Netplay howto - Revision history

80.221.154.244: Linked the ruleset section to a more detailed page

2011-01-03T17:31:06Z

Linked the ruleset section to a more detailed page

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:31, 3 January 2011
Line 121:		Line 121:

	==Multiplayer melee suggestions==		==Multiplayer melee suggestions==
	:''See [[~~Multiplayer Melee Suggestions~~]].		:''See [[Super_Melee_rulesets]].

	==When it's not working==		==When it's not working==

208.73.19.238: /* Router basics */

2008-07-10T16:17:40Z

Router basics

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:17, 10 July 2008
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	When a local computer sends packets first, the router can look at the originating address and port and remember them, so that when a reply comes to the same port, it knows for which computer it is meant.		When a local computer sends packets first, the router can look at the originating address and port and remember them, so that when a reply comes to the same port, it knows for which computer it is meant.

	But if packets arrive from a computer over the internet out of the blue, the router does not know to which local computer it should direct them. (Even when there's only one local computer, most routers will just throw such packets away.) In this case, you need to tell your router ~~explicitely~~ where packets that match a specific pattern need to be sent to. For instance, you could tell it that packets that arrive for port 21837 should go to the computer with local address 192.168.0.2.		But if packets arrive from a computer over the internet out of the blue, the router does not know to which local computer it should direct them. (Even when there's only one local computer, most routers will just throw such packets away.) In this case, you need to tell your router explicitly where packets that match a specific pattern need to be sent to. For instance, you could tell it that packets that arrive for port 21837 should go to the computer with local address 192.168.0.2.

	====Firewall basics====		====Firewall basics====

208.73.19.238: /* Router basics */

2008-07-10T16:17:15Z

Router basics

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:17, 10 July 2008
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	The little box which comes with most modern internet subscriptions is a ''router''. A router is a device which passes packets to other computer.		The little box which comes with most modern internet subscriptions is a ''router''. A router is a device which passes packets to other computer.

	Several ~~computer~~ may be connected to a single router, but usually there's only one internet address for one router (the ''public address''). To be able to address the different computers connected to the router, the router gives them all a ''local address''. Special ranges of address are reserved for use like this (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x and 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x); these addresses are not accessible directly from the internet.		Several computers may be connected to a single router, but usually there's only one internet address for one router (the ''public address''). To be able to address the different computers connected to the router, the router gives them all a ''local address''. Special ranges of address are reserved for use like this (192.168.x.x, 10.x.x.x and 172.16.x.x through 172.31.x.x); these addresses are not accessible directly from the internet.

	When a local computer sends a packet over the internet to another computer, the router will replace the return address (which was the local address) with the public address, and send it along.		When a local computer sends a packet over the internet to another computer, the router will replace the return address (which was the local address) with the public address, and send it along.

Svdb: /* Multiplayer melee suggestions / duplicating information is a bad idea; changes would have to be made in multiple locations. It's not specific to network* multiplayer anyhow.

2008-01-10T17:28:25Z

Multiplayer melee suggestions: duplicating information is a bad idea; changes would have to be made in multiple locations. It's not specific to *network* multiplayer anyhow.

@@ Line 121: / Line 121: @@
 ==Multiplayer melee suggestions==
-The following are some suggestions for getting the most out of multiplayer [[Super Melee|Melee]].
+:''See [[Multiplayer Melee Suggestions]].
 ==When it's not working==

Svdb: rv vandalism

2008-01-10T17:24:39Z

rv vandalism

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:24, 10 January 2008
Line 43:		Line 43:
	This is where firewalls come in. They have rules which govern which packets are allowed to pass through unhindered, and which are blocked. And because it's better to be safe than sorry, firewalls usually block everything they don't know.		This is where firewalls come in. They have rules which govern which packets are allowed to pass through unhindered, and which are blocked. And because it's better to be safe than sorry, firewalls usually block everything they don't know.

	So when you're running a program that needs to access the internet, you'll need to tell your firewall to allow it. A firewall may be running on your local computer (Windows XP has one built in), but your router may also have one. And frequently both will. Both may have to be instructed to allow your packets to get through~~. You want packets, our else christmas will be boring~~.		So when you're running a program that needs to access the internet, you'll need to tell your firewall to allow it. A firewall may be running on your local computer (Windows XP has one built in), but your router may also have one. And frequently both will. Both may have to be instructed to allow your packets to get through.

	===Finding out what your local address is===		===Finding out what your local address is===
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	==If you've found a bug==		==If you've found a bug==
	Bugs should go to the project's Bugzilla [http://bugs.uqm.stack.nl/ bug database]. Be verbose~~. Or smash it with a paper~~.		Bugs should go to the project's Bugzilla [http://bugs.uqm.stack.nl/ bug database]. Be verbose.

	[[Category:Game mechanics]]		[[Category:Game mechanics]]

213.161.190.228: /* If you've found a bug */

2008-01-10T13:06:26Z

If you've found a bug

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:06, 10 January 2008
Line 168:		Line 168:

	==If you've found a bug==		==If you've found a bug==
	Bugs should go to the project's Bugzilla [http://bugs.uqm.stack.nl/ bug database]. Be verbose.		Bugs should go to the project's Bugzilla [http://bugs.uqm.stack.nl/ bug database]. Be verbose. Or smash it with a paper.

	[[Category:Game mechanics]]		[[Category:Game mechanics]]

213.161.190.228: /* Firewall basics */

2008-01-10T13:00:31Z

Firewall basics

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:00, 10 January 2008
Line 43:		Line 43:
	This is where firewalls come in. They have rules which govern which packets are allowed to pass through unhindered, and which are blocked. And because it's better to be safe than sorry, firewalls usually block everything they don't know.		This is where firewalls come in. They have rules which govern which packets are allowed to pass through unhindered, and which are blocked. And because it's better to be safe than sorry, firewalls usually block everything they don't know.

	So when you're running a program that needs to access the internet, you'll need to tell your firewall to allow it. A firewall may be running on your local computer (Windows XP has one built in), but your router may also have one. And frequently both will. Both may have to be instructed to allow your packets to get through.		So when you're running a program that needs to access the internet, you'll need to tell your firewall to allow it. A firewall may be running on your local computer (Windows XP has one built in), but your router may also have one. And frequently both will. Both may have to be instructed to allow your packets to get through. You want packets, our else christmas will be boring.

	===Finding out what your local address is===		===Finding out what your local address is===

84.138.140.73: its not FireFox!

2007-09-14T22:07:57Z

its not FireFox!

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:07, 14 September 2007
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	==Finding someone to play against==		==Finding someone to play against==
	The IRC channel [irc://irc.freenode.net/#uqm-arena #uqm-arena] on irc.freenode.net is a good place to find people to eat your flaming plasma death. You can either use a stand-alone IRC client, or use the [http://irc.uqm.stack.nl/ web-based client]. Some web browsers (~~FireFox~~, Opera) also have an IRC client built in.		The IRC channel [irc://irc.freenode.net/#uqm-arena #uqm-arena] on irc.freenode.net is a good place to find people to eat your flaming plasma death. You can either use a stand-alone IRC client, or use the [http://irc.uqm.stack.nl/ web-based client]. Some web browsers (Firefox, Opera) also have an IRC client built in.

	==Running the game==		==Running the game==

75.36.144.166: /* Multiplayer melee suggestions */

2007-08-07T23:06:05Z

Multiplayer melee suggestions

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:06, 7 August 2007
Line 123:		Line 123:
	The following are some suggestions for getting the most out of multiplayer [[Super Melee\|Melee]].		The following are some suggestions for getting the most out of multiplayer [[Super Melee\|Melee]].
	*Have pre-made teams of various sizes (100, 200, and 250 points fleets are often used)		*Have pre-made teams of various sizes (100, 200, and 250 points fleets are often used)
	*When using a keyboard, figure out suitable key bindings in advance. Most keyboards don't allow ~~any combination~~ of key-presses.		*When using a keyboard, figure out suitable key bindings in advance. Most keyboards don't allow certain combinations of key-presses.
	*When playing over a network, find someone geographically close to you, so that you'll have a relatively good network connection.		*When playing over a network, find someone geographically close to you, so that you'll have a relatively good network connection.

2001:610:1108:5214::2: /* When it's not working */ about slowdowns

2007-07-13T14:43:08Z

When it's not working: about slowdowns

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:43, 13 July 2007
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	An error like this will never be caused by network problems.		An error like this will never be caused by network problems.

			===The game is slowed down/stutters/pauses===

			If the game is going slowly or stutters, this usually indicates that the information from the other computer isn't received in time. Setting a higher [[#Net Delay\|net delay]] Net Delay when connecting will increase the time in between a keypress (or game controller action) and the moment it is processed. This makes the ships less responsive, but allows for more time for the control information to reach the remote computer.

			If the game pauses for a long period of time, this usually means that information got lost on the network. Because UQM is using the TCP protocol, it takes a while for that to get noticed and the information is retransmitted. UQM will switch to using the UDP protocol in the future. Until then, having any packet loss on your connection is unacceptable for UQM netplay.

			There can be several reasons for netplay being slow or stuttering:
			*the connection between the two computers is slow. This can be because your or your opponents ISP doesn't provide a very good service, or just because there is no high-speed route available (maybe one of you is in the middle of nowhere, or just very far away). Note that a higher bandwidth doesn't help for NetMelee responsiveness, as the limiting factor is the time it takes to deliver information ("latency" or "ping"), not the amount that can be transmitted.
			*you or your opponent is filling up his outgoing or incoming connection. Making heavy use of the network while playing NetMelee will slow down the game or even cause packet loss. In particular, running peer-to-peer programs like bittorrent or Kazaa is devastating.
			*on of your computers is too busy to give enough attention to UQM. Maybe your virus scanner just activated.


			===The ships respond sluggishly to my commands===

			The time in between a keypress (or game controller action) and the processing of that action is determined by the [[#Net Delay\|net delay]] setting used when connecting. A lower delay will result in a more responsive ship, but if the delay is too low, there may not be enough time for the control information to reach the remote computer, resulting in stuttering.

	==If you've found a bug==		==If you've found a bug==

Netplay howto - Revision history

80.221.154.244: Linked the ruleset section to a more detailed page

208.73.19.238: /* Router basics */

208.73.19.238: /* Router basics */

Svdb: /* Multiplayer melee suggestions */ duplicating information is a bad idea; changes would have to be made in multiple locations. It's not specific to *network* multiplayer anyhow.

Svdb: rv vandalism

213.161.190.228: /* If you've found a bug */

213.161.190.228: /* Firewall basics */

84.138.140.73: its not FireFox!

75.36.144.166: /* Multiplayer melee suggestions */

2001:610:1108:5214::2: /* When it's not working */ about slowdowns

Svdb: /* Multiplayer melee suggestions / duplicating information is a bad idea; changes would have to be made in multiple locations. It's not specific to network* multiplayer anyhow.