The HOTW VII - Setup Thread III - The Trilogy

[Robert]

But I think if we just avoid Deity & Cyber as hosts, that'll help save us a lot of time when we do have trouble. It would be good to have a third host option after CT & Moker.

Ozzy, what you say is not true, at least not about Deity. We have had many good sessions under Deity. It's just that if things go wrong we go to other hosts then the original host. And if things go wrong, things keep on going wrong (that's what we saw in the past many times). Thus backup hosts, like Deity and me yesterday, are most likely to fail because they only host if things go wrong.

Moker didn't go good as well, I think the 1st attempt failed, the 2nd worked for 6 turns, then things failed again. Yesterday we didn't fail because of hosts but because of complex coincidences that on one can track.

I think I failed yesterday because I hosted through my router. Eventhough my router worked fine last week I think it caused problems this week. And in the past it didn't work with me hosting because Deity couldn't join anybody else and therefor must always host.

I think CT is naturally the 1st host and I'm fine if Moker is the 2nd host but I must say that as a technician I'm a little bit worried that you label me as a bad host for incidents. Not because I wannabe a host that badly, but just because I think that I'm having one of the best computers and the best connections overhere, not to mention that Europe is most probably the best location to host from anyway.

I'm not sure where Moker is from and if his connection is very good as well, then we should continue with him.

[Robert]

2nd: Next friday I suggest that we first try a normal start, if that fails we promote LZ to our crisis manager and he tells us what to do according to his own schedule.

I think that a join-order doesn't really make sence since yesterday the problems didn't really lie in people bouncing (that happened, but could be fixed 95% of the time by trying a few times) (not to mention that a bouncer always knows that he bounced and can therefor send in a log at that time, no matter the join-order) But like I said, I'm fine with trying since I may be wrong.


1. Last: Once again: ALL PLAYERS SHOULD CHECK THEIR CONFIGURATION IN ADVANCE!
Don't say: "My firewall is off, I never have in on", just CHECK IT! Even ifyou're 100% sure that it's off. I check it EVERY session in advance.

2. Check if your router is configured properly, or even better: DC YOU ROUTER and connect your PC immediately to your modem.

3. Turn graphics LOW LOW LOW LOW

4. Close ALL progs you're running, that includes virus scanners

5. Reboot just before the session!!!!

6. All install AIM and stay in the chat

7. All use WINDOWED modus for the game, it has been proven that the windowed mode players cause little problems.

[Robert]

I think I know a big road to a solution

If I analyse my own failure yesterday I see that all went fine untill everybody came into the game. Then my connection crashed. Not just for civ but for AIM/YIM as well.

What happens is: in the lobby the players enter one by one, then the game starts, everybody loads, and all of the sudden all at the same time everybody starts sharing data like crazy. Thus at once 12 computers connect to my router. My router doesn't trust it and thinks my computer is being attacked and therefor closes down ALL INTERNET sources for at least 1 minute. Then it goes back up.

I think this happened to more players. Deity has it and a few more players have their internet crashing immediately after the game has started.

Solution

First: if possible remove your router from your line and connect your computer directly to your modem.

2nd: only 6 players enter the lobby and start the game. The other 7 players hot-join in the REAL GAME one by one. Thus they do not join to the lobby but join the real game one by one. (like a 40 seconds gap between everybodies login)

That avoids a big bang in which all computers connect to each other. The last two players who should join should be players with no routers. (like me, since I turned it off) to avoid that they crash b/c of the big bang.

Then of course there's still the problem that people drop out, especially if the host drops out. I still want to test if the host can re-join by connecting to another players IP.

I think there's not really a host after the game has started and every IP can be used to join, but I may be wrong there.

[Robert]

Oh, and can we please all stop blaming each other? Players are being blamed, hosts are being blamed. I wonder even if we were right to drop MMC since when he finally got in HE was not the reason why the game stopped. (2 other players d/c).

Fingerpointing is very human, we try to blame someone else and fix the problem by booting him. But in the end it doesn't come with a solution (like we saw yesterday).

It only really really lowers the great fibe and atmosphere and people start to argue etc. So stop the blaming. If someone has a obvious problem (like MMC really had yesterday) he should fix it. But please stop making it a big finger-pointing-game.

computers are difficult things. What seems to be the problem may very well not be the problem. As a ict-consultant/developper I have to do with customers on a daily base who are so sure about what is the problem in their eyes, they're mostly wrong.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by deity
PLEASE!!!

IS THERE ANY CHANCE YOU CAN ALL PLAY THIS USA SAT NIGHT OR SUNDAY NIGHT??

I have a date tonight.

I can do tomorrow night though.

[Robert]

Sunday night would be possible, if it could be earlier, let's do it earlier.

[Toni]

Ok so we got for tomorrow Deity, Frank , Kino, CT, Toni, Ozzy and CyberShy for now.

We need to contact Lz, Ryk, Moker, N, OT and MMC then

[Colonel_Treize]

Originally posted by CyberShy
Oh, and can we please all stop blaming each other? Players are being blamed, hosts are being blamed. I wonder even if we were right to drop MMC since when he finally got in HE was not the reason why the game stopped. (2 other players d/c).

Fingerpointing is very human, we try to blame someone else and fix the problem by booting him. But in the end it doesn't come with a solution (like we saw yesterday).

It only really really lowers the great fibe and atmosphere and people start to argue etc. So stop the blaming. If someone has a obvious problem (like MMC really had yesterday) he should fix it. But please stop making it a big finger-pointing-game.

computers are difficult things. What seems to be the problem may very well not be the problem. As a ict-consultant/developper I have to do with customers on a daily base who are so sure about what is the problem in their eyes, they're mostly wrong.

Thank you, Cyber. I agree. It is one thing to blame an internet connection or some other piece of technology. But if we start down the road of calling into question the character of specific players as a general statement, we may never return. I personally will hit that road in the other direction and never return to this game, under those circumstances.

So far, the only complaints against MMC are that he skipped out on us last week without an explanation, and that he plays his turns slowly. The first complaint was an isolated incident, and the second complaint should be ignored, because we agreed not to have a turn timer in diplogames. As long as MMC is actually playing the game, he is welcome to take as much time as he needs to complete the rest of his turn, including time for diplomacy. I say this because I am a slow player as well, and a slow typist to boot.

As far as the reliability of the internet connection of one particular player is concerned, as Cyber pointed out, that remains to be seen.

[condor223]

Alas! Pharaoh Narmer died recently due to distress and the loss of his pyramid capstone, and from waiting to connect. Indeed he had achived advanced age in the waiting room alone!

Our new Pharaoh will be there!

[Colonel_Treize]

I also have to applaud everyone on even getting this far. In the PitBoss game I host, it is nearly impossible to get just seven players from two continents to find a time to meet live. Seven! That's half of the motley bunch we have here. The fact that all of us, from 3 or 4 continents, made a weekly time and are able to stick to it, for the most part, is remarkable, to say the least.

[Colonel_Treize]

Originally posted by OzzyKP
I have a date tonight.

I hope she apologizes to you when she stands you up.

[Colonel_Treize]

Originally posted by Colonel_Treize

I hope she apologizes to you when she stands you up.

On second thought, Ozzy, why don't you just save yourself the disappointment altogether and stay online tonight?

[OzzyKP]

Wow, turning to personal attacks..

[Robert]

He tries to help

[Robert]

If we can't arrange that everybody comes tomorrow we can at least try the hot-join tactic I suggested witht he people who do show up.