Pitboss Civilization 4 -- RESTART!
 

I've set up a Pitboss game, for those that are interested in it. It's considered an IP game (so it would be private), with 24 hour time limits on turns. What I need now is to find out if it works. :-)

So ... no one needs to download Pitboss, just connect to the game and play your turn.

Pitboss is a persistant PBEM server that allows you to play your turn and not have to wait on an emailed folder, and no one has to play in order -- so, come on anytime, play your turn and the next day, they'll be another turn to play. This makes for a MUCH faster game, and new players can come in (with permission from the group) and sub for missing/unavailable players at any time. I have 24 hour limits turned on, so if you don't play your turn in 24 hours, you're basically skipped. You continue to research, and continue to build if you have items in your queue, but you won't do anything else.

Large games can be played this way, since the turns will go after 24 hours regardless. What I need now is people to try this out and see if it works.

I'm looking for a maximum of 10 people to join.

How to join:

Go to your Civ 4 game, choose "Multiplayer" then "Direct IP", The game name is FOFC Dominion, and my IP is 24.239.76.92

Then choose your leader and play your turn. You can have email notifications sent to you when a new turn comes up if you want, but you don't have to. Simply log on every day and play the next turn. If there's someone else on at the same time as you, you can even chat with them, but again, this is in every way like a PBEM game, only you don't have to wait your turn. Give it a try.

dola -- the password is:

fofc

I hope I can still get in when I get home this afternoon from work, as this sounds like fun.

You should be. I doubt if we'll get 10 players in by that time.

I'm in.

Signed up and played my first turn.

Question...how do you chat? I saw Celeval and "Pittboss" (Eric) doing it, but I couldn't figure out how to do it myself...

Dola-

Nevermind, figured it out...

this is excellent...only question before i join is: what time does the clock run out?

Right now, there's 23 hours left on it. The game gives you a clock timer right on the Civ 4 screen.

dola -- but if there's an open Civ, people can join anytime, even after the first turn.

double dola -- got 5 people playing so far. 5 spots left:

Louis XIV
Hatshepsut
Saladin
Alexander
Cyrus

this is sweet, thanks again

fixed it for you

And you're not going to tell us!?!?!?!?!?!

Anyway, I'll check in tonight when I get a chance and will take a spot if there is one left. But I go home, eat dinner, give the kids baths, put the kids to bed, then I have an online gaming match at 8, so it'll be 9 eastern or so before I check in.

Love this idea. Hope there are spots open when I can get on at 8 pm.

click on the icon directy below you gold reserve in the upper left hand corner.

I'll try to get in this evening. I wanted for the first PBEM game to succeed, but we were hamped by delay after delay. This sounds like a great approach to it.

Cool, I'm in. I took over Louis and the French, and took my turn. I didn't save or anything, and left while it was still saying "Waiting for other players" -- the info is stored on PitBoss, right?

Crap... I'm guessing there's no way to talk thru a proxy?

That's weird, when I logged in, it seemed like WVU was talking to himself. I could see his chat, but no one else's.

When you log in, there's a automated welcome message. I haven't been on in awhile. (been asleep)

You weren't able to log into the game?

Yes. All saves are stored by PitBoss.

dola -- only 3 Civs left open:

Saladin
Alexander
Cyrus

I'm in as Egypt

Yeah, but I could see your responses to questions asked by someone else (most likely from before I logged on)...but not those questions.

I won't be able to until I get home from work, and at the rate it's going, it'll be full up by then...

Doubtful. There'll probably be room. If there isn't, and there's enough people interested, I can start a second Pitboss game.

To the active players -- make sure you have set a password when you entered the game for the first time. Otherwise, anyone can log in and play as you.

Yeah, it'll do that when I respond from Pitboss -- it saves the "announcements" I put out for all the players until the end of the turn.

WVU, what does being the Pitboss entail?

was there a mod you have to download, and is your computer the persistant server, therfore having to be running the game at all times?

just wondering....depending on the details, i might be able to set a game up on my desktop

It's actually really easy. Download the Pitboss client (it's on the Firaxis site -- I'll see if I can't get the link for you if you want, and upzip it into your Civ4 Folder. Insert your original CD, and start up the Pitboss.exe file. The program is made and released by Firaxis, so it's completely compatable.

You actually set up the game from the Pitboss screen, from entering in your SMTP server info to how the game is set up. If you have an existing PBEM game, you can convert it to Pitboss, but otherwise, just follow the instructions on the screen.

The Pitboss file has to remain open at all times, so your CPU in essense becomes the server the game is hosted on, but it's a miniscule file, so for me it's no problem.

Like i said, if you're interested, I can get you the file. If I can set it up, anyone can.

dola -- the file is below:

hxxp://63.236.94.185/2kgames/civ4/civ4pitboss.php

Info about Pitboss:

hxxp://www.2kgames.com/civ4/pitboss.htm

In as the Persians. Alexander and Saladin look like the only ones left.

I took Alexander.

Saladin seems to be the last one. One more and we hit the next turn automatically.

retrospectively, i probably should have taken saladin


get it....saldana....saladin


i got nothin.

In as Saladin...

This should be interesting... my first time playing as him.

And we're full.

Turn 2 is now ready to be played. I've also figured out how to edit things, so now there should be email reminders sent if you have your settings set correctly -- click ALT-D and you can set the game to send you reminders of new turns.

Ok, the votes are (mostly) in -- RESTART
 

So far with only one or two exceptions, everyone is interested in restarting, so that's what we're gonna do.

Now we're gonna be set for 12 players, so if there's other people that are interested, please sign up, as there will be 3 more slots available now.

EVERYONE WILL NEED TO RETAKE A CIVILIZATION.

To do so:

Open Civ4
Click "Multiplayer"
Click "Direct IP game"
Fill in the correct info. The IP for the game is 24.239.76.92.
The name for the new game is "FOFC Global"
Enter a password for the game.
Password is -- fofc
Select your Civ and enjoy!

So, if you haven't tried this out, take your civ. If you're in the old game, take a new civ.

Enjoy!

Sorry for not answering your PM, Eric. From your last post I thought that you had fixed the issues...

I had thought I had fixed the mail issue, but this way we're expanding the game and ensuring it would work.

did anyone else get kicked out of the game. i got terminated and cant reconnect. when i try to get back it, the window starts going through the different players, connecting to each one, and when it gets to "Sharon", i get an error that says i cant connect to Sharon because his firewall is not configured properly, and i get dropped back to the connection screen.

Lemme check on it.

Try it now, Saldana.

seems to be working fine, thanks

btw to everyone, a quick key to the chat window is just to hit TAB, and it pops up....instead of clicking the icon by your gold bank

FranklinNoble took my civ. :(

I'm in, tho.

I get to the where it is finished loading and the game just hangs. I had no trouble last night. Anyone else have this?

It caught up.

I would just like to say before I die on the second turn (damn you, Celeval -- DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!) that the Japanese will rise again!!

:-)