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Author Topic:   Simultaneous turn multiplay

will posted 04-07-99 12:18 AM ET
This probably belongs on the multiplay forum, but that's so moribund, I figured I would put it here . . .
I love the PBEM format, but one of the big problems in the current format is that each game year takes a week because players have to take turns faction by faction. It seems that the system might work better if it followed the VGA Planets and Stars! approach of having the host send a game file to all players, and having them return files with simultaneous turns each day. The host would then compile the turns and send out a new game file. This seems to work great for the galactic conquest games.
Two questions:
1) To the compu-geniuses: Is there some way now to jigger SMAC into accepting simultaneous turns in a PBEM format?
2) To Firaxis: Would it be difficult to alter the PBEM system to operate this way in the next patch? I think there's a stupendous multiplayer experience in this game, but the current system just doesn't seem to be unleashing it.
Zoetrope posted 04-07-99 07:00 AM ET
Brian wrote the PBEM (and hotseat) in one day. He was subsequently asked why he did it in a round-robin fashion instead of hub-and-spoke as you suggest. His reply was that SMAC would have to be fundamentally redesigned to implement H&S.
So, unless he overestimated the difficulty of the necessary change, it seems PBEMers are stuck with the current format.
I do wonder how internet multiplay SMAC is simultaneous, then?
Mortis posted 04-07-99 07:09 AM ET
Sim MP, is good as long as everyone has a good connection, one slow ping and it's all stuffed... It's good for modem to modem games.
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Author	Topic: Simultaneous turn multiplay
will	posted 04-07-99 12:18 AM ET This probably belongs on the multiplay forum, but that's so moribund, I figured I would put it here . . . I love the PBEM format, but one of the big problems in the current format is that each game year takes a week because players have to take turns faction by faction. It seems that the system might work better if it followed the VGA Planets and Stars! approach of having the host send a game file to all players, and having them return files with simultaneous turns each day. The host would then compile the turns and send out a new game file. This seems to work great for the galactic conquest games. Two questions: 1) To the compu-geniuses: Is there some way now to jigger SMAC into accepting simultaneous turns in a PBEM format? 2) To Firaxis: Would it be difficult to alter the PBEM system to operate this way in the next patch? I think there's a stupendous multiplayer experience in this game, but the current system just doesn't seem to be unleashing it.
Zoetrope	posted 04-07-99 07:00 AM ET Brian wrote the PBEM (and hotseat) in one day. He was subsequently asked why he did it in a round-robin fashion instead of hub-and-spoke as you suggest. His reply was that SMAC would have to be fundamentally redesigned to implement H&S. So, unless he overestimated the difficulty of the necessary change, it seems PBEMers are stuck with the current format. I do wonder how internet multiplay SMAC is simultaneous, then?
Mortis	posted 04-07-99 07:09 AM ET Sim MP, is good as long as everyone has a good connection, one slow ping and it's all stuffed... It's good for modem to modem games.