Multiplayer
There are two main ways
to get
connected. If you know whom you
are going to be playing, use Stronghold’s built in connection
services. If you want to find a game to join on the Internet,
use
GameSpy’s matchmaking service, GameSpy Arcade.
Connecting
using
Stronghold
On
the Multiplayer 'Service Provider'
screen you are presented with at
least four connection types. The four main types of
connection
are:
1.
IPX
2.
Internet TCP/IP
3.
Modem Connection
4.
Serial Connection
In
all these types of connection, one
player must be a 'Host' and the
rest must join into the host's game.
1.
IPX
This
is mainly used on LAN's. No
configuration is required.
2.
Internet TCP/IP
Use
this if you wish to play on the
Internet or on a LAN. If you are
using TCP/IP on a LAN, then no one needs to supply an IP address. If
you are using the Internet, then the host must inform the other players
of his IP address (shown on host’s screen). The host must
then
start his game and the others must enter the host's IP address and
click on ‘Join’.
This
is probably the best way for two
people to play head to head
(presuming both people have Internet connections). One player
is
the ‘Host’ and should supply the other player with
his IP
address and the other player should enter the IP address before joining
the host’s game.
If
your computer is connected to a
router/firewall you will need to
forward the following Microsoft DirectPlay Firewall Ports to your
computer in order to play Stronghold Crusader multiplayer.
| |
Outbound |
Inbound |
| Initial TCP Connection |
47624 |
47624 |
| Subsequent TCP |
2300-2400 |
2300-2400 |
| Subsequent UDP |
2300-2400 |
2300-2400 |
If
you require help configuring your
router please visit
portforward.com which has an excellent range of guides for over 1000
routers.
http://www.portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm
Windows
Firewall
1.
Open Control
Panel > Windows Firewall
2.
Select the
Exceptions tab
3.
If Stronghold
Crusader is not in the list click
Add Program.
4.
Select
Stronghold Crusader and click OK
5.
Click OK to
close the Window Firewall panel
3.
Modem Connection
(2 Player Only)
First,
select your modem from the
list of available Modems on your
computer. Then, if you are hosting the game, just click on
'Host'. The other player must enter the phone number of the host and
click on 'Join' and the modem will call the host's computer.
4.
Serial
Connection (2 Player Only)
Both
players will be asked for their
serial connection
information. Normally you will be asked for the 'COM port' of
the
serial port. The other settings should normally be left on
their
default values.
If
you are joining a game, after
clicking on ‘Join’ you
will be presented with a list of sessions. Normally only one
will
be shown (unless you are playing on a LAN with more than one game of
Stronghold being played). Select the session that you wish to
join and you will be taken to the ‘Waiting Room’.
It
is best if the ‘Host’
is the person with the fastest
computer, as well as the fastest and most reliable net connection,
because if there are any game-play connection problems, it is the host
that has to fix this. During a game, if the
‘Host’
loses connection to the game, another player becomes the host.
Connecting
using
GameSpy Arcade
(Only
brief instructions for GameSpy
Arcade are supplied here.
Please refer to GameSpy Arcade's own instructions for further details.)
When
playing Stronghold using GameSpy
Arcade, games are limited to 4
players.
To
play Stronghold using GameSpy
Arcade, run GameSpy Arcade directly
without running Stronghold or run Stronghold then select the
‘GameSpy Arcade’ button from the multi-player start
screen.
Once
in GameSpy Arcade, go to the
Stronghold section and create a game,
if you wish to be a ‘Host’, or look for available
games and
join one of them. When everyone is ready, launch the
game.
GameSpy Arcade will minimize and Stronghold will launch itself.
If
you are the host, you will be
taken to the Multi-player waiting room
screen (further details below) otherwise the game will wait until it
has made a connection to the host before taking you to the Waiting room.
The
Waiting Room
- choosing your game
On
this screen when playing as the
host, you can select the map and
game settings you wish to play with. Once you are ready, you
must
select the ‘Ready’ button and then wait for the
host to
launch the game. The host can 'Eject' any player he doesn't
want
in the game by clicking the 'X' button next to the player's name he
wishes to eject.
The
host can also put people into
teams of two by clicking on the
number below 'Team'. People with the same number are on the
same
team. During the game, players can join and leave teams by
holding 'Alt' and clicking on the troops of the player he wishes to
join to or leave. If you are trying to join another player,
the
other player will be told that you wish to ally with him and if he
holds 'Alt' and clicks on one your troops, you will both be placed in
the same team. To leave a team, hold 'Alt' and click on one
of
your ally's troops and you will be separated.
The
host can also select the map he
wishes to play. Some of the
maps may be ‘grayed out', which means that either you have
too
many players to play that map or one of the players doesn't have that
map.
There
are two types of multi-player
games. In the most common
type, the victor is the last person left alive. The other
type of
game is 'King of the Hill'. In this type of game, the players
can
win by either killing the other lords as normal, or by occupying the
keep at the center of the map until his timer reaches zero.
The
first person to reach zero wins.
If
the host clicks on 'Connection
Options' he will have the option to
set the game speed. The default is 40, making this lower will
slow the game down, but it may make it more reliable if you are having
connection problems. Setting the game speed higher will
result in
a faster game, but you may experience more connection
problems.
Unlike in the single player mode, you can't change this setting during
the game.
The
other option is Autosave. It is
recommended that you have this set
to 10 minutes. This means that every 10 minutes the game is
automatically saved. This is especially useful if you are
experiencing connection problems, because it allows you to resume the
game at a recent point. If you don't experience any
connection
problems then you can turn this setting off.
When
everyone is ready, the host
should click on 'Launch' and the game
will begin.
During
the Game
During
the game it is possible to
chat to other players using the chat
panel, which is activated by pressing the “Enter’
key. On the chat panel you can select which players you wish
to
chat to and you can also send them pre-defined 'insults' by clicking on
the 1-20 buttons. If any players are in teams, the colors of
the
teams are shown in the top-left corner of the name buttons.
Some
machines may suffer from
connection problems during the
game. This is most likely to happen when people are playing
on
the Internet using modems. There are two main problems that
are
likely to occur.
Firstly,
if a player's connection
becomes very slow, or they lose their
connection entirely, the other players will be presented with a panel
with the option to eject the player with the problem. If the
player's connection hasn't recovered within 60 seconds they will
automatically be ejected or the host can click eject at anytime to
remove that player from the game. If the player's connection
recovers, then the panel will automatically be removed from the screen
and the game will continue normally.
The
other connection problem is when
the game on each person's computer
gets out of sync with the host. This normally only happens on
the
Internet using modems, but it can occur with other types of
connections. If the games lose sync, a panel will be
displayed
with a time bar showing how long it will take to re-sync the game.
If
the host thinks it will take too
long, he can click 'Cancel Game'
which will end the game for all players. Once the game is
re-synced it should continue as normal. During re-syncing it
is
still possible to use the chat feature by pressing the
“Enter’ key.
If
at any point a player wishes to
leave the game, he should bring up
the options menu and press 'Quit Mission', he will then be asked to
'Quit Game' which means he will leave the game, or he can select 'End
this Game' which will ask the other players if they wish to end the
game. If all the players agree then the game will end and
everyone will be returned to the waiting room.
Once
the game is finished, the
players are presented with a ranking
screen. This screen details the achievements of the players
during the game. The winner of the game is at the top of the
list. He received one crown for winning. Other
crowns are
awarded for how well the players have played. Stars are
awarded
for each opposing lord that the player has killed.
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