A few more suggestions

[Evilence]

Hello boys and girls.


First of all, thank you for reading this and paying attention to this thread.
I've got a few ideas to help this server. Let me start with a commentary to the administrator's post in another thread.

Second thing, how many people actually play here on Mac? Nobody. The loader does not work on Mac. There are a few linux users which I guess were left behind but is it really worth to spend days to develop a separate version just for like 10 players? I mean I'll try to do it in the next version but let's be serious here. The only reason gproxy was enforced was to bring down the number of hackers which are the real cancer of today's Warcraft. And they still are.

Well, people are not playing on Mac since there is no launcher available to do so. It is somewhat technically impossible to inject data to the game executable on mac as it is done on windows platform. That's why PVPGN loader was never released as far as I know.


However, I'm playing on Mac. I'm doing it via Cider - proprietary implementation of wine software by transgaming. It is possible to wrap the game client with gproxy & euroloader to a mac os .app bundle using this technology. It is also possible to do so using wineskin or crossover software to avoid possible legal issues. I have experience with those applications and even "ported" such games as perfect world and world of tanks to work on mac. Allright, to make a long story short, I can do it and I would even program a branded launcher, if you grant me a permission. I've done it before for one of the russian PVPGN servers. Something like on the picture below. (I am sorry for the russian text). It won't take long, since I have a source code.



You also may see a video of game installation process and the whole launcher in action by watching this [URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G9SpSWlikQ"]youtube video[/URL].

That was an idea number one.

Another idea is following - why can't eurobattle use a hostbots for a usual melee auto matchmaking games? I've seen it on some other war3 pvpgn servers, so it is technically possible. This approach would eliminate the complex (for some people) procedure of opening network ports and messing with various router/firewall configurations. It would also eliminate unfair advantage of difference between hosting player with 0 latency and joining player with sometimes very high latency.

Even if you think those ideas are bull, thank you for reading anyway.

[Cen]

So, did you manage to run gproxy with cider/wineskin? If not, I will soon provide a wine compatible version or maybe even native binaries. I can probably build for linux but not for mac.. I don't have mac.


@hostbots: You mean direct implementation into Pvpgn or some kind of league? Anyone can make a PG league.. setup the bots, implement pg stats parsing/use replay parser and you're good to go.
If you mean native PvPGN support that is simply not possible, unless you modify the pvpgn code and it somehow redirects the host to a hostbot when players search for a game. I probably don't have enough knowledge on bnet protocol and pvpgn. Pvpgn development is also dead so I can't ask anyone else to do it.

[Evilence]

Yes I did, and It worked almost at native performance (or performance loss is not noticeable).
As for hostbots, I mean direct implementation in pvpgn. You may see this functionality on w3arena server. There is a small chance they'll share the code, I hope.

[Cen]

Allright. When I have the next release ready I will contact you to provide a mac version. It will also come with a client based on .NET but I guess that should work too, with mono.

[SlashDown]

[Evilence]

Okay, I'll be waiting. Let's give mac os users a try.

[SpiritBreaker]

If it would be possible to do the matchmaking like in w3arena then I think many, if not all, the active PG Ladder players would be very happy.

Many cannot play due to not being able to host and those who can usually have lag issues. Or even if not huge lag issues then there is the advantage that Evilence talked about, for the host over the other player(s). The TourBots are sitting idly as long as there are no tours, anyway.


I hope this can be done in the near future.

[MR.baby]

If it would be possible to do the matchmaking like in w3arena then I think many, if not all, the active PG Ladder players would be very happy.

Many cannot play due to not being able to host and those who can usually have lag issues. Or even if not huge lag issues then there is the advantage that Evilence talked about, for the host over the other player(s). The TourBots are sitting idly as long as there are no tours, anyway.


I hope this can be done in the near future.

Perfect idea

[Slayzer]

I agree with Spirit there.

[ToTa-]

If it would be possible to do the matchmaking like in w3arena then I think many, if not all, the active PG Ladder players would be very happy.

Many cannot play due to not being able to host and those who can usually have lag issues. Or even if not huge lag issues then there is the advantage that Evilence talked about, for the host over the other player(s). The TourBots are sitting idly as long as there are no tours, anyway.


I hope this can be done in the near future.

It is good idea but it's to late to realize it. If there is 10 players who are playing every day pg or less , it's useless now. You can say what you want but this is true.

[SpiritBreaker]

It is good idea but it's to late to realize it. If there is 10 players who are playing every day pg or less , it's useless now. You can say what you want but this is true.

Yea, you're right in that regard. But more and more I find myself playing CG instead of ladder with others, just because we don't lag on bots while one of us usually does so on ladder.

But, as you said, the demand for PG is quite low now, so it is not the first priority. And besides, we do get those lovely tournaments. (No sarcasm meant if it sounded it.)

[Evilence]

I have to agree, it's not a top priority to implement such a thing. But demand is low partially because when player gets the big button "YOU ARE DISCONNECTED", the first thought in his mind is "Meh! Not my fault! I'd just go to garena/w3arena/orsomeothestuff to play". Many people are coming here to play the PG, and many are leaving frustrated by inability to open the ports and solve connection issues. I personally know some of them.


Be realistic, how many people after getting this "YOU ARE DISCONNECTED, bonehead" going to read the wiki page? How many of them are going to google the issue? Generic user is dumb, and he is scared away by this message.

[eSsex]

I have to agree, it's not a top priority to implement such a thing. But demand is low partially because when player gets the big button "YOU ARE DISCONNECTED", the first thought in his mind is "Meh! Not my fault! I'd just go to garena/w3arena/orsomeothestuff to play". Many people are coming here to play the PG, and many are leaving frustrated by inability to open the ports and solve connection issues. I personally know some of them.


Be realistic, how many people after getting this "YOU ARE DISCONNECTED, bonehead" going to read the wiki page? How many of them are going to google the issue? Generic user is dumb, and he is scared away by this message.

He is right... that crap is very stupid.

[SpiritBreaker]

I have to agree, it's not a top priority to implement such a thing. But demand is low partially because when player gets the big button "YOU ARE DISCONNECTED", the first thought in his mind is "Meh! Not my fault! I'd just go to garena/w3arena/orsomeothestuff to play". Many people are coming here to play the PG, and many are leaving frustrated by inability to open the ports and solve connection issues. I personally know some of them.


Be realistic, how many people after getting this "YOU ARE DISCONNECTED, bonehead" going to read the wiki page? How many of them are going to google the issue? Generic user is dumb, and he is scared away by this message.

So very true...

Now that you say it that way, it does look like a leak which drains players away. I just hope it does not pose lots of difficulties to fix it.

[nitko]

Suggestion about making PG be hosted by hostbots is without doubt the best suggestion ever made (and ever will be made).

I know thing or two about hostbots, and while in most cases I do not approve them (they destroyed northrend cg and garena rpg rooms with absurd spam) this would finally be their proper and best appliance. It is absolutely the best thing XPAM owners can do to improve playing experience for people on server so I hope they will consider it seriously and deliberately.

Let me address some points in this thread:

I probably don't have enough knowledge on bnet protocol and pvpgn. Pvpgn development is also dead so I can't ask anyone else to do it.

As other people noted, there is active, working implementation of this over at [URL]http://tft.w3arena.net/[/URL] I'm sure they would provide you with technical assistance if you just ask; you can start on their forums, message admins or get skype contacts etc... I played few games at w3arena, and can give you brief overview: pvpgn finds match, private game is hosted by one of ghost++ bots, some script auto-leads you to custom games and auto-joins your gamename. Really good system, tho player skill is quite insane, I got one win for ten loses appx .

It is good idea but it's to late to realize it. If there is 10 players who are playing every day pg or less , it's useless now.

There are ALWAYS new players who try to play but are repelled by disconnects and laggs, I every other day find myself explaining port forwarding and firewall to someone... If hostbots host games I'm sure it would eventually revitalize playerbase.

But, as you said, the demand for PG is quite low now, so it is not the first priority.

It should be first and only priority because PG is flagship of pvpgn server. Dota is 3rd party here; its just popular map hosted by other entity, featuring immature, flaming, annoying, mh-ing, ego boosting kids and it is SHAME to let THAT abomination become what people come on XPAM for!


So people already listed some advantages of hostbot hosting PG, let me give you some more:

Dischack, lagabuse, loading abuse report forums - you can close and shift delete them all. Retire mods that waste time there. Hostbot is middleman arbiter in 1v1, 2v2 matches - meaning it can and will properly decide who is winner, who is loser.
Someone with weak net, or while listening youtube, skyping, or having much background internet traffic is hosting match causing lag for other party? Not anymore with hostbot. Give equal chance to everyone. Equalize ping of both parties, set fair latency of 100ms. System that lets higher level hosts game is evil as it gives them opportunity to exploit their 'status' by hosting with shitty connection (yes, that happens, and its unreportable, don't argue it, /p will not show shitty connection). Also no more absurd things like brazilian hosting PG making everyone have slideshow...

I remember reading some time ago that you said you've got free hostbots/bandwith to use on something - here is the only reasonable place to use those resources. So show that you still care about xpam, its players, and players will give appreciation back.

Cheers