I've Got A Friend... (Part 2)

       Multiplayer Games - an overview by James Judge

@~Concluded from Issue 49

That's the tricky physical part out of the way. Next is making the
computer realise that it has a new card installed. Most Ethernet
cards aren't PnP compatible and still think the world works in DOS
full-time. Therefore all of the installation programs and drivers
you'll get with the card will be for DOS and not Windows '95. This
isn't a problem, and for DOS users makes the whole game a hell of
a lot easier. For you lot just run the installation disk, load up
the drivers and you should be away for multi-player games. Just
connect the cables and T-Pieces to the other computers (which have
had the above installation procedure carried out on them) and you
should then be able to play a good game of Quake or Red Alert.

If you want the full networking options of Windows '95 then you'll
have to invest in some additional software (for file transference
and resource sharing). You're on your own with this as I haven't
delved into this den of iniquity...

So, Win '95 users. What you must do is to start your computer up
in DOS mode - not a DOS session in Windows, but pure DOS.  Then
run the installation programs and select an IRQ number for your
Ethernet card that isn't being used by Windows. Make a note of all
the settings and then pop into Windows. If you're very lucky
Windows will note that you have a new card and install its
relevant drivers. However, if this isn't the case go to the
Control Panel (under Settings in the Start Menu) and select Add
New Hardware. Let the computer search for any new hardware and
make sure you have your Win '95 disk handy as the computer may
need it.

Once the search has taken place and the card is located, just
check that the settings you got from DOS match up. If not change
the Windows' settings to match the DOS settings. If you experience
a conflict with the DOS settings, change the DOS settings back in
DOS and then change the Windows settings to match the new ones.
Hopefully this shouldn't be necessary.  Once all the conflicts are
out of the way and the computer recognises the card and says it is
working you're almost there.  Next you have to install some
protocols and other small drivers to allow Windows to talk to
other machines properly.  You'll probably have some, if not all of
these installed, but go to the Network menu in the Control Panel
and looks at the list of installed components. It should contain:

     Client for Microsoft Networks
     Ethernet Card
     IPX/SPX compatible protocol
     NetBEUI
     TCP/IP
     File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks.

If any of these are missing click on the Add button and install
any of the missing components (in the list the first is under
Clients, the second under Adapters, third fourth and fifth under
Protocols and the last under Services).

Next select from the Primary Network Logon list (under the
Component List) Client for Microsoft Networks.

Finally click on the Identification tab and give your computer a
name and description. Mine is called George. Don't ask. You also
need to specify a Workgroup. If you are only going to use this
computer for multi-player games and simple file transference in a
small network (up to ten PCs) then name the Workgroup as "a"
(without the quotation marks, naturally).

The important thing is to ensure that each computer in your LAN
has the above six Clients and Protocols, as well as having the
same name for the Workgroup. If everything is the same then you
can restart Windows and hopefully, after loading and a
double-click on the Network Neighbourhood icon, you'll be able to
see the other computers.

To access their HDDs (and vice versa) you must click on My
Computer and then right click on the HDDs (and other drives) that
you want to share. Select Sharing and then choose the appropriate
options. For example, at home I've let the P120 have full
read/write capabilities on the 486 and vice versa.  However, with
James and Tim they can only read data from my HDD.

Once that is done, double clicking on a computer's name in Network
Neighbourhood should let you see the names of any shared drives
and a further double click on that drive will let you view and use
the contents.

If you've reached this stage and everything works you now are
running a LAN for Windows '95. Whoopee!!

Not only will this just run Windows software over the network, but
you'll be able to run DOS multi-player games through Win '95,
making use of the network option without having to fiddle around
with DOS.

You're now ready to play multi-player games. Normally (and for all
but one of the games that I've played like this) you just load up
the game on each computer and then select the multi- player
options from within that, you need do no more.  A few of the games
that will benefit from LAN are these:

Command & Conquer
Command & Conquer - Red Alert
Descent 1 & 2
Diablo
Doom 1 & 2
Duke Nukem 3D
Heretic
Hexen
Mechwarrior 2 - Mercenaries & Clans
Quake
Screamer
Space Hulk
Transport Tycoon
Warcraft 2
Worms
Z

I've just nabbed these from a Special Reserve catalogue, but bare
in mind that multi-playing is the way of things to come.  This
means that all of the new games will feature a network option and
this is becoming de facto now, with games such as Syndicate Wars
and X-Wing Vs Tie Fighter offering easy-access multiplay. And with
great new games such as KKND, Tanktics and Tiberian Sun on the
horizon, the selection of games seems to be getting better and
better.

The modem option is slightly more expensive (as it involves a
running cost). All you need to do is buy a modem - the faster the
better. Try to go for a 28.8kbps modem from a well known
manufacturer (US Robotics or Hayes) and, if possible, go for one
that is compatible with the X2 standard (meaning transfer rates
are doubled, theoretically). The modem will either plug into an
expansion card in your machine, or connect via a comm port. This
is up to personal preference. The next bit is the difficult bit -
you need to choose a Service Provider. These are split into two
distinct camps - providers who give you access to the Internet and
an E-Mail account and nothing else, and the providers who do this,
but also give you a large member-only forum to play around with
that has its own chat and newsgroup as well as specialised
services. An example of the former is Demon and, for the latter,
CompuServe.

The upside for the simple Internet provider is that you pay a
small fee to start with (for software etc.) and then only pay a
flat rate per month for unlimited access to the Internet - no
matter how long you spend on the Internet, you still only pay the
provider the standard fee. The downside here is that you aren't in
as comfortable an environment as the full service providers and it
can be a bit confusing if you're a newbie and don't know what you
want/how to get it.  For the full-blown service provider you pay a
flat rate every month and for this get about 5 hours on-line for
free. Once you go over that limit, though, you have to pay large
sums of money for every hour that you go over, and this can prove
to be very expensive. However, you do get a lot of extra services
included and you are more likely to be able to use the Internet
efficiently and quickly.

For a standard PoP (Point Of Presence) you'll be looking at about
œ15 a month for unlimited access. The cost of full service
providers change, but about o10 a month sounds OK, and then the
amount you pay once you exceed your limit boils down to about 1-2p
per minute.

Looking at this the cheapest way of doing it would be to go for
the PoP option. However, there are a few good deals that you can
get from full service providers, such as UK On-line and MSN. For
both of these you can get unlimited access as well as all of the
services for about œ16 a month which is great!

The last thing to bear in mind is the speed and coverage of the
provider. Most providers give nation-wide local call coverage
these days (apart from some of the small cheap and nasty firms) so
this is OK. However, you need to find out the speed of your local
connection. You may have a 28.8kbps modem, but if the top speed
for your connection is 14.4kbps then you've lost half your speed
advantage with no way of getting it back without changing provider
or waiting until they upgrade their connections.

Once you've got a provider it's then a simple matter of finding
opponents and organising a game - nothing could be simpler.  The
only other cost you have to worry about is the 'phone bill.  As
the calls will be local, you'll be able to figure out how long you
should spend on the Internet before you have to sell your
mother...

Apart from commercial games there are plenty of Internet specific
games floating around out there, and these include quite a few
RPGs. However, the quality of these will vary greatly, so don't
raise your hopes for a multi-player Ultima Underworld.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how to get connected for
multi-player games. Joy!

If you have any problems with getting a network to run under
Windows '95 then I _may_ be able to help - no promises. If so,
drop me a line or give us a bell and I'll see what I can do.
Again, no promises as I'm new to this game too, but I've managed
to get two networks up and running without a hitch, so there may
be a method to my madness.

















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