Joining a game in progress

In the online games list, a game that has already started shows how long it has been running and how many seats are free, for example 12:30 and 1 free. If the host allows it, you can take a free seat while the game runs.

What you see

The list row and the details show the time running and the free seats. A game whose host does not allow joiners shows Closed.
Join opens a card that says what you get and what you miss: the resources you start with, and that you did not see the game so far.
A bar shows the steps: connecting, receiving the game as it is now, taking you to your start position.
If the seat cannot be taken, a card says why in plain words and offers another seat or watching instead. The reasons are: the host does not allow it, the game is ranked, it is full, someone took the seat first, the team is locked, it is too late in the game, you are banned, the versions differ, the seat belongs to a player who is reconnecting, or you are not allowed to play.

What you start with

The host picks one of three rules, and the card names it:

Rule	You start with
None	What the map gives a fresh seat, usually nothing.
Starting	The map's starting resources and units.
Ally average	The average of your living allies' resources, at least the starting amount and at most one and a half times it.

How it stays fair

The server is the authority. The join is a recorded step of the game, so a replay reproduces it. You are sent only what your own units and allies see. A late joiner is marked in the results, and their result is never ranked.

Built and not built

Built in the game: the card, the stages, a card for every refusal, claiming the seat once the connection finds a running game, and the chips in the list from the fields the online service sends.
Not yet run against a live dedicated server end to end.
The simulation has a command that adds a player at a step (AddPlayer); wiring it to the server's join step belongs to the network side.
Not built: promoting a spectator to a player.