SPWAW Online gaming plea!!!

[Supervisor]

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. David Heath our Director of Operations is considering making an update to SPWAW. He is primarly concerned with the online problems. Please post your comments in this thread. Need your help now!

[Bernie]

Okay folks, David Heath asked for our help in testing the online gaming functions built into SPWAW. Now, if you're like I am, you've never tried this before. What I'd like to do is keep this thread alive as sort of a "clearinghouse" of information on how to do it. Post tips, tricks, whatever! Ask questions, we'll get answers!

To start with, what servers are there that we can connect up with for online play? And what settings, if any, do we need to make in SPWAW or our various OS's?

Anyone have an answer?

[Commander Klank]

I play alot of online games and I must say the biggest frustration is if a person is dropped all the autosave files for the players don't match up to restart the game with out someone sending the other players thier save files. while this dosn't happen all the time it happens enough, people who online alot know what I'm talking about.

Perhaps have the game autosave as soon as a player is detected to have dropped or something. Or have the hosts game jump into the sane game mode so he can save the game were the drop was and send his files to the other players to pick up the game were it left off at.

Another neat feature (one I think you guys should really consider) would be to have a "calculate the winner right now" button for online games. This would be great for the many small one night battles lots of us play; if it gets late you can see who is winning at the touch of a button. Like most others I must have a dozen online games saved and in reality I dout I'll ever finish any of them.....LOL

One thing I've seen in online play is alot is players losing tons of time on their clocks during thier turn. I don't know if its a game thing or a lagg thing but the clock thing needs to be worked out if it can.

A "spectator" mode would be cool as well. This would allow folks to join a game and watch both sides of it. This would be cool for ladder matches or contests were a judge (and others) can watch two players/sides fight.

That would be cool:D

[Bernie]

It would seem that online play is not a popular activity amongst our members. I have to wonder why? Is it the save game problems outlined in a different thread? The variable rates time elapses for different players? The problems associated with dial-up accounts? Lack of servers?

Tell us, what keeps you from playing online?

For myself, it would have to be all of the above, but then, I prefer PBEM anyway.

[Oxtane]

One reason that I not really into it is because most of the guys that i play against are on the opposite side of the world!! So when I get home and want to play they are either sleeping or getting ready to go to work!! Just have to find guys here in the states or elsewhere that match my timezone. I guess that a detailed explaination of how to get everyone connected would also be nice.

[Les_the_Sarge_9_1]

Common lament actually, and it dispells the myth that "computers are better than board games, due to how they can allow us to play with anyone anywhere anytime".

Actually computers are indeed a great tool. But I have found linking up in Pbem mode has it's own hurdles in numerous computer games.
Some have security issues that need to be designed out of the occasion. But most often it is just as was mentioned. Gamer X might be available when gamer Y is not.
And some just don't get any thrill at emailing turns.

A real time ie I am playing you are playing option, is the much preferred I think. But finding someone when you yourself wish to play is always the hassle.

The best that can be done, is to develope games with reliable secure means of transporting the turn, and leave it at that.

[FlashfyreSP]

Problem #1 with an online version is the fact that the game is turn-based; without RealTime play, only one gamer can be 'active' at a time. So what you end up with is a face-to-face boardgame meeting without the face-to-face part. The same 'down-time' that one experiences while waiting for one's opponent to finish all their moves, fires, morale checks, et al. would be apparent, but without the ability to verbally abuse one's opponent for delaying the game.

I for one can't think of a way to make it equally 'busy' for both sides, without converting the whole game into a RealTime mess....

And there are far too many of those as it is.

[Jamminji]

I do not play via the internet approach but I do play PBEM. Security is the main issue for me. I know that there are security protocols in place, but they are easy to get around. The way I understand it, if you zip up a turn and send it to the other player, that player can unzip it, and play his turn. If he does not like the outcome he just unzips the files again and replays his turn. This can be done as many time as he wishes without ANY detection! I hope that I am wrong here, but if not, then there is NO security in ANY PBEM game.

jam