The PHP Abyss is the PHost version of the Tim Continuum. It is a method of preventing two (or more) players from using the same registered copy of the client program in the same game.
The effects of the PHP Abyss are different from the Tim Continuum (TC). While the TC causes ships to be flung to the remote reaches of the galaxy, the PHP Abyss thinks this is a bad idea since it a) causes flung ships to act like scouts, letting them see parts of the universe they would not normally see, and b) limits the options of hosts. If the TC strikes an honest player (as is the case in 99% of all TC incidents) then the host may wish to re-run the turn. But due to the scouting effect, the affected player has gathered information that cannot be given back.
Instead, the PHP Abyss "freezes" the player's actions for that turn. His ships will not move. His factories will not produce supplies, his mines will not extract minerals, his colonists and natives will not pay tax. It's as if the player picked up a "Lose A Turn" card.
The most common cause for a strike by the PHP Abyss is one person playing multiple races in the same game, but doing so incorrectly. In team games, especially, when one player submits a turn for another player, great care must be taken or the PHP Abyss will strike.
To successfully submit turns for multiple races in the same game, follow these rules:
- Unpack all RST files from the same game into a single subdirectory.
- When you run Maketurn, multiple TRN files will be generated. Submit all of these TRN files as a group.
- If you re-run Maketurn at a later time, re-submit all of these turns again, even if you didn't change anything.
The turn files must "know each other". Otherwise, the host will assume they were made on different computers.
