a fantastic discovery.

[llamabeast]

Thanks! Just a lucky stumble.

[llamabeast]

Do you reckon you could pass the info on to Johan, Gandalf, in case it makes the issue easier to resolve? It would be so great if we could fully automate creating games with mod nations.

[Gandalf Parker]

I wonder if something like that could be duplicated in a script by starting the game in a form which will bomb (Ive sure found my share of those), and then starting the game again. Worth testing.

[llamabeast]

My feeling is that the answer is No, because in the GUI, once you've clicked 'Create a New Game', it will only work for that session. If you quit the game and start again then you're back where you started. On the other hand it's always worth playing around with, and if you could work out a way round it it'd be brilliant.