Need help gaming on a LAN

[gdorf]

My brother just got a new computer, and we'd love to be abelt o play together over our LAN. We are conencted by a standard 4-port linksys router. I believe it is something in the network setup of his computer, as I've used both my computer and our Router for LAN gaming before.

Both of us can connect to the net, but when we go into a game and one of us creates a game, it just doesn't appear for the other.

If there are any ideas you have of how to fix this, I'd be very appreciative. I can't wait to kill my brother in a few games to set him in his place. :)

[vegeta1215]

You have a router? Cool.

One person must start the game, then the other must "dial in" to the one serving the game by knowing their IP address. Linksys routers have internal IP addresses which are blocked from the outside world. They look like 192.168.1.x, where x is a number given to each computer hooked up into the router. Like, my two computers hooked up at home on our router are 192.168.1.100 and 192.169.1.101

Now, if you wanted people outside to join in your game, you must start the game like before, but set up UPnP port forwarding in the router configuration. Essentially, the computers behind the router are invisible to the outside - they just see the router. So you must forward a port to the computer with the game server on it.

Check your router manual on how to do this. If you need more help, let me know ;)

[AlexMax]

Or you can risk it and set your computer as a DMZ. That places your computer COMPLETELY outside the routers protection.

[gdorf]

Well, I understand that much about them, and I know all of our internal IP addresses. But when I go into a game, such as Warcraft 3 and create a LAN game, it doesn't appear on the other computer as like it has in the past. The same is true with UT2003.

I'll make sure UPnP port forwarding is enable, maybe that will help. :shrug:

[fatcatfan]

If may be the network protocols. Make sure IPX is installed on both ends. The way I have my network set up, NetBEUI is used for intra-LAN communications. It's the "carrier" for file and print sharing. IPX carries games which use it. And TCP/IP communicates with the WAN - the rest of the world. Although I thought Warcraft III used TCP/IP to commuincate rather than IPX. Specifically, it uses UDP packets, which is part of the TCP/IP protocal. UPnP forwarding is unneccessary in LAN play.

[mikeron]

Originally posted by fatcatfan
Make sure IPX is installed on both ends.This was my first reaction. More often than not, I've found protocols to be the problem.

[gdorf]

Actually, it was something much more simple than all this. In the software bundle that came with my brothers motherboard was a small virus scan. This virus scan had a personal firewall that was set to block all network addresses, even interal ones. One I found out he had a software firewall running, it was easy to disable.

Now, off to kill my brother (in ut2003, of course ;) )

[mike5000]

goto www.linksys.com clik support search for Battle.net and It has a nice section when you can get into your router config and set up "port triggering"

[AlexMax]

/me 's jaw drops.

I swear to god, manufacturers get stupider and stupider every day.....

[zables]

Wow, thats incredibly Gay... putting a virus scan on a motherboard is just about as stupid as it gets i think...