Issues- OAOW PBEM

[rocket7407]

First, I'm not sure players realize that creating a password protected challenge makes it impossible to accept the challenge without knowing their password. A challenger can click on "accept challenge" but the first prompt is "enter opponent's password" which you probably don't know. How many players wonder why their challenges are never accepted? This is short sighted programming which could so easily be rectified by allowing the challenge to be accepted and generating an email to the creator asking if he wishes to accept the challenge. If he says no, fine. If he says yes, the game could proceed, and the challenge creator still controls who he wishes to play with.

Secondly, and absolutely devastating to game play. The following applies only to PBEM games without passwords. The save game function cannot be used in these games. Some game scenarios are complex and time consuming and game turns cannot always be completed at one setting. Normally, a player would save the game and come back later to finish the turn. Here's what happens: the player reloads the game turn and finishes his turn and clicks "end turn" and receives a message that a "sal" file cannot be sent by email. Apparently, the game generates an alternate file with a different extension; perhaps this is the file that needs to be sent to an opponent, but who knows, since attempting to open that alternate file causes the player to be presented with "enter opponent's password", which you do not know. Bottom line: if a player uses "save game" at any point during a turn in a PBEM, non-password game, he will never be able to send it.
I've tried to work around this by leaving the game open but minimized while I take a break. Here's what happens: I come back the next day, maximize the screen and complete the turn, click "end turn", and receive the normal "game was sent to your opponent" message. Only problem is that it wasn't. I open my list of active games and there it is, still listed as my turn. If that's not bad enough, since I'm unable to save, the game opens at the beginning of my turn. I have to play the entire turn over again. This has happened to me many times. If I'm doing something wrong, I sure would like to know what it is. Otherwise, please fix it.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: rocket7407

First, I'm not sure players realize that creating a password protected challenge makes it impossible to accept the challenge without knowing their password. A challenger can click on "accept challenge" but the first prompt is "enter opponent's password" which you probably don't know. How many players wonder why their challenges are never accepted? This is short sighted programming which could so easily be rectified by allowing the challenge to be accepted and generating an email to the creator asking if he wishes to accept the challenge. If he says no, fine. If he says yes, the game could proceed, and the challenge creator still controls who he wishes to play with.

The whole point of a password protected challenge is for when you already have an opponent set for the challenge and only want him to accept. If that's not the case, don't password protect the challenge.

Secondly, and absolutely devastating to game play. The following applies only to PBEM games without passwords. The save game function cannot be used in these games. Some game scenarios are complex and time consuming and game turns cannot always be completed at one setting. Normally, a player would save the game and come back later to finish the turn. Here's what happens: the player reloads the game turn and finishes his turn and clicks "end turn" and receives a message that a "sal" file cannot be sent by email. Apparently, the game generates an alternate file with a different extension; perhaps this is the file that needs to be sent to an opponent, but who knows, since attempting to open that alternate file causes the player to be presented with "enter opponent's password", which you do not know. Bottom line: if a player uses "save game" at any point during a turn in a PBEM, non-password game, he will never be able to send it.
I've tried to work around this by leaving the game open but minimized while I take a break. Here's what happens: I come back the next day, maximize the screen and complete the turn, click "end turn", and receive the normal "game was sent to your opponent" message. Only problem is that it wasn't. I open my list of active games and there it is, still listed as my turn. If that's not bad enough, since I'm unable to save, the game opens at the beginning of my turn. I have to play the entire turn over again. This has happened to me many times. If I'm doing something wrong, I sure would like to know what it is. Otherwise, please fix it.

Larry claims to have a solution here:

https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4733806