Multiplayer Aurora Concept Thread.

[Steve Walmsley]

At the moment, it is the same Access database. However, I have set the data class up so I can easily switch DB in the future.

My intention at the moment is to have a separate DB file for each save so you can reload previous save points. There will be no writing to the DB unless the user actively saves the game.

[Kytuzian]

At the moment, it is the same Access database. However, I have set the data class up so I can easily switch DB in the future.

My intention at the moment is to have a separate DB file for each save so you can reload previous save points. There will be no writing to the DB unless the user actively saves the game.

It would be nice if we could turn on autosaving every month or so, I'd imagine I'll close the game many times once the new version comes out expecting it to save on its own.

[MarcAFK]

Or alternatively if possible the game should save before exit.

[Kytuzian]

Or alternatively if possible the game should save before exit.

This would also be good, but in the interest of saving in case of crashes, I would prefer monthly. Or both.

[TT]

At the moment, it is the same Access database. However, I have set the data class up so I can easily switch DB in the future.

My intention at the moment is to have a separate DB file for each save so you can reload previous save points. There will be no writing to the DB unless the user actively saves the game.

I'm curious Steve, couldn't users then shared saves. For example, if I wanted to run a community game, couldn't I create a game with say four playing races and then email each player the save? The players could assign orders, set up research and develop ships and then send their save back to the gm for time to increment. It would be possible to create a parser that would then read back the individual game data from each save. Not trivial work of course and I'm sure more difficult in code than it is in my mind, but certainly possible.

[MarcAFK]

Having a discrete savegame file should definately make play by email possible.

[linkxsc (OP)]

I'm curious Steve, couldn't users then shared saves. For example, if I wanted to run a community game, couldn't I create a game with say four playing races and then email each player the save? The players could assign orders, set up research and develop ships and then send their save back to the gm for time to increment. It would be possible to create a parser that would then read back the individual game data from each save. Not trivial work of course and I'm sure more difficult in code than it is in my mind, but certainly possible.

Make it so each player is assigned a password by the sm. That way individual players can only see their views.

[TT]

Well, I think that would be the right approach. Also, I think it would be kind of cool to send out x number of identical saves to the players, and recieve x back. Then pull the correct individual save out of each individual save. combine them all into a single save and then let the GM increment the time. That seems better than passing the same save around player by player.

[Bughunter]

Yes I agree something like this would be the best solution that can realistically be implemented without too much extra work for Steve.

In the meantime for the current version (and for our current community game) I'm experimenting with an external application that will run through the Aurora windows and take screenshots automatically. Made some progress on it, will see if it turns out to be usable.

[Havear]

A simpler solution might be looking at how Aurora writes to the DB. It's already possible to load up multiple copies of the client that hook into the same DB and have each one set to a different race, but it tends to write wonky stuff to the DB. If that's fixed it'd probably be the simplest and closest to complete solution.

[linkxsc (OP)]

Biggest issue of all though. Time.

Whrn it comes to development and colony management, stuff takes incriments of weeks or months, and people could just issue yearly orders, or orders on pauses (cause ships were built or whatever). But how would you manage combat?
As handing files back and forth every 5 or 10 seconds ingame seems... slow.

[Bughunter]

I guess you still need the admin to run most of the combat increments and only stop for orders on key moments.

[TT]

Biggest issue of all though. Time.

Whrn it comes to development and colony management, stuff takes incriments of weeks or months, and people could just issue yearly orders, or orders on pauses (cause ships were built or whatever). But how would you manage combat?
As handing files back and forth every 5 or 10 seconds ingame seems... slow.

. . . slow is an understatement. It would be really cool to try to set up a web method delivering xml or json to Steve's data class from a website reading a GM's database. To really make it work, you'd need to make changes to Aurora's source code though and the GM would have to be reasonably tech savy. It would also take something of a time commitment.

Whether or not it coukd work though really depends on what you are interested in accomplishing. Sharing save files would be a good way for a GM to import tech levels, ships and research into a community game but wouldn't really work for allowing player managed combat or game time incrementing. I think you'd want to establish sops and let the GM manage most functions.

[Bughunter]

I have been playing around a bit with an application to help out the GM in a community game like the one we have now. It is a separate application basically just opening Aurora windows by sending keyboard input to the main process, then taking screenshots of them and saving to a folder. The idea is to automate as much as possible and get more screenshots per turn than we currently have with less admin work.

Got everything to work except the actual screenshot part, cannot manage to capture windows like the economics tabs. Not sure if there is something special Steve has done that goes outside the regular windows form stuff because it captures everything else on my screen, just not the Aurora windows I wanted.