LAN helper

[Seik]

@Aub: np

Thanks for the hint - I ll try this way.

Is it possible to be HOST and PLAYER on the same machine? <- two copies of your tool (setting-problems)?

[This message has been edited by seik (edited 03 October 2001).]

[Seik]

Call me crazy, stupid or whatever you want - it did not function!!!

I believe that it works - but what the hell I m doing wrong?

For a test I started a new game (only 1 human player / and only at this machine - no LAN) - that should be go, right?

I ve created a new game labled
"Test" -> Savegamefolder "C:\g\SE4\"

I started the first round and the game file is in C:\g\SE4.

Now I start the MultiplayerHelper with following settings:
Path to EXE: "C:\g\Space EMPIRES IV\"
Game folder : "C:\g\SE4\"
Game name: "Test"
I am... : "Player" - No.:"1"
Total Players: "1"
Password: "*" <- nothing, only default value

and ...
ERROR - and dont understand it.

The tool copies the file to
"C:\g\Space Empires IV\Savegame" - at the right position - but that s all.
From my point of view - at this time the tool only has to start the game - but only the ERROR-message still stands up.

When I delete the Test.gam file while the MPHelper is still running - the tool will copy it another time and so on.

Dont understand it at all.

[Aub]

replied offline... I'll post as soon as we find the problem.

Aub

[Aub]

Well, it was the wrong Version after all. Seik installed the update over the old installation and that didn't work (I hate VB's Setup utility!)

Siek -- by the way, if you (re)install SE4 fonts on your machine, the way the helper looks will really improve. (Your screenshot looked like you didn't have them). Just drag the fonts from your Space Empires IV\Fonts directory into Windows\Fonts, that should be enough.

Aub

[Seik]

@Aub:

I ve made a copy of the fonts now - but I see no big difference.

But the main point is that the tool is running very well ... now.

btw: there is a new button FORCE - for what is it?

Seik

[Aub]

The "Force" button forces next turn generation, even if not all players have made their moves (the AI will take over). Useful if you have a huge game and want to keep it going at a reasonable pace.

It would be better if forcing new turns was also done automatically (e.g. according to a schedule). Maybe next Version...

Aub

[geoschmo]

(dig, dig, dig) "Hm, here's a nugget."

Aub or SJ,

Is anyone working on this anymore?

Would it be possible to adapt to play over the net instead of over a lan? I was thinking it might be useful for small games.

Geoschmo

[Aub]

I had an impression that TCP/IP would mostly supersede this helper in functionality.

One nice feature of the helper tho is that you can turn it off and back on, reboot a machine etc. etc. - it will just pick up where it left.

I have to admit I didn't have time to download and play with tcp/ip in the gold demo yet.
Depending on how convenient tcp/ip turns out to be (e.g. how easy it is to resume games, recover from network failures, manage the players etc.) it might make sense to do some more work on the helper, or to leave it alone.

And yes, it would be easy to adapt it for some kind of net play, e.g. for using ftp. That would be similar then to the RTC you're testing for PBW, only it could use any computer on the net to store the files, not necessarily the PBW site.

Geo, did you have any other features in mind, or maybe a concrete scenario where tcp/ip turns out to be inconvenient but a helper could save the day?

Aub

[geoschmo]

Well, specifically I was thinking of right now with PBW being down.

I am aware that no one solution is likely to be perfect in every case for all eternity. PBW was intended to make the distribution of files of PBEM more convenient. And it does a great job at that. RTC is an attempt to make PBW even more conveient by automating the player end of it.

However there might be situations where players for whatever reaason may not want to use the PBW service for their game. Or they may be limited by the RTC firewall issue, as I am at work.

If Lan Helper could be configured to use ftp, then it would have a solid niche there, as well as be available in times when PBW is down.

I haven't used the Lan helper yet because noone on my LAN plays Space Empires but me. I have been playing some PBEM games while PBW is down. I would like to be able to have a utility for a two player game that can tell when both of us are done with our turns and then run the next turn. I don't care which is the host. And then launches me back into my turn.

Does Lan helper sound like it could do the job? It does to me, but as I said, I haven't used it yet. Basically I want to eliminate moving the files around entirely.

Geoschmo

[geoschmo]

Aub,

Any thoughts?

Geo