'Real' pbem structure

[Loader2k]

Hi everybody,

I've been playing cIV now for quite a while and I gotta say
it's really a great game.
I'm very happy that the new civ contains less
micromanagement.

However I am a bit disappointed about the pbem-mode. I
think a game mode designed like a classical pbem would
make this option much more enjoyable.

Let me explain:
In cIV, a player does his turn, then sends the save file to
the next player. The other approach is a bit more refined
and has certain advantages. However it would change the
rules slightly so it's not quite trivial to build.
In pbems the orders are sent in by the players to a central
host which then evaluates the turn and then sends the
results back to the players. Those can then do their next
orders and so on. The difference is that the players only
write orders for their units, only the host can evaluate
those and thus do the turn.

The advantages of this system are:
- It's quicker since players are doing their turns at the
same time and not in sequence.
- Cheating is impossible since the players only receive the
information form the host which they are supposed to
have. Also only the host is in control of the "game physics",
the players only tell the host what they would like to do.

The big rule change to our old system is that players'
orders are evaluated at once. For most of the game
mechanics this doesnt change anything, however it
obviously changes troop movement in a big way (which
unit will move first? how to make sure that i dont "miss" a
unit that i want to attack since it might move?). But that
can be done in a good way I think.

I know that it would be a big change of the change,
especially if the players are only supposed to receive those
informations that they are allowed to have...
But I also think that this mode would be much better than
cIV's pbem mode and - at least for my taste - a very
enjoyable multiplayer mode.

Well, maybe in a patch. Or maybe we will see it in ciV.
Or even in a mod?

[DougM]

that would be a challenging mod

But it seems to me, not impossible.

You'd have to generate a custom map for each player each turn to hide the units and land that they can't see.

You'd have to record all the player actions, and send that to your server. Have your server figure out all the resulting changes, updating its combined view of the game, and repeat.

In my head, I can see it all being possible ... but wow ... a lot of work there to make everything synchronize right.

My guess is ... you won't see this in a mod unless there's a really excellent programmer out there who is hardcore into PBEM.

[PJayTycy]

Isn't this exactly what simultaneous turns does ?

[DougM]

simultaneous turns doesn't prevent cheating

It gives the players too much info.

[Loader2k]

@DougM

Thanks for the thoughts about the implementation. Sounds
good to me too, but yeah, sounds like a lot of work. I
hope they'll have an eye on that for an expansion or at
least ciV...

@PJayTycy

No, i dont think so. For one, PbeM is, well, played by email.
So every players does his or her orders, then sends them
to a central host which creates the results. In
simultaneous play, the players all have to be online at the
same time (as far as i know) and there is no central host
so the opportunities for cheating are nearly endless.

In pbem you would have a deadline until when the new
orders have to be submitted, say every 48 hours. But you
wouldnt have to meet at exactly the same time with the
other players, you could do your turn at any time during
the 48 hours and then send them in (if the host would be
online all the time it could of course send out the new turn
as soon as all orders are in, thus allowing for maximum
speed without forcing the players to play at specific times).
Additionally, but i can see that this isnt relevant for many
people nowadays with common flatrates, you wouldnt
have to be online to do your turn.

[Gyathaar]

This sounds a lot like how PitBoss operates..