New "Ancient Empires" PBEM created

[Straybow]

My old ICQ 0.99a couldn't log in. The current version of ICQ doesn't support my ancient Win95. I have installed Trillian and hopefully can use my old ICQ 39061258.

[Straybow]

Looks like my ICQ id is "DonW"
Game is at 63.189.136.147

[SlowThinker]

Originally posted by Straybow
Anyway, on my try I waited as host, got La Fayette logging in to play, then couldn't contact him once I loaded the game. We don't know what went wrong.

germanos explained it: the host has to wait on the 'waiting for players' window until other player connects.

Oh? I suppose that if La Fayette had loaded my save and not clicked on the panel or hit enter it wouldn't have done the intervening players as AI. Then the only things that would change would be our exchanges of money, tech, or whatever. La Fayette could save and post the file. Yes? No?

If he loads the Hittite save as a SP game ('Load Game' in the main window), then nothing happens, the game stays in Hittite turn (until La Fayette hits enter), La Fayette is an observer.
But this is not true in multiplayer mode ('Multiplayer Game' in the main window). In MP mode always load only your own saves or saves of your predecessor, otherwise you can obtain some unwanted info: imagine somebody has units near your city prepared to attack and AI will move them and reveal them to you.

[Straybow]

OK!

technical problems navigated successfully

Here ya go, Slowthinker!

[Straybow]

germanos explained it: the host has to wait on the 'waiting for players' window until other player connects.

Yes, I did wait, but I still didn't do it right.

There are 3 buttons: reject player, start game, cancel. It was not obvious that I have to click on the highlighted player to accept him, it looked like "start game" would accept any non-rejected players on the list.

If everybody else is using SoGPBEM folder name, I'll change mine and any other changes to conform. My folder is in the CivMGE folder, not in a generic Scenarios folder.

[germanos]

Assyria is happy to announce that the cease-fire agreement has been made official. Looted gold from Tarsus has been returned to Hatta.

Assyria announces that an agreement has been reached with the Hatte King, blessed be his kin, in regard to the disputed border near Ishkandaroun.
Let it be known to all empires that the river Seyhan marks the spheres of Assyria and Hatta, wheras the river itself lies well in Assyrian territory, but the northern and western shores are the blessed lands of Hatta.
Eastwards, no demarcations of borders have been made, nor has either empire laid claims on lands in that region.

Once Assyria will have transfered a group of slaves to Hatta, a full peace-treaty will be signed.
It is expected to take up to 3010 BC before slaves will have completed the long journey north.

[germanos]

No, I think it is just me with that folder name, and also ST has the folder directly in his Civ dir, not a in a 'scenario' subdir. I think I will leave things as they are, and keep the AE-3500P folder were it is, and named as it is now

[Straybow]

I may rename mine anyway because I also d/l ver 1.1 single player to play the early centuries and get used to the tech tree and all that. Having both AE-3500P and AE-3500B folders is a little confusing.

Any comments from the peanut gallery?

[SlowThinker]

Bab 3070

The insurgents were killed between Ecbatana and Babylon. Unfortunately I had bad luck in battles - I lost 3 units.

[SlowThinker]

What is the peanut gallery?

[La Fayette]

I suppose that the peanut gallery is where I am walking until I manage to contact Straybow again

[Sparrowhawk]

/me is a member of the peanut gallery, an interested observer that has no part of the game, yet still offers opinions (and criticisms if necessary ), or just meaningless banter that no one else understands or needs to hear, maybe rambling on in one long sentence.....

[Straybow]

Germanos was wondering if the initial failure was due to not having the scenario folder with the same name and in the same relative position to the MGE folder…

He changed his just in case that was necessary. How else would his MGE know what graphics and .txt files to use?

[germanos]

It IS necessarry to have the rules.txt in the same folder as the host, and the path has to be identical too.

Interestingly enough, not all has to be the same, as Staybow and me had the following configuration during our MP session:
Straybow: C:\games\civMGE\AE-3500p
germanos: f:\mps\civ2\ae-3500p

At first I had my SoG folder in a scenario sub-dir, and the I failed to connect to Straybow. It is very helpfull though that Civ2 gives you the path for the host, so we figured it out soon enough.

What is important is that the host double-clicks on the connecting player, but Straybow should be able to tell more about that.

[Straybow]

Secret events that transpired

Bring in prisoner Schtraybow, Unterubergruppenfuhrer!
/me : Hah, you'll get nothing from me!
Ve haff vays of making you talk, prisoner! Ve know zat you are zis "DonW" who met mit ze suspect "germanos."
Replay ze log, Unterubergruppenfuhrer.

excerpt from ICQ log
Germanos: i'm renaming my game folder, hold on a sec
DonW: Maybe that was the prob with me and La Fayette
Germanos: That could have been the problem
DonW: I assume you also have to have the save I'm using— hitties_3070.net 1:50am 27 Oct —should be the one on pg 34
DonW: I'm still getting "We have not yet made contact with other human civs"
Germanos: No, the save doesn't matter.

Yeah, something is still wrong. Do you have it in a scenario subdirectory, or just plain in Civ2 folder?
DonW: c:\games\civMGE\AE-3500P
DonW: with all basic games files in civMGE folder
Germanos: I'm in
DonW: Ah, "A new player is being transmitted the game state"
Germanos: Good, all seems to be OK then.
DonW: Transfer appears complete
DonW: Still no kings chat
Germanos: Did you launch the game before I joined? You must wait to actually start the game until AFTER I joined the game, otherwise the program will not regognize me until its my turn.
DonW: Yes, I waited until "Germanos" came up on the player list, then started. Do I have to click on the player or something?
Germanos: Yes, You have to click on me to accept me, I suppose. I've always been on the receiving end, sorry.
DonW: I shall quit, and we try again
Germanos: Fine
DonW: Ready
DonW: OK, click on Germanos… yes, Assyrians greyed out!
Germanos: I have joined

Und at zis point we haff no record of vat vas said. Since you vill not tell us…
Unterubergruppenfuhrer, prepare ze headphones, und shall ve use der *NSynch zis time, herr Schtraybow?
/me : Noooooooo!