The Size of Secure PBEM files...a suggestion

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The Size of Secure PBEM files...a suggestion

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All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [World War II] >> Steel Panthers World At War & Mega Campaigns >> The Size of Secure PBEM files...a suggestion

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The Size of Secure PBEM files...a suggestion - 7/23/2001 4:26:00 AM

Cicero

Posts: 13
Joined: 6/27/2001
From: Yorkshire, UK
Status: offline

As a PBEM player of the original SP and SP2 I was used to nice small files which were whizzed off in a few seconds..I am sure some people cheated me and replayed their turns a few times until they got the result they wanted but, on the whole, I think the majority played fair. I always did. Sadly the price we all now pay is to have to put up with these HUGE files. The alternative is to play an insecure game..and that seems to be going to the other extreme. The impression I get is that would be relatively easy to open up my opponents file by mistake because there is no password at all. Wouldnt it be possible to have the current "insecure" option more like the old sp PBEM files? so a password can be used but the file isnt encrypted. To my mind this would be a better compromise, some security maintained, not enough to deter the determined cheat, but enough to make sure that accidents didnt happen whilst producing files that are a more reasonable size?

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- 7/23/2001 7:26:00 AM

MacCready

Posts: 591
Joined: 1/5/2001
From: USA
Status: offline

Huge files? Are you for real? I'm using a three year old system featuring a 233 mhz processor and using the winzip utility. The files really aren't that big. It only takes a minute or two to send the zipped files e-mail and I'm playing multiple games at once.

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- 7/23/2001 7:54:00 AM

Paul Vebber

Posts: 11430
Joined: 3/29/2000
From: Portsmouth RI
Status: offline

We more or less have a "compormise" security system as you can ignore security messeges. IN version 4 somewhere we split the lareg playback file into a seperate .rec file so it would not be encrypted and zip poorly. This file usually zips to 90+% making a typical email save under 500kb. This level of security prevents the most common forms of cheating (though little can be done about replaying tuns if you want any chance of recovering from a mistake) If you want to play unsecure a little trick of starting the save game file with the letter of the side you are sending it too and turn number (Gt6 fredvTom) helps prevent opening the wrong turn. The game also shows whose turn it is, so if you ignore that then you are need to slow down ;)

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- 7/24/2001 2:12:00 AM

Cicero

Posts: 13
Joined: 6/27/2001
From: Yorkshire, UK
Status: offline

quote:

Originally posted by MacCready: Huge files? Are you for real? I'm using a three year old system featuring a 233 mhz processor and using the winzip utility. The files really aren't that big. It only takes a minute or two to send the zipped files e-mail and I'm playing multiple games at once.

I am very much for real, It took an average of four minutes to send each of my zipped spwaw file last night and less than 30 seconds to send my zipped sp2 file. Thats a big difference, Particularly when you consider I have four email games on the go.. 16 minutes to send my spwaw files compared to 2 for sp2. But I think the answer to my problem is also in your reply..I need to upgrade my system, your p233 is a race horse to my donkey of a p166 :)

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