Multiplayer FOF8 from two computers

[QuikSand]

I play FOF on two different computers. If you're similarly situated, it seems like this is going to be more tedious than FOF 7 was.

In specific, I submitted my training camp file, with a playbook, from my laptop. Now I'm at my desktop and I want to do a file for a subsequent stage.

I'm getting an error message:

"You have less (sic) than 100 plays in your offensive playbook. This means you don't have an offensive playbook in place. Your commissioner should export your playbook and then you should import it."

There is a "Restore Playbook" selection on the Participants menu, but that requires that the league's Commissioner has exported the playbook. Not a crisis, but this looks like some extra steps for both commissioners and participants who seek to access the game from multiple locations.

I don't see any other way to make this work in-game, since the playbook is only accessible during that one specific stage.


BEN EDIT

For commishes, you need to do Controls-->Commissioner-->Export Playbooks if someone needs theirs.

Then you get this:



Then on the Participant side, it's Controls-->Participants-->Restore Playbook

See Help File entries for more details.


QUIK EDIT

There's a file with an extension .fpc in your /leagues folder, and copying that to your second computer resolves this as well, if that option is available.

[Dawgfan19]

I suppose there could be some technical issues, but this would appear an issue Jim should address. It's contra to the idea of ease of use/mobile/Steam strategy.

[Ben E Lou]

Quik, for now, why not just revert to pre-tc and load your playbook? If that doesn't work, AFK pretty much the rest of today, but DawgFan, check the Help File before we start reporting non-bugs. Pretty sure there's a new Commish export ("Export Playbook" or something) to handle this.

[QuikSand]

I can just do a file when I get to my laptop, it's not a crisis. Wish I had known this before poring through my full list of roster cutdowns, though. Sigh.

[Ben E Lou]

Also check the Multi Player Overview help file entry. That got a pretty big update for FOF8. I think this process is laid out there.

[QuikSand]

Anticipating this thread becomes a resource for those facing this issue:

Originally Posted by Help File

Multi-Player Restore Playbook Command
The Multi-Player Restore Playbook command is used by a participant to download his team's playbook from the FTP server.

IMPORTANT: This command will only work if the commissioner has used the Export Playbooks command on the Controls - Commissioner menu specifically to upload your playbook. You must coordinate using this command with your commissioner.

Your active playbook (your .fpc file) is normally saved when you export the training camp stage file. Without it in place, you won't be able to set your team's game plan during the season. So, if you're preparing for a game and you don't have your current playbook, you'll need to use this process to obtain it. This is never necessary before training camp.

This command will help get a participant up to speed if taking over a team mid-season. Again, its use must be coordinated with the league commissioner.

These playbook (.fpc) files are specific to each participant. The commissioner's leagues directory contains a master playbook (.fpb) file for the entire league, as is used in the single-player game. This master playbook contains everyone's playbook and should never be available to league owners.

Multi-Player Export Playbooks Screen
The Multi-Player Export Playbooks screen is used by the commissioner to export the playbook for one participant in your league. It should only be used after training camp and during an active season.

Normally, participants have playbooks stored on their computers. But these files can get lost, or perhaps there was a mid-season owner change or the owner skipped the Training Camp stage and a playbook was created for him. In these cases, the participant will not have access to his own playbook, making game planning impossible.

To use this command, enter the team number (0-31) for the team that needs a playbook. Then hit OK. The team's playbook will be uploaded to your server's playbooks/[leagueID] directory. The owner can then download it by using the Restore Playbook command on his Controls - Participants menu. The only time a participant should ever use this command is when he needs this playbook file. Since it's a file that only changes once a year and you might need to export other playbooks to other particpants, when he uses the Restore Playbook command, it deletes the file from your server.

These playbook (.fpc) files are specific to each participant. The commissioner's leagues directory contains a master playbook (.fpb) file for the entire league, as is used in the single-player game. This master playbook contains everyone's playbook and should never be placed on the server.

[Pyser]

I have get the same error message on my mac. Except I think the game never took the playbook I created pre TC. Now I cannot export any stage files. Might be another overall issue with playing on a mac.

[QuikSand]

So, it appears that by copying the .fpc file from my laptop to my desktop, I can skip the Commissioner step. Will tend to that tonight.

[Ben E Lou]

For commishes, it's Controls-->Commissioner-->Export Playbooks

Then you get this:



Adding to first post.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So, it appears that by copying the .fpc file from my laptop to my desktop, I can skip the Commissioner step. Will tend to that tonight.

This worked for me... I'll edit into the first post as well, to help out anyone similarly situated.

[Pyser]

is the .fpc specific to your team number? or is the file just called leaguename.fpc?

[QuikSand]

just generic - i think the team numbered ones have that in the extension in FOFspeak

[QuikSand]

I'm still trying to sort through this a bit.

I had a situation where I was away from my main computer CPU1 during the training camp stage for a league. I attempted to install a new playbook for the team from a second computer CPU2 (where I had used the trick above to make the playbook accessible) but it doesn't appear to have worked. The season has run, the results are in, and I don't know what's going on now. The playbook I see from CPU1 doesn't match up with what I thought I had installed on CPU2, and I don't think the season's playcalling matches up, either.

Has anyone got a firmer handle on this than what we have laid out here? Is the only way to be sure about this sort of thing to tote/send your .fpc file every time you access from a second spot? (Ugh)

[zsteelers]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I'm still trying to sort through this a bit.

I had a situation where I was away from my main computer CPU1 during the training camp stage for a league. I attempted to install a new playbook for the team from a second computer CPU2 (where I had used the trick above to make the playbook accessible) but it doesn't appear to have worked. The season has run, the results are in, and I don't know what's going on now. The playbook I see from CPU1 doesn't match up with what I thought I had installed on CPU2, and I don't think the season's playcalling matches up, either.

Has anyone got a firmer handle on this than what we have laid out here? Is the only way to be sure about this sort of thing to tote/send your .fpc file every time you access from a second spot? (Ugh)

not sure if it makes a difference, but I prefer to copy the whole leagues/leaguename folder from CPU1 to CPU2. Then, I import the last stage on CPU2 just to make sure that I'm working with the same sim as the commissioner. if it's one of Ben's leagues, I doublecheck in the upload section that I have indeed the last version.

[Hammer]

I name every play in my playbook. Is there a particular file I need to copy over?

I have my playbook, but face the prospect of having to name the 200 plays again, on the second laptop.

[ezlee2]

Originally Posted by Hammer

I name every play in my playbook. Is there a particular file I need to copy over?

I have my playbook, but face the prospect of having to name the 200 plays again, on the second laptop.

I'd love to see some of those names. Do you have a play called "I'll kick Saw's ass again?"

[QuikSand]

Bumping for reference, again. Hate this crap. Team OOTP, please help solve this.

[Squirrel]

Hey Quik did you ever resolve this? I'm trying to figure out how to get a desktop + laptop setup going. It isn't proving easy so far. Interested in how you do it if you don't mind sharing, thanks

[QuikSand]

I'm in this mix again... will try to drop my various .fpc files onto the new laptop. Hoping this isn't a mess.

[QuikSand]

...yeah, I copied over my entire folder, and definitely have a version of the .fpc file in the /leagues subfolder for each of my MP leagues. But I'm getting that message that I need the gameplan file. Fun, fun.

Okay, so the problem is just that I don't have any gameplan actually loaded on these teams, on the new computer. If I load up the gameplans that I want to use, as long as I have the .fpc file present... then it will work correctly? Is that right? (To anyone knowledgeable enough to respond)