I am creating a lobby-based MW4 league with features that will attract 100+ user logins/day and starting out predicting 20-50 games per day played.
Would ReverbGaming be interested in facilitating those games in a ladder-friendly environment in exchange for user sign ups, downloads and usage the Reverb Software? Or would Reverb be willing to share its source code for DirectPlay lobby implementation directly into the browser launched from the league site http://prizm.webatu.com/BZ4/
All users visiting BZ4 would see the link pointing to reverb/DBS.
The site is now hosted by the boys from Digital Blood Sports, who have licensed the use of the Reverb software and taken over the day to day operations of the system, including the website, forums and lobby. I know that Dave is completely interested in setting up a ladder system and we have been exploring quite a few different types of ladder software, without a lot of success in getting any of them to run. To say that Dave would die to get ladder software running here, is probably an understatement.
With that said (and I'm sure Dave will respond as well), this site from it's inception, has always been about being a place to play and have fun. Unless some form of terror, or people who make racial comments are flapping their mouths off, the management here has taken a decent "hands off" approach in using tools on players.
You are more than welcome to use the lobby(s) here for your players to play. You should be aware that the lobby and server software has a fair number of features designed into it, including the ability to define a "tournament" lobby. This lobby type operates in the same fashion as a normal lobby, with some minor differences. The first 4 tables are reserved for taking "in's" and doing room assignments for matches. The ability to launch a game in the first 4 tables is disabled. The remaning tables are then populated with the playing teams, and until a TOURNAMENT HOST person (one with tourney tools) enables the launching, none of the other tables will allow the game to run. This prevents folks from just entering and then starting the game before it is allowed.
I'm not sure of the software you are using for the ladder side, but if it's decent and it works, Dave would love to have it running here. And I would be willing to take the time and effort to modify both the client and server code, so that game results can be uploaded directly into the ladder software.
Also CanEh I need to talk to you about the Free version of MW4 mercs and DBS and getting it to work (know a way and tested it out on gameranger but not on DBS yet)
I removed your email address from your post, it's easier to discuss it here. If there is something you want to keep private, you can send me a PM from here in the forums. .. With that said.....
I did the mektek thing and I must say that I am very disappointed in how they choose to bundle all of this together. Their install package group keeps tripping my anti-virus program, and they say they submitted the files and were supposed to have them removed but it keeps tripping... I could never get the thing installed properly. The one time where it actually completed the install, the game either refused to run or when it did run, it crashed.
I also noticed they stripped the direct play GUID from the game, apparently in a bastardized attempt to prevent it from launching the old Zone way. .. Needless to say I was pissed. I almost wrote both Microsoft and Smith & Tinker to complain. This is supposed to be a free release of the game, and I should be able to play it where I WANT to play it and not be forced into using their system.
Anyway, with that said... Make sure you install our client, and enter any lobby at least once. This will make an entry into the database saying that you visited a lobby, and will prevent your account from being nuked as a spam account. I've been deleting accounts on a weekly basis, so that the "members" here in the forum are as accurate as possible. I continue to work with the new management to provide the support needed to maintain the system, and I'm willing to try any suggestions you have that will make it work here. If you wish, we can also meet up in the teamspeak server to talk voice...
Correction. there is a .dll that reports stats to mektek and that is the reason why the anti-virus kicks in, when it first came out they had a problem and talk to norton and so on and got it fix, next few patches and what not and back to anti-virus crap. I use MSE from Microsoft and have no problems with it (and its a free anti-virus).
Now the GUID thing. I've gotten this thing to work on gameranger....... You must know Mektek is trying to increase the amout of people playing in 1 game (so instead of 24 - it ill be 28 or 32 something like that (they wont say how many they are making it out to be) and if mektek keeps talking/demainding donations from the public they are going to shut down the in game servers that keeps tracks of ppl's deicated servers.... and if DBS can get this working then I am sure ppl will come.
So this is how I did it, "Since mektek has it installed to mektek.net/Mechwarrior Mercs..... - mekpak or whatever it is.... Its to long......
First go to gameranger.com download client and make account.The activation
email will sometimes come in a junk folder.Activate your account and startup
gameranger.
Next go to your hardrive where your free copy of the Mektek mercinaries is
installed(c:\programfiles\mektek.net folder)copy the folder Mechwarrior
Mercenaries-Mektek Mekpack to (C:\program files\Microsoft Games)if you have to
make a new folder Microsoft Games C:\Program Files then copy it in.
Next rename the new the folder (Mercenaries-Mektek Mekpack) to (Mercenaries
Mektek)then go back to GameRanger on the gameranger bronze page go to edit
then options find the game Mechwarrior Mercinaries highlight it till it goes
brown on list the hit the brows tab point your link to your new C:\program
files\Microsoft games\MercinariesMektek\MW4mercs.exe
I can make a lobby where the program to run can be selected, rather than launching a game via the direct play GUID value. But just "running a program" doesn't tell what to do when it loads, all it does is basically the same thing as clicking on a shortcut or a link. Additional things need to be know, such as "is this person a host or joiner" and "what IP do I connect to" etc... Game ranger uses it's own quirky way of doing things, which many say adds so lag value into the games. I have talked with Scott over there, he seems like a nice fella. But he is also very protective of the way he does things, since this is what he makes his living from.
As for MekTek... I value their belief in wanting to keep the old games running, but I'm not happy they "bastardized" the source code given to them for "free". I have a hard time supporting any type of game OR program that locks you into just using their own services and servers... exactly for the reason of "what do you do when they close it". Money wasted...