Carc Central Community > JCloisterZone FAQ, Suggestions & Bug Reports
JCoisterZone Suggestion - Host Mode
rfielder:
To: farin, JCoisterZone author
Given that a lot of the gameplay with JCloisterZone is across the internet - and often across many, many internlational borders! - I would like to suggest a Host Mode for the game.
This would be a mode for the normal game, not a separate edition of the game, if my vision of how it works is possible.
The only difference between normal play and Host Mode, is that JCZ will automatically start a new game after a game ends. The delay before the new game starts would be user selectable, but I would suggest it should be short.
This would be used in situations where the players are all connecting to a host PC. The host PC is ONLY hosting the game. No players are using the host PC. Someone may be watching the game on the host PC, and using it for screen captures, but they are not interacting with the host PC during the game.
A lot of games in the recent competition have been played like this. A few of us can host games, but many can not, so we have helped out by letting others connect to our PCs. In these situations, we are acting as hosts, or game servers, not as players.
Once a game ends, there is no point in the host PC staying on the game, showing the results and the ending board. Those also appear on the player's PCs. The host PC can start the new game, ready for others to link in and make their selections.
I have JCZ running on my home server. When my partner and I play, we both link to the server, not to each other. This works well for us, but it would be even better if I did not have to go to the server and restart the game after she finishes kicking me to the curb YET AGAIN! :) Yeah, I ended up at the bottom of the recent competition for valid reasons.... :(
How I see Host Mode working:
Two new controls added to the JCZ opening screen:
Host Mode checkbox
Host Mode restart time - set the time, in seconds, before JCZ starts a new game
When JCZ is started on the hosting PC, the opening screen has a checkmark for Host Mode. Once this has been checked, all other controls (except the timeout) are locked out. It would be assumed that all interactions will come from the players linking to the hosting PC.
After the game, the host mode PC displays a count down time. The timer would appear in a movable window, the same as the end game results window. The timer window would have a Pause button. This in case the person who is watching the game on the host PC wants to stop the timeout while they do screen captures. Making the count down time use a movable window means it could be moved off the playing surface, thus not blocking the board.
After the count down timer reaches zero, a new game starts. By default, if Host Mode is checked, it remains checked until the person at the keyboard of the host PC unchecks it. This means there needs to be persistence of the Host Mode check box and the count down timer interval. I am not sure how a Java application can achieve such persistence, but since JCZ does write an error file and game configuration files and can save games, I am sure it can write and read a setup file.
farin - do you think this can be done? What is your evaluation of this suggestion?
Thanks!
Linkback: https://www.carcassonnecentral.com/community/index.php?topic=864.0
Paul:
There is also the possibility to have a Java program run from a server online if we can get a little file or code added to the original source.
Don't have all the info as I only read about it briefly. I'd be happy to have it on my server and everyone could then play thru it there.
farin:
Support regular server is one nice to have feature. Current implementation allows running server alone, but it can hosts only single game.
Proper imoplementation should support game list and a lobby. Only problem is significant amount of time. Maybe I should start kickstarter project :)
danisthirty:
I would sponsor it if it did! :)
rfielder:
--- Quote from: farin on July 19, 2014, 04:18:03 AM ---Support regular server is one nice to have feature. Current implementation allows running server alone, but it can hosts only single game.
Proper imoplementation should support game list and a lobby. Only problem is significant amount of time. Maybe I should start kickstarter project :)
--- End quote ---
Yes, a full server version would be nice. But, that is a "nice to have, someday" sort of thing.
My suggestion should be (I am a programmer, but not in Java) easy. Just wrap the entire app in a loop controlled by the one flag. If the flag is set, ending a game starts another game, with delays per the first message.
Having it support only one game at a time is not a limitation yet - the game is gaining popularity, but JCZ is not so huge that the game list and lobby are really needed. What is needed for the present is the ability to have a server reset after the game, so that it can be used more than once.
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