PBEM Problem: "You are not authorized to play this turn"

[citizenchip]

So. I start a turn of Heraklion as the axis, and select a PBEM allied opponent. I take my turn, and when it prompts me, I click "send e-mail" (or whatever it says) and send it to my opponent. He does the same and sends it back to me. I download the turn and place it in my PBEM Turns folder. I click "take PBEM Turn" in the game, select the turn I downloaded, and then get the message "You are not authorized to play this side!!"

This has happened multiple times, and is incredibly frustrating. Any suggestions?

[junk2drive]

We had a problem in testing a year ago that was password related and fixed.

Other than that I don't know.

[junk2drive]

Do you both have the game installed to the default C:\Matrix Games\ etc.? XP Vista or 7?

[spelk]

I'm Chips opponent, and I have the game installed to a different directory than the default. I have Windows XP Home.

[junk2drive]

When I start a PBEM game and finish my turn, I get a popup that says something like turn saved to C:\Matrix Games\blah blah Allies turn. That goes to the Axis player. Are you sure you two are exchanging the correct files and loading the correct files?

Edit I got it backwards

» You will be notified when it is time to send your opponent the PBEM game
file. The game will have created the PBEM game file and saved it to a folder
called ‘’PBEM Turns’’ which is located within the CC2 game folder. The name
of the game file will include the scenario name, turn number and which side
it applies to. (For example, the Allied player has taken his first turn of ‘’Troina’’
scenario and is ready to send it to the axis player. the file looks like this:
» “Troina01gAxis (StartOfTurn).ceg.”

[spelk]

Yeah, we've done this. There are two options after the game has saved the turn to the PBEMturns directory. One is 'Okay' and the other is 'Email Turn'. We've tried both. Okay seems to hold the game at its current state, whereas Email Turn opens up your MAPI email client and attachs the turn file for you. The game also seems to calculate the next players initiative. The file saved will have your opponents side attached to the file name.

So the process goes like this:

I load the turn using the Take PBEM Turn button from the main menu.
I watch the Axis turn play out.
I take my movement turn, and direct fire/Assault
Then I press Email Turn, and send the file
I close the game down.

When Chip tries to load my turn, he gets the authorisation error.

The filename I sent to him was Heraklion02aAxis(StartOfTurn).cc2em

This is our third attempt at getting the turn files to pass between us and allow us to play out turns, and much to our chagrin  one or other of us has had these authorisation problems processing. Its sort of holding up our Battle of the Blogs session, which is a bit of a shame

Any help or suggestions to get us going again with the game would be most appreciated.

[junk2drive]

My next guess would be one of your email programs is corrupting the file or adding something to it. I would save the file, zip it and send it as an attachment.

[Obsolete]

Citizen, as Junk mentioned, this error did come up before in the Beta, and was solved.

Send me a PVM of your e-mail address, and I'd be happy to set up some others with you so we can either narrow down the problem, or see who the problem may be.

I promise, I won't go too hard on your troops (fingers crossed)...

[balenami1291]

I posted a zip file where I founded the same problem.

Note I'm playing pbem games with obsolete since beta test and was all ok.

this is my game's directory:

C:\Matrix Games\Combat Command ME

The only unusual thing was I take 2 separate pbem turns for 2 different opponent in the same game session.

[JMass]

I am the opponent of mi1291 and I get the message "You are not authorized to play this side", now I get the same message from another pbem I started with Sabre1 so something of strange is happening...

[sabre1]

HEY! JMass and myself cannot continue our PBEM game. Someone fix this please, so JMass can continue on his path of kicking me around the map. [;)]

[Obsolete]

When our PBEM problem came up during the beta, it was solved through patching. Here was a little bit of info from that issue:

The problem with PBEM centered around the game not reading the PBEM password from the registry correctly. So after putting the exe in place, open the registry editor (regedit.exe) and delete this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BokuStrategyGames\Combat Command\Preferences\Email Code

When you run your first PBEM game, you'll be asked for a password. When you exit the game, the password will be written to this location (so don't use any real ones...)

I wonder, was everyone asked for a password at the start? And if so... is it still there.

It seems so far, that if at least one person is involved in the PBEM (who was not part of the beta), then this issue occurs. But I don't want to fall into any false-positive traps just yet.


I am going to forward this issue up the chain and hope to get in an early patch release.

[spelk]

I've checked the registry entry
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BokuStrategyGames\Combat Command\Preferences\Email Code

And there seems to be some non alphanumeric characters contained in that key. However, I was unaware that my PBEM opponent (who created the game and set the first turn going) had entered a password to protect the game files.

Is this a problem if they leave the password blank? Does the game auto-inject something into that key as the turns pass back and forth? We got to the stage of me sending my turn 1 file back - so I processed his turn 1 ok. He just couldn't load my turn 1 to start his turn 2.

[JMass]

ORIGINAL: Obsolete
I wonder, was everyone asked for a password at the start? And if so... is it still there.

No, I was not asked for a password, I tried now to start some pbems for a test and no password was asked to me...

[JMass]

My entry HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BokuStrategyGames\Combat Command\Preferences\Email Code
was blank, I deleted it but with no luck, no request for a password and checking the registry I noticed that the entry was not recreated.

[Tim Coakley]

Thanks for posting. I will ask Mike Cooney to take a look at this ASAP.

Tim

[MichaelCooney]

Hi all, thanks for posting the saved games mi1291.  I can see in the files that the password consists of a number of non-alphanumeric characters, which is causing the problem.  If anyone's HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BokuStrategyGames\Combat Command\Preferences\Email Code registry entry is something other than letters and numbers, double click it to edit it and type in any word. That's your new password that the game will use to encode your turn.  I'm still trying to figure out how this entry can be corrupted. 

Interestingly, if I delete the Email Code entry or set it to empty, then the game will ask me for a new password when I start a PBEM game or try to take a PBEM turn.  Does that not happen for everyone?  The Email Code is not saved until you exit the game.

[junk2drive]

I never get asked for a password.

[junk2drive]

In the registry there is an email code. I must have set it back in testing.

[Fred98]

ORIGINAL: MichaelCooney
If anyone's HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\BokuStrategyGames\Combat Command\Preferences\Email Code registry entry is something other than letters and numbers, double click it to edit it and type in any word.

Would that comment be any different for WIN 7?

I know nothing about the registry so I will not touch it anyhow.

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