Topic: Baldur`s Gate 2 and retarted Direct play..

[Tura]

Hello everyone....again...with another problem I can`t make work.

I want to play BG2 with my wife and her brother through internet, using a D-Link 604 Router.

I can only set it in a way though that 1 person can connect to my wife (she being the server) The other pc can`t connect. I read its something about Direct play and it having to be a special application or something and therefor only 1 computer can use that connection at the time (which`d be my wife and her brother). I can connect to her though using her LAN IP, but then I don`t see the movement of her brother or anything else he does or types. Neither does he get Experience points when I kill something. That is totally retarded. It works fine in Unreal tournament to have my friend connect over internet and I use the LAN IP of my wife to connect to her server. Why not in BG2.

I use DX 9 and she uses DX 8.1. Could that be the issue? I don`t want to install dx 9 on hers yet, unless it`d fix that problem....
Then again I tried before with DX 8.1 and i didnt work any different....
Or is DX9 changed in away that it is not so retarded for internet play anymore?


It`s very frustrating as my wife and her family life far apart from another and it`d be the only way to do something together online...

Anyone know if Neverwinter Nights would have the same problem?

Any help is very appreciated. System specs see in my other post about the mouse movement crashing C&C Generals or just ask me again for them.  Oh yah system spec of my wife though if that really matters:

AMD Athlon XP 2000+
512 MB DDR 333 Ram
Gigabyte 7VAXP mainboard i think (not the one with onboard raid...)
Gforce 4 TI 4200 with newest nvidia drivers.
WIN 98 SE with newest patches but still Direct X 8.1

[Doc Nyar]

As for the network side of things, Gryphon is our man to answer that, but I can tell for sure that the difference in DirectX isn't the issue. It doesn't matter if you run 9.x and she runs 8.1.

[Tura]

I read on a Neverwinter Nights forum somewhere to change the ports for each client to a different one if having problems connecting through a firewall....

could that be done for direct play ports or Baldur`s gate 2 in particular? Anyone know?


PS: Also Ut doesnt have to be set as a "special application" either

[gryphon]

There is a firmware update for D-Link routers enabeling a sort of gaming mode for the router.
[ a link to it is in this topic. ]

Have you tried playing with your computer and the computer on the other side of the router as server ?
Think it might work if her brother is hosting.

Every game that set's up a server to make host an internet game like Unreal Tournament require you to forward a port to it from our router. Others who connect to a online server, like Command & Conquer does might require port forwarding or could work without any problems.

Have you tried placing both computers in a DMZ at your routers configuration ?

[Tura]

Well it has firmware 1.80 (being a german router the US Firmware`s arent working according to d-link) So no more go for that.

Didn`t try it having him making the server yet as he`s not too fond with routers and I am not sure how to explain it all to him what to do hehe.

I know port forwarding, can you actually set the same port for two different computers though? I didnt try that yet...and it seems like it might just confuse the router in the end anyways, lol.

I know as a fact that DMZ is only working for 1 computer, and that didn`t do a difference. I read something about direct play not supporting NAT....

[Tura]

Well I think i figured it out now how to do it...didn`t get a chance to test it yet but i could connect to my wife using online ip. Didnt see her bro online yet for more testing, but the link you guys posted in the router resources for games or something like that (look below) helped me with it by giving every computer a different port range and then setting those ports in virtual server and special application in the router

http://www.u.arizona.edu/~trw/games/DXport/

Thanks again for the help

[Doc Nyar]

Good luck. If yu still encounter any probs, be sure to come back .. better yet, come back anyways

[gryphon]

Just to mention it, not all routers have the option of multiple DMZ hosts, and some might indead crash when forwarding 1 port to more clients. Those things depends on the routers software version.

Hope it works. And if not, let us know and we'll look for anything else.

[Tura]

Well just as an update. DX Port worked fine and we tested it with her brother and sister online. Worked smooth. My wife and I both just set a specific port range (those already advised in DX Port) and just need to do the port forwarding and a special application (which i guess i could test removing sometime - the special application setting) and it works good. Her brother and sister (using the same router as I do) don`t have to do any settings. I assume that is that they just play clients and the NAT does it automatically to know which client is who.

For Neverwinter Nights, I just have to change the port in the ini file to a different one for it to work. As found out in a different thread i need to use the internet IP for it to work though.

Well thats the update and thanks again for all the help.

[gryphon]

Thanks for the update . . . really great to see you fixed it this way. . happy gaming !