Monadman
Posts: 2085
Joined: 12/6/2005
From: New Hampshire
Status: offline
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The following information will be made available in the next addendum, but with several PBEM games currently running, I thought many of you would want to have this info now; as you go thru your first steps with a new PBEM format.
To replace a human player with the AI:
If a player drops out or gets the boot and no human player is available to take over, the host uses the Admin Menu, and in the “Type” field, chooses which AI will take over (easy, medium or hard). The AI will now generate a turn file, which must be sent by the human player that precedes the AI player. For instance, if human Britain is first to move during the naval phase and AI Russia is next to move, after human Britain completed his or her turn and advanced the game, the AI would immediately play the Russian turn. Human Britain would then be responsible for sending both his/her turn AND AI Russia’s turn files to the other members of the playgroup.
To replace the AI or a human player with a human player:
If the host wishes to add a human player to take over for the AI or replace one human player for another, he or she uses the Admin Menu, and after clicking to highlight the targeted major power, then clicks the “Type” field and chooses “Client”. The host will then add the new player’s name and email address and click the “Replace Player” button, which creates seven backup files. The program will generate a backup file for EACH member of the playgroup, including the host, and the host must send the appropriate file to each member in order for the game to be in sync again. Note: The backup files can be found in the “save” folder.
To replace the host:
The host also has the ability to remove him or her self from that duty and appoint a new host from either the list or from outside of the group. To do so, follow the instructions for how to replace a human player with a human player
To have the AI play a turn:
To have the AI play a turn for a specific client who is next to play his or her turn, click the “Quick play turn with AI” button, answer “yes” and then exit the Admin Menu. If the next client in order must also have the AI play their turn, return the Admin Menu and repeat the above instructions.
To repair a game due to out of sync problems:
If out of sync errors should occur, the host has the power to create backup files and distribute them to each member of the group (including the host). Simply click the “Create backups” button in the Admin Menu window and two files per major power will be generated in the “save” folder.
Example:
GameName_backup_forplayer_Austria.sav.dat
GameName_backup_forplayer_Austria.sav
The backup files are appropriately named for the seven major powers so the host should take care when sending them out (Host: do not group list your email). When the clients receive the backup files, they put them into their “save” folder. The clients and the host must then use the “Load Game” button (from the main menu) to load the backup file (the program only recognizes the .sav extension). The player next to move, works his or her turn and then clicks the End Current Phase button so that all data will again be written to the save game file. As soon as the other six players load that turn file, the program will automatically update their saved game file too. All members of the playgroup can now resume play using the SAVED game file. The backup has done its job (it is obsolete now) and everyone is in sync again and can continue with play.
NOTE: Backup files start where the host last left off, so if the French diplomacy phase was the last turn file the host loaded then each individual backup file would start PRELOADED up to the French diplomacy phase. As players resume the game from this point forward, they create NEW turn files and all previously made turn files (those made before the backup was created) are now obsolete.
IMPORTANT: Do not go back to a previously played turn in PBEM games.
The two ways to make that mistake is to 1) reload the gamestart file or; 2) if you have been saving game files on your own. The program will protect itself (and the other players) so that one cannot “go back” and redo a turn, thus causing out of sync errors. This is why there is no “save game” button in the main menu for PBEM games, but we also knew that it was possible for players to do their own file management and copy, paste and save the game on their own, so we disallowed the player from loading his/her own turn file when the time came to load it (dead-ended). The only way to advance this game is to use the saved game file that the PROGRAM creates and continually writes to.
Enjoy
Richard
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Using the Host Admin Menu in PBEM Games - 
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