New to Civ multiplayer, looking for PPBEM/Direct IP help

[ltcarter47]

Hi, I've never played Civ online, and a friend and I want to get a PBEM game going. We're on the mac version, so if there's a forum for mac users, please let me know.

So I went into this screen and put in my email and made a password and put in my SMTP settings, and now I'm just kindof like....now what....
Here's where I am, quite stuck.

Is there a guide that shows how to do all this from start to finish? The manual is pretty useless, two pages for all of the multiplayer.

Also, we attempted to do a direct IP game, and I hosted and gave him my address, but he said it just timed out. do I need to open some ports or something?

Thanks,
Sean

[MMC]

I don't know anything about setting up a PbEM game, but I would guess from that screenshot that you need to connect via DirectIP for the setup session. However for a DIP game, you need to have port 2056 (both UDP and TCP) open. For everyday stuff this is all you need, even as a host.

If you ever want to host more than one game at once, or host a game and connect to a different game, you'll need to open other ports. It doesn't matter which ports becuase you'll have to set the ports that are used manually if you do this. However, if you're not going to do this, you don't need to worry about it.

If you have a friend who has the Windoze version, then you might like to try the PitBoss (I don't know if there's a Mac version of the PitBoss app) and see how that suits your playing style.

[Conquistador45]

Hi, I`ve just started a few pbem games myself.....I cut and pasted this from another forum. The author is Canuck Soldier...hope he doesn`t mind.... .

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. When you click OK the game emails the save, and displays a message that indicates that it has successfully sent the save to "player@player.net"

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

CS

[ltcarter47]

Cool, thanks, that was really helpful!