PBW, First Impressions.. (Multiplayer discussion)

[Fyron]

There is a lot more data that needs to be sent to the players each turn than they need to send to the host. All that they send back is a set of orders. The host sends out all of the information for the game. Breaking up the savegame into just what each player needs would be disastrous, as then players could not rely on sending each other the savegame file if they lost it, or it never reached them, etc. PBEM/PBW works perfectly as it is now. The only application for which your suggestions are good is TCP/IP.

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:
Leave PBEM/PBW modes alone, as they are perfect, and fix the buggered TCP/IP mode. Make it send files to multiple Users at once, based on bandwidth available.

This would be my current suggestions as well.


We need mod testing tools though if any one interested in making them.

Currently we have the SEIV Modder utility, but we need more. I could never get the turn BATCH file thingy to work.

Also a utility that we can use to create and or modify AI files like rapid research creation tools.

A program that will take all of the tech Area data and plug in the racial traits for your AI and press CREATE RESEARCH FILE, and it compiles a new research file based upon the tech Area data and the tech from the racial traits.

The same thing for Design Creation, except that it automatically creates designs that use the new technology and the racial specfic technolongy like weapons, engines, components, etc.

[Asmala]

Originally posted by tesco samoa:
Well there really needs to be a game admin area...Where the game admin can go in and see what is going on in the game... View the scores and see the game itself.

And to make sure that the game admin does not use it when playing . Put a note each players log that the game admin has logged into the game to view it...

Admin area would be nice but that note suggestion won't work. If admin uses the view possibility but didn't upload anything, nobody would know.

[Sivran]

Originally posted by Asmala:
Admin area would be nice but that note suggestion won't work. If admin uses the view possibility but didn't upload anything, nobody would know.

The viewing of it should put a note in the turn file that is uploaded to the server, thereby forcing the notification to be uploaded on completion of the admin's next turn. To prevent the admin from simply closing and relaunching the game, the game should make a note when the viewer is used. When the game is relaunched, the note is read and written to the turn file when it's generated.

[Cipher7071]

I like the save-in-mid-turn option.

[Fyron]

Originally posted by Sivran:
The viewing of it should put a note in the turn file that is uploaded to the server, thereby forcing the notification to be uploaded on completion of the admin's next turn. To prevent the admin from simply closing and relaunching the game, the game should make a note when the viewer is used. When the game is relaunched, the note is read and written to the turn file when it's generated.

But with PBW, the game host almost never uploads the turn anyways. He just plays like a regular player, and the PBW server processes the turns. So, the turn file is generated on a different computer than the host would be using to cheat...

[David E. Gervais]

I just tried a TCP/IP game with rollo, and although it had a bug where the player turns were not being sent (forcing the host to process a turn and have the AI play for the second player)

It did seem to be a very good method of play. I now agree with you all,.. 'Don't touch the PBEM or PBW' just fix the TCP/IP mode of play.

I can see 10 turns/hour being easily pumped out in this tcp/mode.

Cheers!

[David E. Gervais]

Update,..

Rollo and I tried the PlayByWeb_RealtimeClient that comes on the se4:Gold CD and it works really nice. I think that if anyone wants to have another PBW-Athon that this option should be given serious consideration.

there was only one thing that needs tweaking, the rtc does not like the use of mods. the path.txt file must be edited to point to the mod dir, but even with this, the savegame folder contents must be moved to the default savegame and the mod savegame folder then deleted. Other than that, it worked like a charm.

Just thought I'd let you know how that experiment went.

Cheers!

[geoschmo]

Yes, RTC alone does not support mods. The one oddball thing is that your mods cannot have a savegame folder. They musr default to the stock savegame folder, otherwise the modpicker can't find the .plr file to upload it when you are done. It will download and let you play your turn, assuming you have changed the path.txt file, but it won't be able to upload the .plr file to PBW.

As far as changing the path.txt file, any method works for that, depending on your taste. I have a method that works fairly well for me though. I use Matryx's Mod picker.

1. Launch modpicker and click the mod in the left-hand list, and then click the "Play SEIV" button in the bottom left.

2. Once Se4 starts, click "Quit Game" in lower right hand corner of SE4 start screen. Don't close the mod picker though. This rewrites the path.txt file.

3. Launch RTC and select your modded game. Play.

4. When you are done playing, click "none" in mod picker left-hand list and click "Play SEIV" button. Quit SE4 and close modpicker. This changes your path.txt back to none.

[David E. Gervais]

Yeah, I also use the ModLauncher. but it seems a bit extreem to run a game from the ModLauncher just to have the path text edited for you. And, while playing using the RTC you would have an extra window/program running that is of no use to the RTC.

Cheers!

Edit: oh, and the RTC is basically used for when you are playing a good sized session of se4. so the having to edit the path.txt seems such a minor task if you only need to do it once at the beginning of the game session. (when finished with the RTC session and you want to play the same mod that you used in the RTC/PBW game you must recreate the savegame folder before you can play. It would be nice if the RTC had a tiny patch to fix this 'path' problem. then the world would be happy.)

[ January 27, 2004, 10:39: Message edited by: David E. Gervais ]