DescentBB

Hey folks!

I would like to play D2 with my friends again, but it seems that there are some problems to solve first...

I have downloaded and installed Version 0.2.5 of D2X and everything works - appart from the network .

I'm using Windows 2000, I have patched D2 to the version 1.2, installed the Win95 patch and of course have some 3dfx patches in the D2 directory (ok, I admit, it's an old installation ). But we've also tried it with a fresh installtion - same result.

I have read that there is the possibility to use TCP/IP... well... UDP with the appropriate switch. With and without it doesn't work.

Does anyone has an idea what I'm doing wrong?
Hmmm... I just realised that we have tried it without the original CDs in the drive... D2 started without a complaint but could that couse this behavior?

Here's my ini configuration:
-hogdir C:\games\Descent2-gl_mipmap
-maxfps 100
-noredbook
-automap_gameres
-noredundancy
-udp

Appreciate any help - want to kill some D2-Pyros again

IIRC network never did work in D2x or D1x

Network play (over Kali and the like) requires IPX/SPX installed on the system. However, you can get away with installing NetBEUI instead. As for TCP/IP, I've never really tried it so I won't comment on that.

MD. NetBEUI in itself isn't routable. so it stops dead at your isp. only time it works is when it's enabled over TCP/IP. besides, NetBEUI and D1x have nothing to do with each other.

TCP networking in D1x works well.

The IPX protocoll is installed on both computers, so I don't understand why it doesn't work.
I'd like to get it to work over LAN, internet isn't that important for me. I've just tried the TCP mode because the IPX didn't work...

Just a little tip not really relating to the subject, but -maxfps 100 is pointless, you might as well set it to 80 because D1x default caps at 80 anyways so you won't even see 100fps.

Ferno wrote:MD. NetBEUI in itself isn't routable. so it stops dead at your isp. only time it works is when it's enabled over TCP/IP. besides, NetBEUI and D1x have nothing to do with each other.

Ferno, skimming is bad for you, mmmmk?

MD=2389 wrote:Network play (over Kali and the like)

This is how most people on Kahn got games to work because they didn't want to bother with IPX. Trust me, I know because I've done it before many times. I know for a fact it works.

hahaha

Has no one ever tried D2X over LAN? I can't believe that I'm the only one with this connection problem...

The last time I played D2 on a LAN was when the game was relatively new .

I allways used IPX...

I don't want to use this UDP implementation. My problem is, that it doesn't work with IPX!

On my Win2000 installtion I have installed the protocol "NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS-compatible transport protocol". In my opinion this shoud be enough. Do I need the "NWLink NetBIOS"?

try removing -udp when you run d2x.

IPX is a mysterious protocol. You need to make sure both machines are running on the same IPX network. This is configured in the network protocol settings.

On a sidenote, the TCP/IP implementation of D2X is the way to go on LAN's in my opinion. You all know the D1/D2 multiplayer architecture is P2P, not Client-Server. The IPX protocol was a logical choice for the implementation because it brings every data a player sends to every other computer in the network (even if it's not playing in the game). That way everybody hears everybody, and there is no server. TCP/IP doesn't work that way, because you need a destination IP address. Usually, hosts are configured to ignore packets that carry data for other IP addresses than their own. However, there is a system in TCP/IP that will deliver a single packet to all users on the same subnet, called multicast. This is what D2X uses to simulate the "everyone hears everyone" strategy over TCP/IP, by sending UDP packets to multicast addresses. It doesn't even use TCP, only UDP and IP
Because of this multicast address, D2X over IP can only be used for LAN games on the same subnet. If you have a LAN with different subnets you will not be able to play together. One way to solve this problem is to open a VPN connection to bring remote machines (e.g. from the internet) together on the same subnet. D2X games will be accessible to anyone who opens a VPN connection on the same subnet. I've tried it using the univ VPN connection and multiplayer is possible that way (even made easy). No need for Kali or anything. Just VPN and play!