DEBUG: Pbem?

[Maquiladora]

Could you not check for inconsistancies in each version of the game? Im plucking at straws really, the source code does have its disadvantages, especially in MP, but then again the rushbuy is easy for everyone to use, ive also seen external programs that can fiddle with memory addresses for certain amounts of gold/pw/whatever with a keystroke.

[J Bytheway]

It is very difficult or impossible to authenticate versions, because whatever check is performed, your opponent can almost certainly divert it to an authentic version which he is not really using. In any case, as you say, there are other ways to cheat, such as editing saved games and memory directly.

[Maquiladora]

I found these posts from Pyaray aaaages ago...

We do know exactly what is causing the bug. And we know for a fact that it won't creep into other game modes. It is specifically related to events occuring when it is the "wrong" persons turn, and causing problems. In both single player, and net play, the "right" person is always available and therefore eliminates the problem.
Pyaray

Well, other things being rewritten affected it. As I mentioned in another post, it has to do with events occuring when it's not the appropriate players turn. There is logic to not give messages to the wrong players, yet the game expects answers to some messages prior to allowing it to continue. So you get in this stuck position where it won't procede without an answer, but it can't ask the question cause it's not their turn. This may sound like a very simple thing, but believe me, it's not. And for everyones knowledge, Hot Seat, and PBEM pretty much use the same logic.

Lots of people moaning because theyd be no PBEM...

http://apolyton.net/forums/Forum35/HTML/000287.html

[Maquiladora]

Okay ill post what ive seen having tested with the zip kaan made.

Scenario #1

Eight Players

1 - Maq
2 - Maq2
3 - AI
4 - AI
5 - AI
6 - AI
7 - AI
8 - AI

I put in the names and emails so i know whos it is, i press ok and it loads up the game then immediately saves the game without letting me even see where i am and gives the option to "quit" or "close", meaning it saved before I, as human player 1 (Maq) could play my turn.

It saves a turn on my desktop "CTP Email To maq@maq.com (Turn 0).c2g", i double-click and it loads and its "Maq" Player 1's civ's turn, all movement intact. I play the turn as normal and end it.

It saves the turn on my desktop, "CTP Email To maq2@maq2.com (Turn 0).c2g", okay player 2's turn "Maq2", i double-click it, it should be turn 0 for Maq2, but its turn 1... so Maq2 has missed his Turn 0 somehow....

It saves "CTP Email To maq@maq.com" on my desktop i double-click it loads and its "Maq's" (Player 1) Turn 1..... so now Maq2 has become "Player 1" and Maq is "Player 2", but they keep their original colours obviously (Maq2 is orange still but takes his turn before Player 1!)

(Ignore the file naming when it sends it to my desktop, its always "Turn 0")

I assume you got similar mixed results J Bytheway?

It does work normally after that though, production, science and food is processed as it should, which has been fixed then.

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by J Bytheway
It is very difficult or impossible to authenticate versions, because whatever check is performed, your opponent can almost certainly divert it to an authentic version which he is not really using. In any case, as you say, there are other ways to cheat, such as editing saved games and memory directly.

Maybe the game crashes at some point if the differences between the *.exe's are too huge, but maybe this comes into play rather in online MP, but of course could be interested to see the behaviours of slightly different *.exe's on MP games in general.

-Martin

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Maquiladora
Okay ill post what ive seen having tested with the zip kaan made.

Scenario #1

Eight Players

1 - Maq
2 - Maq2
3 - AI
4 - AI
5 - AI
6 - AI
7 - AI
8 - AI

I put in the names and emails so i know whos it is, i press ok and it loads up the game then immediately saves the game without letting me even see where i am and gives the option to "quit" or "close", meaning it saved before I, as human player 1 (Maq) could play my turn.

Yes, that's because I moved the code that pops up the dialog from the end of the turn to the beginning.

It saves a turn on my desktop "CTP Email To maq@maq.com (Turn 0).c2g", i double-click and it loads and its "Maq" Player 1's civ's turn, all movement intact. I play the turn as normal and end it.

It saves the turn on my desktop, "CTP Email To maq2@maq2.com (Turn 0).c2g", okay player 2's turn "Maq2", i double-click it, it should be turn 0 for Maq2, but its turn 1... so Maq2 has missed his Turn 0 somehow....

It saves "CTP Email To maq@maq.com" on my desktop i double-click it loads and its "Maq's" (Player 1) Turn 1..... so now Maq2 has become "Player 1" and Maq is "Player 2", but they keep their original colours obviously (Maq2 is orange still but takes his turn before Player 1!)

(Ignore the file naming when it sends it to my desktop, its always "Turn 0")

I assume you got similar mixed results J Bytheway?

Yes - although I didn't test it much more than you have on the latest version. As I said, strange things started happening when I did Human-Human diplomacy.

It does work normally after that though, production, science and food is processed as it should, which has been fixed then.

I see you were getting turn numbers advancing - mine was always stuck on turn 0. I guess that's because you had an AI player playing last, whereas mine were all human players.

[quinns]

Once I get the CTP2 CD I'd be happy to help out testing the PBEM fixes. My CPP programming is not very good, so I probably would hinder more than help here, but at least I could test. I should be getting the game in a few days ... (Christmas present for myself! )

[Keygen]

Good move Quinns

[Maquiladora]

Nice one quinns now we have 3 PBEM testers

[quinns]

Kind of like real life ---- One person who knows what they're doing (JBytheway) and three who whine and complain and demand "when is it going to be done" and point at the calendar ... and who have no clue how to fix it themselves! (Speaking for myself, that is.)

[Maquiladora]

Yeah its a good job some of us know what we're doing

BTW (no pun intended) theres 3 testers including JBytheway so we're abit understaffed. This is the right order to approach things though, get a working, balanced game with an AI, then add/fix MP options.

[centrifuge]

Maq, I still need to repay you for the merciless beating that I took the 1st time that I tried PBEM.

...so I'll do what I can to help playtest as well...

I just need more hours in my days... :argh:

[Maquiladora]

It was a short but enjoyable game, ill gladly hand you your ass on a plate again, anytime.

J has made a fix of actually making it "complete" the turns, collecting resources, resetting move points, advancing science, production builds etc, im not sure how much of a permanent fix this is, although it does the job, it mixes up the first turn order (read above posts) this needs more tests though perhaps.

So if youre giving it a test, use all Human players, seeing as that is the most important to get working really.

[EPW]

I was playtesting PBEM with the newest playtest today. Everything was working okay until it was time for the city to grow(19990 pop.). At this point instead of going to 20000 it reset back to 10000 plus some. Of course I couldnt build settlers with 1 pop so I had to stop.

PLayer Setup:
Human
Human2
computer
computer
computer
computer
computer

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by EPW
I was playtesting PBEM with the newest playtest today. Everything was working okay until it was time for the city to grow(19990 pop.). At this point instead of going to 20000 it reset back to 10000 plus some. Of course I couldnt build settlers with 1 pop so I had to stop.

Is the same true of both human players?