Using the Master Server
by Zeinad · in Technical Issues · 09/16/2008 (12:09 pm) · 7 replies
I am currently working on a multiplayer FPS game. We have been playtesting over lan and everything has been working fine and continues to work fine over a lan connection. However, when we attempt to join via the master server the game times out. Via the console log I can tell that it is finding the games that are up but even with the host and potential clients on good broadband connections the console says the game is timing out and the server list shows no games.
Are there any in game settings that could be affecting this? Or anything else that can be done?
Any advice would be awesome.
Are there any in game settings that could be affecting this? Or anything else that can be done?
Any advice would be awesome.
About the author
#2
09/16/2008 (1:19 pm)
How do I go about making my own master server? I would love to try I'm always up for learning something new.
#3
09/16/2008 (5:24 pm)
I should also mention that as far as I know it would also work for us (at least for now as a quick fix sort of solution) to be able to directly connect via IP. We have that working over lan as well but have been unable to get it to work when the host is on a different network from the player attempting to connect. 
#4
09/16/2008 (8:34 pm)
Note that in order for the master server to list a hosted game it must not be firewalled and if behind a NAT router the correct ports must be forwarded or that game won't show up. So, if you are hosting a game make sure your game is reachable from the outside. 
#5
09/17/2008 (6:32 am)
You could use TNL or one of the PHP resources obtained by searching for "master server" here (or roll your own that is specific to the type of game you are creating and tracking exactly the information you need to track for laddering, etc). 
#6
I've been reading plenty of stuff about TGEA (1.7, which I now own)
I spent about 3 weeks reading and understanding code, it's ok really, Torque scripting seems quite logical to me
Reading about planning and starting from the bottom, a prototype, I understood that in order to start my project I first of all need to start up a master server, have some clients log in and move their simple characters on my simple terrain and actually coordinating some data between server and client(s)
Right?
Yet, I did program many stuff in ActionScript 2 and 3 (That's Macromedia/Adobe Flash...) and I am a web designer so I know HTML and family, even met friendly PHP for awhile...
My problem remains... how do I start a master server?
Do you think I'll find any kind of guide from somebody who did it that is willing to answer such a question?
I did check TNL but it costs as much as my TGEA Indie License and I keep on reading "get a PHP thing and do it"... but how?
How do I setup my computer to be a window for the internet, how do I work on Torque Script in order to have that?
NOTE: I've been browsing thru some prefs files and found:
$pref::Master0 = "2:master.garagegames.com:28002";
The hosting worked and I could play that game with a remote friend, but was it hosted on that server?
How could the game work if I did not comunicate my IP to my friend?
I guess his client didn't just scan the whole internet searching for somebody playing my same game, ehehehe
Yet I'm interested in having a Master server, so my second guess would be, do I just need to setup a computer to be open to the internet and simply place my IP instead of master.garagegames.com and of course the right port?
Please give me some road to follow, something to read, some answers or even show me the problems so I could find the answers 'cause right now I'm just speculating and it doesn't bring me anywhere
Thank you David or whoever join the comversation
09/24/2008 (4:11 pm)
Hi David, I wanted to start such a thread but as it already exist I better join inI've been reading plenty of stuff about TGEA (1.7, which I now own)
I spent about 3 weeks reading and understanding code, it's ok really, Torque scripting seems quite logical to me
Reading about planning and starting from the bottom, a prototype, I understood that in order to start my project I first of all need to start up a master server, have some clients log in and move their simple characters on my simple terrain and actually coordinating some data between server and client(s)
Right?
Yet, I did program many stuff in ActionScript 2 and 3 (That's Macromedia/Adobe Flash...) and I am a web designer so I know HTML and family, even met friendly PHP for awhile...
My problem remains... how do I start a master server?
Do you think I'll find any kind of guide from somebody who did it that is willing to answer such a question?
I did check TNL but it costs as much as my TGEA Indie License and I keep on reading "get a PHP thing and do it"... but how?
How do I setup my computer to be a window for the internet, how do I work on Torque Script in order to have that?
NOTE: I've been browsing thru some prefs files and found:
$pref::Master0 = "2:master.garagegames.com:28002";
The hosting worked and I could play that game with a remote friend, but was it hosted on that server?
How could the game work if I did not comunicate my IP to my friend?
I guess his client didn't just scan the whole internet searching for somebody playing my same game, ehehehe
Yet I'm interested in having a Master server, so my second guess would be, do I just need to setup a computer to be open to the internet and simply place my IP instead of master.garagegames.com and of course the right port?
Please give me some road to follow, something to read, some answers or even show me the problems so I could find the answers 'cause right now I'm just speculating and it doesn't bring me anywhere
Thank you David or whoever join the comversation
#7
www.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=5962
It does work, I could host the game!
For the records I tried the Le Race game with that, it's for free on the 3dcentral.net website ... so my next guessed step would be:
Is the Master Server simply a copy of the client (without the game) which start an hosted game on start up?
And, Is the Client simply a copy of the client without the ability to host games but just join ones?
09/25/2008 (7:48 pm)
Ok I tried changing the address with my current IP and I could host a game using a Perl resource found in herewww.garagegames.com/index.php?sec=mg&mod=resource&page=view&qid=5962
It does work, I could host the game!
For the records I tried the Le Race game with that, it's for free on the 3dcentral.net website ... so my next guessed step would be:
Is the Master Server simply a copy of the client (without the game) which start an hosted game on start up?
And, Is the Client simply a copy of the client without the ability to host games but just join ones?
Employee David Montgomery-Blake
David MontgomeryBlake