[Warhammer Dark Omen Forum]

Warhammer Dark Omen Forum | Warhammer Dark Omen | Multiplayer
GameRanger: a new place to play Dark Omen online

[Scott Kevill]

Hi all, just thought I'd let you know about a new multiplayer network I've created for playing Warhammer: Dark Omen online called GameRanger.

Basically, GameRanger makes it quick and easy to play your friends online.

It has full lobby support for over 500 different games and demos (including Dark Omen, of course), without the hassles and headaches that usually happen with network connections (eg. routers & firewalls).

I'm really excited to be releasing it, and hope it helps boost the Dark Omen community by allowing people to play that were unable to until now due to problems with opening ports, etc. You should find this far simpler than juggling networks with Hamachi.

You can download it at www.GameRanger.com


Use this Website's Chat Channel to arrange Games
www.chat.dark-omen.org

List of GameRanger Dark Omen Users to add as friends, to see when they are Online -

Account ID      NickName

744005           Alavet
329672           Bembelimen
1124389         Ciber_Alex
785585           CidHalsey
872107           Craigus
1243526         Christophbs
2699858         Cuthalion
729378           Darkmancer
988261           Debeul
3861141         Equilibrium
333685           Flak
329448           Gabriel
861940           Gogo
717916           Haliax
1401760         Hari8
1125180         Harlotsevisceration
1195505         Hermicus
1401610         Harfner
417980           Itlerion
709596           Jeronimo
2332541         Jim
1674397         k99_64
1713251         kilowic
894699           Korgan
3646165         Kyjja
1138345         Lyk
1248771         N30X
1854784         NEO
448827           Nitrox
1229335         Miller
1383850         Mokutsu
1046805         Oldninja
329441           Olly
744060           Olor
861936           Sagro
1713277         Shaffer
792091           Tomb
1742544         VinniTheNail
605935           Wkurwiony
633588           Zoko-TkZ

[Ghabry]

Yesterday olly, rob and I tested the program and... it worked! No connection problems anymore. You open a room in the program the others connected to gameranger can see the room and join it. The Host clicks Start, DO starts and you are directly in the army/map selection screen (DirectPlay feature ).

The program fixes any connection problems (Hamachi had sometimes problems) and joining DO games is very easy

Disadvantages are that you have to register first (during the Program installation)

If you want to hide the program in the systray (the icons near the clock) you have to click the systray item once.

I'm sometimes online in the program you can find me by using:
Community->Find User...->Nickname->Ghabry

TO OLLY: Doesn't work for bembe and me. Maybe you have upnp in your router enabled?

[bembelimen]

It doesn't worked for Ghabry & me. So I think, there are nearly the same restrictions as with Hamachi
Perhaps we find a solution, but atm Hamachi is our first choise

[lordbraprus]

and now? year 2010 :O march toruny :O  hamachi+gameranger and maibe ollys conection guide = no problem to play

[olly]

I love GameRanger since it worked for me when we first tested it and Normal Hamahci and Forcebindip and Router Ip have also worked for me successfully but unfortunately gameranger didn't for Bembelimen v Ghabry.

I hear what you are saying about how GameRanger allowed you to play Ghabry, after Normal and Forcebindip didn't work but Dark Omen Connection issues have no logic.

Please consider-

1) I could connect to you and your bro fine, using Normal Hamachi way. Even though u were both in a cyber cafe and could not access Control Panel for Firewall or to promote hamachi in network Connections and didn't open your hamachi ports. (Unable to do step 1 and 2 of Guide)

2) After years of only being able to play Ghabry using his Public Router Ip and never hamachi - it also stopped working yesterday and i had to use Forcebindip for him to see me after i joined his game, very strange.

3) This is the first time yourself and your brother have had problems connecting - since yourself and all other players have followed fix guide(tried and tested over many years on many new players) and no one else has ever needed gameranger, including you and your bro when playing at home and not in a cyber cafe.

Therefore the only way to advise using gameranger before Fix Guide is if we all use it on next tournament instead of hamachi and Router IP to test.(Not a good idea to enter a tournament without first testing Cyber Cafe, especailly when 2 of u in tournament).

Having spent many years meeting many many new members, from around the world on hamachi and fixing all connection problems, this is what i do....

1) I ask them to host a game with out even mentioning the Fix Guide.

2) If I can't see or join their game I use Forcebindip and that works.

We play a few matches and then i mention to read the guide and if any other players have trouble connecting to them, to advise them to use Forcebindip to Join as it is highly likely the new player still has their Firewall or Anti Virus still running and haven't allowed or disabled them. Step 1

Step 2 advises opening hamachi ports as very quick and easy to do and thats all most new players ever need to do and I am actually being proactive by making them do step 1 and 2 since it prevents many future problems when they play fans like yourself.

The proof of how successfull the guide has been for all these years with loads of new global players, is that until yesterday you were one of the only players to take my Guides advise and try Gameranger as an alternative, after trying the Fixes (which you were unable to do because of being in a cyber cafe but could have still opened hamachi ports).


http://forum.dark-omen.org/help-section/ultimate-multiplayer-connection-fixes-t110.0.html

When I find that suddenly all new players can no longer play using hamachi and Forcebindip and even after doing all simple fixes and trying Router IP and GameRanger is only way then i will promote it more, so we should all try gameranger in mid week tournament and see if it has improved.


ps I LoVE GAMERANGER as well as all other Fixes- since hamachi is restricted to 16 plyrs max and whilst hosting a Dark Omen game in Gameranger all other players,(playing different games like Counter Strike etc..) can see a Dark Omen game being hosted = good advertising we still play.



*Dark Omen Connection Problems have no Logic, since 2 players that can't play each other can play all other players fine- So the only successfull solution is to be patient and both follow guide Fixes and test after each one and then try the  suggested Alternatives*
 

[Ghabry]

Since my last connection try (against bembelimen) which was more then one year ago there is a high chance that the author released new version of game ranger that improved the connection chance.

2) After years of only being able to play Ghabry using his Public Router Ip and never hamachi - it also stopped working yesterday and i had to use Forcebindip for him to see me after i joined his game, very strange.

The only difference is that I reinstalled XP in the meantime (since our last battle). But all FIrewalls were uninstalled (and WinXP Firewall disabled) so no idea why it hasn't worked anymore because at my laptop I always play everybody with Firewall enabled.
For Public Router IP joining maybe we should try without promoting Hamachi (and promoting the nromal I-Net Connection in the Control Panel).

Therefore the only way to advise using gameranger before Fix Guide is if we all use it on next tournament instead of hamachi and Router IP to test.(Not a good idea to enter a tournament without first testing Cyber Cafe, especailly when 2 of u in tournament).

I would agree with a Game Ranger-Only Tournament test (with Hamachi as alternative). Just to test if it works for everybody. The disadvantage is that you have to create an account. That is the really huge advantage of Hamachi.
Game Ranger uses a DirectPlay feature called RippleLaunch Technology btw.

ps I LoVE GAMERANGER as well as all other Fixes- since hamachi is restricted to 16 plyrs max and whilst hosting a Dark Omen game in Gameranger all other players,(playing different games like Counter Strike etc..) can see a Dark Omen game being hosted = good advertising we still play.

Yes it's a good advertisement . And you don't have to ask everybody for a game but can just open a room and wait until someone joins.

What I dislike in GameRanger is that it spams the Taskbar with Windows (like Gimp). Ok this is not an issue under Windows 7 anymore but under all other systems.

[lordbraprus]

i think  that in one (maybe next) tournament we should make that, use as first option the gameranger program, and hamchi as alternative. and the account dont even have to be confirmed so come on , dont be lazy this may save us a lot of time and dissapoint. of ocurse, first we have to TEST it.

[alavet]

so browsing through these wall of text i have a feeling that currently GameRanger seems a better way to play for new palyers/connection problems  than hamachi.

so why not opt it in the next tourney? my vote for it (even i never tired it, lol)

[olly]

Since re-testing GameRanger, the feedback has been very positive, so if this Tournament proves it successfull then I will adjust the Multiplayer Fix Guide to reprioritize Hamachi stuff.

We will all still continue using our own Chat Channel

www.dark-omen.org/chat

as playing Dark Omen through GameRanger doesn't crash the java chat, although using mIRC doesn't crash when using Hamachi.

However, i did get a DirectPlay Help error when using GameRanger



Microsoft DirectPlay Helper/Data Execution Prevention

That can easily be fixed by Ctrl Panel-->System--> Advanced->Performance Settings --->Data execution prevention and create an exemption for the programs - dplaysvr.exe is located in Windows/system32



If you suffer any other difficulties then allow exceptions through Firewall or disable it within Control Panel Administrative Tools, Services and stop and disable the windows firewall service.

[olly]

Please Post your GameRanger Account ID and Nickname so I can add them to List in this Topics 1st Post.

Account ID  329441
NickName    Olly

The best way to find Account ID and NickName is to Host a Dark Omen Game and then right click on your Hosted Game and Show Info.

Please also use our Website Chat Channel to arrange Games
www.chat.dark-omen.org

Thanks

[Jeronimo]

Account ID    709596
NickName      Jeronimo

I wait for you! Dont be shy... Play me

[Ghabry]

I found one really annoying think in Game Ranger: If the client disconnects from the game (becasue of DOs bad networking) the host never notices it (or really late because the enemy doesnt move anymore). This works better in Hamachi .

[Jeronimo]

Thats problem has happened to me... 5 times in a row vs Wkurwiony... I tell him to play vs Jero-Bot at least hehe

[Darkmancer]

Sometimes you just have to reboot your PC too fix it too

If it crashes twice in a row, I do a full reboot and it seems to play fine again, damn thing.

[lordbraprus]

i like game ranger , the only is that problerm ,, but i think is has more advantages than hamachi anyway...