Ok, aside from the proposed game mode we've talked about, what is most in need of attention in TW and TWGS right now? Here's what I've already done and will be tested soon.

1) New mail system. Uses one file per player instead of a single file, so it's less efficient in storage but far more stable. Back when the mail system was written, hard drive space was actually something to be concerned about
2) TWGS can mark a game as Active or Inactive. When inactive, nobody can connect to it. That allows the op to run bigbang on the game even when the server is online and other games are active.
3) Remote admin connection allows toggling game as active/inactive
4) Remote admin connection allows running bigbang on an inactive or uninitialized game.

I know there are issues with Gold aliens, and I'm going to have a look at that soon. But what are the other highest priority issues, either game bugs or TWGS features/bugs?

Time limit bug

Gonna need a bit more info, but I'd be happy to address it.

SG could explain it better. But basically, whenever your time runs out, it restarts at
midnight. But... if you're logged into the game and sitting at the T prompt (play,
scores, exit) then your time limit doesn't always get reset. The bad thing about this,
you don't need a password to sit at that prompt, you just need the person's TWGS
login name. This lets you deny someone's time regen.

Talk w/ SG, he's experienced it first-hand.

One issue I have seen in unlims is the ability to kill a server's performance completely with a planet buyout. It is not the actual buyout that causes the problem, but rather when someone is in a sector with a very large number of planets (500-1000) and lands repeatedly. The TWGS seems to stall out possibly due to some type of planet update that cascades - I don't know the cause for certain, just the effect.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

I seem to remember a bug with the planet nego when the planet number is higher than 999. The planet selection menu on the negotiate truncates the planet number to the right 3 digits.

About the planet buyout thing, if it's based on the large number of planets, is it really necessary to allow hundreds of planets in one sector? Seems kind of extreme. What would be a reasonable upper limit that wouldn't effect reasonable gameplay?

Sing, I think in general the game shouldn't consider you "online" until after you hit that password prompt, since as you say anyone can pretend to be you. I'll fix that and make sure it fixes this time online thing.

Typically buyouts are extreme and in some players' view a valid part of gameplay. I don't mind buyouts, but the planets in sector crippling the server is a different issue. A maximum creation of a percentage such as 200%-300% of max planets per sector or some similar perctange might work. Edits with a single planet per sector might have issues based on on valid strategy so you could also set the maximum to 10-15, and use whichever is higher - percent or fixed number. This would still allow a buyout - just not putting everything in a single sector.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

That would be an issue when going for an overload invasion, or cashing in edits that pop w/ product. 10 is way too small.

I'd make it 10% of max. That way the sysop has some control.

Did anyone bring up the Fighter Lock Decay bug...if Fighter decay is set low and someone hits the fighter you have a lock on and instead of hitting y to move there you hit N to cancel you end up in the sector with no warning...your at command prompted and a second ago you were at planet prompt with no scroll in-between.

There also a Bug to get extra time. Well 2 ways...

1) after tern say you have 1 hr left in an 8 hr game, if you are log into the game on the server already then you log on from a second connection into your own account bumping the first one off line you will have 8 hrs again.

2)I don’t know exactly how to do..but Big D did and has something to do with CBYing after tern.

And I think there was an issue where in a time limit if you cby within the last hr before turn and stay at the T menu you do NOT receive your time..wich might be what Sing is talking about.

Does Mega rob still count as a bug?

k, I was thinking 200% or 300% with a max of 5 planets per sector would still allow 10 or 15 planets to be created in a sector. The edits with less than 5 planets allowed per sector would default to 10 instead of 200% of max. By created, I am talking creation and and not ZDY'ing them - as long as you stay under the 200% or 300% by pop/zdy then you could do it as long as you wished.

               / Promethius / Enigma / Wolfen /

"A man who has no skills can be taught, a man who has no honor has nothing."

Thrawn, is that the 1 user per IP setting you're talking about?

MegaRob is a "feature" It was actually an HVS TW bug and is coded into the MBBS mode for this game.