The Warlords II Players' Encyclopedia -   Info, Tactics | FAQ | Demos, Patches | Scenarios | Army Sets (+) | Scenario Editing | WarBOT | Tournament | League | Remailer | Other Sites - This page last revised 27-Apr-02 by Bob Heeter


Cross-Platform PBEM Games: A How-To Guide

One of the great joys of Warlords II is that it is possible to play against players who have either IBM or Mac machines, regardless of what machine type you yourself have. This is made possible by the ability of the Mac version to save in IBM file format.

However, there are some technical difficulties associated with Cross-Platform play, and these are discussed below.

Outline:

  1. How to play cross-platform Deluxe games (from SSG)
  2. How to play cross-platform Classic games
  3. Common Pitfalls and solutions for Classic games

I. How to play cross-platform Deluxe games

These instructions apply to the Deluxe version for DOS, and the CD version for the Mac.

Step 1: Making the scenario

If the game is going to use one of scenarios that already exists for both Mac and DOS versions, you can skip to Step 3.

The scenario must start on a DOS computer. Scenarios cannot be transferred from the Mac version to the DOS version.

To transfer the scenario, go into the Warlords II Deluxe installer, and click the Librarian button. From the list on the right, select the scenario, and click the Pack button. In the dialog that comes up, you must turn the Compression option off. Turn Army, City, Shield and Terrain options on or off as needed for the scenario.

When you click OK, a file with the extension .SCZ will be created. Optionally, compress this file with PKZip, to produce a much smaller file to e-mail to the other players. Send this to the other players.

Step 2: Installing the scenario

For the DOS version: If the scenario is a Zip file, unzip it. Copy the .SCZ file into the same directory as Warlords II Deluxe. Run the Installer, and go to the Librarian. Select the .SCZ file, and click the Unpack button. The scenario will be installed, along with any Army, City, Shield and Terrain sets that were included in the .SCZ file.

For the Mac version: If the scenario is a Zip file, use StuffIt Expander (with DropStuff with Expander Enhancer also installed), or ZipIt to unzip it. You can install the .SCZ file with the W2 Scenario Installer application. Make sure this application is in the same directory as your game, and not on the CD. Drag the .SCZ file to the W2 Scenario Installer and select the items you wish to install. Click OK.

Step 3: Starting the game

It doesn't matter if the game is started with the DOS version or the Mac version, but the instructions are slightly different.

For the DOS version: On the Game Setup screen, turn the E-Mail check box on. Set the other options and start the game running. When the first human's turn is about to start, the game will be saved, after asking for a four character name to save the game as. The file will be saved in the EMAIL directory. See pages 60 & 61 of the manual for more information on the save game files.

For the Mac version: On the Game Setup screen, turn on the E-Mail game check box. This only appears on the "More choices" version of the Game Setup screen. Click on the "Setup E-mail..." button. Turn on the "Include MS-DOS players" check box, and give the game a four character name. Click OK, set up the sides and options, and then click "Begin Game" to commence. The game will start, with computer players having their turns as appropriate, until the first human player's turn is due to start. The game will be saved into the "E-Mail Saves" folder, and the game will be closed.

Step 4: E-mail the game between players

Compress and e-mail the game to the next player.

When you receive an e-mail game, uncompress it, and move it to the appropriate directory. This is the E-mail directory for DOS games, and the "E-Mail Saves" folder for Mac games. Then you can load the game normally.

Compressing files

It is recommended that you compress scenarios and save game files before e-mailing them off to the other players. At SSG we compress files using PKZip on our DOS computers, and StuffIt on our Macintoshes. PKZip produces .Zip files and StuffIt produces .Sit files.

You can uncompress .Sit files on a PC using StuffIt Expander for Windows.

You can uncompress .Zip files on a Macintosh using either ZipIt, or StuffIt Expander (if you have also installed DropStuff with Expander Enhancer).

PKZip is available from http://www.pkware.com/.

All the StuffIt and DropStuff products are available from http://www.aladdinsy s.com/products/products.html, some being freeware, and others being shareware.

ZipIt is available from http://www.awa.com/softl ock/zipit/zipit.html.

Macintosh File Types

You can set you Macintosh up so that .Sav and .Scz files that are transferred from DOS computers are automatically recognised as being Warlords II files. There are two places you need to set this up: the PC Exchange control panel for files copied by floppy, and Internet Config for files transferred by e-mail. These notes do not attempt to instruct you on just how to use these programs. Check the documentation that comes with them. PC Exchange is a part of the Macintosh System Software, and Internet Config is available from http://www.quinn.echidna .id.au/Quinn/Config/

PC Exchange: Set up a type of .SAV, with Warlords II Deluxe as the application, and a file type of 'W2DD', and also a type of .SCZ, with W2 Scenario Installer as the application, and a file type of 'SCZ '.

Internet Config: In the File Mapping's window, add a entry with the following details:

Name: Warlords MS-DOS save game
Extension: .sav
MIME Type: leave this blank
Binary data
File Type: 'D2DD'
File Creator: 'W2D ', Warlords II Deluxe
Turn off Not for Outgoing, Not for Incoming, and Post Process.

and add another entry with:

Name: Warlords II Scenario Package
Extension: .scz
MIME Type: leave this blank
Binary data
File Type: 'SCZ '
File Creator: 'W2DC', W2 Scenario Installer
Turn off Not for Outgoing, Not for Incoming, and Post Process.

II. Cross-Platform Play with "Classic" Warlords

  1. Scenario Difficulties

    Unfortunately for Cross-Platform PBEM in Warlords II, the IBM and Mac scenario files have different formats. It's not very easy to take IBM scenario data and hack together a Mac scenario. And though it is possible to hack apart a Mac scenario file (with ResEdit) to create a workable IBM scenario, the Mac has only a limited selection of scenarios, so that doesn't help much.

    For these reasons, cross-platform PBEM play is generally restricted to the set of scenarios provided with the Mac version of the game. Gung-ho, experienced players can create a random scenario on the Mac, then take it apart to make an IBM scenario, and then play that way. But this requires a significant amount of work, and is highly prone to errors. Those who really want to play cross-platform with custom scenarios are best advised to upgrade to Deluxe if possible.

  2. Game File Difficulties

    The main problems that occur here are in transferring the game file.

    When to Transfer:
    The Mac version allows you to End your Turn and then to Save the Game while the "__Player Name__, Turn _##_" scroll is activated, but Before the Next Player Begins his/her turn. This enables Mac users to send the game to the next player without them seeing your country, and without you seeing their country. (Nice feature for PBEM!)

    The IBM/PC version only allows you to Save Before the End of Your Turn, or else after you start the next player's turn. Both of these options have their advantages and disadvantages, and you should agree beforehand which method to use in your game.

    Not ending your turn allows the next player to peek at your country, but ending it allows you to peek at *their* country *and* it allows you to determine whether or not they accept any hero who might volunteer to join them. This is worse.

    So generally we suggest you send the game on, when you're done with your moves, but before officially ending your turn, and trust the other player to end your turn nicely.

    How to Transfer:
    IBM to Mac Transfer:
    In order to transfer from IBM to Mac, the IBM user should simply pretend that the Mac is an IBM. The Mac player then has the responsibility of being able to uudecode and unzip the IBM file. There are a lot of public-domain utilities that will do this, most of which were listed up above in the information on cross-platform play with Deluxe.

    Once the Mac player has the IBM-format save file, it's trivial to open the game file using Warlords II. Just remember not to peek at the previous player's maps unless it's allowed!

    Mac to IBM Transfer:
    As above, the responsibility falls on the Mac user. But you will need to remember to Save the Game in IBM Format BEFORE the End of Your Turn. After that, you have the IBM format file, and you must have programs to zip and then uuencode the file. (These are usually the same programs used to uudecode and unzip the file, so if you can receive and IBM file, you can probably send one too.) Then send it on to the IBM player!

    Getting the Mac to recognize the IBM File:
    There is one other major difficulty, and that involves getting Macs to recognize IBM saved-game files. The Mac Warlords II application may not recognize IBM saved-game data unless you tweak it a little first. The official wisdom from Gary Makin at SSG:

    To open a MS-DOS save game from within Warlords II on the Mac, it needs to either have a filename of the form SAVEx.DAT (where x is a digit from 0 to 9) or to have the File type/Creator set correctly. This can be done with a number of programs, including ResEdit. I would recommend a System Extension called Snitch which adds editable fields for these to the Finder's Get Info window. The file type should be 'W2MS' and the creator should be 'War2'. When this is done, you can double-click on the file and get the Mac to launch Warlords II and open the file. Snitch is available at ftp://mojo.ots.utexas.edu//pub/mac/cdev/snitch-201.hqx. The information provided above on getting this to work automatically with Deluxe games can also be applied to Mac games, if you use the file type and creator information supplied in the quotation above.

In addition to the transfer technicalities, it turns out there are a few bugs that seem to crop up in playing across platforms. None of them is fatal, though. The most annoying is that the history file tends to get thoroughly confused, and sometimes corrupted completely. Be careful when checking history in a cross-platform game. (Rumor has it that this problem goes away when the original gamefile is created on the Mac side.) Some possible problems and workarounds are described in the section below...

III. Common Pitfalls and Solutions: Classic

This is just a collection of messages that have been received over the years...
From: Gary S. Best
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic,comp.sys.mac.games.strategic
Subject: Warlords Cross-Platform PBEM problems
Date: 23 Nov 1995 05:36:16 GMT
Message-ID: 49118g$kh0@shore.shore.net>

This is more of an FYI than anything else.

1) History: can view previous turn on Mac, but any scrolling to previous
turns freezes.
OK on PC.

   Remedy: Mac players keep written Event History if they care to or just
ask PC player
if they have any specific questions.

2) Diplomacy: doesn't work well for Mac or PC players but works better for
PC players.
Mac players cannot declare war at all.  Every turn they're back at peace
unless the
opponent declares war on them.  PC players have better luck declaring war
but computer
declarations are erratic while other player declarations are non-existent.

   Remedy: Turn off Diplomacy.

3) Sages: when Quests are on can give out location to same Item (in a
hidden Stronghold)
to two players.  I believe this is not supposed to happen as it's never
occurred before.

   Remedy: Turn off Quests (ouch!) or just consider it a part of the game
that you may
have to race for that item instead of it being exclusively yours.


Gary S. Best
gsb@shore.net
Notes by Bob Heeter: I've had the same sorts of experiences with (1) and (2) in my own cross-platform PBEM game. Not much you can do about them. I think that (3) regarding sages is actually a game feature; I've had it happen to me in a game against the computer, where I watched an enemy hero grab a movement item from a stronghold I was heading for (boy was that annoying). Fortunately he tried to attack me after that, so the end result was that he *delivered* the item to me! It could be really interesting in a PBEM game to race for an item!
From: MTMGsMax@aol.com
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 1995 01:14:13 -0500
To: rfheeter@phoenix.Princeton.EDU
Subject: More W2

Sorry, me again.

I didn't see this problem mentioned in the "Cross-Platform by email section:,
so perhaps you want to add it in?

WITH DIPLOMACY on, the crossplatform game has several bugs, two of
significant importance: the first is you can't always declare War.  It
doesn't stick.  Next turn, it's treachery.  So, with this in mind, ALL moves
(spec. macintosh?) become treachery.  Your rating goes out the window.

In the GAME we played (two Macs and an IBM), both Macs committed treachery
constantly (only way to attack...), but the one that SENT to the IBM would
miraculously be forgiven and not at war.

The Mac RECEIVING from the IBM was a Running Dog forever, and always had the
computer players at war with HIM.  This gave the IBM player an incredible
advantage because the computer players would rarely attack him.

One other point, we had an instance of the IBM player and One of the Mac
players being awarded the SAME stronghold location and it became first-come
first served.  This can be avoided by turning off the Quest option, but we
like Quests enough that the IBM player (Gary) has decided to risk it.  We
don't believe two MAC players will get the same reward, so he has the risk
with EACH of the Mac players....

M Fulton
From: MTMGsMax@aol.com
Date: Sat, 24 Feb 1996 04:01:12 -0500
To: rfheeter@phoenix.Princeton.EDU
Subject: Mac/IBM Cross Platform WLII

Bob--

Finally made it back to your page. Still one of the best ways to waste two
hours on the web :) .

Something to add to the Cross-Platform glitch section.

RE: Event History. IF one starts the game (has it Set-Up by) a Macintosh,
then apparently BOTH Pc's and Macs can see the Turn History. (This has
worked twice.) It's when it starts with an IBM that the Mac players can't
scroll backwards...

Also, just once it happened that I was able to "Make a Boat" by leaving a
coastal Ruin. (Purely by accident.) It was in a C/P game.

I wonder if anyone else has seen this? (How'd they look for it?!?) Couldn't
land back again, but honest it happened. Nearest neighbor (i.e., "enemy")
wanted to know how I'd miraculously gotten a boat there from the previous
turn.....:).

Max


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This site began in 1994 as Eugene Lee's Warlords II Home Page in Australia. It has evolved steadily since then, and now includes material by a variety of authors, including Bob Heeter, Eugene Lee, Elam Birnbaum, Glen Barnett, Dirk Pellett, Vern Vaillancourt, Gary Best, and others where indicated. A number of graphics are copyright by SSG; copyright and other rights to the Web source are reserved by the appropriate authors. (This site is not the Official Warlords Site by SSG.)