RTW 30 player limit

[Puzz3D]

Bighead got this response about the 30 player limit from GameSpy Customer Support:

"This is Aileen "Angel" Diefenbach from IGN Entertainment, and I'm going to be
working with you to answer your questions as quickly as possible!

There is no limit set on the lobby - we dont set limits for games. However, I have passed the issue onto beta testing, in case there is a clash with the ingame browser and our new arcade version."

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Chances are RTW multiplayer was never tested with more than 30 players, and this is a bug in the RTW code. In the longer term, Creative Assembly has yet to demonstrate that they can write network code that is fully compatible with GameSpy. Activision refused to give me support on my MTW login problem caused by a file being written to my MTW folder after a disconnect which happend almost everytime I hosted a 4v4. This problem just started happening all of a sudden one day this past June, and continues to this day. I'm not the only one getting the problem. Activision told me that MTW/Vi v2.01 wasn't compatible with GameSpy, and it wasn't their responsibility to fix bugs in the client software.

[CBR]

Well it might not be CA. As you say that problem suddenly appeared. Gamespy has just made a new client and who knows what changes they have done to other parts.

I have other games that also use Gamespy but I dont think they are connected in the same way as MTW is (and RTW?) If there was a problem with the server that hurt the people that was playing too although there was no reason for a host and his players to be connected to gamespy while playing.

Is that CA or Activision/Gamespy that decided on that?


CBR

[1dread1lahll]

Ive been in the room several times, there are never more than 30, if I depart for some reason I cant get back in, but rather crash to desk-top. C.A. may not have set a limit of 30, but none more than 30 can get in to the room. What ever the reason, its a disaster.

[ElmarkOFear]

Puzz, I think it is a problem with the MTW code. Ever since the last patch for VI, I have never been able to host a 4v4 2 times in a row without rebooting. Not relogging, but rebooting. Was very frustrating.

[Puzz3D]

Ok, I'm not being clear enough here. The problem with MTW that started this past June was a file written to my hard drive after every disconnect from GameSpy after hosting a 4v4 battle. Anyone who hosts 4v4 MTW battles knows disconnects happen almost everytime when the battle ends. Prior to June, no file was ever written after a disconnect. The last patch to MTW/VI, v2.01, predates this problem by a year. The disconnects themselves have been there ever since MTW/VI v2.01 patch was released. I started getting a brand new problem in June this year out of nowhere. I didn't change my computer software, and other players who couldn't login told me they had the same file in their game folder after I told them what the filename was. You could never get back into the game foyer no matter how many times you tried. GameSpy would check the contents of that file, which were encrypted by the way, and give you an account detail incorrect message. It wasn't the account detail message ytou could get around by retrying loggin on. This one never went away.

This has to be due to a change of the GameSpy server software. When Activision Customer Support blamed the client for the problem, they were refering to MTW. MTW is the client. Gamespy is the server. Activision doesn't fix problems in the client software. This is a serious issue because, unless Creative Assembly is willing to update their game client when Activision makes a change, the game could stop working just as MTW has stopped working with GameSpy. I had to find out for myself what the problem was which took a long time to figure out because I didn't know the problem was the presence of a file that wasn't supposted to be there. There is no support from Creative Assembly for MTW to help identify things like this, and Activision just passed the blame onto the game itself. You can't argue that the game doesn't have a problem because it does disconnect after hosting 4v4 battles. Players were resorting to reinstalling the game to clear the problem. The unofficial support forum at .com was no help at all. No one even answered my post about this issue.


Elmark,

That's right. The MTW disconnect problem is in the MTW code.

[Pitt_Slayer]

i hope they don't rush the patch, perfering they get these problems sorted right.

[ElmarkOFear]

Puzz: I had a similar problem since the patch, (Except I could clear it by rebooting). That is probably why I didn't notice a difference around the time you are speaking of. The extra file never affected me however (as far as I know). What was the name of the file? I will check to see if it is on my harddrive.

[Sp00n]

Strange I never had any problems hosting 4v4 games on MTW, a big congrats to Creative Assembly though for continueing to lower the standard of thier multiplayer skills with each Total War game in the series.
With MTW they managed to import all the old bugs from Shogun over and this time they have created a huge array of gems to add to Shoguns first release bugs and thats not mentioning the things they kindly left out.

Sp00n

[GilJaysmith]

The 30 player limit is a bug in Rome. It's been fixed in the patch.

[Puzz3D]

Thank you for letting us know this Gil.

[baz]

Did i hear somebody say patch?

The fact that it is Rome, that is causing the problme is bad news. Based on the MTW patching policy will it be Decenber until we see a lobby that is not more trouble than its worth! :(

[Dionysus9]

I would ask that this initial patch be released immediately-- even if it only fixes the 30 player problem. It would do WONDERS to restore the faith of the community, and especially if it was billed as a "preliminary patch addressing the CTD issue with another patch addressing most other issues to follow."

I think it would stem the flight of vets and would start reversing the tide of disgruntled players quote a bit.

Is there really any reason to wait? Every day more players leave in frustration.

[Puzz3D]

Apparently, release of a patch that addresses several serious multiplayer issues, 30 player limit, stability, performance, desyncing and toned down elephants is imminent.

Rome Total Patch

The heads up was posted by The Blind King of Bohemia in the Colosseum forum.

[Dionysus9]

Does this solve desync?

I'd be surprised if they could fix that problem this fast.

EVEN SO THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS!

Kudos to CA for taking the bull by the horns and steering this ship around. Wahoo!