Improving PBEM, again

[bOrIuM]

Hey, I think that an included compressor/decrompressor for the turn files would be nice. Making them much more easier to manipulate and quicker to send. As using winrar you can compress a turn file from 10 times smaller of his original size.

And would be nice to encrypt the data we send, but this is not very important.

[borner]

most games I am in use a seperate yahoo or google website to post turns and this seems to work well

[Marshall Ellis]

I would actually like to shrink the files and integrate the email transport into the game a bit more. This is on my mind.

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

I would actually like to shrink the files and integrate the email transport into the game a bit more. This is on my mind.

A few things:

1. Yes, all my groups use 3rd party sites to manage the files
2. I always use the .zip format (7-zip is free)
3. IF you integrate the email then I strongly suggest Jimmer's suggestion of having a widget to tell you when it's your turn. If you could also build this in the game that would be great, so when I turn on my computer if it's my turn it will tell me it's my turn and what game it's my turn in.

[bresh]

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

I would actually like to shrink the files and integrate the email transport into the game a bit more. This is on my mind.

Just keep in mind with the functionallity that not everyone use email programs.


Regards
Bresh

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: bresh

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

I would actually like to shrink the files and integrate the email transport into the game a bit more. This is on my mind.

Just keep in mind with the functionallity that not everyone use email programs.


Regards
Bresh

Another good reminder. I, for one, don't use an email program.

[bOrIuM]

My point was to skip the step to zip files, the game could do it itself.

And I dont have any email program either

[Marshall Ellis]

Interesting???
It sounds like most do not use an email program.
Do most of you simply upload to a group site?
 

[RayKinStL]

Marshall,
 
Maybe I am wrong here, but I think when they are saying they don't have an email program, that means they don't use Outlook, Groupwise, or other similar programs.  They have email, but they must access it via the web through sites such as yahoo, gmail, hotmail, etc...
 
I agree that an autozip (and UNZIP) would be nice.  As it stands now Marshall, most people I think upload directly to a group, or site, like we are doing in our game.

[Jimmer]

I think it would be OK to include an email client (something really simple), but its use should be optional. The ZIP process, though, should be automatic and you don't have to make it optional if the game handles it on both ends.
 
HOWEVER, when you release the code for the zip stuff, you will have to warn people that everybody needs to upgrade at the same time.

[Marshall Ellis]

ORIGINAL: RayKinStL

Marshall,

Maybe I am wrong here, but I think when they are saying they don't have an email program, that means they don't use Outlook, Groupwise, or other similar programs.  They have email, but they must access it via the web through sites such as yahoo, gmail, hotmail, etc...

I agree that an autozip (and UNZIP) would be nice.  As it stands now Marshall, most people I think upload directly to a group, or site, like we are doing in our game.

Ray:

I got that. I should have been more specific. I meant delivering turns method being email / non-email.

[NeverMan]

Marshall,

I am in 4 PBEM games, NON OF WHICH use the EiANW email method of getting files around. It's basically useless.

[bOrIuM]

same for me, but only one use the group method, wich i find slower than email.

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: bOrIuM

same for me, but only one use the group method, wich i find slower than email.

I haven't found it to be slower but even if it is it's probably not by much AND having all the files in a centralized location is a real lifesaver considering how many problems there are with the game.

[Marshall Ellis]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

Marshall,

I am in 4 PBEM games, NON OF WHICH use the EiANW email method of getting files around. It's basically useless.

This is good to know! I probably won't spend much time integrating the transport. I could use the time elsewhere...
Thanks guys!

[Dancing Bear]

One thing that might be easy to change, and might help with the PBEM game speed is to change the header in the out going email file. Rather than saying just who the next player is, maybe list the 7 (or some other number) nations in the order of their upcoming turns, i.e if te net turns are France, Austria, Prussia, then the email header could say "May Land Phase: France playing, Austria, Prussia,.... June Reinforcement phase"
It may be surprising, but some of players forget where their turn comes up in the sequence of play. Reminding everyone where their turn is in the sequence of play might help those players who have not memorized the rule book know that they should be logging on more regularly at certain times, and when they can relax.

[Marshall Ellis]

This really only helps if people are using email to transport the turns.
 

[gazfun]

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

Marshall,

I am in 4 PBEM games, NON OF WHICH use the EiANW email method of getting files around. It's basically useless.

No its not useless, it quiet handy if you are only in one game.
But if your in more than one game, then your mail server get clogged up due to the number of file exchanges.
Its a horses for courses issue actually

[gazfun]

ORIGINAL: Marshall Ellis

I would actually like to shrink the files and integrate the email transport into the game a bit more. This is on my mind.

Yes I think the smaller would be better, but quiet a few of us are in more than one game, so have a central uploading and downloading area, where the larger files have to be zipped anyway.
But improvement are always welcome

[NeverMan]

ORIGINAL: gazfun

ORIGINAL: NeverMan

Marshall,

I am in 4 PBEM games, NON OF WHICH use the EiANW email method of getting files around. It's basically useless.

No its not useless, it quiet handy if you are only in one game.
But if your in more than one game, then your mail server get clogged up due to the number of file exchanges.
Its a horses for courses issue actually

It's useless because it assumes everyone uses mail servers and, from my experience, most don't, they use mail web servers.