At the point where you would run the first HOST step in order to create the first player RST files... STOP !! DO NOT RUN THE HOST ! Instead, ZIP the directory into GAME.ZIP and mail it to Robo. Use the following e-Mail note pattern to let Robo know what he's getting (and remember to attach the ZIP file):

From: ?your-EMail-address-here?
To: robo@robomaster.ca
Subject: Create Custom Game

TITLE=Give your game a title for posting to the WWW
AUTHOR=Give yourself credit for creating the game
OPTIONS=R+,S+,JG,...       ----- list the host add-ons that Robo should run
SCHEDULE=_M_W_F_@16:00>36/1.6 -- see below for scheduling explanation
MINHUMAN=?                 ----- minimum humans before START or STALL (1 thru 11)
COMPUTER=?                 ----- which computer player should be used, see below...
MINVALID=?                 ----- Percent of TRN files at required deadline
CLASS=?                    ----- Class of game UNRANKED, TEAM, SUBSCRIBER
RANK=?                     ----- Rank of game if Subscriber game
(optional section for games in progress, or reserved games)
PLAYERn=?Robo E-Mail-address-of-player?,?proxyCode?,?method?
DESCRIPTION: Follow the description tag with as many lines as you like.  This text will
be pasted into the game page to give players an idea of what they are getting into.

OPTIONS

Robo uses options: RacePlus (R+), StarbasePlus (S+), JumpGate (JG) and REF of course (RF), ExploreMap (XM). Code these shortform codes in the options field for those options that you have initialized the game for.

SCHEDULE

there are two forms: Fixed and Floating.

• The Fixed schedule runs on a set list of days, at a set time (PST = GMT-0800), and takes the form: SmTwTfS@hh:mm>xx/zz, where SmTwTfS is the weekday pattern, hh:mm is the time of day to run the game, xx is the minimum hours to permit players to think, and zz is a gameturn based scalar to extend the minimum think time. In the weekday pattern, place a '_' where you DO NOT want the host to run. The 'minimum hours before schedule advancement', defines what duedate to place on RST files when they are sent out. Since Robo will run the game EARLY if all TRN files are in, it is possible that the next possible duedate is 4 hours from when Robo would be sending the RST files to players. Hence, the minimum hours value is the smallest value Robo would give players to get their orders in. If Robo determines that there is not enough time from Host execution, to the next possible duedate, then he will set the duedate to be the following date, giving players more play time.
• The Floating schedule runs a set number of hours after the host has run the turn. Hence the timing of the turns is not consistent, but the available playtime is. The syntax of the Floating schedule is: DELTA@hh, where 'DELTA' is a literal tag, and hh is the number of hours to wait for turns to come back.

MINHUMAN

Is used to control the number of computer players (if any) that are permitted in the game. For new games, the game will remain in a 'READY' state until the minimum number of human players have signed up. For games in progress, if the number of participating humans drop below this value, the game STALLS and will not continue until replacement players are found.

COMPUTER

This option defines which computer player will be used for non-human players. The valid values are: none, random, cplayer and dominate. A value of none will make a race inactive if non-human (this is the same for any invalid values).

MINVALID

Is the percent of TRN files that must be in at duedate runtime before Robo would consider running the host. Note that the only way a player can go stale, is if a TRN is not submitted. Robo notifies the sender of any actual stale TRN, and throws it away. Robo also checks the TRN to see if it is damaged, notifying the player, and throwing it away (He uses Tim's CHKTRN.EXE program to determine it's damage state). Robo also calls upon RoboGuard to verify that the commands are valid, that the player is not using the wrong data files, and that the player is not cheating.

CLASS

Is the class of game to place this in. UNRANKED games are open to all players, even if they have not subscribed. TEAM games are open only to subscribers. RANKED games are only open to subscribers.

RANK

The game rank for RANKED games. Ensign, Lieutenant, Lt. Cmdr, etc...

If your game is in progress, and you are having trouble meeting your players deadlines, Robo can take over in mid game. Simply ZIP up your game directory as is (include the SPEC files), fill in the optional section defining the E-Mail addresses of the players, including the method of transmission (UUEncode, MIME or BinHex... use UUE, MIM and HEX). And treat it as if you're just starting a new game with Robo. He'll run the 'first' turn using the TRN files you supply.

Please note: This process is subject to refinement, and any help you can provide to improve this service is GREATLY appreciated. After all, it's a great game, and I'm an addict!

If you have any questions or comments E-Mail me Don Friesen, dafriese@islandnet.com and I'll do my best to help.

Back to Robo's main page.

Robo is brought to you by Crystal Cave Games.

Our service provider is IslandNet.