Multiplayer FAQ

Contents

What type of multiplayer games are there?
How to host a modem based server
How to host a LAN based server
How to connect to a multiplayer game through LAN
How to connect to a multiplayer game through the Internet
How to connect to a multiplayer game through Gamespy Arcade
I am behind a firewall, what ports do I need to open to play the game?
How do I find out the IP address of the Server machine?
Why can't I connect to the Server?

What type of multiplayer games are there?

Red Ace Squadron Pro supports two types of multiplayer game. First there is the LAN game or Local Area Network. This type of game is usually played when all the participants are connected over the same computer network.
Then there is the Internet game, this is played when you wish to connect to games that are not within your own network. Internet games may suffer from reduced performance if connection speeds are poor.

How to host a modem based server?

We no longer recommend that you run the Server on a system which is connected to the Internet via a regular 56k modem. The server works best when run over a LAN or over Broadband.

• Go to Start Menu/Programs/SmallRockets/Red Ace Squadron.
• Select 'Run LAN Red Ace Server'.
• A window will open and this means that the server program is running.

Players can now connect to your Server either by selecting 'LAN Connect' - this should automatically find your Server.

If you have more than one Server being used on your LAN, you can connect to a specific machine through its 'IP address'. On the client select 'Internet Connect' and you will be asked for the 'Server IP'. The Server IP can be found from inside the Server program, by going to 'Help>About'.

A LAN-based server will support 8 players.

First of all one machine on the LAN must be running the LAN server of the game. You can find detail on how to start a LAN server here.

• When the LAN server is running all people wishing to play the game should run the Red Ace Squadron Pro game and go to the multiplayer menu.
• To join the game select LAN Connect and the game should automatically connect the player to the server.
• If the player cannot connect to the LAN server, then provide them with the IP address of the Server machine and enter it into the CHANGE SERVER IP section of the Multiplayer menu.
• Then try connecting using the INTERNET CONNECT option.

In order to connect to a multiplayer game through the Internet you will need to know the IP Address of the machine that is running the server you are trying to connect to.

In order to find out the IP Address of a machine please read the instructions detailed here.

• Once you have the IP Address of the host machine start up the Red Ace Squadron Pro software and go to the Multiplayer menu.
• Select CHANGE SERVER IP and enter the host's IP Address and hit RETURN
• Now select INTERNET CONNECT and the game should connect to the server.

How to connect to a multiplayer game through Gamespy Arcade

You can easily connect to multiplayer servers by using some software called Gamespy Arcade. To find out more information about Gamespy Arcade please go to the following website - http://www.gamespyarcade.com

In order to use Gamespy Arcade with Red Ace Squadron Pro you will need to have it installed on your system. You can download a trial version of the game from here http://www.gamespyarcade.com/download/

Once this software is installed on your system start it up and log into it. When it has loaded completely go to the File menu at he top of the screen and select scan for games. This will scan your system and find where you have Red Ace Squadron Pro installed.

Once the scan has finished close down the software and restart it. Now when it loads you should see an icon for Red Ace Squadron Pro on the menu bar to the left. Click on this and it will take you to a lobby area for the game. This lobby area will display all the current available servers to play on, it will also allow you to chat with other players and set up games.
To join a game just highlight it in the list of servers and click join. The Gamespy software will automatically launch the Red Ace Squadron Pro software and you will be flying and shooting down bad guys in no time.

Multiplayer requires certain network ports are open (to access from the outside world).
In most cases, if you are playing at home, you will not need to worry about this information. Unless you are running personal firewall software.

The ports that you need to open are the following:

• If you are running a server you need to ensure port 6112 is open both ways for TCP and UDP.
• If you are just running the client you need to ensure port 6113 is open both ways for TCP and UDP.
• If you are unsure how to do this, please contact your network administrator / Internet service provider.

The IP address consists of 4 numbers seperated by dots, and is used to identify a machine. An example of an IP address might look like is '127.0.0.1'.

Finding the IP address of a Server machine, varies in difficulty. If you are trying to find the IP address of a machine on a LAN (Local Area Network) then generally the easiest way to find your IP address is from inside the Red Ace Squadron Pro Server program.

• Start Red Ace Squadron Pro Server
• Go to menu option 'Help>About' in the Server program
• The Server IP/s will be listed on the box that appears
• If you have more than one IP address listed, you can just try them in turn. Having more than one address means you have more than one network connection on your machine.

Finding your IP address on the internet is much more complicated. This is because the IP address that your machine is identified on your network (LAN) may be different from the IP address you machine is identified as on the Internet. One way to find your IP address therefore is use a website which will tell you what your IP address is. You can try http://www.whatismyip.com/

Alternatively you can avoid these difficulties by just using GameSpy to connect you up to the appropriate IP address.

Are you trying to run the right version of the game?

For Red Ace Squadron Pro to be able to connect to a Server, the same Network version of the software must be running. The network version number is displayed on the Server (File>About menu option), as well as on the Multiplayer screen in the Game. If you are trying to connect to the wrong version of Server a message will appear saying this is the problem.

The solution is pretty simple though - download the latest version of Red Ace Squadron, and assuming the Server is up to date all should work! For more details check server setup pages.

Are you trying to connect to a Server over the LAN?

If so its much easier to connect through the 'LAN Connect' option. If this doesn't work, you may need to find the IP address of the Server, and connect through 'Internet Connect'.

Can your machine connect to the Server over the Internet?

It could be for a variety of reasons - it could be that your machine cannot reach the server. Make sure you have the appropriate ports are open so that you can access the Server, and conversely that the Server has the correct ports open so it can be accessed by your machine. See the section on firewalls for more details.