Security - Player 2 has already played this turn?

[Mobhack]

Mobhack said:

Actually - on deeper investigation, I will need to reword this security message, as it arises when:

a) it is player 1's orders phase
and
b) The current path to the game EXE differs from the original saved player 1 path to the game EXE

b can arise from:
- trying to play the game in a different installation of the game
- Trying to play on another machine

Both of which are end-user errors in trying to go around the requirements for a PBEM game.

- or (possibly) something - another programme would be the culprit - changing the current working directory. Did you have anything else running?. That one is an outside chance really.


The error message should really be "Player 1 is trying to play this turn in a different directory from the original one he started the game in" (or something shorter to fit the error message box !!)

Cheers
Andy

An additional thing would be - if you reinstalled the game for some reason, and then tried to continue an ongoing PBEM, as that will often nuke PBEM security info.

Did you reinstall the game or apply a patch, install the CD edition etc?

Did you change the path to the game by renaming folders?

Cheers
Andy

[embis]

I just had it happen in a second game now.

I wont send you the files because I havent used the default path for the install.


Starting to feel rather cautious about starting anymore PBEM games now.

Is it really necessary for the game to lock you out after a security breech?

Couldnt it just be set up to alert you and then load the turn anyway...at least then the player could choose to decide "my opponents a cheat I dont want to finish this game" instead of having the game make this decision on the players behalf.

[Mobhack]

embis said:
I just had it happen in a second game now.

I wont send you the files because I havent used the default path for the install.

Starting to feel rather cautious about starting anymore PBEM games now.

Is it really necessary for the game to lock you out after a security breech?

Couldnt it just be set up to alert you and then load the turn anyway...at least then the player could choose to decide "my opponents a cheat I dont want to finish this game" instead of having the game make this decision on the players behalf.

Did you do any of the things I mentioned to your path or file names etc?

if not - perhaps your opponent did (perhaps without realising the side effects ?).

As this particular message ensures that the player cannot load the save game onto a different computer or path and try the turn several times - then it really should stop play, IMHO.

I'd like to get to the bottom of why a very few players seem to be getting this particular message. It would be very nice to find some way to reproduce the error!.

The version in the patch will be dumping a text file with debug info on a PBEM load attempt (including the current path you are trying to play in, and the expected path for both players).

Cheers
Andy

[embis]

Thanks Andy,
I do have three installations on my system,(I know!!) One for Mods OOb edits and the like, (which I dont play any pbem games in) One to finish my old pbem games and one (from the CD) for my new games.

The problems have occoured once in the CD version and once in the D/L version.

Once the error occured when it was my turn and once when it was my opponents turn.

I tried deleting the old "faulty" turn restoring the previous "good" turn and then re-playing the "faulty" turn. still the same message.

Although I havent installed to the default paths in any version, neither have I changed the paths since the games were installed.

Obviously with two competing versions of the game on my system there is the risk that I inadvertantly unzipped to the wrong game but, obviously, I dont think that happened.

Anyway as my PBEM games fail the need for having more than one version on my system is rapidly becoming academic

I understand why you believe that the game should halt if a security breech is recognised...but if it didnt do that at least we could all have finished our games.