Pioneer Admin Thread

[Sultan Bhargash]

Here is what slows things down: you have to keep checking your email which most of us who play intensely will still only do every minute or so. When the game arrives (and there is a slight delay for some systems like Hotmail) you have to start Civ3 and load the game in and that takes some time. You play your turn, which even at the early stage you would want to be deliberate about, naming units, meeting advisors, etc. YOu save and exit, get your email back up, and mail it. The next dude is probably watching this thread instead of continuously refreshing their inbox, so you come to this thread and post your results and that is when the next guy moves. This is factoring out the ingestion of beer, mismailing the wrong file or forgetting to attach, the "Maui Factor" , the problem that if you are posting to threads you might not see the game fast enough, etc.

It does get frustrating to PBEM online with everyone as last night when I subbed for Gannon I sat thru an hour to make three turns. This phenomena I think has alot to do with the fact that we are all PBEM ing when we would rather play MP online (maybe firaxis will come out with such an expansion some day! ) ; in my mind a PBEM game should be a leisurely affair done hours or a day per move, but in early Civ games that is boring - one more reason mo' better mods need to be in place so we can start off with armies and hordes in place in a meaningful turn.

 

[Richard III]

Originally posted by Sultan Bhargash

It does get frustrating to PBEM online with everyone as last night when I subbed for Gannon I sat thru an hour to make three turns. This phenomena I think has alot to do with the fact that we are all PBEM ing when we would rather play MP online (maybe firaxis will come out with such an expansion some day! ) ; in my mind a PBEM game should be a leisurely affair done hours or a day per move, but in early Civ games that is boring - one more reason mo' better mods need to be in place so we can start off with armies and hordes in place in a meaningful turn.

Agreed, I am looking forward to a one/two turn a day pace this week. Also agreed on the early period, although I have to admit I look at this as a necessary chore for rewards later; the dull workup in the early game will make the experience of, say, losing a city to Grandmasta Nick ( ) that much more meaningful than if it was just some city that some fellow had made in a scenario.

Pity you aren't still covering for the cannon, Sultan; we'd probably have a turn done by 4:00ish then.

R.III

 

[WildFire]

Originally posted by GrandMasta Nick
I wonder if anyone outside of this game is even going to bother reading this thread.

Well some of us are in school right now and are bored out of our minds because we don't want to work up the energy to my French homework

Tchao!

 

[ironduck]

Sultan: Just set your email program to automatically check for mail every minute (tools->options->general in outlook express), you'll get the little mail icon on the taskbar thingy, so no need to check the mail, it will remind you automatically.

I want to play 'real' online multiplayer too, but I still think that a more streamlined PBEM has its place. If you just keep PTW loaded in the background, you can alt-tab into the game everytime you get that little email pop-up, run a turn, then go back to whatever you were doing. This way you get to play multiplayer civ the 'old style' without a frantic rush (i.e. a timer), while at the same time you won't be sitting ildly about waiting for other players to take their turn because you can just work on other things on the computer in between your own turns.

Good luck on your game, and don't forget the screenshots!

 

[mauiduck]

Hey guys I have checked my box and no save. Who was up before me? IMHO I have to agree with RIII that the diplomacy and deal making aspect is much more richer and more realistic with PBEM than with true multi-player. We could use the editor to accelerate production and compress time and make pre-built scenarios but as was mentioned above all the tedious work pays off now when you once tiny hamlet is now the center of the world's financial markets...

 

[Richard III]

Originally posted by mauiduck
Hey guys I have checked my box and no save. Who was up before me? IMHO I have to agree with RIII that the diplomacy and deal making aspect is much more richer and more realistic with PBEM than with true multi-player.

Nick was up, and he's one of our younger players, so he's probably in school. Although schools these days seem to let their students out at appalingly early times, so who knows?

R.III

 

[joespaniel]

I played this morning, before going to work, and mailed it to cgannon.

Further scouting with warriors reveals I am not on an island, but likely on the same continent as the rest of you. Perhaps just on an isthmus, or something.

 

[KaNick]

Got it. I usually get home from school 3:30 CT. Although on some days I will leave a few hours early.

 

[KaNick]

Sent to maui.

 

[cgannon64]

I'm back! Nick, I sent my turn to you over an hour ago, just letting you know. I love how going to bed is now "Pulling a Gannon" or whatever Sultan said...I HAVE A MOTHER!!! Don't think I want to go...

Anyway, I'm hoping we can get in some good turns today, or at least I can before I have to call in Sultan again...

Oh, I get home from school around 3:30 EST, although this forum is unusable before 5 rolleyes: ). And I can usually play on weeknights until about 10, then if you guys feel like going late, it will be up to Sultan. One bad thing about having a sub is that I fear that all of the big decisions like wars, alliances, troop movements, etc. will happen while Sultan is playing.

CG

EDIT: Disregard the stuff about Nick, he just sent it to Maui.

 

[KaNick]

The main thing that slows me down is my hela-slow computer. It takes me about 5 mins. a round and i have three windows open. One for my mail box another for here and one for PTW. So it is the load time that kills me.

 

[KaNick]

I should be free to play until 4:30 today then i have to leave but will come back around 7:45. The real world can have some advantages

 

[mauiduck]

Off to RIII...sorry about the delay as the Persians had their first monumental leadership decision of the game..then my cable modem timed out...

 

[Richard III]

Check your mail, Joe. I myself made a monumental decision and then decided to write about it.

I wonder if Joe's working hours put him in jeopardy for playing more than a turn an evening.

R.III

 

[joespaniel]

Pioneer 14 to cgannon.

I was here earlier, but no one else was, so i went surfing.

Tomorow I work a double shift, so one turn in the morning and then I wont be back until late.
I'm here tonight though.

 

[joespaniel]

Originally posted by GrandMasta Nick
The main thing that slows me down is my hela-slow computer. It takes me about 5 mins. a round and i have three windows open. One for my mail box another for here and one for PTW. So it is the load time that kills me.

Civ3 takes up alot of CPU. I think its actually faster to go offline and start up the game, then come back and e-mail. But I have cable, not dial-up.

 

[cgannon64]

Sorry for not being here, I just had to press refresh about 50 times to get my way into the forum. There should be some kind of system here where members get in first, and when we approach the unwritten limit of people in the forum, they boot all of those non-members. This way I can actually check up on the game!

Anyway, game sent to Nick. Don't bug me about not being here, we already got two turns done, which was our "goal" for a weekday. I'll be here for the rest of the night, save leaving for a quick dinner. I'll just play some civ and alt-tab my way back to check up. You people laugh at me for having to go to bed, but I seem to have the most free time on weekdays out of all of you (not including joe, who seems to have an immense amount of time despite having a job...want to explain that joe? ).

CG

 

[Sultan Bhargash]

Just three points to respond to things said here:

1. No way I am installing outlook express. I have enough problems! But I don't mind hitting my refresh button and last night was actuallly doing so about every three seconds at several points. ALso ALT-TAB does not work for me for some reason (maybe the dreaded curse of windows millenium?)

2. Yeah just joking Gannon, when I had to wake up at 730 this morning I wished I'd been the one in bed early!

3. Tommorow I don't work and will be willing to cover if people here want a real late nighter tonight...

 

[KaNick]

I'll get in one more turn before i have to leave.

 

[cgannon64]

Originally posted by Sultan Bhargash
(maybe the dreaded curse of windows millenium?)

You must have one of the buggier versions of ME, because mine is fine. Actually, its fine with alt-tab. My PTW does crash every once and a while (once a week), I once had to wipe my hard drive because Word would crash my computer...lets see...what else...

Who's up? Nick? Joe? I want to keep this going, its only 7pm here, I'm almost done with HW, and that leaves me 3 hours of civving!!!

CG