How to create and join a LAN game? [Archive] - Team17 Forum

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moobleh
2 Nov 2012, 20:44
This might be a very stupid question but for the life of me I cannot figure out what I am doing wrong.
I bought a copy of this game for my wife and I on Steam and I cannot create a game that we can play together in.
I have gone to 'Online Multiplayer' -> 'Create Player Match' -> configured the settings and clicked Continue. But then how does my wife join because I click 'Invite Friends' and nothing happens. I have tried going to the 'Player Match' section which just automatically joins some other game on my wife's machine. We are obviously setup as friends on Steam but not sure if there are some other settings that need to be configured? Any help would be great.
Thanks in advance!

moobleh
5 Nov 2012, 19:46
Is there no support for this game?

BongMong
5 Nov 2012, 20:02
You can't do this. Not the way you're trying to do it. I know, older versions of Worms and other games used to do LAN games, but not any more. The reasons are as follows:
Time was when games were protected using DRM on discs. Unfortunately, it is impossible to protect something in this way and yet let the customer read and therefore use it. You can only make things difficult. Since the determined will always get around such smoke and mirrors, the obstacles made by the software companies got more and more invasive into people's computers eventually resulting in 'root kits' being used (not by T17 as far as I am aware I hasten to add). A legitimate gaming community that had been moaning about over invasive copy protection for a while then exploded. Root kits are dangerous, and cause all sorts of trouble. Especially for software companies who then had to issue programs to remove their protection from people's computers after they'd mangled them. What's more, it didn't hinder the pirates one iota.
So, software companies had to come up with an alternative. The rise of online multiplayer gaming gave them the opportunity. Now, more often than not, games check online to confirm they are licenced before allowing you to play. Though hackers can get around this, hacked versions of recent games still typically won't connect to online multiplayer services because they have to be linked to a licenced account. In the case of Worms Revolution, that would be your Steam account.
With the old on-disc system of copy protection, one could simply connect one PC's IP address to another's and play. Such would work over the internet or over a LAN because TCP/IP networking is TCP/IP networking, whether over the internet or your home LAN.
With the modern system, the game will only connect to IP addresses provided to it from the online validation server. This is to prevent the hackers connecting to each other over the internet without permission. This means you can't connect over a LAN because if you could do that a hacker could easily fool a LAN connection system into connecting over the internet and bypassing the game's security.
So, why can't we both just connect over the internet then when I can connect to anyone else over the internet, you'll be thinking. Explain that one mister smartypants BongMong. Well, no need to get tetchy, as it happens you can! Sort of. The easy way is to use two separate internet connections (one your home wired connection, one a 3 or 4G connection, possibly use your neighbours wifi if they let you, or get a second phone line). Basically, if your wife were to live with me here in Southampton and you were to remain in Brummie-land you could play Worms Revolution with each other whenever you liked. Such may cause social difficulties however, so I'm afraid it's not on. Sorry. You should also note that many (all?) British PAYG 3G services will block ports or protocols with abandon, basically restricting you to web browsing and email only. Some contract services may also have some restrictions, but some don't. As always, YMMV. Two wired phone lines is an option, it may not be that extravagent. After all, if you are lucky enough to have two incomes then your getting two phone lines is no more of a commitment than a single person getting one phone line and that's usual enough.
If you don't like that, then you need to think about why gaming behind a single connection won't work. It could be because you have one external IP address and the game won't allow two games to run with the same IP address. If the game is a peer to peer game as I believe Worms still is this is most likely as almost all home ISPs won't allow 'loop back' connections to your own external IP. To get around this, you should both join a server run by someone else to play together. If you can't do this there is likely a port issue (most home routers will only allow a particular port to be forwarded to a single PC on the network at a time, even if UPnP is doing this automatically it will still only give a particular port to one PC at a time). Try putting one of the PC's internal IPs in to the router's DMZ in the router settings. That should work (though only to connect you both to someone else's online server at the same time), but will place said PC out of the NAT so remember to remove it from the DMZ after your gaming session. For a more long term solution you can run the router without NAT (network address translation) but make sure you know what you are doing before you take down your NAT (for a start you need to be sure each device on the network is running a good software firewall at all times). You could always place your PC in the DMZ permenantly and keep an eye on your software protections, keeping everyone else in the NAT but then only you and one other from your home can play together on someone else's server at one time. The kids couldn't play together for example. For more from your home to join the same online server (again, not your server but someone else's online game) the NAT would have to come down.
A business internet connection, especially one that gives you multiple external IP addresses, may allow loop back. If you really want to find a solution, ask your ISP about their basic SOHO business service. It may be just what you need. Remember to check that they allow loop back. Note that you may still need to find a way for both PCs to connect to the validation server as they may both need the same port open at the same time to do so. My advice re. DMZ and NAT comes in to play again here.
This is not just about Worms mind. This is about almost (if not) all modern multiplayer peer to peer games. Most usually a problem with peer to peer games, but can be an issue for some managed server games (such as MMOs where the company runs a network of big servers rather than us hosting our own games) though these problems can be thought around if the company is willing. Depends if the MMO company wants multiple clients connecting from the same IP address or not.
Time to learn about networking I'm afraid. It's a dark art, but interesting. Do be aware that I have been VERY over simplified in my explanation here. There is a lot to learn. The simple route is just to use two separate internet connections. This is the way of the modern gaming world and isn't set to change soon I'm afraid. Any serious alternative online validation system would end up locking down single player if you had no internet connection, which would cause an uproar. The companies would be using such alternatives otherwise.

Lex
6 Nov 2012, 08:25
It would work nicely with IPv6, so each computer would have its own WAN IP address. Please, world, IPv6!
Also, despite the above "reasons", not being able to play a simple casual "fun with friends/family" Worms game in a LAN is ridiculous, and is totally against the spirit of the game.
My recommendation is to ditch Worms Revolution and play the game that came with it when you bought it from Steam, Worms Armageddon, which is a beautiful, modern game that has aged amazingly well (especially since it's been updated diligently) and works nicely in a LAN environment.

Thurbo
6 Nov 2012, 08:35
Also, despite the above "reasons", not being able to play a simple casual "fun with friends/family" Worms game in a LAN is ridiculous, and is totally against the spirit of the game.
You can play it in hotseat mode on a single computer which is even better.
Though yeah whatever "no lan game suxx kthxbye" I guess I can't argue with this floating around as usually.

bine
6 Nov 2012, 12:49
I don't know of anything in Worms Revolution that prevents online multiplayer games on the same network.
because I click 'Invite Friends' and nothing happens.
I can recreate that exact problem here by turning off "Steam Community In-Game" in the steam settings. In Steam, go to "View -> Settings", the "In-Game" tab of the settings dialog and make sure "Enable Steam Community In-Game" is ticked. You will also need to be listed as "online" in the Steam friends settings to see friends to invite.
Hope that solves your problem moobleh.

moobleh
6 Nov 2012, 17:27
I don't know of anything in Worms Revolution that prevents online multiplayer games on the same network.
I can recreate that exact problem here by turning off "Steam Community In-Game" in the steam settings. In Steam, go to "View -> Settings", the "In-Game" tab of the settings dialog and make sure "Enable Steam Community In-Game" is ticked. You will also need to be listed as "online" in the Steam friends settings to see friends to invite.
Hope that solves your problem moobleh.
Thank you! That solved my problem

BongMong
7 Nov 2012, 03:22
Thank you! That solved my problem
Blimey, did it? I am astonished. If you mean you are hosting a game and your wife's connecting to it all from within the same home network then I'm dead impressed. It can't be looping back over the internet unless your connection is really cool, so T17 must be allowing local LAN connection to games so long as they're exposed to the internet through the validation and matching server at the same time, I suppose. Or some such creative thinking. Well done indeed if this is true, T17. I've not seen a game developer bothered to put work in to allowing for the (very) limited LAN gaming community.
If you just mean you can now both connect to a game hosted elsewhere on the internet at the same time then that's great and shows T17 know what they're doing.

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