Our ReVolt Pub

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 05:02**

I was talking to Jigebren and he suggested that I should create a thread about it.
Here's the content about this issue that is in all the previous messages that we sent each other:

Part of original message:

(...)

Well, what I really want to tell you is that I'm having a problem to connect on a LAN game (I have two computers running Windows 7 Ultimate Edition). Using the ProcMon (proccess monitor) I saw that the computers are seeing each other but the game created on one of the computers doesn't show on the other!

Well, looking for the solution on google I found a page where a guy called Adam Odell. He metions a hack where you fix an issue with DirectPlay Lobby. Well, I did download it and my lan games are great now (thanks to you again). But the WolfR4 doesn't recognize this revolt.exe as a patched 1207 version. And I really want to use your application. It's really useful.

Sorry for the bad english (I'm brazilian) and thank you for your time. I really appreciate if you can do something about it. Maybe a bug fix option directly in WolfR4 app, I really don't know.

(...)

Part of Jigebren's reply:

(...)

If you have downloaded the Adam patched version, I think the executable is compressed with UPX, so it can't be recognized by WolfR4 (maybe just decompressing it could work).
But I'm surprized that this patch can solve your issue. Did you use to have a "can't Create Directplay Lobby Object" error message when launching re-volt? Because if my memory is good, this patch doesn't really fix anything, it's just disabling DirectPlay initialization or error message (I can't remember exactly).

(...)

Myself again:

No, I've never saw this message ("can't Create Directplay Lobby Object") in the game. What's happening is something with Windows 7 (and maybe Vista). I can join the games created at RV-House, but I can't join a game created in my own LAN (as I said, I have two computers running Windows 7 Ultimate on my bedroom, connected by a switch).

Your patch did work at the first time, but when I was trying again to connect both computers on re-volt, the game do not show up on cretead multiplayer games list. I don't know if this is a re-volt problem with DirectPlay in games CREATED on Windows 7, or if this is a problem on my LAN (what I doubt).

I had turn off both firewalls (Windows and ZoneAlarm), but the LAN isn't working too. What is the weird thing is that the computers seems to be communicating. I say this because when I press 'enter' on Join Game, the phrase "Press TAB to start" on the created game screen stops blinking for a while (like something is happening). I tried A LOT of things, but I'm getting tired of it. I'm thinking in instaling Windows XP SP3 on one of the computers, because games created with Windows XP seems to work fine.

I said that your hack worked for me, but was only on the first time (I do not know why). I was so happy about it that I came here to thank you. You still deserve it, of course. But I'm sad again.

And this is it. I did not find any solutions yet.
Anyone can help? Thank you for reading this all and paying attetion to this cause

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 11:01**

The hack merely disables an error message - and it is only useful for lobby (it is just used to create the directplay registry keys, so rvhouse can launch it).

About your problem, you say you can join cames in rvhouse, can you host cames in rvhouse?

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 11:37**

Do you write in the local IP Adress of your other computer when you search for it? Me and my other classmates has the exactly same computer specifications (bought through school), but while 2 of them don't have to write any IP to get my room listed, the third has to (he won't find it else then).

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 15:58**

About your problem, you say you can join cames in rvhouse, can you host cames in rvhouse?

Yes, I can play all the games created in RV House, but I can't host there. But this is because of my router settings (port blocking and that stuff) I think.

Do you write in the local IP Adress of your other computer when you search for it? Me and my other classmates has the exactly same computer specifications (bought through school), but while 2 of them don't have to write any IP to get my room listed, the third has to (he won't find it else then).

I always put the IP Address on the computer that is trying to connect the game from host. But I have to say that I didn't try to NOT put any address. Should I try that?

(please, don't call me a donkey for not doing that before)

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 16:12**

And before you tell me to reconfigure the router, I have to say that I can't do that.
Here's the thing:

On my bedroom I have two computers that are connected each other by a switch. My internet access comes from the neighbor router (a cable connect my switch with his router, and that way we share the connection). To do the stuff with the router I have to know the login and password (the default was changed). But even him do not know it (he said he lost it).

But I don't say this is a problem, because what matters is the connection on my switch. I just will never host on RV House

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 18:49**

The problem is that you cannot host. This means neither of the 2 computers connected in your lan can host. So you don't see your hosted game on lan. You should solve the hosting problem first.

Posted: **28 Oct 2010, 20:20**

Huki @ Oct 28 2010, 02:19 PM wrote:The problem is that you cannot host. This means neither of the 2 computers connected in your lan can host. So you don't see your hosted game on lan. You should solve the hosting problem first.

I think this is not the problem. I can host on my own lan (I used to do it when I had Windows XP installed). Only when I installed Windows 7 this problem appeared. But, even with Windows XP, I couldn't host RV house games.

In the first message I said that three times the game appeared and I could connect:

The first was when I used the Adam revolt.exe patched version. But only in the first time it worked... it REALLY worked... I did play some races and everything;
The second and third was randomly, but I only saw the game on the list (couldn't connect to it);

Thanks for answering, Huki.

Posted: **29 Oct 2010, 16:41**

If I get it right, your computers is connected to a switch which is connected to the router. I'm not any expert when it comes to routers, but I suppose that your problem is that only 1 actual connection is established between your computers and your router. That means that if 1 computer hosts, the other computer somehow cannot join, because they cannot identify each other.

This could explain why you get the temporary lacking on the host computer while the joining computer is searching for game. They somehow find each other, but cannot identify and establish connection because the router recognizes them as being on the exactly same connection.

What doesn't match in this theory is that you say it worked while you were using Windows XP. Of course, it could be something OS related, like changes to how directplay protocol works that therefore prevents you from doing like what you used to do.

Do you have a router? In that case, try connect it to both computers in order to create a local network. If it works, then it might be the switch or your neighbors router which is the problem.

Posted: **29 Oct 2010, 22:57**

Just to be sure, I know it's probably written in the thread, but I'd like to get it clear (correct me if something is wrong):

- You have 2 computers running Windows 7.
- You have disabled any kind of firewall on both computers during the test.
- You're trying to play in LAN using you 2 computers at home (not using RVHouse, but for info, you know that when using RVHouse, you can join existing games).
- When playing in LAN, I think you're using TCP/IP protocol, right? IPX was probably easier to use but should not be available in Windows 7 anymore (while it was in WinXP).
- Assuming you're using TCP/IP, you have to set the IP of the Host computer in the client Re-Volt. Are you sure you were using the private host's IP ? (or local IP, the one used inside your LAN), not your public IP (in fact the router's one, the one that is used on internet). You can find your host's private IP by using "ipconfig" under the command line prompt, I think it should probably be something like "192.168.0.2". Depending on your configuration, this value could change sometime.

On the client computer, does it work when you ping the other computer using the above IP?

Posted: **30 Oct 2010, 02:24**

Thank you again for the anwers!

Jigebren, you are clearly right.
I'm using TCP/IP connection.
Yes, I'm using the local IP address.

What I didn't say before is that I can access the shared content on both computers througn the LAN and EVERY MULTYPLAYER LAN GAME installed on them (Need For Speed Underground 2, F1 2010, Warcraft III, Age of Empires III, Call of Duty 4, Colin Mcrae Rally 2005, etc...) are working great! The only one game that is not working is RE-VOLT! I really don't think this is a LAN problem.

I'll show something that is bothering me (check the image):
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/6176 ... onitor.jpg

This is what happens when I press 'Start Game' on Multiplayer screen.
So many "NAME NOT FOUND" and a few "BUFFER OVERFLOW" (filtered to show only the errors).

I'm almost installing Windows XP again in one of the machines.

Posted: **30 Oct 2010, 05:05**

Well, I'm not sure the "NAME NOT FOUND" entries in ProcessMon are really meaningful... The fact that some keys just don't exist doesn't implies that there is necessarily something buggy.

Maybe you should try this. I know that may sound stupid, but I'm just curious.
On both the host and the client computers:
- create a copy of the revolt.exe file with a different name, for example revolt0.exe.
- set the Win98 compatibility for the new revolt0.exe file.
- run this revolt0.exe file on host and client and try multiplayers now (try not to quit before the test has been conduced, to be sure that when you try, the revolt0.exe file has been launched for the very first time).

To be honest, I don't have great hopes but, well, you have nothing to lose...

Posted: **02 Nov 2010, 23:48**

Resolved! I have to say that I'M SO ASHAMED!
Urnemanden gave the solution and I just didn't follow it.

He said:

urnemanden @ Oct 29 2010, 12:11 PM wrote: (...)
This could explain why you get the temporary lacking on the host computer while the joining computer is searching for game. They somehow find each other, but cannot identify and establish connection because the router recognizes them as being on the exactly same connection.
(...)

That is what is happening. When I disconnected the cable coming from the router (lefting only the computers connected on my own LAN by a switch) the game started to see each other on re-volt. Sorry for not listening you before, Urne.

And THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

I was making the problem much more complicated that it really was

Now I can play with my friends on a real life re-volt challenge!

Posted: **03 Nov 2010, 03:20**

Good to see that it works now...
But I'm surprised that being connected to a router could prevent a LAN game from working. You should double-check your computer's IP, as it's very likely that your private IP changes depending of wether or not your are connected to your neighbor's router. So you have to be sure that when playing, the host local IP you entered in the re-volt client is actually the current host's IP.

Posted: **03 Nov 2010, 18:57**

jigebren @ Nov 2 2010, 10:50 PM wrote: Good to see that it works now...
But I'm surprised that being connected to a router could prevent a LAN game from working. You should double-check your computer's IP, as it's very likely that your private IP changes depending of wether or not your are connected to your neighbor's router. So you have to be sure that when playing, the host local IP you entered in the re-volt client is actually the current host's IP.

I'm using static local IP addresses on both computers (192.168.254.51 and 192.168.254.52). Now I can connect on re-volt LAN game even if I don't put any IP address on the client! The game really was thinking that both computers had the same IP Address (the internet external IP address). Thank you, jig!

Our ReVolt Pub

Directplay Issue In Windows 7