God be praised! (simul solution)

Curumbor Elendil · January 1, 2001, 22:09

(Said in an appropriate Monty Python accent.)

Cornmaster is ingenious. The solution was so simple, it was in front of our noses all the time! If you save a multiplayer game in simul moves, you can load it offline, save it as scenario, and then you can turn off simul moves next time! This means you can turn off simul moves when war breaks out, by a quick operation by the host (a little cumbersome, but probably worth it in games where war is rare). In fact, I tested it as well without saving as scenario: you can just do multiplayer game--begin scenario and then choose the saved multiplayer game as the scenario, and you can choose to switch off simul moves!

Now, it may be that like ordinary scenarios everyone has to have the scenario file used in order to join the game. I anticipate that such is the case. This makes the change a little more cumbersome, but a quick little ICQ file transfer ain't a big hassle, after all.

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Curumbor Elendil
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~jps35/
ICQ 56126989

January 2, 2001, 00:17

Yah, good work.
The Aussies have tried it out...
I saved an existing turn-based game as a simul scenario, transferred it to AH to host and we all just joined it as an MP simul game - no need for clients to have scenario.
I think with a reliable group there is no need to quit out and restart the game as turn-based cos we can all just 'honour' the turn order when it hits the beginning of the simul turn.

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*deity of THE DEITIANS*
aka: half-assed dieticians
icq# 8388924

A-Team · January 2, 2001, 02:39

The best way to play with multiplayers and simultanious is to have a peace period where there is no combat and no diplo efforts. Then switch to turn based as it is absoloutely needed for combat.

Lan_Rover · January 2, 2001, 03:45

I disagree, I have played a few simu-games and I do not see what the fighting problem is. It may be a little bit different, but -hey- just get used to it. There may be a down side but an up side exists to, try it a bit and see.

DaveV · January 2, 2001, 08:38

Warning: I tried changing a saved game to a scenario and back to a saved game, and couldn't figure out a way to keep my civ from getting two turns' worth of production. I had saved at the beginning of my turn, so each of my cities had already received its food, shields, and arrows. When I loaded the scenario file, all of the cities picked another turn's worth of same. Maybe someone with more scenario-making knowledge than I can fix this problem, but it's a potential game-breaker.

Curumbor Elendil · January 2, 2001, 09:16

<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font><font size=1>Originally posted by DaveV on 01-02-2001 07:38 AM</font>
Warning: I tried changing a saved game to a scenario and back to a saved game, and couldn't figure out a way to keep my civ from getting two turns' worth of production. I had saved at the beginning of my turn, so each of my cities had already received its food, shields, and arrows. When I loaded the scenario file, all of the cities picked another turn's worth of same. Maybe someone with more scenario-making knowledge than I can fix this problem, but it's a potential game-breaker.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>

Yeah, this problem exists. However, you don't get this problem if you don't load the game in single player and save it as scenario. So what you do is just save the game as a multiplayer game, get everyone to quit, load up Civ again, begin multiplayer scenario, then choose the saved game as the scenario. This puts you right where you were without giving you additional production.

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Curumbor Elendil
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~jps35/
ICQ 56126989

cavebear · January 2, 2001, 20:29

Sounds like a lot of work. Wouldn't all that saving, stopping, file transfer, and reloading take more time than just switching the timer to 10 minutes or unlimited?

January 2, 2001, 22:57

<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font><font size=1>Originally posted by Lan_Rover on 01-02-2001 02:45 AM</font>
I disagree, I have played a few simu-games and I do not see what the fighting problem is. It may be a little bit different, but -hey- just get used to it. There may be a down side but an up side exists to, try it a bit and see.
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>

*indignant*

But, hey, why should I?
It's horses for courses!
You don't have to get use to something that isn't the game you love playing

I love turn-based strategy. I love planning and executing

I love SIMUL for the NON-WAR parts of the game.

These are my preferences and I don't have to spend my valuable civ hours playing *another* game I don't enjoy. Otherwise I'd be playing RTS games....

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*deity of THE DEITIANS*
aka: half-assed dieticians
icq# 8388924

Curumbor Elendil · January 3, 2001, 09:41

<center><table width=80%><tr><td><font color=000080 face="Verdana" size=2><font size="1">quote:
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1>
</font><font size=1>Originally posted by cavebear on 01-02-2001 07:29 PM</font>
Sounds like a lot of work. Wouldn't all that saving, stopping, file transfer, and reloading take more time than just switching the timer to 10 minutes or unlimited?
<img src="/images/blue1.gif" width=100% height=1></font></td></tr></table></center>

Depends on how adept the host is and how fast the players rejoin. Among experienced players, this should take just about 60 seconds. And the advantage is that you don't have to play on the honor system, as Deity's suggestion requires. However, among people who know each other, maybe the honor system is more efficient.

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Curumbor Elendil
http://pantheon.yale.edu/~jps35/
ICQ 56126989