Topic: EAW or OP, which is better when fully patched?

[FireSoul]

Quote:

Have you ever run a D2 server (on both the flatfile and SQL) behind the same router as a client?

Yeah, I PPTP to my work fetching an IP from there. That way I can play at the same time as a server, or at the same time as another player on my internal LAN which would use the standard portforwards.



.. seriously, the above DB hack is interesting, but will not define which game is better.  It is a personal problem of yours or any other D2 admin only.  

[Bonk]

Certainly, I am not arguing that it makes the game better,
this sidetrack has led us down the garden path on this thread.

Interesting that obtaining another public IP by PPTP will work,
I hadn't thought of that, but don't have access to such a server anyway.

What I am really interested in is whether OP is going to get another
patch and whether it will fix the cartel map and would it include
support for SQL? (please, pretty please tell me it is so!)

P.S. I always play OP for direct TCP/IP games - originally because of your
shiplist but now because I am doing my best to complete the SFB OP shiplist
started by gman and used by CJ in his UltimateTOS mod for OP.  

[FireSoul]

Quote:

What I am really interested in is whether OP is going to get another
patch and whether it will fix the cartel map and would it include
support for SQL? (please, pretty please tell me it is so!)

Yes, it sure looks like it will recieve another patch.
However, we haven't recieved confirmation on SQL.. .. but they've sure been bugged about it.

[Bonk]

Goody, goody! That is great news!  <crosses fingers for SQL>    

[Cleaven]

Quote:
Well all I know is that if you are local to the D2 server it will see your local IP address
which is useless. Yes, you can be drafted but the mission will count down to zero
as your local IP address cannot be seen from the internet.

So, if I edit my IP address in the DB, drafting will work.

As I understand it, the router has nothing to do with why the D2 server sees the local IP address
an not the WAN address. One public IP address is all I have. If you are local to the D2 server it
will always see the local IP address.

Have you ever run a D2 server (on both the flatfile and SQL) behind the same router as a client?
If so then maybe you can explain this further to me, as the experience would add credibility to your claims.

"This is based on you having a home router that is not fully NAT capable for more than one internal address"
um, why does port forwarding work to multiple internal addresses then?

This is most confusing.

EDIT: I must emphasise that the D2 server sees YOUR LOCAL IP ADDRESS - it does not matter
what port the client responds on if the IP address in the db is a local one, it just will not work.

Edit Again ( ): The real question here, as FireSoul has hinted, is, will the cartel map be fixed
in the next patch? Will SQL be added? Is there really another patch for OP coming?
   

In order:
No - not possible with the standard setup. The local PC must be able to get past the firewall to login to the campaign list server.

It doesn't - try having two PC's with OP inside a home router, connect to a D2 server. If you have solved this then you are a true D2 hero!

Yes.
   

[The_Infiltrator]

If you want to find out how to run 2 PC's off the same router, ask Doppler. I'm almost certian that he and a buddy do this.

[Cleaven]

It would be very interesting to see this done.  

[Mog]

A friend and I managed to connect to the same D2 server at the same time via a router, by using a program called dxport.exe. But, we could not play in the same missions, although we could be drafted into separate missions. That's the best we've managed, but it wasn't enough as we obviously desired to fly together in the same missions, hence my friend gave the game up.

[Bonk]

     

Quote:


In order:
No - not possible with the standard setup. The local PC must be able to get past the firewall to login to the campaign list server.

It doesn't - try having two PC's with OP inside a home router, connect to a D2 server. If you have solved this then you are a true D2 hero!

Yes.
     

What is not possible? I tell you I can run a D2 client and server behind the same router and have it
work perfectly. (The server and client do not reqiuire the same ports)

What doesn't what?

Yes what?

I have also experimented with Dxport for two clients, as Mog has, but found the same.  It seems there is no way
to forward the same port to two machines on a LAN (?).  One must obtain a second public IP address
one way or another.

I think it's time for Cleaven to admin a server. Enough pontification and more action!

Seriously, I am interested in your opinion Cleaven, as I know you have good experience with
the client behind a router. I am just rather confused by your ambiguous responses.  

[Cleaven]

How can it work perfectly if you have already said you can't draft properly?

Yes.

Like hell.

And this from somebody called Bonk and registered two weeks ago. Get real.  

[Bonk]

Um, by editing the SQL db to show my public IP that's how.

Geez, chill man.  I'd still like you to explain your statements.
I am showing you the respect of listening to your views,
please show the same courtesy, thanks.

[Cleaven]

I see the way you use SQL editing of the DB, but that doesn't change how drafting works for standard setups, and would only be useful for a local admin. You may be able to fix the routing for an internal IP depending on the router you have. None of the common home routers work in the same way and several of them don't even allow for the correct functioning of an OP client.

As for chilling, you are obviiosly somebody who has been around here for a bit, and I am very suspicious of your motive for the subterfuge. And I find the name offensive too.    

[Bonk]

Ah, thanks so much for the explanation of your comments.

Sorry if the name offends - it's not meant to, if it means something that I have not considered I will post under a new name if you desire. I just picked it at random.  

[FireSoul]

Yeah. DXport is interesting, but doesn't solve the problem where every host has a port 47624. SFC uses DX7 code.


.. this has given me an idea and I will experiment with it and my linux 2.4 firewall and some source-based packet mangling. I probably won't succeed, but it's worth the try. If * DO* succeed, I will document here what I had to do. I was not aware of DXPort until today, so I am hopeful now.


-- Luc

edit:
Forget the idea.. I just remembered DX will connect to 47624 to discover what 2300-2400 port to connect to. Since that portforward could only be forwarded to a single machine, the argument is moot. We can't predict which machine will be hosting when taking drafting into account.

[Mog]

Luc, what do you mean by the last bit? Can't predict which machine will be hosting? As it's a LAN we're talking about, the drafter can be determined easily, unless both parties are drafted by a third party.

Going from memory, when we tried this, what happened was both of us had the in-mission screen come up, but only one of us had our ship appear, when drafted by someone else.

[FireSoul]

Port 47624 is kinda like a management port. It can only be forwarded to 1 machine. usually the pre-designated host for a direct-IP game. Since drafting isn't too keen on that.. and the host is the person draftign all the time, it wouldn't work.

Unless there's somethign else I'm missing here, of course.
-- Luc

[AFortius]

With all these arguments, I am sort of swayed to pick up a copy of OP.  I am playing exclusively EAW in D2 (SG3).  But it seems that I will give OP a try.  Any OP campaign going-on right now ala SG3?  

- AF  

[FireSoul]

TechWars is still ongoing, but it was.. well..
.. everyone's playing on SG3 except for a very small group. Bleh!


.. I hope Techwars is restarted after SG3 is over. I was having fun.

[Bonk]

It seems we only have enough players for one good sized server at a time.
I think that the "ISC Invasion" is next up on EAW and will also draw a crowd.
Perhaps OP admins could join in with the EAW admins in scheduling the servers
to get the best crowds?  

[Mog]

That's the intention, Bonk, however, when the current schedule was arranged, the OP patch hadn't been released - it kinda came as a bit of a surprise, and no rescheduling has been done yet, hence all OP has currently are small servers to keep it going, so to speak.