PBeM - using Dropbox or Drive ?

[Robin Reeve]

Hi all,

As the to and fro of emails during a PBeM game can be heavy (especially when gmail stacks emails one upon the other, and you have to go down the page to fish out a logfile), have some of you tried to simply save logfiles in a common folder of a cloud saving system (e.g. Dropbox or GoogleDrive)?

If it is the case, what would be the pros and cons of that way of doing, compared with classical emails?

Thanks in advance for your input

 

[dur]

I've never explicitly played with someone that way, but using Google Drive is SOP for my games since I play on several different computers. I set up a sync'd folder on each computer and download all logs sent into this folder (in which I have a different folder for each opponent.) When creating a new log, I also save it in this folder and then attach it to my email from Drive directly, giving the other person access. That way I don't have to bother fishing around the computer for my log and everything is all in one place if I need to go back.

I've never used Dropbox, so I can't comment on that.

 

[Robin Reeve]

I use Dropbox for my files too.
Very useful indeed.
But I am wondering about using a shared folder - well, things seem simple (but I would like to know how to get notifications - if not automated, emails would still have some use).

 

[dur]

Both parties using a shared folder would be nice, as the new logs would simply pop up on your hard drive if you have syncing enabled! A cursory search of Google Drive's settings does show a notification feature, but it's a little vague. I use Google Drive shared folders for work and I have never received a notification for someone uploading a new file, even though the settings I currently have set say that I should be.

I don't think that functionality is built into Windows (I'm assuming that's the platform you're using), but a cursory Google search reveals this little application that should do the trick.

https://leelusoft.blogspot.com/p/watch-4-folder-25.html

Just make sure if you are using the Google Drive technique to allow your opponent access to the entire folder. This can be done through the Drive web interface when you have the folder in question open. You can either create a shareable link for them which they will have to bookmark, or you can add their gmail account. This option is more convenient as it will show up in the list of "shared with me" folders in the user's own Drive interface.

 

[Robin Reeve]

Thank you for the tips.
I use Google Drive on a regular basis with my students - our seminary uses the "classroom" Google system.
Even though Dropbox is my main cloud/synch storage system, I will explore Drive's possibilities (but you gave me the idea to see what Dropbox can offer too).

 

[esprcorn]

I play all my PBEM games using shared Dropbox folders. I have a shared folder with each player I play regularly. In side that folder we make another for each new scenario we play. Keeps everything nice and organized. It's usually still necessary to provide a heads up via some other means when a log has been uploaded.

 

[Robin Reeve]

It's usually still necessary to provide a heads up via some other means when a log has been uploaded.

Thanks.
I presume that you use email for the heads up?

 

[esprcorn]

Usually text or facebook messenger

 

[Robin Reeve]

Usually text or facebook messenger

Yes, an online chat is a good way - Whatsapp or Telegram would do fine too...
Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Philippe D.]

That might be a nice feature to add to the VASSAL engine, though I don't know how hard it might be to code (and how much recoding work it would entail).

I'm sticking to email for the logfiles. I do read my emails from different computers, and sending myself a copy of my own logs would ensure I could continue play from any of them, but I don't think I'd like playing from my laptop (way too small a screen). And I don't have enough games going that I really need to organize my games folder...

 

[zgrose]

I actually share my whole VASSAL setup with my bro. Never have to worry about boards/etc being out of sync.

 

[Randy Strader]

I've used both Dropbox and Drive to do PBeM, both for VASL and other non-ASL games. I use Dropbox exclusively now, for no particular reason other than consolidation. In my experience, in order to get desktop notifications, you have to install the Dropbox or Drive application on your computer, which I do not do. Rather, I keep everything in the browser, having current games saved to my bookmarks bar in Chrome, which I have on all of my computers. Morning, lunch and night I will make my way across the 3 - 4 games I have going, click on them, and see if there are new files. In Dropbox, however, I do know that there is a "comment on" the file functionality. And usually my opponents will give a heads up on some aspect of the file or another, and that does generate an email, so, in effect, an alert.

 

[veron]

I haven't PBeM'ed anymore, but when I did, we did use a shared Dropbox folder and I think it worked great. At least on a Mac you get a desktop notification on any change in the folder, so you don't necessarily even have to let the opponent know in any other way.

 

[alanlynott]

I store all my VASL logs, maps, scanned scenarios, boards etc on my Google Drive which is a boon as I work away from home on a different computer so I can always login and have access to all my files.

For pbem I use a mix of email and Dropbox. Personally I prefer email as it's easy to keep track of pending log files (I normally have 6 to 8 pbem games on the go at any one time). I find it too easy to miss a notification from Dropbox and my return logs tend to be less frequent as a result.

But saying that I'll try anything, if my opponent is kind enough to give me a game I'm willing to pay using that persons preferred style of sharing logs. The only way of sharing logs I have refused is using Slack, only because I only have it on my phone and I don't want any more windows or applications open on my PC or laptop.

 

[benj]

What would really rock is that the VASL client handles this automagically. I would imagine a webservice allowing game creation, upload/download of logs integrated in the VASL client with some sort of authentication and notification if needed.