General FAQ | Hardware FAQ | Network game FAQ | Settings and performance

Network game FAQ

Q: What is a multiplayer game?

A: Multiplayer game allows two or more people play the game via a LAN or the Internet. The same game zones as in ordinary game are available, including "Base" with shop and constructors; however, location of non-playing characters and the buildings will be somewhat different from the "plot" game.

One of the players can set up a game server on his computer; after that other players will be able to connect to the server (up to 6 players altogether). When creating a new character, you'll be able to choose his appearance, give him a name and a clan. You'll also be able to adjust the character's initial properties: strength, dexterity and intelligence, and change his physical appearance. The character will get a set of armour and a certain number of experience points which can be used for developing his skills or abilities in a particular area.

The group of players will have a leader who decides on the group's movements through the game zones — the leader is the player who set up the game server. Quests are issued in Base; there are several different quests to be performed in each of the game zones. During the game the players can communicate with each other.

Q: What do I need to play the game via the Internet?

A: First of all you'll need an Internet connection. The best option, especially if you are setting up your own server, is a dedicated line connection, though not many people have access to those yet. With a permanent Internet connection the machine usually gets static IP-address, which is a better option for game server. To play as a client it's sufficient to have a dial-up connection with at least 28 Kb/s speed. A high-speed modem (56 Kb/s) or an ISDN line (64/128 Kb/s) would improve things further. If you want to set up your own game server, you must have direct access to the Internet.

Q: Can I use a satellite Internet connection?

A: Satellite Internet connections usually use proxy-servers set up to support http and ftp protocols; it is not possible to play the game via those. Even if you have direct Internet access, satellite connections process signals after a certain delay, so it would be rather difficult to engage in joint actions with other players.

Q: How do I know whether I have direct access to the Internet?

A: If you connect to the Internet only via a proxy-server, your network administrator would usually inform you about that when connection is made, and prompt you to set up your browser accordingly (e.g. IP_proxy:3128). If you can work without a proxy-server, then probably you have direct Internet access. However, if you connect via a NAT, you may also think that you have a direct connection while in reality your machine will not be accessible to other computers in WAN. An easy way to find out about that is to check your IP-address (see previous answer) — LANs have certain ranges of addresses reserved:

10.0.0.0    - 10.255.255.255
169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255
172.16.0.0  - 172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255

Q: I have a dynamic IP-address. Can I set up my own game server?

A: Yes you can. It will be accessible to players who know its IP-address or the ones who can see your server in the master server's list (if you publish this information on master server). However, other players won't be able to enter your address in their address book; or, rather such an entry will not guarantee that they can connect to your server the next time. Some Internet providers reserve clients' IP-addresses for a certain period of time after they disconnect (usually for 10-15 minutes). In that case, if connection is broken and you reconnect (especially if you use an automatic dial-up programme) your machine will receive the same IP-address and your clients will be able to re-establish connection with your server more easily. If you don't have this service, you'll have to wait for about 1 minute, while information about your server is deleted from the master server's list.

Q: How will the server connected via modem work?

A: If your server is connected to the Internet via an ordinary modem, do not set the maximum number of players to 6. If you do, your clients (including yourself) will experience very slow gameplay with lots of long delays. Rather, set the maximum number of players according to the actual connection speed your phone line provides. Please note that clients have much more of incoming traffic than outgoing, therefore the server's modem must be able to support large volume of outgoing traffic. So using server modem with asymmetric protocol 56 Kb/s (V90, 56K) may be inefficient; better use 33,6 Kb/s connection with ordinary symmetric protocol. On the other hand, for clients asymmetric protocol will work better.

Q: Can I play the game via a proxy-server?

A: It depends. You definitely won't be able to set up your own game server. To connect to another game server, your proxy-server must allow for a two-way traffic of UDP-packets with port address 8888, and to connect to master server — TCP-packets with port address 28006. The best option is to connect via a NAT which allows all kinds of packet traffic. Otherwise contact your network ad-ministrator to set up your proxy server accordingly.

Q: Why my game server is not present in the master server's list?

A: First of all make sure your "Closed server" box is not ticked. You must have a good stable connection with the master server. Currently the master server is located in our headquarters, so check your connection with Nival by typing (in MS-DOS prompt window):

ping server.nival.com

Q: My game server is present in the list, but people cannot connect to it. Why?

A: Probably because they can't establish direct connection with your machine. If you launch your server in a LAN which is separated from the Internet by a proxy-server or a NAT, in certain (rare) cases your server will be able to connect to the master server, while other players won't be able to connect to you. They will see your server in the list, but in the Ping column they'll see 9999 value. Another possibility is that one of the routers on your side is blocking UDP-packets (all of them or just the ones with port address 8888). So while other players will see your server, they won't be able to connect to it, and you won't be able to play on their servers. Contact your network administrator to fix the UDP-packets traffic problem.

Q: I downloaded the master server list and some of the game servers have 9999 ping value. Why?

A: Possibly those servers have just disconnected but haven't yet been erased from the list. Wait for about a minute and refresh the list. If these servers are still there, see the answer to previous question.

Q: How do I identify my IP address?

A: To obtain information about your network settings:

For Windows98: Type winipcfg in the command line (Menu «Start - «Run») and press «Enter».

For Windows2000: Type cmd in the command line (menu «Start» - «Run») press «Enter», and then type ipñonfig.

The programme will display the current network configuration of your machine including IP-address. If you are connected to more than one network - e.g. LAN and dial-up - make sure that the top drop-down box with network drivers shows the driver which connects you to the Internet. If you are using an automatic dial-up programme, after connection is made the programme will probably inform you of the current IP-address.

Q: My problem is still not fixed. What should I do now?

A: If your particular problem is not covered by the FAQ or addressed in the forum, you can e-mail evil-islands@support.fishtankgames.com. Be sure to include detailed information about your system. If you need to speak with someone immediately, you can call (603) 382 - 0572.

General FAQ | Hardware FAQ | Network game FAQ | Settings and performance