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--- en:games:star_trek_armada_1:setting_up_matches [2023-05-27-18-23] – [Victory Conditions and Match Results] 7saturn
+++ en:games:star_trek_armada_1:setting_up_matches [2024-01-31-21-00] (current) – [IPX Server] 7saturn
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 ==== Asynchronous matches ====
 Armada has a certain tendency to produce (allegedly) asynchronous games. So you play for a while and at some point you get the message that the game is asynchronous. Unfortunately this happens often enough, but not always. In principle, this means that the same thing doesn't happen to all players. While player 1 has ship X at position Y, player 2 has ship X at position Z. This can be mitigated by granting the game more data rate. To do this, edit the ''net.ini'' in the root directory of Armada and increase the values for ''MaxBandwidth''. More than standard 4 kb/sec. should easily be feasible with today's DSL connections and especially via LAN.
+==== Using IPX ====
+The game originally supported TCP/IP and IPX LAN connections as well as TCP internet games, via [[en:gaming_platforms:world_opponent_network|WON]]. While TCP/IP still works rather well with any modern Windows, IPX was out of reach for quite some time, although some players report having less technical troubles with it. The [[en:games:star_trek_-_armada_1#the_gog_installer|GOG version of the game]] brings along an outdated version of an IPX Wrapper, that makes IPX feasible once again. For the [[#IPX Peer to Peer]] variant, that is quite sufficient. For use with an [[#IPX Server]] you will need a newer version, which you can get here: [[https://github.com/solemnwarning/ipxwrapper/releases]].
+=== IPX Peer to Peer ===
+Originally the game was played with IPX only via LAN. The internet by default does not support any IPX routing of any kind. So unless a [[en:network_terms:VPN]] comes into play, IPX in this fashion does not allow for internet games. The peer to peer solution works with the GOG version's IPX wrapper, started with the //ipxconfig.exe//. If you have multiple network cards in your system (e.g. a virtual one when working with a VPN connections), select it from the selection list on the top. If you select one from the selection window below the drop-down menu, make sure you select //Enable interface//. You should not need to alter the settings for //Network number// or //Node number//. The //Broadcast port// can be set rather freely, just as long as everyone uses the same one. It sets the [[en:network_terms:UDP]] port being used to send packages to all the other players on the local network. As long as this window remains open, you can use IPX just as well as [[en:network_terms:TCP]].
+=== IPX Server ===
+The main drawback of the former solution is, that it will only work for internet games, when you also use a VPN, which brings along [[en:network_terms:vpn#security_considerations|its own problems]]. An alternative is to use a dedicated IPX server, that relays IPX packages to all connected peers. In order to use this approach, you will need two components, an IPX server and a (newer version of) the already mentioned IPX wrapper. The GOG version is (as of 2024-01-30) too outdated to make use of an IPX server.
+If you want to know how to set up your own IPX server, one solution would be to use [[en:tools:dosbox#server|DOSBox]]. If you run a Linux server, the [[https://github.com/steveschnepp/ipxserver.git|IPX Server Perl script]] may also work just fine for you. The server is only required once, so as a player of the game you can just as well use one, that was already set up by someone else. Via the host name ''<nowiki>www.mobile-infanterie.de</nowiki>'' and port ''213'' there is one up, for the time being (testing operations).
+In order to use it, download the latest version of the [[https://github.com/solemnwarning/ipxwrapper/releases|mentioned IPX wrapper]] and extract it to your Armada folder. If you are worried about reversibility, you may want to copy the following files to another location, beforehand:
+  * //directplay-win32.reg//,
+  * //directplay-win64.reg//,
+  * //dpwsockx.dll//,
+  * //ipxconfig.exe//,
+  * //ipxwrapper.dll//,
+  * //mswsock.dll// and
+  * //wsock32.dll//.
+These make up the older version of the wrapper.
+After extracting the files from the zip file (replacing the existing files), it may depend on how you installed the game. If it is the CD version or a copied GOG version, then you may have to run //directplay-win32.reg// or //directplay-win64.reg//, depending on which variation of Windows you use. For 32 bit versions the first file is required. For 64 bit the second one. It registers the //dpwsockx.dll// as to be used for IPX connections. (This also implies, that if you have different Armada installations parallel, you should keep the versions of the IPX Wrapper synchronous (use the same version in all installations). You may need administration privileges in order to do that step. When done you can go ahead and start the //ipxconfig.exe//.
+{{ :en:game_tech:ipx_server_mobile_infanterie.png?nolink | IPX wrapper settings for use with the mobile Infanterie}}
+It will look a bit different to the GOG stock files. You can still use the before mentioned [[#IPX Peer to Peer]] approach (selecting //IPXWrapper UDP encapsulation//). But you can now also select the //DOSBox UDP encapsulation// option. If you do, you need to provide the hostname or IP of the IPX server, as well as the UDP port it listens on. As mentioned above, for testing host name ''<nowiki>www.mobile-infanterie.de</nowiki>'' and port ''213'' should work.
+You will not have to keep that window open, to play via IPX. Due to the registration above, all IPX traffic is routed via the given IPX server. The settings made by the configuration tool are stored in the registry (//HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\IPXWrapper//) on a per-user-basis.
 ===== Open LAN game =====
-To create a game in the LAN, you must follow the menu path **Multiplayer** -> **LAN (TCP/IP)**.
+To create a game in the LAN, you must follow the menu path //Multiplayer// -> //Local Area Network (TCP/IP)// or //Local Area Network (IPX)// (depending on whether you are [[#using IPX]] or not).
 {{ en:games:star_trek_armada_1:main_menu_multiplayer.png?nolink |}}
@@ Line 29: / Line 55: @@
 {{ en:games:star_trek_armada_1:game_opening_screen.png?nolink |}}
-You can of course also use [[en:network_terms:IPX]], up to Windows Vista (if installed). With newer versions of Windows TCP/IP is mandatory for the CD version of the game. For the GOG version that is no longer true. It brings its own IPX wrapper, that works by tunneling the IPX [[en:network_terms:broadcast|broadcasts]] via [[en:network_terms:UDP]].
+You can of course also use [[en:network_terms:IPX]], up to Windows Vista (if installed). With newer versions of Windows and the CD version of the game TCP/IP is mandatory, although the game probably won't run very stable to begin with. The GOG version brings along an IPX wrapper, see [[#using IPX]].
-In the menu **Multiplayer** you should //not forget to enter the username// (at the top of the text field). It just sucks when the player "Player" plays on a map x times. Now you should see the multiplayer menu with the other players and possibly open games.
+In the menu //Multiplayer// you should **not forget to enter the username** (at the top of the text field). It just sucks when the player "Player" plays on a map x times. Now you should see the multiplayer menu with the other players and possibly open games.
-With **Create game** you can start your own game, with **Join** you can join an already open game. The game should show up within half a minute. The clients will ask for new games once every 20 seconds. If you participate, the server host has to take care of the settings. You can ask him via chat if he could do this or that setting. Here is a little guide to hosting: As soon as you click on **Create game**, you will be asked for the name of the game.
+With //Create game// you can start your own game, with //Join// you can join an already open game. The game should show up within half a minute. The clients will ask for new games once every 20 seconds. If you participate, the server host has to take care of the settings. You can ask him via chat if he could do this or that setting. Here is a little guide to hosting: As soon as you click on //Create game//, you will be asked for the name of the game.
 {{ en:games:star_trek_armada_1:entering_game_name.png?nolink |}}
-This should be chosen meaningful, if several games are open at the same time. The password is optional and only recommended if you want to play privately. Then everyone who wants to join must enter the proper password, first. If you leave the field empty, no password will be requested. Today there is little point, as there are no lobby servers any more. And on LAN parties you usually //want// your friends to be able to join the match.
+This should be chosen meaningful, if several games are open at the same time. The password is optional and only recommended if you want to play privately. Then everyone who wants to join must enter the proper password, first. If you leave the field empty, no password will be requested. On LAN parties you usually **want** your friends to be able to join the match. However, when [[#using IPX]] you might as well run into the situation, that you want your own private corner.
 ===== Internet play via GameRanger =====
 The game no longer works via the Internet with build-in means, since the internet game ran via [[en:gaming_platforms:world_opponent_network|WON]]. Instead there is the possibility to play the game via [[en:game_tech:Gameranger]] on the internet. To do this, a CD must be inserted per four players (also with Crack...) and GameRanger must be started from an admin account. If you try to start the game from a user account with admin rights (usually with password request), GameRanger seems to take too long and throws the following error message: **Anti-Virus or Firewall software is blocking/interfering with GameRanger**. It has nothing to do with FW or AV, but the problem has to be solved by starting GR directly from an admin account. Admin rights alone are useless, but are also not necessary from the admin account. A test in combination with [[en:tools:RunAs Spc]] is still pending. In addition, port 16000 (UDP) must be forwarded by the router NAT, or the computer on which the game should be run must be in the DMZ. Apart from that, everything goes relatively smoothly.