New & raw web based Dominion II game server

Esben Mose Hansen · #1 February 22nd, 2004, 06:01 PM

I've started WarsOfGaia. I didn't realize so many had joined on that little map

This should be interesting...

I have read, and not forgotten, your comments regarding the pros and cons of the server.�I still see no obvious advantage of a PBM hosting service against a TCP/IP-server, except as I've listed above (or rather below in this backwards forum

) I will mull this over, and maybe do something about the things I can.

Now there's 3 more or less real games on the server. That's fine by me, and justification enough for me

It's not as though it is under any heavy load.

And yes, I think a gentleman agreement that the creator starts the game would be good, until such time that illwinter fixes the --uploadtime parameter. I will write this on the webpage at the next update.

Have fun!

Breschau · #2 February 22nd, 2004, 09:20 PM

Do the others that've joined the NewbieTest game want to start with what we have (5 people)? Or wait for more? All my games have been offline so far, so I'm not sure what a good number of players is for mp on aran.
edit: i guess someone started it already

[ February 22, 2004, 19:27: Message edited by: Breschau ]

Gandalf Parker · #3 February 22nd, 2004, 09:55 PM

the main advantage I see about PBEM is that a PBEM machine can start a game every day. For games that can run for months, a web server supporting tcpip games will probably be referred to as "a web server for Dominions2 but its full most of the time". Maybe the best method would be to offer both. Start the tcpip games as quickie games, and start the PBEM games as 1-a-day turns.

Johan K · #4 February 23rd, 2004, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Esben Mose Hansen:

An interesting observation is that the CPU requirement a game is actually quite low; except for the startup phase. So I think my little server could actually host quite a number of games, provided that only a few are in the upstart mode.

I just fixed that, so now the cpu usage for a text server should not exceed 0% except during turn generation. The high cpu usage was caused by too much text output.

Now I'll just have to take a look at the strange countdown too and see if I can reproduce it.

Gandalf Parker · #5 February 23rd, 2004, 02:48 AM

Wow thanks. Did we get the "Start game and Quit" to work in Linux? I can get it to work in Windows.

Also did --preexec make it in? The only docs I have are the linux ones and I dont see it.

Johan K · #6 February 23rd, 2004, 02:49 AM

The --preexec made it into 2.08 but a create game and quit did not.

PDF · #7 February 23rd, 2004, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PhilD:

quote:
Originally posted by PDF:
The IP server is a good thing, but I don't think there'd ever be many IP games going : the game is really best played in PBEM... And the players are more pbem types too !

Not sure I agree with this... even for a "slow" game (PBEM speed), the TCP/IP play is simpler. And if you want a "quick" game (or even a 2-player game: not much diplomacy in there), there are no good reasons to play PBEM.

In fact, a 24/7 server like this one could be optimal, if the dom2 program itself were really made for it.

Quote:

What we still need is a PBEM server, kind'a PBW (the one for SE4). I'm pretty sure this will have more immediate success - this system has NO drawback on manual "hosting" , so every pbem game can migrate to it very soon !

I don't know how PBW or SE4 work, so I cannot comment on this.

Still, this server has a huge advantage, IMHO: it hosts on Linux, so I get fewer buggy battle replays than when Pocus does the hosting

PhilD,

Technically �P surely is the way to go, but from a practical standpoint I prefer to play by email without having to connect to a server, and with predefined hosting sessions.
PBW does just that : you can define your SE4 games, dload/upload files, etc.. everything's very neat and well done.