Battlezone 1

I bought a crossover cable.

Got the IPX protocol installed, played my brother in some LAN strategy.

Next challenge: sharing our connection via crossover cable.

We did some searching and figured out how to do it. Downloaded AnalogX, a proxy program that allowed my second laptop to connect to the first one like a proxy server. Had to configure my Internet browser to connect to the proxy service running on my brother's machine. 10.0.0.1, port 5688.

Now, the next step is to figure out how to configure more than just my browser. I need Battlezone to connect through the proxy service, or basically, my whole connection. I tried setting proxy in Internet Options, but Windows doesn't seem to use proxies for anything besides Internet Explorer. I also tried Proxy Firewall, which claimed to be able to force everything to connect through proxy, but I couldn't seem to make it work. After I set it to force connections through the proxy, nothing would work. Browser no longer worked, I even disabled the proxy settings there.

Alternatively I'd need to share connection without machine #1 running the proxy service. My brother and I are still experimenting with Internet Connection Sharing stuff and will try again doing it without proxy tomorrow. Of course we're both networking newbs and will take all the help we can get.

Overall goal: Fully functional Internet on 2 machines via crossover cable. We should both be able to enter the server and play BZ.

I'm fully aware that playing BZ on dial up while my brother browses Internet will make the game pretty much unplayable, but I'd at least like to be able to get on the server and chat in the lobby while my brother is using the Internet.

A option for a comp connected directly to the Internet, B option for other comp.

Excellent! I had problems getting it at first, but that was due to leftovers from our other attempts, like manual IP configuration, etc. Both computers have Internet now.

Only 1 problem left to solve.

With Battlezone, I can see the server, but once I enter the server, everybody goes to 100% loss, and I lose the server too. "Host is not responding". I click OK and go back 1 screen and I see the server again.

EDIT: I've been searching all day. I can't find anything that will tell me what the problem is or what I need to do to fix it.

To clarify more, this is what happens on the 2nd computer which connects through the 1st computer's Internet connection via the crossover cable:

1. I start Battlezone and click MULTIPLAYER.
2. I see the server "battlezone1.net" in the list.
3. I enter the server.

Sometimes the lobby rooms and any games appear, many times they don't.

When they do, all players show up in the list and go to 100% loss. I then lose connection to the server even though just 1 screen before, I could see it.

SOLVED!

Solution: Shutdown Sygate Firewall. Even when it's set on "Allow All", it does State Packet Inspection depending on network activity or something like that.

Geppetto and I both in the same game, with no issues here at home on dial up:

We had a sync off strat before that, but I didn't take screen shots because I was focused on my attack strategy.

Thanks to somebody at Yahoo Answers for suggesting that the problem could be a firewall.

Having firewall OFF when testing connection should be 1st step. I'm surprized you didn't do it.

Every firewall is still working even when set to "OFF". That's why ZA turned OFF still crashes BZ after 20mins. And that's why some players with router firewall turned OFF still experience 100 loss to other players. Those should test their connection with a PC connected directly to the modem, bypassing router and its firewall like that.

Yeah, now that I think about it, I can't believe I didn't consider disabling firewall on my own. *facepalm*


*clicks Yes*
Yes, I would love it if you'd stop screwing around with my local area connection.

The hard drive in Geppetto's laptop quit working. Recently got it replaced, and it now has Windows 7 instead of XP. I wasn't using crossover cable for a while, since Windows 7 machine could host an Ad Hoc computer-to-computer network. Well, every time we reboot the Windows 7 machine, we have to mess with stuff to make ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) work. Well, this last time I could never make it work, despite searching for help online for a long time. Spent all day trying to figure it out. I switched back to using the cable now and it works just as well. I still have the same problems I had with the Ad Hoc network (when ICS was working).

Windows 7 (directly connected)
Windows XP (Internet via crossover cable)

When both computers ran XP and we shared via crossover cable with FW off and everything, we could both enter and play BZ on the server, and could play LAN with IPX protocol. Well, now I have 2 problems and they might be related:

1. I downloaded the TCP/IP LAN file. When Geppetto and I try to play via LAN, we can't seem to get merged. Geppetto enters LAN. I then enter LAN and don't see him. However, on his screen, he sees 2 "Battlezone" lobby rooms, while I only see 1 (mine). He is unable to join 2nd room, so we basically can't see each other in LAN. I have both computers in the same Workgroup ("MSHOME"), and no firewalls on. Windows FW is OFF on both computers, just to make sure.

2. Either computer can enter the lobby/play BZ. But a problem happens if the other computer then enters the lobby. Computer that was there first loses connection, and the other one seems to be unable to stay connected and loses connection also.

It seems to me that there is some SPI hidden in Windows 7 going on even though I am not running a 3rd party FW on either machine, and Windows FW is OFF on both.

It seems there is no solution, but feel free to suggest any possible solution.