PBEM Setup instructions

[CanuckSoldier]

Due to the fact that the manual is not very friendly in this regard here are the steps to setup a PBEM in CIV.

1. You are the host: in your organizing the game you will need several options from the players.

a. There email address.

b. There SMTP server(this is so that the game can email the save directly without you manually emailing each save, example if a smtp server: smtp.telus.net)

c. Players will need to know there SMTP password(most smtp servers DO NOT require a pw to SEND mail, just to D/L it, so don't email the host with your "pop" password, for the odd person that has a ISP that requires a pw to send mail, this option is for you), the host doesn't need this info but you may.


d. The Civ they want, and if they want a custom "Civ Description", ie Greek Empire, a "Short Description", ie Greece, a "Civ Adjective" ie Greek.

e. There Civ password.

2. After you get all this info you enter this in the PBEM Staging Room. Click on the "Player Details" icon to the left of the player name in the list. It looks like a rectangle with a portrait in the top left. And enter all the details in the fields.

3. If you don't get the smtp info, it's no problem, the game will save the the game in a pbem folder in the "pbem/your game name" folder, in your My games folder. You just have to manually email it. And the players can enter this same data by using "Alt+D" to access the Player Details, the only difference in the in game PD screen is that the fields don't have text lables to the left, you have to mouse over the empty fields to find out what they are from the popups.

4. Also the PBEM "admin" should enter an "Admin Password". To do this, during your first turn as a player, use "Shift+Alt+D" and enter a pw in the field. This lets you play any players turn if required.

5. At the end of each turn the game will either send the save by email ingame or will save it to your HD, and after this it pauses the game, you can't unpause it. Your only option is click on the "open main menu" button or hit the esc on your keyboard and chose an option there.

6.At the end turn, the game gives you a "Don't send/OK" dialog if you have entered a email and smtp server. Also here is two fields that give you the option to enter a smtp username and and password. If you didn't enter a email/smtp the game just gives you a simple message that the game has been saved for you to manually email it. After you hit OK, it sends the emails and displays a message indicating that the email has been sent to "player@player.net".

6. Ofcourse to load your PBEM chose, Multiplayer-PBEM-Load Game, or just open the save in your email and CIV will launch and open it as a PBEM game, and you are off to the races.

CS

Edit: Changes made to reflect the below issues

[Grandpa Troll]

well

I just "accidentl;y" found that you can load the pbem game from within the email inbox..just like Call To Power

CIVIII was bass-ackwards..receive the email save, save it to the folder, launch the game open the save play,save and then open the email backup and attach

This is way too kool

Thanks for yet another step forward to all the neat guys who made this game

Gramps:b: :b:

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by CanuckSoldier

6. Ofcourse to load your PBEM chose, Multiplayer-PBEM-Load Game, and you are off to the races.

CS

or load it directly from the inbox of your email as well;)

[CanuckSoldier]

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll


or load it directly from the inbox of your email as well;)

Nice I never tried that, I wonder if all saves are properly assiciated in windows and the game hands them equally as gracefully.....offto test this now.

CS

[Davie]

Originally posted by CanuckSoldier

b. There SMTP server(this is so that the game can email the save directly without you manually emailing each save, example if a smtp server: smtp.telus.net)

c. There SMTP password(most smtp servers DO NOT require a pw to SEND mail, just to D/L it, so don't email the host with your "pop" password, for the odd person that has a ISP that requires a pw to send mail, this option is for you)



Well... for c. where is the space to enter a smtp password? The Player Details just give me the smtp server and a civ4 password but no smtp pass, but my smtp doesn't send anything without proper access via password and username... .

Btw how do i know whether the email is sent or not... it just gives me the "configure a email adress so civ4 can send the saved game via email ingame"-Thingy.

please help a civ-anon! :)

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by CanuckSoldier


Nice I never tried that, I wonder if all saves are properly assiciated in windows and the game hands them equally as gracefully.....offto test this now.

CS

that wqas one of the things that ticked me off about pbem in CIV III

open email/save to a folder/escape email/start civ game/load save/play save/save the save/escape from game/open email/open new email and attach save

darned fricking frustrating

this however works just like CTP only game is a bunch funner than CTP
and I have to tell ya

I LOVE Call To Power folks

Im as staunch a supporter of CTP as YIN26 was a vocal well.."Opposition" of CIVIII

anyhoo
enjoy all

Gramps

[CanuckSoldier]

Originally posted by Davie


Well... for c. where is the space to enter a smtp password? The Player Details just give me the smtp server and a civ4 password but no smtp pass, but my smtp doesn't send anything without proper access via password and username... .

Btw how do i know whether the email is sent or not... it just gives me the "configure a email adress so civ4 can send the saved game via email ingame"-Thingy.

please help a civ-anon! :)

Ah a slight mistake, the smtp username and pw are options in the end turn screen.

At the end of your turn, if you've entered a email and smtp info it gives you a dialog, with a Don't send an a OK option, as well as two "blank fields" one for your smtp user name and one for your pw.

When you click ok after filling it in as required it sends the email. And gives you the "E-mail to player@player.net successfully sent" message.


CS

[snoopy369]

Do you actually have to fill in a smtp username and password? I didn't think smtp required these ... but I of course could be wrong :) I couldn't get this to work, anyway, so maybe that's why ... :cute:

[snoopy369]

Hmm. I tried it ... and it didn't work, with either my yahoo account or gmail. Has anyone done it successfully with either server, and how did you?

Yahoo:
username: snoopy369 password (same as email password)
server: smtp.mail.yahoo.com

gmail:
username: snoopy369@gmail.com password (same as email)
server: smtp.gmail.com

Both require port 587, and gmail requires TLS security, so perhaps neither server will play well with this?

[CanuckSoldier]

I don't know if anyone has successfully used a free emial server, I'll try sending to a save and see how much luck I have with it.

CS

[CanuckSoldier]

Ok it does look like CIV is coded to use port 25, and I don't see any way to change this in the ini, but I'll bring this to the attention of the dev's.

CS

[Davie]

Not all smtp servers need authorization... but mine does :(

Hm, even if i entered an email adress it doesn't give me the dialog...

but i try again

thx for the replys

[CanuckSoldier]

The option to enter a pw is not in the "player details" it only appears in the end turn dialog, but you only get that dialog if you have entered both a email and a smtp in the player details.

CS

[vovan]

Originally posted by CanuckSoldier
The option to enter a pw is not in the "player details" it only appears in the end turn dialog, but you only get that dialog if you have entered both a email and a smtp in the player details.

... Which you can change during the game if you hit Alt-D. :b: So if the admin screwed something up :rolleyes: you can still get the stuff to work eventually.

Vovan

[marcsterix]

The port 25 is being phased out by several ISP and other mail providers...Mine is using 587 also :(

It would have been nice if they had a INI file where all you needed to do is swap the outgoing mail port...

Anyone know of a free outgoing mail provider that uses port 25?

M.

[Shogun Gunner]

I have not been able to get this to work with either

smtp.gmail.com
OR
smtp.email.msn.com (which is a paid account)

I haven't check with my hardware firewall to see if port 25 is blocked.

[marcsterix]

No, I doubt it's blocked...My ISP used to have outgoing mail on port 25 up until a couple months ago...then they switched to 587 and phased out 25. All I had to do was get into Outlook and change the port number from 25 to 587.

It would have been nice if I could do the same in CivIV (hint, hint, to any dev or modders out there...)
;)

[Rommel2D]

Originally posted by CanuckSoldier
Due to the fact that the manual is not very friendly in this regard here are the steps to setup a PBEM in CIV.
[...]
e. The[ier] Civ password.
[...]
This is more trouble and less secure than just having the setup player makeup a simple password and email it to each player. They can then set up their own password with Alt-d and no one else will know it...

[marcsterix]

Players don't need to email or send their "Civ" password to anyone. When they get their first turn, all they have to do is press Alt-D and type in their own "Civ" password.

From then on every time they open the file with their new turn, it will first ask to confirm that password before letting them play the turn.

Also, it's good to remind ppl that the "Civ" password has nothing to do with their SMTP password. If you want to set up to email directly from CIV-IV, you can do so yourself (again, by pressing Alt-D). Here all you need is your outgoing SMTP name, not the password. The SMTP password is requested by CIV at the end of each turn, prior to sending it out (so no, you don't need to give this out to anyone either).

M

[Rommel2D]

Originally posted by marcsterix
Players don't need to email or send their "Civ" password to anyone. When they get their first turn, all they have to do is press Alt-D and type in their own "Civ" password.
That's what I was just saying, except that the setup person can make up temporary passwords for the first turn so that none of the other players can look at the starts of the players after them. Its not that I expect anyone to cheat, but the less loopholes lying around, the more players can focus on enjoying the game IMO.

Also, it's good to remind ppl that the "Civ" password has nothing to do with their SMTP password[...]
Also, SMTP passwords for outgoing mail are rare, so don't worry about it unless the program prompts you for it...

[CanuckSoldier]

Originally posted by Rommel2D

That's what I was just saying, except that the setup person can make up temporary passwords for the first turn so that none of the other players can look at the starts of the players after them. Its not that I expect anyone to cheat, but the less loopholes lying around, the more players can focus on enjoying the game IMO.


Also, SMTP passwords for outgoing mail are rare, so don't worry about it unless the program prompts you for it...

I haven't tested it, but I don't believe a player can change the pw that a host has set, if he has. So it's really a issue on trusting the players before you on the first turn or trusting the host with your pw. But at anyrate the host can and should set an admin pw, and with that he/she can look at any save anyway, but really if you can't trust the host don't volunteer for that PBEM in the first place.

CS

[Rommel2D]

Changing a player's password with Alt-d works in test games I've mailed to myself, and I don't see why it shouldn't. You're right that it doesn't really add any security if the host uses an admin password, but at least it avoids the extra-week-to-set-up-game-while-waiting-for-that-last-slacker-to-send-in-a-password lag... :)

I guess I spoke too quick on the SMTP though- I haven't been able to make it work successfully yet. My server apparently does use secure outgoing SMTP, but CIV doesn't explicitly prompt for it. I'm getting messages from the program that don't seem to correspond to my attempts to enter the correct information either...

[marcsterix]

It should prompt for your SMTP password at the end of your turn (in a PBEM) game. However, it will only do so if you have given it a SMTP server name (either at the initial setup or by pressing Alt-D and putting it in yourself). If it doesnt have the server name, it would prompt and just save the turn in your save game folder.

Plus, I think alot of email providers are requesting passwords for outgoing mail to avoid spammers using their servers.

[CanuckSoldier]

CIV can handle outgoing pw if you know it's required, but I'm pretty sure it has no mechanism to handle secure smtp connections, so that is likely your problem, either that or your ISP doesn't use port 25 for email.

CS

[Rommel2D]

Yeah, it gives you a popup with empty fields for the password, but it doesn't say whether the server requires it or not. The small print at the left of the screen says 'failed to send' and 'all recipient addresses refused' which I guess is enough to infer it.

But fastmail.fm's website says it does use port 25 for SMTP, and that it requires authentication. The pop-up window that askes for address and server name also has two other fields with rollover tags that say 'username for SMTP secure password authentication (if required) ' and 'password for SMTP secure password authentication (if required)'. I put in both as instructed at fastmail, but then the small print on the left says that the mail was not sent because the username/password did not match. It could be the syntax at fastmail's website- I'll ask them about it next time I get a chance...

[CanuckSoldier]

In outlook or what ever email client you use, do you need "secure smtp authenication" checked? if so CIV likely doesn't have that ability yet.

CS

[Rommel2D]

I didn't know I even had SMTP ability with this account until now, I've been handling my mail through web pages... :idiot:

Are you saying you think the fields in the popup window are just stubs? The quotes I just gave are word for word from the rollover tags.

[Harovan]

I do have a SMTP password.

And the game demands me to reveal server and password of my account to somebody unknown on an internet forum?? :angry:

Guess I won't play much cIV PBEM :q:

[Paddy]

hmmm, I thought the password request was just for the save password you would like.

Your ISP name will be as per your email address IMO

SR, had waited a long time for some good gaming against you again, hope this does not finish you mate.

[Shogun Gunner]

He's talking about the ingame SMTP mailing of the save. If your ISP requires the security of "secure SMTP" then your ISP account and password need to be provided to send the save from cIV.

You raise a good point Sir Ralph. I hope much more information is communicated about the multiplayer features -- incluing Pitboss - soon.

You can always save the game manually, then go to your email client and send the save "the old way", Sir Ralph.

[CanuckSoldier]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph
I do have a SMTP password.

And the game demands me to reveal server and password of my account to somebody unknown on an internet forum?? :angry:

Guess I won't play much cIV PBEM :q:

Not at all, the prompt for your pw happens at the end of your turn and is not something the host has to enter into the "player details" screen.

CS

[marcsterix]

SR, check out my previous post. You don't give out your SMTP password to anyone. At the end of your turn, CIV IV will automatically prompt your for your email account password to email the save to the next player (in the case you filled in the SMTP server name field during setup or by pressing Alt-D during your turn).

The civilization password during setup is NOT your SMTP password...it's a password you can enter on your turn by pressing Alt-D and is used to access the save file during your turn.

On a side note, it would have preferred the manual to have done a better explanation of these features instead of wasting all those pages on reference material found in the Civiliopedia...

[Shogun Gunner]

marcsterix,

I think what Sir Ralph is referring to is that an application (civ4.exe or whatever) is passing account/password information to a third party. This is possibly true if you use the ingame mailer of the saves.

It's a legitimate security concern as civ4 has little or no information available regarding these type of issues.

[marcsterix]

I can't be sure, but I doubt anyones' username and password is being passed on within the save.

The only information recorded and accessible is the SMTP server name (which is not that big a deal). The username and password is prompted by the game right before it attempts to email the game (just like CanuckSoldier pointed out above).

That leads me to believe it works just like any other email program, when sending an email that requires authentication, it requests the account username and password from us (most people have this already setup in their email settings and don't deal with it). There's no username or passwords to be found on the email sent.

[Addled Platypus]

I have followed the procedures to the letter.

I have attempted twice at setting up a pbem game

twice it has not worked

would firewalls be a culprit?

Runing Norton's and MSN's

[CanuckSoldier]

bump

CS

[Earthworm]

So is there anyone who has found the solution to the Player 1 trade problems? I have seen some work arounds in other threads for individual games, but i think it should go here as well.

If you start player 1 as Human and retire them on first turn does that solve the problem, or does player 2 become player 1 and the problem transfers?

I have also read that loading the game old-style instead of from your inbox solves some of the trading/player name problems as well. has anyone verified these? Preparing to start a PBEM tonight and I want to make sure it gets off to the right start.

[Rommel2D]

Originally posted by Earthworm
I have also read that loading the game old-style instead of from your inbox solves some of the trading/player name problems as well. has anyone verified these? Preparing to start a PBEM tonight and I want to make sure it gets off to the right start.
Emeror_V actaully reported that the problem persists after loading saves that way.

[marcsterix]

I tested it out earlier by making a mock 2 player pbem game...I was able to quick advance in turns to start a trading session and didn't incounter any difficulty in opening borders or giving away a city. So I didn't reproduce the bug.

I will note that I was loading the game directly from CIV and not opening it from outside the game...so it might be that it happens in such cases.

I guess I'll find out soon enough, I'm player 1 in an ongoing pbem so we'll see...

[Rockfrog]

Hi guys,

I’m trying to get a Warlords PBEM game running with a buddy of mine, and am having a lot of difficulties getting the game to do the turn email sending automatically. (i.e. to save us all this manual attachment sending we’re having to do)

We’re using the same web/email hosting company (1and1.co.uk), which does requires SMTP secure password authentication to send email. It’s not a free service.

We both use Outlook, and having it set to use the correct secure SMTP setting, experience no problems sending or receiving emails otherwise. Port 25 is working fine for our regular SMTP email sending.

Now in-game (Warlords), when I finish my turn and try to automate a turn send to him without putting in the SMTP secure settings, the error report I get back is:

Failed to send e-mail.
>various address details<
All recipient addresses refused.

I know I've listed his email address correctly. So if I put the correct SMTP secure settings in also, the error report I get back is:

Failed to send e-mail.
>various address details<
Error 535: Error: authentication failed
Authentication Error: The server didn’t accept the username/password combination provided.

Now I know I’ve put the correct SMTP details in.

Any advice?

Was there ever any solution to this shoddy bit of programming?

Heeeelp!!! (this manual attachment sending is madness inducing…)

Cheers all.

[snoopy369]

I have never had any luck with the internal game emailing setup. I don't know that they ever fixed it to work with secure SMTP.

That said, I've never even gotten it to TRY to send one, as in i've never gotten a response from my mailer in the first place...

Sorry :( Mayhap some of the more frequent PBEMers would be able to help. I am a PTBS junkie now... :)

[Aro]

Originally posted by Rockfrog
Hi guys,

I’m trying to get a Warlords PBEM game running with a buddy of mine, and am having a lot of difficulties getting the game to do the turn email sending automatically. (i.e. to save us all this manual attachment sending we’re having to do)

We’re using the same web/email hosting company (1and1.co.uk), which does requires SMTP secure password authentication to send email. It’s not a free service.

We both use Outlook, and having it set to use the correct secure SMTP setting, experience no problems sending or receiving emails otherwise. Port 25 is working fine for our regular SMTP email sending.

Now in-game (Warlords), when I finish my turn and try to automate a turn send to him without putting in the SMTP secure settings, the error report I get back is:

Failed to send e-mail.
>various address details<
All recipient addresses refused.

I know I've listed his email address correctly. So if I put the correct SMTP secure settings in also, the error report I get back is:

Failed to send e-mail.
>various address details<
Error 535: Error: authentication failed
Authentication Error: The server didn’t accept the username/password combination provided.

Now I know I’ve put the correct SMTP details in.

Any advice?

Was there ever any solution to this shoddy bit of programming?

Heeeelp!!! (this manual attachment sending is madness inducing…)

Cheers all.

I have the same problem. :(