Multiplayer ScummVM idea

[J1800]

My idea is to be online with a friend on SKYPE but play a synched up Scummvm, so we could argue/discuss what the puzzle solutions are, what choices to make and so on. Each of us could click on the screen, so we'd have to co-operate so the character doesn't run back and forth.

[dreammaster]

My idea is to be online with a friend on SKYPE but play a synched up Scummvm, so we could argue/discuss what the puzzle solutions are, what choices to make and so on. Each of us could click on the screen, so we'd have to co-operate so the character doesn't run back and forth.

Sounds like fun. I don't use Skype much, but I know it does have screen share capabilities. I'm not sure if the remote viewer can operate the mouse or not, though.

[LogicDeLuxe]

There is a "Let's play together" series on Youtube by Marlene55 (in German)

They played quite a few point & click adventures. One person actually plays the game, and the others join in and talk along. There are some occasions where you can see clicks on screen from the non-players. I don't know what software they used for that.

[Collector]

I like this idea.

[Smothermunchie]

There's always VNC Viewer or Rdesktop.

I doubt you would ever get more than 8 fps going that route though.

[tsoliman]

There are some occasions where you can see clicks on screen from the non-players. I don't know what software they used for that.

It would be most helpful if you can point at a timestamp and a URL of a specific video where you see the on-screen click happening. I might recognize it as I use a variety of those desktop sharing programs at work and they each have their own arrow/ping/cursor icon.

[Collector]

There's always VNC Viewer or Rdesktop.

I doubt you would ever get more than 8 fps going that route though.

What if all players had copies of the game data and just the IO commands and save games were shared, but processed locally?

[tsoliman]

What if all players had copies of the game data and just the IO commands and save games were shared, but processed locally?

Take a game like indy4.
You'd have to have identical copies of the game for shared input to work.
Even then timing and randomness will interfere.

So let's say the output has to be shared as well. Someone would have to then modify the game scripts in every possible place to accept the output by waiting on the network result of stuff.
In the end even if you did all that, it wouldn't be scummvm work anymore, it would mostly be rewriting the game to allow this.

But then again I may have misunderstood what you meant.

[Collector]

No, you didn't. I was wondering if different versions would be an issue with this approach.

[lazylazyjoe]

Have you tried sarien.net ?

[LogicDeLuxe]

It would be most helpful if you can point at a timestamp and a URL of a specific video where you see the on-screen click happening.

Here you are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdD-VVJeiWc&#t=3m28s

[tsoliman]

It would be most helpful if you can point at a timestamp and a URL of a specific video where you see the on-screen click happening.

Here you are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdD-VVJeiWc&#t=3m28s

That looks a lot like projectplace (or teamviewer)
Users that don't have "control" get this arrow when they click.

Of course I could be wrong. It could be something else that I don't know about.

[J1800]

What if all players had copies of the game data and just the IO commands and save games were shared, but processed locally?

Take a game like indy4.
You'd have to have identical copies of the game for shared input to work.
Even then timing and randomness will interfere.

So let's say the output has to be shared as well. Someone would have to then modify the game scripts in every possible place to accept the output by waiting on the network result of stuff.
In the end even if you did all that, it wouldn't be scummvm work anymore, it would mostly be rewriting the game to allow this.

But then again I may have misunderstood what you meant.

I was thinking of Indy4 aswell, I didn't know how complex it would be to design. It sounds harder then I guessed, but thanks a lot for discussing it.

But the idea of using skype screen-sharing and just chatting about choices, that might work too. I will try it out.

[J1800]

Have you tried sarien.net ?

That looks incredible.