The International Simutrans Forum

Development => Extension Requests => Topic started by: AP on January 21, 2018, 04:19:30 PM

Title: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: AP on January 21, 2018, 04:19:30 PM
Apparently server passwords are reset after a certain amount of time, expressed in in-game years, has passed.


I think it should be expressed in real time.


Time in the game flows in a variable manner, according to how often other players are active (more activity, it flows faster). This means it is very difficult for players with other commitments, or who are away, for example, to know their company is "safe" for e.g. a week, 10 days etc.  Activity may suddenly increase, or decrease.


Whereas if it were expressed in real world days it would be predictable and reliable.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: jamespetts on January 21, 2018, 04:58:16 PM
I should note that this is the same in Extended as it is in Standard, so I shall move this to the extension requests section for Standard.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: prissi on January 22, 2018, 03:05:41 AM
It is not possible to use this in real time (only), because the only way to tell, if a company is active or not, is by looking at its activity over time. On a server with autopause, that time can vary strong in real time.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: Ters on January 22, 2018, 06:24:10 AM
Why do you need to tell if a company is active? All you need to know is when the password last was set and the current time, both according to the server's system clock.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: Leartin on January 22, 2018, 07:44:13 AM
Quote from: Ters on January 22, 2018, 06:24:10 AMWhy do you need to tell if a company is active? All you need to know is when the password last was set and the current time, both according to the server's system clock.
*When the password last was put in correctly, or when there last was a client logged in to the player. But yes, logging in should be the only thing required, since it's as hard or easy to do as logging in and planting a single tree for "activity".
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: prissi on January 22, 2018, 08:07:31 AM
Since the prupose is the free slots for abandoned companies, checking for activity is meaningful. Otherwise, for the other players, that company appears abandoned. (And indeed, any construction activity counts.)
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: AP on January 22, 2018, 07:17:59 PM
If a company is profitable, a player may log in, check finances, look around, think "yep, all fine" and log out again. That's perfectly valid behaviour.

I agree, the relevant thing is the timestamp on the login. Not what the company is doing.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: jamespetts on January 22, 2018, 09:25:01 PM
Does the game currently store when the player last logged in anywhere?
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: prissi on January 23, 2018, 03:43:54 AM
No, it is not. Even more, a finance check can be done without changing to the player in question.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: AP on January 23, 2018, 08:07:27 PM
But a company to which a player has logged in, is by definition active, even if no construction works were carried out in the immediate past. And since one cannot build without logging in, logging in is surely a good proxy for activity.

You have to switch to the player in order to view the player company finance window. Otherwise you get the public player's company finance window instead.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: prissi on January 24, 2018, 08:06:34 AM
No, you can click on the colored button in the finance screen so see any players finances. You just cannot built headquarters then ...
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: Ters on January 24, 2018, 05:03:08 PM
If any player can open any player's finances, opening a player's finance windows should not consider that player active, no matter how you measure time.
Title: Re: Server password reset in game time not real time
Post by: prissi on January 25, 2018, 11:54:14 AM
That is whz currently a construction (clearing a tree or building something), or a vehicle purchase/selling is used as measure. But the main reason was, that those data was already present in the finance history anyway.

Of course, if we charge 0.01 simucredit per logon, then it would be verz easy to keep charge of that too.