PBEM problems

[SuperTed]

I (using Explorer 5) have attempted to email my set-up to my opponent (using Netscape). I use the standard procedure (save to PBEM folder, open email, attach to email, send) that has worked fine with another opponent. In this case, however, I am told that the set-up text is found only in the body of the email, NOT as as attachment. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

SuperTed

[Guest Big Time Software]

That shouldn't be a problem. If the CM text is in the body of the email, just have him save the email as a text file. Then load that into CM.

Charles

[Joe Shaw]

Hmmm, hadn't thought of that, I usually just do the old copy and past routine to a text editor but that's a bit cumbersome.

I guess my question would be why I get different results? With most of the PBEM games I have going I get the text file as an attachment and not as an embedded portion of the email. Oddly when I look at the files I send in my "sent" file the text is embedded there too. I'm using a PC with Netscape, not sure of the version, sorry. I wonder if it's something in my mail settings that could be causing that?

The second PBEM issue I have is a larger one. I just received a setup from a Mac user that I can't open at all. It comes across as a Mac text binary file or something. When I tried to open it in Word the header line says "(This file must be converted with BinHex 4.0)". He tells me he has no problems with other games he's playing though I don't know if they all have Macs too.

I tried searching for the answer but there were so many different options and since I know next to nothing about Macs I was pretty much up in the air.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Joe

[Guest Big Time Software]

Joe,

The Mac user sent his PBEM using "binhex" encoding. This is a standard on the Mac but not on the PC. Just ask him to switch that off - it's not needed for PBEM anyway.

Charles

[Kingfish]

What can be done to insure the PBEM file is an attachment when recieved?

I 'Attach' the file to all my outgoing e-mails yet my opponents still receive it as text.

Any suggestions?

[Pfc Driscole James E]

I had this problem also. It seems to be a Configuration setting at some ISPs. They are setup to include plain text attachment into the body of a message.

I could not even get tech support at my ISP to respond to my questions about it. So I've gotten around the problem by "hacking" the game exe file. I used a binary editor to change the first 3 --- chars to hex ff in the "Play by mail data follows" string. Probably only one was nessisary. This force encodeing as quoted-printable whic works for me.

In the AW community this could get you banned for life. But, this is the only change I've made or will make.

Another workaround would be Ziping the files, which is a pain.

[Stefan Fredriksson]

I've experienced similar problems. I use Hotmail. When receiving a file as an attachment, and clicking on it, Hotmail insists on opening it - instead of letting me download it.

Only workaround we've found for this, is that the guys who send to me must zip the files.

Just renaming them didn't help, as Hotmail still recognized them as text-files.

Funnily enough, when I send back to the same guys, the text-file comes as a proper attachment without me having to zip it.

Computers are wonderful!