Evochron Legacy - Setting Up Private Multiplayer Sessions...

Tips, tactics, and general discussion for Evochron Legacy.
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Evochron Legacy - Setting Up Private Multiplayer Sessions...

Post by Vice »

A significant portion of the questions I receive relating to multiplayer involve helping players set up private sessions so they can play with their friends and/or family. The popularity of this option seems to be increasing as more and more players are wanting a closed multiplayer environment to play with people they know rather than play publically with unknown people playing anonymously. Some have also asked about private multiplayer in this game after their experiences in other public multiplayer games (citing unwanted griefing, behavior, interference, etc). So I'm providing this post as a central resource of information on setting up private multiplayer sessions for those interested (which may be expanded later on).


The 'What':

Private multiplayer allows a group of people to play together in a closed (unlisted) environment. A common question I get asked is: 'does Evochron Legacy support private multiplayer modes without requiring public multiplayer?' The answer is yes, Evochron Legacy fully supports private modes of multiplayer that do not require exposure to a public server/listing system. That is, in addition to the publically listed internet option, the game also supports multiplayer sessions via direct IP. This allows you to set up a server where only the people you provide the IP address to can connect and play on. This method of multiplayer supports both internet and LAN connections. You simply set up the server to connect to a specific local IP address using its default private hosting mode.


The 'Why':

It appears a growing number of gamers are becoming interested in participating in multiplayer games where they control who connects to play with them. Whatever the motives and reasons may be for some players, playing with people they know, trust, and have fun with can be a preferred way to enjoy a game for them. I've had requests from LAN groups, families, and friends all ask about setting up such multiplayer environments. Under certain conditions (LAN being one of them), it also lets the players dial up the update performance for smoother multiplayer gameplay. Not contending with kicking/banning, player monitoring, and public server maintenance can also be cited benefits of running an 'on demand' private multiplayer session with people they know.


The 'How':

By default, the server programs are configured to host privately via direct IP. So setting up a private multiplayer session is often as simple as configuring the settings in the text8.dat file, starting the desired server program (3D or 2D), then clicking on Connect to begin. For LAN multiplayer, other players can join the server using the LAN IP address for the computer running the server program. For direct IP multiplayer over the internet, additional configuration may be required for a firewall/router/security software to allow players to connect to the server over the internet. Packet traffic needs to be able to reach the hosting computer as well as be able to be sent from the hosting computer. Also, for private multiplayer over the internet, players will need to connect using the external internet IP address for the computer running the server program. The ports required are TCP 24888 and UDP 24889. You can also customize the port values for a unique configuration and joining players will need to specify the same custom port values when they attempt to connect.


This page may be updated from time to time based on new options or received questions.
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