Can't connect to other LAN computer for multiplay.

TCP/IP has always been iffy in the Space Empires series... especially with routers and stuff of that sort.

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Space Empires Depot | Space Food Empires!

I hope this is not an offical response from the desingers?
TCP/IP should work at even this most basic form.
This causes me some concern indeed.

Of course it's not an official response, it was just a general comment. I'm just saying that there are often issues that are hard to diagnose because of all the different users' configurations and firewalls and blocked ports etc, etc. But the mode does work.

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The host can be a player, so I'm not sure why you are talking about needing a 3rd computer. The host sets up the game settings and then sets up the savegame name and different machines, tcp/ip stuff etc. Then the host can add empire files of their own (and potentially for AI players) while waiting for other players to connect.

You have to wait because the game doens't know how many players you want to add. Once all the players send their empire files in, the host processes the first turn and the files are sent out. Then each player sends their turn in and the host hits process turn and so on. It waits here because maybe you want to switch someone to the AI or communicate something before you run the turn etc.

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Space Empires Depot | Space Food Empires!

We setup a simultaneous game this weekend with 3 people and 3 seperate computers... we followed the steps on page 75 of the manual with one addition that wasn't clear.

After the step where the remote players create their empires and those files are sent to the host (the host screen should say something about empire received), the host can then (and only then) create their empire. Once the host's empire is added, the host computer hits the "Process Turn" button to start.

Currently there seems to be some bugs when processing turns, but we were able to get around one of them by ensuring the HOST computer completes their turn first (hit 'end turn' in the game), thus getting to the wait screen. Once all the remote players end their turn (as seen on the host computer by each human player's turn being received) the host computer then hits process turn. The results are automatically sent to the remote players, and the process repeats. Once the bugs are fixed, the process should work well (worked fine in SEIV imo).

Think of it as having a third player named host whose job is to hit the end turn button.
You might be confusing Host in the player file with the player on the host computer.

Have you tried running two instances of SE:V on the same machine? I haven't tried this, just curious.

Also, I noticed the lack of premade empires. First thing I did was start a Quick Start singleplayer game with each race. On turn one, I hit ESC and then "Save Empire", then saved the file as (whateverRace)_2k ... now you have a 2000 point copy of that race.

Hope I've helped you.

Your step by step discription is pretty darn close. You can always make an empire before starting a MP game and save it if you wish. Then when its your turn to select your empire you can load it instead of making a new one. Just make sure it has the right number of race points (2k, 3k, 5k) for the game you're joining.

One other bug I neglected to mention in my last post (sorry) was that currently the first turn seems to be bugged so that the remote players don't get an option to play. The way we got around it was that each person used the host computer to take that very first turn (only works if you are in the same location obviously). The other option is that the AI controls the first turn automatically. Downside to that is the remote player would then have to undo most of what was done on the 2nd turn since the AI may or may not have been going down the right path. Nasty bug that will hopefully get fixed soon.

Could you please clarify something? I'm a complete SE newbie, and only have a little time with the demo for experience. I have played MOO2 online quite a bit, but it sounds like a very different animal, so any experience there doesn't help.

Once everyone has completed their turn, the host has to manually start the process turn function?

It sounds like that should be automatically done once all the other players have completed their turn. I suppose the reason it may not is that if a player drops out of the game, the host PC can perform that player's turn (as an AI). But it sounds like it's not really playing it like an online game, but rather as PBEM, without keeping track of whether other PCs are connected and participating. Do I misunderstand?

If I'm a remote player, is there any way for me to know other players' status (if they've completed their turns)? When I play MOO2 online, there is a feature that lets you know, for instance, if you're the last player still working (and everyone is waiting on you). Does SE have a feature like this?

-Gusset

You're correct, the host machine is required to hit the process turn button once all the remote players are finished. It is a little different than MOO, but honestly once you get used to the process, it didn't feel "wrong" at all. It also allows you to fill in with an AI (as you mentioned) if a player drops out. Unfortuantely, there isn't an indication on a player's side if they are the last player or any indication of how many players have ended their turn...definately seems like a good suggestion that would help a bunch!

Thanks Cyclone. It would indeed help a bunch, however I think there could be workarounds. Perhaps a 3rd party chat window for the players in the game, that way if a player has to leave they can notify folks. I don't know how well SE5 will work with something like that, given that it likes to run full-screen (I haven't tried alt-tabbing).

Are there significant numbers of online players for SE? If so, do folks play 1 on 1 as well as group games? I am accustomed to online strategy gaming with minimal diplomacy amongst human players, using conquest as the major victory condition (MOO2). How does the community play SE?

There are a few things I'm still exploring, but I'm getting the impression that it might be worth investing the time into learning this game for playing online.

With SE:IV. most games were 5-10 players with a turn every couple of days using the pbw system.

http://www.pbw.cc/

Of course, a concentrated session or "turn fest" can be had when multiple players are available at the same time, but in practice it's usually rare.

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Space Empires Depot | Space Food Empires!

It varies from player to player, but on PBW (the unofficial server for SE4 games), roleplaying one's empire is quite popular, and games have been known to go on for quite some time without any real conquest... they get boring that way, but sometimes everyone chooses a peaceful empire and there are no warmongers to gang up on
On the other hand, some players prefer to conquer everything in sight, sometimes roleplaying all the while by means of insults to other players in the in-game messages
Me, I prefer to change my empire and tactics every game, just so I don't get bored with doing the same thing over and over again. One game I might be a rabid warmonger, the next I might be a bleeding-heart peacenik; you never know! (Though I tend not to succeed very well at the warmongering; I take it too far and never form alliances and attack everything in sight, which usually gets all the other empires united against me until they know I'm too small to be a threat anymore; then I capitulate and form one or two alliances, which the other players accept only out of pity )

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Mr. Flibble says...
Game over, boys!

I was definately hoping those would be addressed in this first patch, but with any luck it will still get attention soon.

1) I haven't tried the patch yet, but I definately had the same problem with the release version. I didn't see any patch notes on it, so I'm guessing I'll run into the same problem you did still.

2) Hmm... sorry that didn't work I'll try it again tonight and get better step by step diections on what we did to get it to work and we'll see if we can get it going. The bug with the first turn, however, may still be there which is a problem all in itself.

3) One other MP problem was the inability to continue a saved MP game since the remote players could never reconnect to the host. ( Remote players attempt to connect via the IP address, but continuously get the unable to connect msg back).