Wheat
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Trouble getting 2 player game started

Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:16 pm

My friend and I are trying to get a PBEM going. He sends me the HST file, I send him my ord file. But after processing, my orders are not executed, its like he's playing vs the ai. If we reverse it and I start the game, same thing, his orders don't execute, its like I'm vs the AI. We are both playing via the STEAM game. As trying to play Steam games vs a CD game NEVER worked. Trying to like this game...sigh.

Where is a clear explanation of how to get a PBEM game going!

pb783
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Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:49 am

ONE player, let's call them the Union, starts the game. They do not process their turn, but save their turn after completing all orders. In the file for the game you'll find the game has generated some files. Look at this illustration:

[ATTACH]34251[/ATTACH]

* Player one completes all orders and SAVES their turn without processing. (This is game turn one for the Union)

[ATTACH]34254[/ATTACH]

The Union player on game turn one will only see a USA.ord file. (If the CSA player starts there will only be a CSA.ord file) There won't be a .RPL file, a CSA.ord file and I believe the .HST file is generated later. Send ALL the files, except the .ZIP and Backup Files to your opponent. Most of us use a compression program to create a smaller file that needs to be decompressed.

* Player one compresses all the files in the saved game folder.
* Player one sends the compressed game folder to the opponent.
* Player two decompresses the folder into their saved games folder.
* Player two LOADS the game.

Your opponent will LOAD a game.

[ATTACH]34252[/ATTACH]

They should see the game in the library of ongoing games.

[ATTACH]34253[/ATTACH]

* Player two selects to PLAY the opposing side.

In the first turn the second player will prepare their orders. When they are complete the turn is processed by them. The first player will see the turn process.

* Player two completes all orders and PROCESSES the game turn. (This is game turn one for the CSA)

[ATTACH]34255[/ATTACH]

* Player two completes all orders and SAVES their turn. (This is game turn two for the CSA)
* Player two compresses all the files in the saved game folder.
* Player two sends the compressed game folder to the opponent. (This is now game turn two for the Union)
* Player one and two repeat and rinse until the game is done. In each case you'll play a turn and save a turn. Also, both players are involved in processing (what was once called hosting) the game.

Just do this. Then come back when the two of you can do this and we'll move to a more advanced concept. (I'm not kidding). :)
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BattleVonWar
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Fri Jul 24, 2015 2:57 am

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?39291-Playing-against-someone&

is a thread on how to PBEM vs a human opponent.


http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?39507-How-to-PBEM-101

is a tutorial I put up, it's really unfinished and will be redone when I feel up to it.


Basically for a new player it's a little hit and miss. You will learn by error... Do you see the actual orders on both sides when you save your Orders and load his orders into your save file?

Wheat wrote:My friend and I are trying to get a PBEM going. He sends me the HST file, I send him my ord file. But after processing, my orders are not executed, its like he's playing vs the ai. If we reverse it and I start the game, same thing, his orders don't execute, its like I'm vs the AI. We are both playing via the STEAM game. As trying to play Steam games vs a CD game NEVER worked. Trying to like this game...sigh.

Where is a clear explanation of how to get a PBEM game going!
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

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Cardinal Ape
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Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:21 am

Before you begin the game make sure that both players are using the same version. You can find your version by selecting 'credits' from the main in game menu. It will be listed at the top (ex: CW2 1.06 (May 18th, 2015.))

Make sure your the naming syntax of your files is correct. Some Macs or internet browsers will automatically rename downloaded files. A '~' could be changed to a '-'. Manually rename the files as needed. They should look consistent as seen pb783's first picture. If you wish to rename the game away from the starting '1861 April Campaign' do so inside the game.

When you load the game you will be able to tell if a faction has been given valid orders by a shown icon:
[ATTACH]34258[/ATTACH]
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H Gilmer3
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Fri Jul 24, 2015 4:48 am

We really should look into migrating the system to what WITE uses.
To End All Wars AAR in the War Room. Join us as we laugh, we cry, we drink beer, and we joke on how badly I play......

http://www.ageod-forum.com/showthread.php?36936-To-End-All-Wars-AAR-Western-Entente-against-the-AI-of-Central-Powers!

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loki100
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Fri Jul 24, 2015 8:24 am

Wheat wrote:My friend and I are trying to get a PBEM going. He sends me the HST file, I send him my ord file. But after processing, my orders are not executed, its like he's playing vs the ai. If we reverse it and I start the game, same thing, his orders don't execute, its like I'm vs the AI. We are both playing via the STEAM game. As trying to play Steam games vs a CD game NEVER worked. Trying to like this game...sigh.

Where is a clear explanation of how to get a PBEM game going!


the key, as above, is the host does not process the turn (ie generate a hst file), simply set up your orders and send that, as doing what you are doing does indeed set up a vs AI game. Also, from testing steam ACW is perfectly compatible with non-steam for PBEM so no idea how G-Rex came up with that version of reality. Given the thread over on the matrix forum (which I presume gives a clue as to your opponent), really the use of bold capitals is rarely sensible when you've misunderstood the process (which can be a little bit confusing first time around).
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pb783
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Fri Jul 24, 2015 6:31 pm

So... THAT'S what that icon means on the load page! :)

Wheat, if you can accomplish a few turns following the directions I gave, there is some more stuff (and you get to hear from people who are even more accomplished than me, such as Cardinal Ape. :) ) Write back when you have that done and we'll go step by step through the ADVANCED stuff. And I'll learn some stuff too. :)

Wheat
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Sat Jul 25, 2015 8:02 pm

First, thanks guys for the input. Nice illustrations pb783. Battle von War, I watched the videos, helpful but a bit long to just find out how to get a PBEM going!

Loki100, yep, you surmised correctly. The much loved Gamesaurus Rex is my opponent. I still have let over cash sent me from WitE forumites that they paid me to thrash him soundly.

Ape, we DON'T see the icons on the figures, sorta.

So, here goes. My game does NOT notice his CSA ord file. I.e, I have the blue and red icon on Lincoln, nothing on Davis, when both my Union ord file, his CSA ord file, and the hst file are in the game folder.
We noticed that once, when he processed the turn, he got an error saying the operating system was locking the file. What file, we don't know. Secondly, the time stamp on the hst file in his game wasn't updating, thus, it was in error. We exempted the folders in his Panda antivirus, and it began updateing the date, till turn 3, when it didn't. We have literally spent hours trying to get this to work, talking via phone or steam chat. Me starting the game, him, etc, over and over.

We have both uninstalled and reinstalled the game twice from steam. Both are on Windows 7. On occasion, I have seen this come up when I try and process the turn with his "unseen" ord file. That is no icon on Davis.

We are pretty frustrated with this clusterfuck of a game.
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Captain_Orso
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Sun Jul 26, 2015 10:49 am

That popup comes if you click on 'Proceed to next turn' while there is no .ord file in the '..\Saves\Scenario' folder for the opponent--the opponent being the faction which is not currently loaded, so if you've loaded the Union faction, then the Confederate .ord file is missing in the '..\Saves\Scenario' folder, and the game is asking if you want the AI to takeover playing for your opponent.

Wheat wrote:First, thanks guys for the input. Nice illustrations pb783. Battle von War, I watched the videos, helpful but a bit long to just find out how to get a PBEM going!

Loki100, yep, you surmised correctly. The much loved Gamesaurus Rex is my opponent. I still have let over cash sent me from WitE forumites that they paid me to thrash him soundly.


Wheat wrote:Ape, we DON'T see the icons on the figures, sorta.


What do you mean by "sorta"? If the 'orders' icon is not on the faction button, then the game has not found a .ord file for that faction.

[INDENT]Tip: the more exact you explain what you are trying to describe, the easier it will be for others to understand the situation and help you. Using vague or colloquial language makes helping you more difficult.[/INDENT]

Wheat wrote:So, here goes. My game does NOT notice his CSA ord file. I.e, I have the blue and red icon on Lincoln, nothing on Davis, when both my Union ord file, his CSA ord file, and the hst file are in the game folder.
We noticed that once, when he processed the turn, he got an error saying the operating system was locking the file. What file, we don't know. Secondly, the time stamp on the hst file in his game wasn't updating, thus, it was in error. We exempted the folders in his Panda antivirus, and it began updateing the date, till turn 3, when it didn't. We have literally spent hours trying to get this to work, talking via phone or steam chat. Me starting the game, him, etc, over and over.

We have both uninstalled and reinstalled the game twice from steam. Both are on Windows 7. On occasion, I have seen this come up when I try and process the turn with his "unseen" ord file. That is no icon on Davis.

We are pretty frustrated with this clusterfuck of a game.


Are either or both of you using turn compression?
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BattleVonWar
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Sun Jul 26, 2015 11:11 am

Dear Wheat, I sometimes have time at night between 11 and 2am USA Eastern. If you want to Skype and let me watch precisely what you're doing by sharing screen I might help.

I have found with the Steam version the directory defaults to a different location for my save files when I copied over 1.6 (I dumped my whole 1.6 Steam version on the Desktop yet the save files ended up in My Documents/My Games/Etc... Search the filename you rename the game and you will find the save folder)

1. You start by starting a game like you're playing the AI, but you only send the .HST file that the game created to the opponent.

2. He receives this .HST file, he places in his game folder, he then proceeds to play out his turn, but he doesn't finish his turn as you would vs the AI by hitting next turn(he stops there with the save). What he does he saves his moves, it creates a .ORD file and then he mails this back to you.

3. You proceed with the turn. You now have a refreshed .HST file basically you mail back to him.

4. You continue with this process again and again. If it doesn't work there is something else wrong. You're doing something wrong...

P.S. ULTRA important, if the name of the file doesn't PRECISELY match the game file names which people mess up constantly with me when they E-mail me stuff and so does my client the game doesn't recognize the file. It goes wonky, so what you need to do is match up file names to those you have in your AI games to make sure they're proper so they get accepted.

All this took some hit and miss but if you're not very computer literate you can get lost. I still get lost... It's all possible and all PBEM games a pain in the rear just about(We use to spend 5-7 hours a night playing EU2 and dealing with 75% of that time just fixing our bugs on some occasions, once you ironed them out though, great game)
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

pb783
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Sun Jul 26, 2015 10:39 pm

Wheat,

I'd take advantage of the offer by BVW to share screens. However, reading back over the post, one player doesn't send the ORD and the other the HST. Follow the instructions exactly. One player works on things at a time.

* Enter your FIRST turn and DO NOT PROCESS- SAVE and close the game.
* Send the resulting files to your opponent.
* Your opponent enters their orders for their FIRST turn
* Your opponent then PROCESSES and THEN Enters the SECOND turn
* Your opponent then SAVES and closes
* Your opponent then sends (TURN TWO) back to you for you to enter your moves for TURN two.

it sounds as if you've been trading files simultaneously without any processing. Talking to BVW should clear that up quickly.

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BattleVonWar
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:10 am

[ATTACH]34284[/ATTACH]

Explaining can easily get mixed up. This is the directory Steam puts my files in a PBEM game I am in right now. It's true you have to save your moves at the end of the turn, then only the hosting player should process the turn. Though the turns won't process if the file names are not perfect. My 6.0 Steam copy of CW2 defaults to the name of my computer then the sub directory shown above. This can lead to confusion alone right here. As you will never have a turn or directory at all.

PB is right, and everyone else just hard to explain and easy to show! If you create an AI game and rename it, then go searching for it under Start/Search for Progams and Files, it will show you where your Steam Save Directory has defaulted that save to. Just like a PBEM game.
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Wheat
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 4:50 am

Ok, I'm posting the saved game folder. But we are not just swapping files. I am pretty sure I understand the say, USA starts the game, sends HST file to CSA player. He puts it in an EXACT same name folder, does his turn, saves, creating the CSA.ord file, sends it back. USA puts the CSA.ord file in the game folder and processes the turn. The ord files "disappear", and the USA player sends back the new HST file, plus the CSA replay file. (All this is assuming the USA does ALL the processing.

As you can see in the pic, the files are there, but when I go to load the game being played, it doesn't seem to "see" the CSA.ord file. There is no red/blue arrow icon on Jeff Davis. Even though it is the Csa.ord file he sent me.

We are NOT compressing the files. Do we have too? They aren't too large to email?

Umm, neither of us are computer illiterates. But that doesn't mean we don't do stupid things of course.
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BattleVonWar
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 5:17 am

In my first PBEM game me and my opponent took at least a turn or two this figure this... get rid of the - and replace it with the ~ so that the .ord file matches precisely what the game can read. It won't read it due to that tiny hard to see little slash... funny I know but it the same one above the TAB key, not the next to your backspace key. Also give the game a chance it's absolutely fab

and let me know if the game still doesn't show your orders?

Wheat wrote:Ok, I'm posting the saved game folder. But we are not just swapping files. I am pretty sure I understand the say, USA starts the game, sends HST file to CSA player. He puts it in an EXACT same name folder, does his turn, saves, creating the CSA.ord file, sends it back. USA puts the CSA.ord file in the game folder and processes the turn. The ord files "disappear", and the USA player sends back the new HST file, plus the CSA replay file. (All this is assuming the USA does ALL the processing.

As you can see in the pic, the files are there, but when I go to load the game being played, it doesn't seem to "see" the CSA.ord file. There is no red/blue arrow icon on Jeff Davis. Even though it is the Csa.ord file he sent me.

We are NOT compressing the files. Do we have too? They aren't too large to email?

Umm, neither of us are computer illiterates. But that doesn't mean we don't do stupid things of course.
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 5:21 am

The names don't quite match up.

One hass "-" and the other has "~"

It's a very small but important difference. I had the same problem at one time in one of my games. Rename the CSA orders with the tilde instead of the dash and it should work. You don't have to compress the files, but it could help if you have size limitations on emails and it will improve the upload/download speeds. I don't use the option in the game and instead use an outside zipping program to zip the HST and replay files if I'm hosting or my order file if I'm not. Happy gaming!

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 5:23 am

BattleVonWar wrote:In my first PBEM game me and my opponent took at least a turn or two this figure this... get rid of the - and replace it with the ~ so that the .ord file matches precisely what the game can read. It won't read it due to that tiny hard to see little slash... funny I know but it the same one above the TAB key, not the next to your backspace key. Also give the game a chance it's absolutely fab

and let me know if the game still doesn't show your orders?


You beat me by a couple minutes. It took me forever to find a tilde in word, copy it over, and then finish the rest of the reply!

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BattleVonWar
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 5:55 am

No stress, let's hope we have another member of the CW2 Community. Plus you better not sack D.C. :P if you do that I will sneak into the game file an edit down Lee and Jackson to 1-0-0 :P

FightingBuckeye wrote:You beat me by a couple minutes. It took me forever to find a tilde in word, copy it over, and then finish the rest of the reply!
For every Southern boy fourteen years old, not once but whenever he wants it, there is the instant when it's still not yet two o'clock on that July afternoon in 1863 ~~~

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:26 am

BattleVonWar wrote:No stress, let's hope we have another member of the CW2 Community. Plus you better not sack D.C. :P if you do that I will sneak into the game file an edit down Lee and Jackson to 1-0-0 :P


Look at the bright side of things. If I do sack DC, you could read my AAR without fear of reading my mail so to speak. Btw, thanks again for agreeing not to read it or tripax's.

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Cardinal Ape
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:46 am

After all of the time and frustrastion these guys went through to get their game going, I bet they are going to be pissed that it all came down to one stupid little ~.

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:42 am

Cardinal Ape wrote:After all of the time and frustrastion these guys went through to get their game going, I bet they are going to be pissed that it all came down to one stupid little ~.


Or rather the lack of one ;)

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loki100
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:49 am

Wheat wrote:
We are NOT compressing the files. Do we have too? They aren't too large to email?



yes you do, its not size, its the risk of corruption in the transfer process
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Captain_Orso
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:27 am

Okay, in the mean time you've discovered where your issues lays.

Wheat wrote:8<

We are NOT compressing the files. Do we have too? They aren't too large to email?

8<


No, you do not.

I would however very strongly suggest that you and your opponent get in the habit of putting the files you exchange by email into an archive format to protect its integrity.

Whether you use WinZIP, WinRAR, or any other good utility to archive the files into a well-known format, the content will be protected, or at least you will get a warning if anything in the archive file changed during the process of sending and receiving the files, including the name of the file.
Image

Wheat
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:24 pm

F***ing YAHOO. Guys, you found the problem. So, we tested, when I download the file Yahoo CHANGES the tilde to a dash!!!!!!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-------------------------

could be outlook does it, he is using outlook. But geez............

Thanks everyone.

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FightingBuckeye
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Mon Jul 27, 2015 6:35 pm

Zip the file(s) and that won't happen. Glad everything seemed to be sorted out.

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