16-08-2002 21:37									#1
	Civ2 PBEM Diplomacy Inflate your Upload Space

My vacations are out! You can not figure out how hard has been this academic year, but yesterday (15th August) I feel myself too lazy, so I'm working on my promised utility: CIV2 PBEM DIPLOMACY!

This utility will cover two aspect very important to PBEMs players:

1) This utility will allow that players exchange knowlegde, money, cities and sign teatries (Correct plurar for teatry?).

2) This utility will allow natural disasters, like earth-quake or floods [poor little German, Czech... ]

I expect to release a first beta soon, so I need beta-tester (I will comment this on a next post)

	16-08-2002 21:50									#2
	The diplomacy mechanism Increase the size of your Attachments

I think that the mechanism the utility will use can be write out in this way.

All players have installed the utility on his computer. When a player want do a offer to another, he or she will load the utility. The utility will generate a file with the offer. The first player post his offer on the forum (or send it by e-mail), the second player will recieve the file, load it in his utility and accept/decline the offer.

The utility will take care about when a offer can be done and when not! (For example, you can not pay with 1000000 golds coins that you don't have)

---------------

How a player can know that a offer is to be trusted? And how a player (or a pair of players) can not cheat doing offers in others' name?

I think that these problem can be solve with signature (password). In the start of PBEM, all players will send a file (that utility will generate) with a 'signature' (a password that the user enter in to the utility) to a moderator. The moderator will load the utility a generate a file with all signatures and send it to all players.

Without these file with all signatures, the user will not have the posibility of doing diplomacy!

In fact, this will not stop the cheat, beacuse a experienced user will load the file in a hex-editor, learn its format (in the same way that many people did with the '.SAV' or '.MP' format) and cheat!

But there're easier ways of cheating in a PBEM, so I don't care about!

What do you think about this mechanism?

	16-08-2002 21:58									#3
	C++ or Java? Remove this text

This is the main question that I have faced to...

Java and C++ are two good languages. I know C++ a lot better that Java, but I choose Java for the next reasons:

A) MAC users! A Java application can be run in any system. MAC users are so often ignored, and I don't want be part of this!

B) MAC users (again)

C) MAC users (again)

D) Java's Forte (A envoirement from SUN) is free, so I'll no have problem with compilers' copyrigth.

But Java has a major problem: his applications are not stand-alone! So any Windows user of my utility must download the Java Runtime Envoiremente (JRE) (5MB) in order to run the application

MAC OS have JRE, so there is not problem

Also, Java application are, IMHO, ugglier that C++'s ...

	16-08-2002 22:02									#4
	MAC users feedback Got spare money?

As far as I own a PC, I know what I need on Windows and I can test my utility very well on this system. But I need some support for MAC users. I need to know how text file (like rules.txt) is strucctured on a MAC:

Do you use ANSI or ASCII characters? What are the line-jump character on your system?

Can you read a RULES.TXT from a PC? Do you use the same RULES.TXT?

	16-08-2002 22:06									#5
	Beta-testers need Tired of ads?

Finally, when I release the first beta, I'll start a PBEM only for testing diplomacy features! So, I'll need a few beta-testers. Please help me with this utility! I think that Waku are in, and perphas, Jay Bee.

And don't forget that be a betatester is very, very boring!

Thank you for reading all those post! If you can read them and don't cry about my English ( El-Awrence can not ), I'll be happy enough

	16-08-2002 22:28									#6
	Re: Beta-testers need Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

quote: Originally posted by yaroslav I think that Waku are in

Yes, Waku and I are in

	16-08-2002 22:33									#7
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

You count in the place of two

Sorry, I wrote 'I think that Waku and Jay Bee are in', but after that I change and...

	16-08-2002 22:38									#8
	Increase the size of your Attachments

No. Perdóname tú a mi.

	17-08-2002 01:39									#9
	Inflate your Upload Space

Jay Bee se va de vacances hasta la semana next de la que viene je je

BTW, que quieres decir con eso de que tus vacas are out! Querras decir que estan in, no? O mejor que tu estas in

	17-08-2002 01:54									#10
	Support Apolyton

I wanna say that I have spend too much time without doing any of utility to Civ-Comunity

	17-08-2002 18:08									#11
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Hey Yaros, esa utility es una muy buena noticia.



Cuenta conmigo para ser BetaTester (siempre y cuando no conlleve estar a una hora concreta del día conectado, ya sabéis que me conecto todos los días pero a horas diferente, por eso me gustan los PBEM y por eso estoy muy interesado en esta utilidad).

	17-08-2002 18:21									#12
	Re: MAC users feedback Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by yaroslav As far as I own a PC, I know what I need on Windows and I can test my utility very well on this system. But I need some support for MAC users. I need to know how text file (like rules.txt) is strucctured on a MAC: Do you use ANSI or ASCII characters? What are the line-jump character on your system? Can you read a RULES.TXT from a PC? Do you use the same RULES.TXT?

We have the same rules.txt as the PC users (though some other text files differ somewhat, not much though).

You'll have to wait for the answer to the other question as I am not quite sure I understand it (and that has nothing to do with grammar), I do believe I know someone who knows the answer though.
I'll post in a while.

As for the testing part I'd be happy to do it for you (as long as everything is in english ).

	18-08-2002 00:59									#13
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

As far as I could, all this thread and all the utility and beta-tester work will remain in English. I'm working now on how enconding the password on the Civ2 File, so a special key-file is not needed for my utility

	18-08-2002 01:42									#14
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Hmm, maybe it would be better to have a separate key file, in order to prevent the program from being used as a password extractor?

	18-08-2002 01:53									#15
	How password will work Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

My idea on password, in the current 'state of the art' is:

A) All player runs, in his first turn, the utility to enter a password.

B) When a player, want to do a offer, they must introduce his/her password. It's asure: that no body will do a offer in the other's name, and that no body can use the program to see 'What techs these guy have to offer me'

The password are stored in the save-game, encrypted with a strong mechanism. The program will not show the password ever, only use it to compare with the keys enter by the player and allow or not a offer.

What offer do you think are interesting?

For my first beta, I'm putting my efforts on:

A) Teatries
B) Gold
C) Techs

	19-08-2002 23:34									#16
	The screenshots Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

Suggestions are easier to do when you see a program running. I'm working on my first alpha version, so I will post here the sreenshots

The look and fell of the utility is ugly, I'm sorry. I take these screenshots on a PC, in a MAC the utility will look very different (like a typical MAC application).


First, the wellcome screen:

Attachment: 1.jpg
This has been downloaded 81 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:37									#17
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

Apoly doesn't allow big images, so I reduce them So, they look even worse. Sorry again.

After you press, you must load the .NET save file:

Attachment: 2.jpg
This has been downloaded 78 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:39									#18
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

After you load the file, you must select your civ. The leaders' name of human civs appear on screen...

Attachment: 3.jpg
This has been downloaded 73 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:41									#19
	Support Apolyton, buy GURPS/ Alpha Centauri

You have three options.


A) Set/Change your password
B) Make Barter (Make a offer to another human civ)
C) See Barter (See a offer from other human civ)

Attachment: 4.jpg
This has been downloaded 71 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:43									#20
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

You need a password in order to do offers!

Attachment: 5.jpg
This has been downloaded 57 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:44									#21
	Full PM-box? Change here!

So, you enter your password...

Attachment: 6.jpg
This has been downloaded 64 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:45									#22
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

You select to who rival you want do the offer...

Attachment: 7.jpg
This has been downloaded 63 time(s).

	19-08-2002 23:47									#23
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

Here you enter your offer: gold, tech and teatries (to implement).

This is the 'state of the art' of the application. Suggestion wellcomed

Attachment: 8.jpg
This has been downloaded 62 time(s).

	20-08-2002 00:16									#24
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

What about the ability to trade units between civs/ gift units? Is this a possible addition?

-FMK.

	20-08-2002 00:25									#25
	Re: MAC users feedback Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by yaroslav Do you use ANSI or ASCII characters?

ASCII

quote: Originally posted by yaroslav What are the line-jump character on your system?

MAC OS 9 (which is what I have) and earlier: Carriage Return (ASCII 13 / x0D)
MAC OS X: New Line (ASCII 10 / x15)
Windows: Carriage Return+New Line (ASCII 13+10 / x0D15), right?

	20-08-2002 00:43									#26
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

Those screenshots looks excelent btw.

(My other reply is on the previous page)

	20-08-2002 02:08									#27
	Tired of ads?

Congrats, Yaros, it looks a great job.

	20-08-2002 21:10									#28
	Increase Your PM Length

Very good work Yaros.

	20-08-2002 21:21									#29
	Remove this text

This nigth I expect to post the first beta

	20-08-2002 21:23									#30
	Re: Re: MAC users feedback Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

quote: Originally posted by Henrik ASCII MAC OS 9 (which is what I have) and earlier: Carriage Return (ASCII 13 / x0D) MAC OS X: New Line (ASCII 10 / x15) Windows: Carriage Return+New Line (ASCII 13+10 / x0D15), right?

Yes, the Windows info is Ok. I expect that my code doesn't need to use so machine-dependant codes, but is very useful for me to have it!

Thank you, Hendrik