Multiplayer support?

[infinitey]

My friend and I tried to get Better AI working using a Direct IP connection. Unfortunately, we kept going out of sync the moment the game started. I wasn't sure if Better AI had multiplayer support but the posts here sounded like it did. To confirm, does Better AI work on a Direct IP or LAN game if I host it? If so, then I might have to submit a bug report. Thanks!

Edit: Looks like a quick search for multiplayer confirms that it works. Does the DLL need to be on every participant's computer?

 

[Uncle_Joe]

Yep, it works fine and yes, the dll needs to be on every computer. If you have different versions, you'll get an OOS every turn.

 

[zarakand]

Has the OOS been resolved then?

The real world has been making too many onerous demands lately, and I haven't had a chance to play any lan games in nearly a month.

 

[Uncle_Joe]

I've played two games with 3-4 players (via TCP/IP) for a total of about 6 hours with no OOS whatsoever. I know someone else reported at least one OOS with 2/12, but I dont know if the cause was the mod or something unrelated.

 

[bolt144]

Has the OOS been resolved then?

Nope. Played a game last night with 2/12 and we had 3 OOS errors in about 3 hours of playing. I have autosaves from right before they happen and I can recreate them at will with those files. I have full logging enabled, but using WinMerge to compare the MPLog files from both PC's shows nothing different that is useful.

I'm currently waiting on suggestions from Iustus on what to do next. He mentioned that he could make a build that enabled logging of everything to troubleshoot this further, but I have not seen it yet.

I imagine that the real world has been making too many onerous demands on his time too.

 

[infinitey]

Yes, it worked. Thanks everyone.

Unfortunately, two minutes into the game, Civ 4 froze and there were tons of assert errors when I alt-tabbed out. I suppose I'll have to file a bug report anyway.

 

[zarakand]

Just wanted to report that we played several lan mp games last night and didn't have any OOS errors. I think the bug might finally have been eliminated.

 

[bolt144]

Just wanted to report that we played several lan mp games last night and didn't have any OOS errors. I think the bug might finally have been eliminated.

Actually it has not been eliminated. I played last night too and we had 3 OOS's in a span of 3 hours.

I am curious though, what style of game do you play where you can play several in one evening? Do you play turn based or simulataneous mode? Do you play with a "Small" map size? Is the speed set to "Quick"? How many cities does the average Civ posses by the end of one of these games? How many AI opponents do you start with?

When I play, a game typically involves several nights of play (Direct IP over the Internet). 2 of us play "turn based", standard map size, speed is Epic, 6 AI's, and by the end of the game, usually the remaining Civ's have anywhere between 15 and 25 cities. Last night I was able to force the game into an OOS state by simply changing the overall research rate from 60% to 70% back and forth several times. It usually recovered on its own, but I could force it into an unrecoverable state (meaning a reload from the last save) by changing this rate and hitting the "End Turn" button immediately afterwards.

Just curious as to how people use it when playing Multiplayer. It may shed some light on where the mod is breaking down at.

 

[zarakand]

Bolt, sorry to hear that you had OOS errors last night. I understand how frustrating that can be.

Here are the settings for the games we play most often: Normal game speed, Standard map size, Fractal map, 12-14 civs, no city razing, aggressive A.I., simultaneous turns, with a medium turn timer.

The reason we're able to play several games is that it is most often just two people in the same room, and we're mainly playing against each other. Sometimes the games last longer because we are on separate continents. Other times we're right next to each other and it's a quicker game. However, there were two games that ended last night with the computer eliminating either one of us. (Normally this would be a kill joy, but we were both excited to see Better AI doing its thing and not upset).

I hope this helps, if there's anything else feel free to ask.

On a completely unrelated note, I would love to see city razing revamped. I dislike being able to raze large cities immediately.

 

[Doomed_UK]

I had a 3 human 3 AI game this week with no OOS errors.
And the AI killed the other 2 human players leaving me the victor by default!

 

[Uncle_Joe]

Just curious as to how people use it when playing Multiplayer. It may shed some light on where the mod is breaking down at.

In 3 sessions with 3 people, we had no OOS. We play Direct IP, standard map, simultaneous turns, Epic speed...nothing out of the ordinary.

 

[bolt144]

In 3 sessions with 3 people, we had no OOS. We play Direct IP, standard map, simultaneous turns, Epic speed...nothing out of the ordinary.

Ok, so the trend indicates that it is mainly with "Turn based" games. That may narrow the problem down some.