Trying to understand Autohost

[LouisB3]

(Hey all. I've been a marginal Myth player since for a few years, and now I'm posting here.)

I've been trying to understand the Autohost feature, which seems nifty (albeit underdocumented and limited.) My biggest question is whether the autohost playlist loops back to the beginning when it reaches the end or whether it simply terminates when done. If it loops, autohosting would be much more interesting than if it doesn't, since you would be able to set up an old computer to host games indefinitely.

I also wanted to confirm my understanding of the other mechanics of autohosting. I started out by thinking about how the ideal autohosting experience would work, and then comparing it to how I think it actually functions.

Ideal:
1. Start a game with specified random settings.
For example:
• choose one from a list of sixteen maps
• choose one from a list of six game-types
• use a five-minute time limit with Last Man on the Hill and a ten-minute time limit for other game types with 2-4 teams and a fifteen-minute time limit for other game types with 5 or more teams, switching between different time limits for non-LMOTH games as the number of teams change
• use a one-minute planning time for games without teams and a two-minute planning time if players form teams, switching between planning times if teams form or all teams disband
• use a number of other settings consistently (unit trading on, vTFL off, etc., etc.)
2. If more than five minutes elapse without a game starting, start over. (Record the time and settings of the failed game.)
3. Play the game. When the game completes, save the film and start over.

Actual:
1. The game is chosen from the next in a playlist of fully-specified settings.
• maps and game types may be chosen, but many map/game-type pairings would be inconvenient to set up by hand
• time limits could be paired to game types, but would not change based on number of players present
• planning times and other settings would be non-dynamic (and inconvenient to change across the full playlist
2. If no players join, the game stagnates forever. No data can be mined to determine how long this takes or whether certain setting combinations are consistently unpopular.
3. Saving the film could be managed by a script outside of Myth that regularly renames the Last Recording file if it changes. The next game would be determined by the playlist, although a non-looping playlist would render this all moot.

Is this accurate?

[Myrd]

Autohost does loop back. Your "Actual:" list seems accurate.

There was some interest in making autohost more powerful by making it possible to run without the GUI part - and also possibly to automate through external scripts and such (to change game settings and what not). If that work gets done, then that could be released with Myth II 1.8.

[Deqlyn]

The problem I find is it blocks itself out of another game after so much time or so many games I am not sure of which.