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New PC app lets you play Master of Orion II by email

Posted: Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:33 pm
by dhirallin
Hey all. I've just finished making a new program called PlayMailer for Windows 7/XP/Vista, which automates playing Master of Orion II by email (amongst other games.) It makes setting up new games and loading and saving games super easy and has some features like in-game chat.

Of course there are other ways to play Master of Orion II over the internet as discussed on this forum. However play-by-email has the advantage that you can play a leisurly game over several days or weeks. You can close Master of Orion or shutdown your computer after each turn, and just be notified when it's your turn.

Here's the website, with the program, some screenshots and some about info.

http://www.playmailer.net/

Basically how it works:- you put in your email account details, create a new session with a player list, and then PlayMailer will launch Master of Orion II, configure all the players within the game, including any custom race settings (by automatically moving the mouse around and clicking on stuff) and load your turn. When you've finished your turn, you press a hotkey, and PlayMailer automatically saves your game and sends the save file to the next person, who receives a notification message and can launch their turn with a button press.

PlayMailer supports 3 games at the moment:
Master of Orion II
Warlords I
Chess Titans (Windows 7/Vista chess program)
but I plan to add one new game per week hopefully.

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 3:25 am
by Catalyst_Kh
Very nice idea! How did you implemented MOO2 tactical combats via email?

Once i played MOO2 via email with my friend, for some time, long ago. We launched scripts, which took save files from email to game folder and from game folder to email, but we launched the game manually. It was very convenient only to the point of tactical combats, for which we were arranging to meet online simultaneously to make the combat in realtime mode and then continued via email separately, as before. Most times, when tactical combats were very obvious (no good defense or simple retreat situation) one of us was playing moves at tactical screen for both sides himself (locally), and after that just sending the email with results (next turn) to second player, who could replay combat himself to verify, that the results are fair (or even not replay at all :)). If there was any disagreement (which was very rare case), battle could be replayed online easly, script wasn't overriding previous turns.

Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 10:10 pm
by dhirallin
Uh. That's a bit embarrasing. I've only played Master of Orion II a few times and must have had Tactical Combat turned off. I didn't realize the game had non-turn based elements. Hmmm I'll have to reconsider my implementation.

Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 2:50 pm
by Catalyst_Kh
I see the most simple and convenient way for today in playing MOO2 at VM hosts (one shared or different for each, doesn't matter). You can connect to VM remotely from any mobile device anytime to play your moves (even just half of a turn), including your next move during ongoing tactical combat as well, and can log off anytime without dropping off the game. In this case you also may restart or switch off your computer anytime, if the game lasts for days. Plus the ingame indicator of finished turns (by other opponents) can suggest that you should hurry up (especially if there are 4+ players).

It relates only to big games of course, 1 on 1 in middle galaxy could be played in one short session. :)

Re: New PC app lets you play Master of Orion II by email

Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2017 1:58 pm
by Dustonian77
Is their any way to do this on OS X?

Re: New PC app lets you play Master of Orion II by email

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2017 9:18 am
by Sungen
Could this kind of stuff be adapted for phone text messages? I'd rather use that than email.