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[ArPharazon]

On a somewhat irrelevant note, does anyone here know about Nethack's Hearse? It automatically downloads/uploads bones files to a central repository. I always thought this kind of thing would be great with DF, except for save or world files.

[darius]

Assuming we're all still talking about multiplayer games... I think you guys need to take a quick look on the main forum page.

In particular, you might be interested in this thread, which appears to provide a (semi-)realistic way to deal with multiplayer syncing issues.



The concept is simple: trying to sync multiple computers is physically impossible. Even a few milliseconds of lag could cause desync issues, since the order of operations is critically important to DF. Even if you had two identical machines operating on a LAN, you'd still have enough lag that any attempt for direct multiplayer would eventually desync and fail.


Dfterm, however, uses a remote terminal to view and interact with a remote computer. Think about it: what if you could modify this system to support multiple inputs? It'd be more like a standard server-client architecture. The server would be the only machine actually running DF - everybody else would pass instructions through Dfterm.

You'd still have a few issues (if one person opens a designation window, nobody else can interact with the system until they've finished), but that could be sorted out once Toady decouples the UI from the underlying game (if he ever does, obviously). Fundamentally, you'd only have one game of DF running, just with multiple people trying to control it.

My idea is similar: sort of terminal but using dfhack lib for ability to see other places. Also designations could also be possible. As for buildings, military and similar would prob need to hack very deep into DF (afak).  Other idea was (i still hope to do this... someday) to add view around one unit, disable it's ai and allow you to move it through terminal. This way you could walk inside someone else's fort. How cool is that? (also ability to pull levers would be AWESOME)

[clc02]

I think the person who referenced spore had a good idea.

Think of different fortress files, say you play single player, their is another file keeping track of your total happiness, tantrums, value, what you sell/buy etc, not everything but a small file on your progress every 2, 3 months or some length around there.  Then after you ragequit, tantrum spiral, revel in unspoiled Fun, it will ask you if you want to upload your info to the server, server would receive that info, rate your skill level, send it to other players who have close to the same skill level and let the code choose when to 'start' a fortress (The player's fortress from single player) which the player could trade with (Save keeps track of buy/sell) or request aid (May decline if happiness/population/seige going on) or send aid if asked (Maybe game breaker could be avoided, if say you got some really nice cheese for the peasants, or some champions to help fight off seige) and simulate what they would do from there.

Thinking to myself about a idea that won't (probably) be implemented with some cold medicine that makes me numb and moar stupid, Fun. 

[Shades]

The concept is simple: trying to sync multiple computers is physically impossible. Even a few milliseconds of lag could cause desync issues, since the order of operations is critically important to DF. Even if you had two identical machines operating on a LAN, you'd still have enough lag that any attempt for direct multiplayer would eventually desync and fail.

Although it is true that you can't sync to the instruction this is a flawed understanding of how syncing works in multiplayer games. Syncing in DF is a non-issue as the vast majority of the game being deterministic.

This is just a tought from another (game) developer.

I'd be stunned if someone could put together anything more than a crappy hack for this is 1 year.

I'd say it depends entirely on what your attempting to achieve. As I've mentioned before a cheap co-op fortress would be simple, and possibly done within the week (although that would be pushing it) anything else I agree would take significantly longer.