Creating LAN gaming system for deployment.

dpow86

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Mar 26, 2012
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Greetings sentient beings.
I serve aboard the USS Harry S Truman and I am interested in undertaking a project, but I need a bit of help first.
During deployments people get bored. A great way to combat boredom is to play games. But there's no active LAN on board to connect to, and play on.
So I'm interested in creating one!
BUT. I am a bit stumped at how to do this.
What my goal is:
Use my computer as a game server for randomly selected games.
Allow others interested in playing, come down to the space I am at, connect to the server and play against others.

I am unsure how to physically make this happen.
I have very little experience in the networking side of computers.

Is it possible to run a router off my computer to allow those with wireless capability to connect?
And for the ones that aren't, how does a switch tie into this? As I understand switches are far more user friendly than routers.

Thanks!
 

striker410

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Hi, Welcome to the forums.

It sounds like what you are trying to do is create a network to allow LAN gaming to happen. That's a fairly simple task, albeit one I haven't had the luxury of experimenting with.

I'll answer your question first.
Yes, it is completely possible to set up a wireless network without an internet connection. It's quite simple, most routers will guide you through the setup. I wouldn't bother with switches or hubs, just pick up a basic wireless router.

Now, here's a short synopsis of how it would be done.

The first thing you'll need (obviously) is a router. Wireless would be a good idea as most routers are limited to 4 computers through wired connections. Set up your router following the on-screen instructions.

The second thing you'll need is a computer to act as a "server", something to sort out the connections. If you've ever played Call of Duty or a similar game back at home, you know how one player in the match gets host and the rest connect to him. That's basically what you'll be doing.

Now, keep in mind some games do not have the ability to play without an internet connection. Battlefield 3 is one such example. Some games also require you to use specialized server software, while some allow you to set up and host in-game.

Okay, let's say you want to set up a Call of Duty 4 game. Simply go to "Start New Server" or something along those lines. Choose the options for the game and play! On the other computers, set the server browser to search for local games or over LAN, find the server you just set up and play!

I hope my long rambling explanation has helped :p If you have any other questions, ASK!

Thank you for your service.
Cheers!
 

KNO3

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Jan 6, 2009
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In windows you can make an Ad hoc network to play games on. You don't need a router. It's a computer to computer network. This is how we all played diablo II during my deployment.

Open Connect to a Network by clicking the Start button , and then clicking Connect to.

Click Set up a connection or network.

Click Set up an ad hoc (computer-to-computer) network, click Next, and then follow the steps in the wizard.

Everybody else will just need to go to their available networks and connect to the network you just created.


All you'll need is a laptop. Most already have built in wireless adapters.
 

dpow86

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Mar 26, 2012
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I plan to use a desktop for this, as I just built what I consider to be reasonably powerful for gaming server.
I'm hoping to get enough interest on the ship to do 10 v 10 games at a minimum.
Is it also possible to be able to seed games onto other PC's to play the games if they don't have them?
Such as CS:S, SC2 for examples?
 

striker410

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No, unfortunately that is not possible. All the computers must have the game installed locally. While there are experimental services that can stream the game (Onlive, Gaikai) to your computer, those require an internet connection. What you are wanting to do just can't be done right now.
I think you can run a CSS with relative ease, although you will need to use the dedicated server tools provided by Valve.

You can't play Starcraft 2 over LAN, as you need an account to access the multiplayer functionality. To sign into that account, you need an internet connection.