Just POnDering

[Rob]

I was only kidding I still play sometimes...

When Algor's doing too much good ghost I feel forced to react.
When we're doing Grouik(Pod)Stocks and that we play Pod all the week
When I test new tracks
When I try to finish my own track (not so often )

So I don't think I'm so rusty at Pod...
But I'd love to race anyone online anyway...

[Freddy]

Here's something to POnDer about:

Is it setting up a dedicated server to play POD that hard?.

Other than buying time for the game on a webserver, Is it just a matter of uploading the game service and POD? Or does it require to rewrite codes to make the game service able to recognize players.

A while ago I came across a page posted by a former Ubisoft employee.
He had worked as a network programmer for the Game service client and as a programmer for POD.

Again I start POnDering at this crazy that someone here may be persuasive enough to get some sort of help from this guy. The fact that he is French, can be a plus for this community.

A few months ago I suggested this idea but no one seemed to show any interest in pursuing this venue.

I POnDer and POnDer ......Could a dedicated online server for POD be that impossible.........Hope not.

[Vortex]

A dedicated Server for Pod isn't impossible, but simply using an installation of the GS won't do it. I assume you've played a lot of 1st person shooters too, or basically any other game played on the internet. They all have specific server-side software for the servers and client-side software for the users (which obviously makes sense). Unfortunately, other than with Ubisoft, those companies opted to make these dedicated servers open to the public. So in other words, we're fu#$ed because Ubisoft was weird, is weird and always will be weird ;-)

[Skubidou]

Writing a GS should be possible, writing a client-server application should be possible, but is 'easy' only if you write the two sides of the code.

Here, we have to write a code for the GS, without knowing what the client sent to the GS, and without knowing what the client wait for informations from the GS. You have to rewrite the GS, using exactly the same communication with Pod client, without having any informations about the GS source code.

For comparaison, it's 'simple' to create a new language (french, english, esperanto...), you just decide each word, the grammar, ... you program two man with this language, and they can speak between them. But now, imagine you have a martian front of you. He speaks a language you don't know, and you have to be able to understand him, and talk to him. It's really more difficult...

Skubidou:~

[Dfg]

I would say it's not impossible. Modifying the pod executable to change to hard-coded IP addresses of servers should be possible.

The harder part is to set up a server with the server software running. We could reverse engineer this server too (though with new patent laws ... I m not sure we are authorized to do this anymore ) but it would be quite hard I think. I'd better spend time on creating a network layer on top of Sik's TE ....


To answer to the first question of the topic, (I m not sure I m on the right thread , though ..) I must say that there is another game for me beating pod in terms of long time play : Civilization.

I play civilization (the 1st version ... not the #2 nor the #3 nor any other shit that came after this wonderful revolutionary game) and I play it since it appeared (1991) ....
I still enjoy it a lot and every game I play is a wonderful one ... I don't think I could feel bored , there are so many combinations ....

I still enjoy pod because there are people playing it (my friends actually ... ) , because there are always new things coming and I really like the background. But even with this, I think I would have been bored if there weren't the GSs (game service and ... grouikstocks! ).

Dfg

[Skubidou]

Modifying the pod executable to change to hard-coded IP addresses of servers should be possible.

Yes, the IP address is code 'in clear' in the pod exe, and can be changed (i tried it already and Pod works fine). The only restriction is to have a IP address using the same length (number of caracters).

Skubidou:~

[Freddy]

To answer to the first question of the topic, (I m not sure I m on the right thread , though ..) I must say that there is another game for me beating pod in terms of long time play : Civilization.

The point I tried to make was that POD remains very popular because of what it means to its community in many aspects.

I myself still play games that are older than POD but none of them can come close to POD in terms of loyalty and comradery.

In this forum We are all witnesses to what is presently happening to POD and its community. There are ongoing efforts by our French Poddies to keep POD alive and still interesting to play it. More tracks are being designed to say the least.

If this would have been another game it probably would be played for sure but no one will probably care about making more improvements. Sure you can find "Civilization" fun to play over and over again but that is just your personal liking.

Everyone keeps coming back regardless whether they play it or just to say hello to old friends.

A Poddie will forever be a Poddie no matter how much time passes by.......

[Dfg]

ok freddy .. so I totally agree :-)
It's been a long time since we come to grouikstocks to see friends more than to play pod !

This is really the first game that made a real community with lot of people , but not too much, so that we were able to become friends.

grouik grouik goruik gorkgr ougkriguioui iikk .... tequila !

[grokon]

It is not just tequila !

It is tequila ... then and finally

Hehe

DERF

[Freddy]

ok freddy .. so I totally agree :-)


This is really the first game that made a real community with lot of people

Sorry Dfg, I did not want to sound like I was "beating on a dead horse".

I was just trying to make a point...