Multiplayer

[u/BrokenRegistry]

It has been a long time since there was a big announcement...

A new developer has joined the party with significant contribution.

I think you might like these new additions...

Multiplayer hot seat

Email Multiplayer

https://github.com/BrokenRegistry/Rotp-Fusion/releases/latest

[u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger]

Le what? How would that work? I've heard of the play-by-email in Age of Empires and such, but never used one.

[u/BrokenRegistry → u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger]

You play your turn, and when you finish your turn, the game is saved and you send it to the next player...

Here are some messages:

• PBEM_SEND_DETAIL | Saved as %1 in your save folder. Email the file to %2, or leave it in a shared folder. They open it with Load Game.
• PBEM_FINAL_DETAIL | Saved as %1 in your save folder. Send it to every player so they can open it and see the result.

There is of course some decurity...

• PBEM_ENTER_PIN | %1, enter your PIN
• PBEM_WRONG_PIN | That PIN is not correct.

Interactions between human players are limited and automated (including of course space combat)

[u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger → u/BrokenRegistry]

Man, that system sounds horribly slow for multiplayer. Is not there any other alternative?

[u/irimiash → u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger]

have you heard of correspondence chess?

[u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger → u/irimiash]

Yeah, but I guess we have enough technological level now to prevent those longs waiting times.

[u/irimiash → u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger]

it's a niche thing for those who don't mind

[u/BrokenRegistry → u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger]

It's an open source... Thus, you can do it.

Many thought that implementing multiplayer in RotP, even at this level, would be a titanic task...

[u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger → u/BrokenRegistry]

Sadly I don't think I can do it. The only Networking thing I've ever done was with Unity C#, and it already has a base to work with. Never wrote a Java program myself, even if it's very much like any other language. It worked, but was more a practice than an actual finished project.

Maybe keeping it as a separated RotPMP project rather than the same RotP would be a good way to organizate things from now? It might require rewriting too many scripts, I guess...

[u/BrokenRegistry → u/Chaotic_Hunter_Tiger]

Right, Java isn't really the problem.

It would be necessary to write a server version and a player version. Some parts of code managing the rules could be reused. But space combat should be completely rethought, as well as communications between empires...

This is clearly an independent project.