PBEM Embarrassing!

[wolf4]

Okay, maybe I'm the first, and it's a bit embarrassing but I do not know how to send a game by email!

I have a brother and I thought I would do a trial run before joining in a real PBEM game. It's a good thing I did try it out with my brother first!

I did a turn in Advanced Tactics and then - if I understood it correctly - I clicked for the next players turn and then clicked to save and quit. Then I went to that saved file, did a right click on it and chose send to mail receiver, mail address etc - sorry but I'm in Italy and everything is in Italian on my computer so I do not know exact translation of "destinatario posta" - and then there is the email on my screen with the saved file as an attachment.

When I go to my brother's computer it shows he has received the email with the saved attached file. He clicks to open the file but then it reads it cannot open the file. It mentioned something about not having the program available. Mentions about going to Control Panel and then to the Option File and doing something there to open the program etc etc.

So how does one send and receive PBEM saved game? I'm a bit confused. Please don' tell anyone I asked this question. I don't want to appear stupid!

[SMK-at-work]

lol - there's got to be a first time for everything!
 
1/ Start a game - assuming you want some security ensure you have passwords and anti-PBEM features turned on at het setup.
 
2/ Play the 1st move - it should prompt you for a password before you start it - enter your desired password and remember it!!
 
3/ At the end of the move hit het "end move" button
 
4/ At the prompt hit the "save and quit" button - save the file with whatever name you want
 
The file is now saved as the name you gave it in the /bin/saved games directory in your AT directory.
 
5/ Start an e-mail to your brother and use whatever command your e-mail client uses to attach a file (it's usually "attach"!  Icon will normally be a paperclip) - you shuold be able to browse to the bin/saved games directory as above and double click on the saved game file.
 
6/ Add a message to the e-mail with suitably disparaging remarks, and send!
 
When you receive a reply (hopefully with an attached file!!) double click on it, select "save" and broswe to the bin/saved games directory - click OK, then run the game, select "load saved game" and it should open a list of all files in the bin/saved games directory.
 
Just select the file you want - it should ask you for your password...which I hope you remembered...and away you go.....
 
Enjoy
 
 

[Tac2i]

You must load the saved game file from within the game itself. You cannot double click the file to start the game. If you and your brother as in the same household on a local home network, you can just save the file in a common location and access it that way. If that sounds too complicated, just remember the first thing I said: you play and save. Your brother saves the file he got via email to his hard drive and then he starts the game and loads it.

[wolf4]

SMK-at-work, thank you very much for replying.

Actually I have found out that the fault is not at my end. The first time I sent it to him he received it. Then I followed your version and he received that aswell.

The problem is that his Outlook Express brings up a message saying something about blocking emails or files that are considered unknown and therefore a virus threat. By the way all of this is in Italian so it doesn't really make matters easy.

The problem is I believe that his Outlook Express is treating that file as a virus, a threat. It mentioned something about taking it to Control Panel and then to Option File. Not sure what happens next. What my brother and I do not know is how to get that file not to be treated as a virus threat, in other words allow Outlook Express to open this "bl**dy file"!

We would probably have to go to "Tools" and then "Options" in Outlook Express or somewhere like that, but we do not know what to click or unclick. Hell, we're just lost!

I thank you very much for your help. But if you or anyone out there in "computer" space know the procedure to make Outlook Express accept the file I will be glad to know. Who knows, maybe my Outlook Express would not accept files from a game from other players aswell! So I too would need to know how to make "my" Outlook Express accept files from game files from other players.

Anyway thanks for your help. I'm going to go on that hill top there and do a few howls tonight!

[wolf4]

Webizen, thanks for your post.

Your comment:"You must load the saved game file from within the game itself." Suddenly it "dawned on me" and I knew what you meant! That explains why Outlook Express mentioned about finding the program to open it. It all fell into place with that one sentence you made.

So as a trial run I saved the file on Desktop and "then" I went into the game itself - the program - and went to load the game selecting the saved file from Desktop. And it worked!

So thank you Webizen for your post. I must thank SMK-at-work for his input aswell - his post was longer and I appreciated him giving me a line offering to help. So thank you to both of you! [&o]

Wish I could offer you guys a bottle of Italian red wine. So raising my glass to you both "cheers"!

[SMK-at-work]

No problem.

[rickier65]

ORIGINAL: wolf4

SMK-at-work, thank you very much for replying.

Actually I have found out that the fault is not at my end. The first time I sent it to him he received it. Then I followed your version and he received that aswell.

The problem is that his Outlook Express brings up a message saying something about blocking emails or files that are considered unknown and therefore a virus threat. By the way all of this is in Italian so it doesn't really make matters easy.

The problem is I believe that his Outlook Express is treating that file as a virus, a threat. It mentioned something about taking it to Control Panel and then to Option File. Not sure what happens next. What my brother and I do not know is how to get that file not to be treated as a virus threat, in other words allow Outlook Express to open this "bl**dy file"!

We would probably have to go to "Tools" and then "Options" in Outlook Express or somewhere like that, but we do not know what to click or unclick. Hell, we're just lost!

I thank you very much for your help. But if you or anyone out there in "computer" space know the procedure to make Outlook Express accept the file I will be glad to know. Who knows, maybe my Outlook Express would not accept files from a game from other players aswell! So I too would need to know how to make "my" Outlook Express accept files from game files from other players.

Anyway thanks for your help. I'm going to go on that hill top there and do a few howls tonight!

I was using Yahoo beta mail and had the same problem with trying to send the saved games, the virus scanner reported the attachment as having a virus.

After a bit of teeth knashing, I reverted back to the classic yahoo mail and it allows me to send the games attached.

I'm really surprised more folks haven't run into this. I think it might be Norton scanning that creates the problem. I tried talking to Yahoo folks about it, but they were no help at all (they told the file probably had a virus and my AVG just didnt' catch it - which is a pretty bogus repsonse).

I'm not sure but I think it has to do with the encryption that Vic uses. I've had the same problem trying to send a zip file containing a .pts file along with some graphic images for an AT scenario.

In any event, you can get a yahoo mail account, or your brother can, and make sure you use classic, not the new beta.

Rick

[wolf4]

Rick, thanks for your post.

Actually the post from Webizen above put me on the right direction. I was able to open the file in the end.

I was trying to open the file outside of the game - that is trying to open it whilst I was still looking at Outlook Express. Instead what I did was to save that file to let's say Desktop as an example, and THEN I opened up the game itself. Went into "Load Saved Game" and there you can open up the folder to the file that has just been saved to "Desktop". And it worked!

It worked because I was opening up the file sent to me from the "game program" itself. I needed the "game program" to do the opening and NOT just trying to click it opened from OUTSIDE the "game program".

So I did look like an idiot really, but Webizen solved the problem for me. Before Webizen's advice - being a wolf - I was "howling up the wrong tree". But Webizen showed me I needed the "game program" itself to open it.

Thanks by the way for helping out and going out of your way to answer my post.