Make this change as soon as possible to Defcon

[Wikkket klowN]

Ok guys, I like this game. I'd buy it again just to support the company. With that said, you guys need to make the following augmentation to the game.

When I click 'Join Game', I am brought to some kind of server where I can see all the game rooms. This I will refer to as the "lobby".

Basically, this lobby needs a chat window. I know that to do this, a lot of changes would have to be made to the program and it would be challenging to do on Introversion's side. Unfortunately, I won't accept those excuses to not implement a chat window in the lobby.

The lobby needs a chat window.
Give it one

MMFCL

[xander]

Why does the lobby need a chat window?

xander

[Wikkket klowN]

Why does the lobby need a chat window?

xander

For socialness you introverted fella.

Plus, almost every other online game out there has that

[xander]

Why does the lobby need a chat window?

xander

For socialness you introverted fella.

Plus, almost every other online game out there has that

If you want to be social, why not use IRC? There is a channel on IV's server dedicated to #defcon . And "every other online game out there has it" is not a good reason.

xander

[rus|Mike]

Lobby chat would've been great, but nobody is going to make it.

xander, you've probably never been through trying to get a pre-organised Defcon game played

The lack of lobby chat alongside with friends list are among the greates drawbacks of Defcon.

[Feud]

xander, you've probably never been through trying to get a pre-organised Defcon game played

If it was pre-organized, wouldn't everyone have the server name, password, date, time, and possibly IP number? While I have no problem with a lobby chat, saying it would aid in pre-organized games seems pretty far fetched.

[xander]

I don't have any problem with having (or not having) lobby chat. However, when you demand that IV change something in their game -- which would probably be non-trivial -- it seems that you should have a good reason to do so. I can see how lobby chat would be a convenience, but I don't see how it is necessary, or how it cannot be covered by other things (i.e. IRC).

xander

[rus|Mike]

If it was pre-organized, wouldn't everyone have the server name, password, date, time, and possibly IP number?

As I've already stated, a man who haven't been through it can't understeand it It's difficult to explain but usually something goes wrong because you can't chat while not beeing on the same server.

Besides, the lobby chat window is not something incredibly difficult to do it's just _easy_ , especially when you already have in-server chat working.

[bert_the_turtle]

it's just _easy_ , especially when you already have in-server chat working.

Umm... No

[rus|Mike]

I meant for those who have the source code==Introversion.

[KingAl]

Server-based chat is supplied by the host of a game, which a Lobby chat couldn't rely on, so it's not quite so cut-and-dry.

[Ace Rimmer]

I actually agree with adding a chat to the lobby and believe that it would improve Defcon's player base. I wonder how many people try the demo and don't get a decent idea of how many people actually play the game because the chat is limited, so they never buy it/stop playing.

Either way, perhaps a dedicated server could serve this purpose? One set up specifically to allow people to chat and never start a game. Of course, it would need to clear the chat every so often (I guess) so that it wouldn't take an hour to connect to it after a while? Not sure if it's feasible, but perhaps somebody knows...

[MikeTheWookiee]

Well, you could always just whack in a quick interactive link-up to #defcon on irc. I think this is roughly what it does in uplink (flame away if I'm wrong), although I have no idea what the practicalities of such a thing would be, so it's most likely a dead duck to begin with. Of course, trying to get IV to do anything to defcon when Multiwinia is due out in under 2 months is a crazy idea.

Thinking out loud, why don't you just open #defcon (or any channel you like, really) in your irc client of choice, and take advantage of the double-esc function to flip between the two screens?

[bert_the_turtle]

but perhaps somebody knows...

Bah In theory, it's even possible to have the chat cleared continuously; whenever you connect, you only get the chat of the last five minutes. The server may just have to ignore all sync errors, but IIRC, in the lobby, the sync value calculation hasn't even started yet.

But a) it's hackish work and b) you'd need to get people to join that server and tell them they can actually browse the server list while they're on.

[Ace Rimmer]

There might be a learning curve for some , but I think it'd be worth it. Perhaps we'd just need a xander/xander bot to stick around for a few days and take care of those people.

Also, I think there's a difference between what others have called "pre-arranged" matches (above). Sure a true pre-arranged match can be taken care of by other means (at least a 1v1/2v2 anyway) but beyond that it get's really tough. Anybody remember the Unofficial Tournament? I think the kind of pre-aranged game we're talking about (that in lobby chat would facilitate) is more of a "Hey, you're on too! Wow, let's play AKE Premium Diplomacy!". In short, the terminolgy is the same, but the meaning is different. As of now, you sort of have to rely on who's listed as being in a server, which isn't always 100%.

So, does this mean you might attempt it bert? As long as the server name was clear, and perhaps you got a private message when you joined that let you know it wasn't a real game, you'd have most people getting it. Other means, anybody remember Hamachi, don't seem to last that long becuase it's not right in front of you and you never ever know if anybody worthwhile is actually gonna be there. So at first, you go there often, then less and less and less until nobody is showing up. With a dedcon chat, anybody that was around would have it right in their face. Plus, you get all the neat commands like /ignore-ban for those that might take advantage of it a bit too much.