Play by Web now supports Play by E-mail (PBEM) & other features

[Admiral]

An update on recent events on Play by Web:

Play by Web now supports submission of turns (.plr files) by e-mail.

Play by Web supports a full shipset library; upload and manage your shipsets Online, and tell Users which shipset is in use when you join a game so they can download it.

Play by Web is localized; all times are displayed in your local time zone (which you have to configure if you don't like New York time).

We look forward to seeing you on Play by Web.

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Space Empires IV Play by Web

[Fuerte]

I thought that the .plr files were always sent by e-mail! So you used web upload, a bit clumsy (to my taste).

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PBEM

[Admiral]

Clumsy, perhaps, but secure.

The primary difference between your PBEM helper and the server is that server doesn't know who people are by glancing at e-mails. And, e-mail can be forged easily. So... PBW can require a username and password before letting a user upload a turn.

For e-mail, PBW requires that the player submit his e-mail with the same subject as the turn was sent to him; this subject contains a code uniquely identifying him, so that even if someone could forge the user's e-mail, they would have to have intercepted the new turn mail message as well. Not impossible by any stretch, just in many instances significantly more difficult.

Cheers,

Admiral

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Space Empires IV Play by Web

[capnq]

quote:

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For e-mail, PBW requires that the player submit his e-mail with the same subject as the turn was sent to him

---

I should probably ask this on the PBW Forums, but since I'm here and thinking about it, does "the same subject" mean the whole subject line must be identical, or just the code string unaltered?

In other words, do you have to trim off the automatically added "Re:" before replying with the new turn?

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Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[Admiral]

The code must be unaltered.

I say "same subject" merely to prevent people from thinking they can just send a random e-mail to the server and expect it to be processed.

It actually ignores everything but the code. Also, if you put other ~ characters into the subject, the server will also be unable to process the turn. Hence... leaving it unaltered (with the usual RE or SV or whatever prefix) is the safest way of telling people to use it.

I have one user who uses AOL, which truncates the subject after about 60 characters, in a game with more than 60 chars in the name (one of the tournaments), so he has to edit the subject so the code is seen.

Cheers,

Admiral

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Space Empires IV Play by Web

[Admiral]

Fuerte has recently added some support to allow PBEM helper and PBW to work together.

Onus is now on me to add support to PBW to support the enhanced PBEM helper.

Thanks,

Admiral

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Space Empires IV Play by Web

[capnq]

Hey Admiral, have you seen the latest press release from Richard? (Thread title is "Check out...")

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Cap'n Q

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the
human mind to correlate all of its contents. We live on a placid
island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was
not meant that we should go far. -- HP Lovecraft, "The Call of Cthulhu"

[Dracus]

this gets better every day.