#24 Network testing and keepalive

If I take too long to make a move, my connection times out and I have to log in again and load the game. Sometimes I do not realize I am disconnected (It looks like my opponent is just thinking for a long time) and by the time I reconnect I have lost a lot of time from my clock.

If there was some way of checking the network connection frequently that would be very helpful.

[Nobody/Anonymous]

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As a matter of fact, there is :
every 5 minutes, qGo sends the 'ayt' command (are you there) to keep the connection alive.

If you actually lose the connection, and the socket is disconnected, you have the 'connection closed by foreign host' warning on the console. You can also have the sound warning that goes with it.

However, there is no 'response delay check' that would alert on slow network or connection loss. If I suspect a connection loss without obvious sign, I update the players or the game list, and I see if something moves (like any other client I know of ...)

[Anonymous]

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Originator: YES

Thank you for the excellent explanation. I have gotten the "connection closed by foreign host" before and am happy that it (eventually) lets me know that I am disconnected. However, by this time I may have been disconnected for up to 5 minutes wondering why my opponent is taking so long to move. I am not worried about network lag, just knowing that I am disconnected sooner rather than later.

If sending of the 'ayt' was changed to every 5-15 seconds I believe this would correct my problem.