Not sure there ever was a server.exe
There is some code that someone posted its in a zip somewhere. But it s no server.exe code. That is a myth that developed here on the forum since years ago, IMHO.
The t could have been so misnomered because that is what we always wanted for EAW but it never had AFAIK.
What it does have is the code for connecting to a DirectPlay server. (i.e. MSN Gaming Zone server if anyone remembers that?)
I'm sure Aldo could elaborate on what that is but you can google it.
EAW in multiplayer play launches d(direct)playserver.exe which is in Windows or DirectX API code
Just as other DirectPlay capable games of the period and since do.
So in other words there is nothing particularly special about EAW in this regard.
There was also talk of how the game project team used to play on their lan but think they used IPX. That and serial code I think has been removed since ?1.28
As for the 16 player limit I think that was Knegel's initiative (MrJelly or Wil g may have implemented?) and don't remember reading anymore on it or reason to reduce it.
...in ther words it should be still active AFAIKI seem to remember that about this time is when Jel updated the multiplayer code allowing the additional of having a 'single type' multiplayer mission thereafter and so remains in @ all later .exes if I am correct.
This is in other words the ability to go into multiplayer option and screens and then launch a mission without any other players online.
The code AFAIK is related to the stuff wil g or whoever elaborated on.
Anyway Mark,
Look for comments by Knegel in the notes I sent you.
At this time you have all the notes I have. Which is probably the largest collection outside of previous TheGen coder group forum which AFAIK now does not exist anymore.
What EAW really needed was access to the the archive of the code group forum. That contains most all the posts of technical details that anyone discussed or posted of the changes.
Usually there was an ongoing thread posted about the latest exes at that time containing notices from the updaters - knegel or jelly primarily,
In some cases those were the only notes.
Very few changes within the code group exes have any comments within the code itself. Yes there are some early ones and hundreds of intials earlier but few useable comments to anyone outside of the code group if at all.
Most that were documented at all were in TheGen code threads. Those threads no longer exist AFAIK and there are no backups to my knowledge.
Some of the notes I have and you do now also are brief copies of some of those pages or other documents posted related.
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About the Code, ad nauseam..
- What about finding the changes from within?
However within the code sets if one uses a differentrial code analysis tool (diff or windiff, etc.) comparing changes you can find the actual changes.
It only requires a little study...
But this all assumes you can follow the code or have some comments at least you can follow as to what the code change means.
- Classically the coders group or original programmers would use VC6.0 Studio and the code sets available to compare manually.
The original programmers had a Visual Source Safe to access the codebut the coders group used no version control system.
Version control and commenting on code or documenting changes somewhere is essential for professional programmers or companies.
But amatuers like us in the code group or other hobbyists in general as Aldo once pointed out, rarely do so.
Thus for anyone with the intention of really knowing about the code changes today you / they would basically have to open a discussion with whoever did the code or knows it directly.
Because even if you had the code it would be far too confusing and time-consuming to track all the changes.
- Nowadays if one were to study the code you could use any IDE if you don't need to compile it. CodeBlocks is one
(Code::Blocks is a free, open-source cross-platform IDE that supports multiple compilers..)
I used and its almost a clone of VC6 and runs on later Windows as well as Linux etc.
Of course in Linux Mint OS I have Geany and so although I have CodeBlocks installed I never use it.