Have you seen this?

[vveedd]

This is related to my numberless posts about preventing reloading cheat in PBEM. It is post from World in Flames game developer on Matrix forum and how they will solve this problem:

Originally posted on WORLD IN FLAMES forum:

One of the big differences between playing MWIF live over the Internet and playing by email, is rolling the dice. During an Internet game MWIF can roll the dice and show the results to everyone immediately. In a PBEM game that is not possible; so a solution was needed to prevent the players from repeatedly rolling the dice until a favorable result is achieved. To do that, MWIF includes eMWIF, a small program that runs separately from MWIF.

eMWIF exists for one purpose: to roll the dice and report the result to all the players in a game. eMWIF can be run on any host Internet server and Matrix Games will run a copy that is available to everyone. You can run eMWIF on some another system if you like. When you start a PBEM game, you ‘register’ it with a running copy eMWIF, identifying who is playing what countries.

As you play the game there will be times when you need a random number (e.g., rolling for weather). At that point MWIF will send a query to eMWIF over the Internet, asking for a random number. eMWIF will validate that the player is in the game and that he is scheduled for asking for a random number for the specific event. By this I mean that eMWIF will know where in the sequence of play the players are and who should be doing what next. Once the request is validated, eMWIF will roll the dice and send the results to all players. This means that players cannot cheat since the dice are only rolled once. Note that communication between MWIF and eMWIF is automated and requires no action by the player.

At the start of a PBEM game each player sets up an ‘INI’ file that lists all the players in the game with their email addresses. It also contains the Internet address of the copy of eMWIF that will be “rolling the dice”. Once the scenario, optional rules, and sides have been decided by the players, MWIF registers the game with the eMWIF dice roller.

During a PBEM game, each player runs a copy of MWIF. Each copy sends emails to the other players in the game, as well as eMWIF. The emails are generated by MWIF when the player clicks on “phase complete”. From the player’s point of view this is identical to playing over the Internet or solitaire. The process for completing a phase will be the same.

So, my question is – is it possible to have similar stuff in SC2 PBEM games?

P.S. Hello to Desert Dave. It is me again. Are you happy to see me?

[n0kn0k]

The question is what will happen if you crash? Game Over?

[TaoJah]

I am playing several e-mail games at the moment (including against people I never heard from, not sure how that happened, lol) but I don't have the feeling that anyone cheats.

I do have EXTREMELY (and I mean EXTREMELY) bad luck with research in HvH games, but that's determined on my turn, so that can not be influenced by my opponents.

[Blashy]

Nice idea. Hope it works out for them.

SC and SC2 are the only military type games I have ever played and WiF is the only one I intend to buy as well.

[Desert Dave]

P.S. Hello to Desert Dave. It is me again. Are you happy to see me?

Hi-ho, vveedd.

What you say?

Sure,

Given my isolated place and state,

I am - once in a while,

Happy to see almost ANYONE.

The Beggar Man,

The Tax Man,

Flim Flam Man,

Mad Max the anti-cop,

Rag Man in 'is fly flop shoes,

Pale Rider on plodding

Plow Horse,

And, of course,

Even - this guy

Who is,

THIS time... I soon find out, savage!

As a crazy radio talk-show host,

And toting a sawed-off shot - e's after

My 19 and 56 model... washer machine!

Turns out 23 straight payments!

PRECISELY - on time,

Ain't gonna cut it.

... I had asked for - 3 day

extension?

They say - NO way Jose!

[... BTW, my name ain't Jose, they

seem... a bit flippant, eh?]

The TidePool

Mega-Corp (... which is based

in Bermuda, like so VERY many another

USA - USA - USA!

Kind of Corps - so to avoid paying ANY

Taxes - hey what! Lucky ducks!)

Anyway,

They have NO interest

In... EXCUSES,

They are like Saint Peter

At the Gate, in that way,

Oh say,

As in THIS case - due to exorbitant

Cost of gasoline - driving

The (... coughing) VW Kamper Wagen

Across Desert City

So to visit a dying

Friend... from days of Old,

When it was

We'd tripped the kaleido-light

Out of sight... clear to Death Valley

California,

April of '69 it was,

In search of Fool's gold,

Well, why ever not?

We ain't around for very long

After all, as many right here

Will soon enough learn, and so

TidePool MegaCorp sent Repo

Dude

So to yank the in/out-flow hoses,

which he did proceed to do

With a mighty crass alacrity!

It's alright,

I got this crick? Runs across

The gulley-wash back yonder.

Couple times a year

I carry the heap on down,

Then it rains a spell up

In them Watermellon Mountains,

And there's a couple flat rocks

And!

A Lime deposit close to hand, so,

Knock-knock on green wood!

All's right with the World,

I am good!

To go!

You?

[Lars]

Originally posted by n0kn0k:

The question is what will happen if you crash? Game Over?

Not just if you crash, what if they crash?

It is a solution, but it does have it's own set of drawbacks.

[Konigs]

Sounds interesting, I am with TaoJaoh though, I do not fell too many people are trying to cheat the system in PBEMs. I play on this forum and against some in PL that never visit this forum, and fell pretty comfortable with them.

It would surely eliminate any suspects, as long as it does not complicate process too much, might be interesting to have it.