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Automated PBEM for the Steam version?

 
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Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 11:54:14 AM   
InfoBit

 

Posts: 8
Joined: 7/7/2020
Status: offline 		I love this game! I wanted to play it with some friends, but honestly, it is annoying to have to e-mail each other the save file.

Is there going to be an officially-maintained automated version of this process anytime soon, maybe with the Steam release?

I and my friends also play a PBEM-like game, Dominions 5. But even there, the annoyance of e-mailing turns disappeared with community-maintained servers and Discord bots. I think this game would benefit from some officially-maintained automation for multiplayer.

As an example, I want to mention Age of Wonders - Planetfall. The multiplayer part of the game is automated, and you even get a Steam notification when it is your turn. Anyway, I hope this is something we could see in the future.
Post #: 1
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 11:57:18 AM   
mssm45


Posts: 53
Joined: 11/4/2016
Status: offline 		Use DropBox instead of emails.

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(in reply to InfoBit)
Post #: 2
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 1:13:20 PM   
zgrssd

 

Posts: 3385
Joined: 6/9/2020
Status: offline 		You propably want to make a sugestion for this. But I wanted to write one for the AOW:PF approach myself.


@mssm45: Just changing the place where the savegame is stored without changing the process increases the hassle, instead of decreasing it.



(in reply to mssm45)
Post #: 3
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 2:25:10 PM   
InfoBit

 

Posts: 8
Joined: 7/7/2020
Status: offline 		The AoW:PF approach is great. Everyone can be online simultaneously, or play their turn and exit the game.

If you write that suggestion, I will second it!

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Post #: 4
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 3:07:08 PM   
Fizbun

 

Posts: 12
Joined: 6/25/2020
Status: offline 		In our Discord chat they just send the savegame into the channel.
You don't have to email, you basically could upload it as a .txt on pastebin and send it to someone and they could save it as .SE1 file

(in reply to InfoBit)
Post #: 5
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 3:08:12 PM   
Malevolence


Posts: 1781
Joined: 4/3/2010
Status: offline 		You have my vote, but I'll add it would be nice if the history displayed the same automatic battle information and visual display that we see when taking our own turns. Nice to have in PvE, essential in PvP.


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Post #: 6
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 5:04:26 PM   
zgrssd

 

Posts: 3385
Joined: 6/9/2020
Status: offline 		I made the post:
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4850196

quote:

ORIGINAL: Malevolence

You have my vote, but I'll add it would be nice if the history displayed the same automatic battle information and visual display that we see when taking our own turns. Nice to have in PvE, essential in PvP.


This would have to be a general change to how the Combat History works (and what it contains).

Entirely unrelated to how you exchange that savefile.

(in reply to Malevolence)
Post #: 7
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/7/2020 5:11:43 PM   
InfoBit

 

Posts: 8
Joined: 7/7/2020
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: zgrssd

I made the post:


Thanks a lot! I will comment there.

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Post #: 8
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 4:23:40 AM   
diamondspider

 

Posts: 141
Joined: 5/15/2020
Status: offline 		I think it is a terrific idea to try to support hassle-free multiplayer on Steam. There have been many games that my friends simply refuse to play due to email hassle, including the excellent Solium Infernum that they really like but the email hassle makes them refuse to play it with me.

How difficult can it be to share a game play file in SteamCloud? (don't answer that, I know that absolutely nothing is actually "easy" in development).

< Message edited by diamondspider -- 7/8/2020 4:33:45 AM >

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Post #: 9
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 8:29:04 AM   
zgrssd

 

Posts: 3385
Joined: 6/9/2020
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: diamondspider

I think it is a terrific idea to try to support hassle-free multiplayer on Steam. There have been many games that my friends simply refuse to play due to email hassle, including the excellent Solium Infernum that they really like but the email hassle makes them refuse to play it with me.

How difficult can it be to share a game play file in SteamCloud? (don't answer that, I know that absolutely nothing is actually "easy" in development).

The cloud is not suited for that. To my knowledge it deals with your savegames only.

The thing is, nobody made any headway in this regard until Planetfall hit last year. It is the first actuall improovement of the PBEM format for...I think decades? Maybe even since it was invented?
That is how long it took to figure out the right improovement to make (without change the whole Savegame system and gameplay loop).

(in reply to diamondspider)
Post #: 10
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 9:51:30 AM   
diamondspider

 

Posts: 141
Joined: 5/15/2020
Status: offline 		I don't think that is true at all. I've played tons of games like this that work perfectly multiplayer on Steam. Of course just using SteamCloud won't work, but it would be pretty similar.

(in reply to zgrssd)
Post #: 11
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 2:41:07 PM   
eddieballgame

 

Posts: 676
Joined: 6/29/2011
Status: offline 		One benefit of a simple file transfer system such as via email is, no need to worry or contend with a particular server being down.
It can happen & the "hassle" of replacing a small saved file (which is in the main directory) is...minuscule.


< Message edited by eddieballgame -- 7/8/2020 2:42:16 PM >

(in reply to diamondspider)
Post #: 12
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 3:24:34 PM   
zgrssd

 

Posts: 3385
Joined: 6/9/2020
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: eddieballgame

One benefit of a simple file transfer system such as via email is, no need to worry or contend with a particular server being down.
It can happen & the "hassle" of replacing a small saved file (which is in the main directory) is...minuscule.


The thing is: The addtion of automation would not remove the option to manually go back to PBEM.
You can still move around the savegame ye-olde-men style.

(in reply to eddieballgame)
Post #: 13
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 5:11:27 PM   
eddieballgame

 

Posts: 676
Joined: 6/29/2011
Status: offline 		I am curious if anyone has tried a PBEM game with more than 2 players & how that worked out.

(in reply to zgrssd)
Post #: 14
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 7:08:37 PM   
DTurtle

 

Posts: 443
Joined: 4/26/2010
Status: offline 		I'm in two 4-player PBEMs. We have a discord channel for each game, and everybody simply posts the save game and messages the next player in line that their turn is up.

It works very well.

(in reply to eddieballgame)
Post #: 15
RE: Automated PBEM for the Steam version? - 7/8/2020 10:00:21 PM   
eddieballgame

 

Posts: 676
Joined: 6/29/2011
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: DTurtle

I'm in two 4-player PBEMs. We have a discord channel for each game, and everybody simply posts the save game and messages the next player in line that their turn is up.

It works very well.


Excellent & thank you.

(in reply to DTurtle)
Post #: 16
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