online play??

[Spledge]

I'm starving to play against an person verses the "AI" BUT I'm not comfortable swapping files with folks that I don't know.

Is there a safe respected environment where folks can play SPWWII on an externally hosted server, maybe in the Hot Seat mode or what ever mode would work as long as there is no threat to the user's PCs.

Thanks all,
Spledge

[Imp]

Recieving the emails can be quite good fun with some of the reports if your opponents a talkative type & is important to set up any rules and decide map & force types or size.
So long as your virus checker is upto date their should be no issue, if you want you could even scan the files individualy.
If really woried run In sandbox mode so it cant access your computer.
Some virus or firewall programs let you do this or I am sure could unload a specific program for free.

[RightDeve]

Yep...
Furthermore, if you don't have dedicated anti-virus program, you can always use this Google online virus scanner (uses more than 50, latest-updated, Anti-virus definitions):

https://www.virustotal.com/

Just upload the Zip file and it'll show you the result.
PBEM games are only transferring two files specific to WinSPWW2 anyway (CMT and DAT files, if I recall correctly), so no Windows system files or executables and such thing. If there is, delete it and ask your opponent to resend a clean file.

[Spledge]

I've seen instances where I consistently send two files; CMT and DAT, but then receive two visible files in return but then discover varying numbers of "invisible" files picked up by a security/anti-virus program from an opponent also as part of the packet.

Regards, I still have interest in my original scenario, playing SP on a server where opponents don't exchange files, they play the game in perhaps the hot-seat mode.

Do these environments exist in our community?

Thanks.

[Spledge]

Just keeping my interest in the fore, I'm very interested in playing some opponents (human) where files are not exchanged. With the current options of the game, maybe that represents a hotseat set up or more likely a PBEM where the game/program is running on a server that is accessed remotely. It would be nice also not to allow opponents access to what their opponent is seeing/doing in their turns for obvious reasons.

Can someone with the right intentions make this happen?

[oberst_klink]

Originally Posted by Spledge

Just keeping my interest in the fore, I'm very interested in playing some opponents (human) where files are not exchanged. With the current options of the game, maybe that represents a hotseat set up or more likely a PBEM where the game/program is running on a server that is accessed remotely. It would be nice also not to allow opponents access to what their opponent is seeing/doing in their turns for obvious reasons.

Can someone with the right intentions make this happen?

It can be done more or less in a semi-simultaneous way via Dropbox... pushing emails with the saves back and forth is indeed a pain. I am up for a PBEM that way... drop me a line.

Klink, Oberst

[Spledge]

Oberst,

My focus is less on the "pain of passing files" back and forth and more pertaining to the safety of my pc's system when exchanging files.

How would running the secure version of the game be carried out, not allow for eves-dropping on an opponents or re-playing turns, etc? Tell us more how you envision the process working and the benefits of that process?

Thanks for being engaged on this.

[Imp]

If you are that worried why don't you just install a second operating system on a partition or second drive.
Boot from that operating system whenever you want to download anything to check it first.
Do a backup if you like first once the first ones done they are quick if set to only backup changed files.
Saves so much time if your system does go tits up, reinstalling everything is a pain but its setting the preferences up as you had them for everything that is the real PITA

My virus checker checks my emails, pretty sure my main email account the provider actually runs a virus check also.
I can then if I want to interrogate the file with a right click & another virus check before I download it.
If its suspicious as in they are not sure I can either wait for a report from my virus checker after sending them the file & or open it in sandbox mode so it cannot make any changes to my system.

Hard drives are cheap now a second drive & backup program means your covered even if your HD packs up.
If you really want to you can set up so the second drive is identical to the first rather than a backup. If the main drive fails you just boot off the other one & your back in business at the last scheduled backup point.

[Spledge]

Forgive me for circling back again to my main point, how can we play the game on a server-like environment where opponents do not exchange files? Would that entail running the game in the HotSeat mode (one I've never tried)? If that is the case, how can the opponents ensure that their adversary is either not watching their turn or getting access to the under-the-hood environment; game files, OS environment, etc.

Interesting discussion, I'm hoping that we all can pitch in to figure out a way to make this happen.

[DRG]

You can play secure hotseat games using passwords to protect from the other player looking at your files ( or you looking at his...) but it cannot be done remotely. You both have to be in the same room and that is not going to change because nobody is interested in setting up remote hot seat PBEM games if for no other reason that timezone and work schedule differences make playing real time difficult if not impossible for most players and it's rarely suggested. We do not have the fan base to support it....this is not "world of tanks". If we had 100X the interest and sales it *might* be worthwhile but we don't and I cannot see that ever changing

There has not been one case ever reported that I am aware of ( if there were it WOULD have been reported ! ) where one player has compromised another players computer with malicious files passed during normal PBEM games but a number of others on this thread have already made suggestions re: virisu scanners etc to protect your computer but as I said at the start of this paragraph....its NOT an issue.

Don