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We're going to explain how to play a Multiplayer game step by step.
The Multiplayer Game
The Commandos
multiplayer game permits various players to play a mission co-operatively.
Tu use this option, each player must have a computer with a copy of the
game installed, and their computers must be connected to each other by
a Local Area Network that supports the TCP/IP protocol. You can also play
with other people by connecting to a dial-up multiplayer game server, if
that is available in your country (Check with your local distributor regarding
this possibility).
We will
now explain in detail the steps that you need to follow to play a multiplayer
game of Commandos in
a Local Area Network. If you only need a quick description, go directly
to the section "The Multiplayer Game: A Quick Guide" on this page.
Playing Commandos in a Local Network
The submenu
Multiplayer
Games can be found in the New
Game menu in Commandos.
This submenu allows you to connect to a network game server that is awaiting
the arrival of new players.
In order
to be able to play a multiplayer game, there must be a computer in the
network that is acting as the server. To act as server, a computer must
be running the TCPServer
application that is provided with Commandos.
This
program is accessible from the Start menu next to the game, and is called
TCPServer:
Multiplayer Game Server.
When
running TCPServer,
a window will display the IP
address of the computer in which the application is running. Those players
who wish to join a new game session with that computer as a server must
know this adress and specify it when connecting.
As soon
as a computer-the game server-is running TCPServer,
setting up a multiplayer session can be done by following these steps:
First Step: The Players Connect To The Server
When a
player selects Multiplayer Game
from the New Game
submenu in Commandos,
following window that will be displayed.
Select
Server
The option Server IP Address permits you to indicate the IP address of the server (you must type it in). As we have seen above, this is the address shown by the Commandos program TCPServer when it is run in the computer that will be used as the server. When this option is selected for the first time, the address is displayed as IP 0.0.0.0, but once you have typed one in, the address will be kept in a configuration file and will be set by default each time you enter Commandos. If in another game session, the server should change, all the players will need to enter the new IP address before connecting.
Select Player Name
In the option Player Name each player will enter a name or nickname that identifies him. This name will appear later on the list of connected players and under the photos of the soldiers in the Commandos selection screen. The first time you will see Default as the name of the player, but once you have typed in a name, it will be kept in a configuration file and will be the default name each time you start Commandos. If two different players were to use the same name, the game server would accept this, but this is a situation that should be avoided for pratical purposes.
Connection to the Server and Player Inscription
The option
Connect to game server will check to see wether a game session has begun
in the server and will attempt to join it. The first player to connect
to the server will be considered from then on as the Master, and his menus
will have some additional options. In any case, once a player has activated
the option Connect to game server, the following menu will appear in his
computer.
In the
computer of the Master player (the first player to connect) the word Master
will be displayed to the right of the word Players, and in the last line
there will be a button which is not available to the other players: Select
Mission.
It is
only possible to join a multiplayer game session while the Master is in
the screen called Players. Once the Master has selected a mission by using
the Select mission option, the group of players will be closed and it will
no longer be possible to join that game session. If at the time the option
Connect to game Server is activated, the program TCPServer is not running
in the server, or the sign-up phase for players has finished , the pertinent
warnings will appear in the message window. The line labelled Players is
informative and shows how many players are connected to this game. Their
names appear on the list that is displayed below Players, which means that
the number of players is equal to the number of names that appear on that
list. When it is the Master who enters the game, the number of players
shown is 1 and on the list there will be just one name: his.
Next,
you will see a message bow for dialogue among players, followed by a line
on which each player can write his own messages. When someone, from his
computer, writes a message (and ends that message by pressing ENTER), his
phrase will appear on the lists of messages of all the players that have
connected, preceded by the name (or nickname) of the transmitting player.
In this stage, for example, the Master can use the message window to warn
everyone that he is about to Select a Mission. During the player sign-up
phase, any player may use the option Exit to disconnect from the network
game and return to the Main Menu. This will remove him from the list as
a player in this game session. If it is the Master who does this, then
another connected player will inherit this role. Finally, the option Select
Mission, only available in the Master's computer, closes the player admission
phase and begins the next phase: selecting the mission.
System Messages during a Network Game Session
The message window will also display, in all network game menus, the messages issued by the system, that will have a different colour than the players' messages. These messages include, for example, those that advise of the sucess or failure of a mission. When any of these circumstances occurs, in all computers there will appeat a menu window with the message issued by the system in the list of messages.
Second Step: The Master Selects a Mission
When the
Master considers that there are enough players and selects the option "Select
mission", the following menu will appear in all the computers
The new
menu will show on the top line the number of players that are connected
and how many missions can be selected. Then it shows a list of the available
missions. These missions will be the ones in which there are at least as
many Allied soldiers assigned as there are players involved. The message
exchange window is still on display in this menu so that it is possible
for players to communicate with each other during this stage. Just as in
the previous menu, all the players can still select the option Exit to
leave the game session, although it will be no longer possible for new
players to join. Finally, the option Accept Mission, only available to
the Master, closes the mission selection stage and moves on to the next
one, which is the selection of the Commandos. The mission that has been
selected by the Master from among the available missions will be loaded
in the computer of all the players, and will then proceed to the next screen.
to be continued
