Multiplay

[Jarkko]

From what info is available, RoP looks like it is going to be an excellent game

However, as I mostly only play multiplay (using SP only to learn the system and try out some tactics), and it is especially the social aspect of games (I prefer to play board S&T games, because you can open a bottle of wine or a keg of beer, and have a nice evening chatting and plotting the destruction of your opponent ) I'd like to ask one question about that

I presume the game will be playable through e-mail, but will there be a possibility for direct IP games too (as I presume the turns are done simultaneously as in AACW for example)?

It would be nice to play an AGEOD game online while chatting with the opponent (I've recently found out what VoIP means and what it can be used for in online games -> I'm having a blast playing Blood Bowl online with my old gaming group from the university; I almost feel young again (or perhaps I am getting older than I believe I am ), chatting and laughing at old silly jokes while playing Blood Bowl ).

[arsan]

Hi!

There is already an Ip/tcp play mode on all AGEOD games, through and included little program called ARES. You should have it as an executable on your AGEOD game installation folder, with a pdf guide.
But it seems it's not used much. Don't ask me why, as i have never played multi
But people use to prefer PBEm
As ARES works with all previous games (for what i know) i'm pretty sure RoP will have it also.
Cheers

[Jarkko]

I know of Ares, and I've tried to get AACW games going on with it (if I remember correctly, I even posted something in the AACW forums, but I think I never got a reply ). I've played a grand total of *one* game with Ares, but my friend asked me after the game if we please would never use it again

To be frank, Ares is, shall we say, a bit clunky Having to alt-tab out to send the file doesn't make the file-excahnge that much faster compared with e-mail.

Oh well, I guess the interest in direct IP gaming in the community is so minimal it is not worth wasting resources on that. After all, PBeM works, as does Ares (if I'd ever actually encounter somebody willing to use it ).

[AndrewKurtz]

To be frank, Ares is, shall we say, a bit clunky Having to alt-tab out to send the file doesn't make the file-excahnge that much faster compared with e-mail.

+1

It needs to be much more integrated. We need to be able to stay in the game, hit save and it is automatically sent. When a file is received, it is automatically loaded. To be truly useful, we should never have to leave the loaded game.

[aknaton]

I must agree that it is more fun to play with real people than against the AI. And I have a couple of general thoughts about this.

I like the person vs. person play of Fields of Glory. The drawback of this solution is that i requires a server (and that costs time and money from the game company). You start the game. And the game connects to the server. There you can accept a challange from another player and then start the game. The game is not played in real time. Instead you play your turn first and then it is automatically saved up to the server and the other player is notified via e-mail. He can then contine the game and the current situation is automatically retrieved from the server. This means it is hassle-free for the players.


Secondly I would also like to have integrated voice/video chat in a game that is played in real time over tcpip. It really strengthen the social part of gaming (despite of what is said about me, I generally like people ). There is a program called iTabletop, that is made to support online playing of pen and paper roleplaying games, that uses the idea of integrated video chat. I think it really works.

Now I will stop rambling...