Multiplayer

frogus · Post by **frogus** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 10:34 am

I am trying to set up a multiplayer game (a real one, not just a 'design all chars yourself' game) for me and four friends. I want to make it a password game and set it up from my 56k modem... but it won't connect. When I click 'answer' to connect to the server, it says 'waiting for connection' and then just waits for a minute and gives me an error message...what's up? Do I need to install it on my cable-modem PC?

Xan deVir · Post by **Xan deVir** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 10:42 am

setting up a server on a 56k modem sounds bad to me, I've tried doing in for a 2 person multiplayer and my friend was complaining about lag. when he was the server [DSL] the game was lag-free and so it will be on your cable modem. be sure you and your friends have the same bg2 version with the same updates and mods installed.

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Fri Apr 26, 2002 11:00 am

frogus, try signing up for roger wilco first and then have all parties get gamespy accounts. Roger wilco will provide for voice over internet protocol communications (you may know this, very sweet for multiplayer games like BG which require coordination). Second the game spy accounts you each have will make connectivity and play very simple.

One thing you have to be certain of is each person needs to running the same game. That is, with respect to official and unofficial patches, mods, and cheats.

Furthermore, I wouldn't host a game on a 56k connection.

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 2:24 am

Gamespy is the way to go

@Ned, my son has been playing IWD online with my sister. We were hosting the game with a 56k - it was hysterical when there was the occasional lag...my sisters characters carried on fighting groups of skeletons that my son's cleric had already taken care of!

To her, she could not understand why we were not helping out, to us we could not understand why she was hitting piles of bones, swords and shields!

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 2:34 am

Originally posted by Yshania
Gamespy is the way to go

@Ned, my son has been playing IWD online with my sister. We were hosting the game with a 56k - it was hysterical when there was the occasional lag...my sisters characters carried on fighting groups of skeletons that my son's cleric had already taken care of! To her, she could not understand why we were not helping out, to us we could not understand why she was hitting piles of bones, swords and shields!

ROFL

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 2:51 am

I have ADSL now

makes all the difference!

Though my son will be disappointed - he thought it very funny she 'fought dead people'

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 4:42 am

Originally posted by Yshania
I have ADSL now makes all the difference! Though my son will be disappointed - he thought it very funny she 'fought dead people'

Even without the lag fighting skeletons IS fighting deadpeople.
It dousn't matter if the move or not.

TheDude · Post by **TheDude** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 4:48 am

hehe

but i think i would be cool to multiplay, but i don't understand i quite well.
if u want o play with several player do u have to be online together or can u play for yourself without the other players?

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 7:42 am

Originally posted by TheDude
hehe

but i think i would be cool to multiplay, but i don't understand i quite well.
if u want o play with several player do u have to be online together or can u play for yourself without the other players?

You can set up your own 'room' at Gamespy and password protect it so that others cannot join in unless they know the password

From this 'room' you launch the game.

What happens is someone 'moderates' the game (whoever sets up the room) and assigns control of characters to whichever players...so say you and a couple of friends meet up and take 2 chars each, if when you meet again and one friend cannot make it, you can reassign control of his chars to someone else

If you intend to play alone (say to create all your chars) you would initially do this in a multiplayer environment, save your game, then copy this game from your mpsave folder in your BG directory to your save folder. You can now play this 'multiplayer' game offline alone.

Xan deVir · Post by **Xan deVir** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 8:56 am

@Yshania
What are the advantages of playing via gamespy over playing a regular TCP/IP multiplayer? -In my prev. multiplayer game my friend has always sent me his ip and I connected to his server from the ingame multiplayer option so I haven't ever tried the gamespy arcade.

Aranan · Post by **Aranan** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 10:24 am

Gamespy arcade is similar to Blizzard's Battle.net (used in starcraft, diablo (i/ii), etc..). It's a pretty basic user interface that allows you to easily get games hosted and joined so you can start playing fast.

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sat Apr 27, 2002 11:18 am

Originally posted by Xan deVir

@Yshania
What are the advantages of playing via gamespy over playing a regular TCP/IP multiplayer? -In my prev. multiplayer game my friend has always sent me his ip and I connected to his server from the ingame multiplayer option so I haven't ever tried the gamespy arcade.

I guess there are two advantages I can think of, the first is that it is user friendly, the second is for those who connect modem to modem...in my experience (UK) you pay for the call, if you connect over the net - depending on your ISP account - you don't pay for the call

frogus · Post by **frogus** » Sun Apr 28, 2002 2:08 pm

thankyou all for your advice, but it seems that noone knows te answer. By coincedence, I do want to set up a single-player multiplayer game (if you will), but even without issues of lag etc, I just cannot get connected. The game doesn't even try to dial anything. It seems not to be talking to the modem at all. Can someone give me a quite detailed step-by-step walkthrough to what ought to happen when creating a mutliplayer game, and I'll see if I'm doing something wrong, or if this could be a glitch can somone recomnd a patch? thanks all

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Sun Apr 28, 2002 3:35 pm

Ok if you haven't already been there, as said above, go to http://www.gamespy.com and download their software. Choose the 'light' version, not the fully subscribed version (which will cost $20 for member priveledges). The light version is shareware. From here, the software will detect compatible games and (after clicking away from the ads) you will see a list of rooms on the left. Go to the SoA room. Here you will find the screen split in two, the top half are ongoing games, the bottom half is chat space. You will see an option to create game. Choose this, and if you do not want people joining - set a password. Once in your private room you will get the opportunity to launch game. We did answer your question, we advised using Gamespy as the server

If you are doing this already (you were not clear), your problem (as pointed out by Ned) could be version incompatibility. If one game is patched, and another isn't, you will not be able to join up. You must all have the same patches installed....

<<edit>> do not select multiplayer from your launched game, just ensure disk 2 is inserted then launch the game once in Gamespy using their button...