TCP/IP

[Seawolf]

TCP/IP will be implemented but not in the near future. We need to get the game right first before we takle that issue

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Seawolf on the prowl

[Londo]

i am focusing on simultaneous games, I have no intention of waiting a half hour at a time for my turn. 3 friends and I are eagerly awaiting TCP/IP as this will allow us to play together in real time, the same way we have in other great games including Age of Wonder, Europa Universalis, and Alpha Centauri. This game belongs in a class with those others, and in my opinion would be superior once TCP/IP is implemented.

Boy, didn't realize that I would nearly be flamed (just kidding, Belisarius) about this issue.

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Vir! You have made a mess of this post once again, now give me a large cup of brivari so that I may begin to forget the bad times and remember the glory of the great Centauri Republic.

[Arralen]

You cannot play SE4 "realtime", as it isn't.
You can't even play it like SMAC, as you cannot access your cities (planets) if it isn't your turn.

You may call this a major design flaw (and I may agree on this), but it's something which cannot be altered without re-writing the game engine ...

Sorry to spoil your dreams ..

A.

[Magus38]

I may be wrong but I think that when Londo says realtime, he simply means all players connected through a single host simultaneously. Though turns would be taken simultaneously it would remain a turn based game.

A good case in point of just how possible this would be is MOOII. Here is example of everybody playing simultaneously and the game working well, everyone knowing who is finished because there are small colour coded lights in one corner of the screen that indicate that the associated player has finished his turn by turning dark. Another good example is age of wonders; turn based strategy supporting simultaneous play through both TCP/IP and IPX/SPX (for a Novell network).

What I am saying is that while it may take quite a bit of work, it is not only compatible with the current game architecture, but there are ample precedents out there in the strategy gaming world.

[God Emperor]

Londo,
I'll throw a vote of support in for TCP/IP. I and three of my friends all look forward to its eventual arrival. All of us like tactical battles and PBEM does not inspire us. So for the time being, its playing and tweaking the AI!

Magus38,
I agree entirely with you. I remember losing many hours playing MOO2 simultaneous across the modem. Ah, those were the days...
Am looking forward to them again with SE4.


[This message has been edited by God Emperor (edited 04 April 2001).]

[Master Belisarius]

First, I'm not against the TCP/IP, ok? But I think that should be not the priority.

But yea, I can remember the old times playing Moo2 Online too:

- Games with only small galaxies (if not could be games forever).
- Crashing all the time.
- Waiting 20 minutes when other guy was to eat their dinner.
- Or wait until someone come back from the bathroom.
- Or waiting 15 minutes btw two guys are playing an small battle.
- Or when the game was moved to continue other day, waiting hours and hours until all the players are back.

As you can see, I'm not missing the old days.!

Currently you can play games SE4 "Online". Using ICQ, you can play your turn and send it very fast.

[Fuerte]

Practically you don't need TCP/IP, because you can do the same thing with PBEM, and more comfortably. If there were automatic PBEM host servers, that would process and send the .GAM file as soon as it has all the .PLR files, then you would in fact have the same functionality as TCP/IP.

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PBEM