Author Topic: Advice for Private LAN Play  (Read 3788 times)

Offline oldgamer69

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Advice for Private LAN Play
« on: 25-06-2019, 16:06:28 »
Hi all.  Been a long time since I played BF1942.   I'm an old fart now and have teenagers and would like to setup a private LAN game in my home of 1942 just for three players and bots across 3 PCs.  What this means is I'll probably spend several hours getting this all set up but then not really know if they'll be into it.  So, before I begin I'm seeking out advice on how to best present this game.   I never really played 1942 beyond the vanilla version so I'm only now getting acquainted with modern mods.   Forgotten Hope 1 & 2 have gotten great reviews and I'm downloading now to try them.  However, at this point, before I start doing all the homework, I'm just hoping to find out if Forgotten Hope is a good fit for what I want to do BEFORE I spend all the time installing it and getting it to work...

Anyway, I'd like to get a private LAN game going in my home and here's what I'm looking for. 

1.  Hardware requirements.  My three PCs were built for gaming and none is older than 5 years.  I assume one will act as server and support one player while the other two PCS just connect on LAN.  I don't think I need to worry at all about hardware requirements.

2.   BOTS!   The original BF1942 were far from perfect, but overall I had a great time with them in SP.   Whatever I setup, bots must be AT LEAST as good as in the original BF1942.   If FH 1 or 2 has worse bots I actually think I'd prefer the original.   If the FH bots are NOT good, then is there a good bot MOD someone can recommend which improves on the original?

3.  Stability.   FH or whatever I run MUST BE STABLE.   I understand I'll need to tweak and play with settings to get it going on Win 10.  I don't mind that.  But once it's up and running it must be stable.  If I'm going to be dealing with bugs and game crashing issues, then I'd rather just play the vanilla and skip FH or any other mods that might cause stability problems.

4.  Anti- Cheat.   I don't need it and, if it's an option, I'd rather not install anything.

5.  Graphics enhancement?   Is it worth installing a HD or better graphics mod on top of Forgotten Hope?   My hardware is strong so I might like to try better graphics so long as it doesn't make the game less stable.  Advice?

6.  Other mods... any other mods I should use WITH FH to enhance the game?  Or, if FH just doesn't meet my requirements, should I just play the vanilla or try a different mod?  Again, stability is most important to me.

7.  Is it fair to say FH 2 is just a better version than FH 1, or is there any reason I should prefer FH 1 over FH 2?

Thanks in advance for your advice!   Once I know if FH is the way to go for me, I'll do my homework and reading to get it going.

Offline jan_kurator

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #1 on: 25-06-2019, 18:06:04 »
1. You will be fine as long as those PCs are not toasters, though mind that BF2 is a win32 app and it doesn't have multi core optimization, and bots can be actually resources hungry, but you can setup the server on one of the cores, and run your game on the other. Problems will start with stupid amounts of bots.

2. Bots are absolutely terrible in BF1942/BF2, but some people tend to say, they are actually a little bit smarter in BF2, keep in mind than both FH1 and FH2 don't have bot support on all maps, but they have still much more maps available than vanillas. I'm not much of a SP/COOP fan, so I have no opinion on that.

3. COOP/SP is not super stable in any of those, I can't tell how stable BF1942 is on Win10, but I can assure you that BF2 / FH2 run fine on Win10, but even though FH2 is probably one of the most polished mods you can find, priority number one is multiplayer, and SP / COOP can crash every now and then.

4. N/A

5. Not worth the effort. If you into fancy graphics, just don't play BF1942, FH1, BF2 or FH2. Those are 10+ years old games after all.

6. There is a crazy minimod for FH1 called FHSW which adds a ton of new content, but I think they dropped COOP / SP completely and it's multiplayer only. I dunno what are you looking for in Forgotten Hope, but if you're into WW2 history, FH2 is the best you can get. If you like lots of content and FH1/2 won't meet your requirements, vBF won't either. Gameplay wise BF1942 is very arcade and almost cartoonish to me, BF2 is a bit better, though I definitely prefer FH2 over all (it has bit of learning curve tho). Vanilla stuff will certainlty be far more stable than any mod ever made, no matter the game.

7. Overall, BF1942 and FH1 aged really badly in my opinion, FH2 is far better in terms of graphics (still outdated tho), historical accuracy, content (FH1 had more fronts and armies available, FH2 has more vehicles and weapons, and maps being often 1:1 copies of real places), FH2 is also much easier to install (all you need is http://playfh2.com/ ) and of course FH2 is still being developed, so you can expect more exciting stuff in future  ;)

Offline LuckyOne

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #2 on: 25-06-2019, 18:06:24 »
1. They should probably do fine. Make sure you put the server on the one which has the highest single core frequency, as the old engines don't care about number of cores, only speed.

2. I find bots a bit smarter in BF2 but it's not really that noticeable. They still get stuck often and are lousy in following commands.

3. Both FH1 / 2 are quite stable up to Windows 7. On 10 I crash much more often but it might be the fact that I haven't reinstalled Windows in like 4-5 years on my current PC.

4. No idea about this. You probably don't need to install anything extra.

5. I believe there was / is a sound and texture pack for FH1 somewhere (check pixel-fighter.com, the last home of FH1 community). I know there's one for FHSW and it's quite good, but FHSW doesn't have bot support so I'd recommend you bring your kids to the FHSW server on the weekend fight nights - 40 - 60 people gather there at times). For FH2 there's only some sound packs but I think they're all outdated. You can try installing ENB with some presets ... For vBF1942 there's this, if you can get it to work: https://www.moddb.com/mods/high-definition-remaster

6. FHSW has a LOT more content than FH1 if you don't mind secret weapons and historical inaccuracies. It also has quite a few different gameplay mechanics including: angling affects armour penetration, different ammunition types, ability do duck when manning a mounted/stationary MG, working bomber bomb sights, working altitude meters for planes and many more I can't recall right now...

7. FH1 and FH2 are different beasts. The only common thing between them is the love for history. I'd say FH2 is a more polished, aestetically pleasing version of your first high school crush (FH1), you know the one you actually managed to marry and it has been a perfect marriage ever since  :D
« Last Edit: 25-06-2019, 19:06:19 by LuckyOne »
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Offline oldgamer69

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #3 on: 25-06-2019, 20:06:36 »
jan_kurator/ Lucky one,

Thanks for the long replies!  I don't recall BF1942 having SP, but if it did, that's not what I'm interested in, nor am I interested in co-op as a subcategory of SP.   In other words, I only want to play multiplayer, but on LAN, using my beefiest PC to run the server and one of the three clients.   My sons and I will experiment playing with or against each other on multiplayer.   That's the only co-op I'm interested in and so when you guys talked about bots for single player and co-op, I'm assuming that doesn't apply to what I intend to do.  I'm only playing MP, but on LAN.

My plan is to install BF1942, patch it, then install FH2 with no other mods and see how it goes.

Do I need a different download in order to run a server as I describe?  (Thanks for the tip about running server on a different core... I'm researching that now)

Does FH2 do anything to improve the bots?  I'm not super familiar with FH2, but are bots WORSE than vanilla BF1942 if for no other reason than they don't know how to use the enhanced weapons and vehicles?

Know of any stand alone BOT mods to improve AI?

Do I need to worry about different keys for each player on my LAN?

I am a little bit of WW2 buff (and civil war).  I just finished binge watching Band of Brother again and am half way through my 2nd watch of "The Pacific".  However, I don't mind the cartoonist nature of BF1942 and probably wouldn't mind if Secret Weapons expansion or mod wasn't totally historically accurate.  What I enjoyed about BF1942, even playing by myself with bots, was that if I had the settings right, it really was a good challenge to capture and hold objectives.

Regarding FHSW.  So, I understand there was a Secret Weapons Expansion pack that came out for the original BF1942 and another one called Road to Rome.  I wasn't planning on using either of these unless they are necessary to run FH2.    Is FHSW (Forgotten Hope Secret Weapon) a mod that requires the BF1942 Secret Weapon expansion pack?   You guys seem to like it.  So long as it's as stable as FH2, I might give it a try.   The problem is the lack of bots.   If there are no bots with FHSW for playing MP over LAN, then I'll have to pass. 

I actually noticed the HD mod that luckyone suggested.  Maybe I'll give it a try after seeing if everything is stable with just FH2.

I've found a few install guides for BF1942 on Windows 10 (64-bit).  If you happen to have a link for more trouble shooting issues, please let me have it.


IF.... we end up trying to play on the real MP with you guys some day....

1.  Does the server run FH2 or FH2 with FHSW?
2.  Do I need keys for each player?
3.  Do you think I could log on with three different PCS using the same IP?  Or would I be limited to one player per household/IP?


Thanks Again!  I won't be able to work the LAN for a week or so but I'm giving FH2 a go later today!


EDIT: Doh! I just realized FH2 is for BF2, not BF1942.   I haven't found my old BF2 CD, but I'm sure I can get it used cheap on Amazon.    I'm assuming bots on BF2 were about the same as bots on BF1942.

« Last Edit: 25-06-2019, 21:06:24 by oldgamer69 »

Offline jan_kurator

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #4 on: 25-06-2019, 21:06:08 »
SP / COOP in BF1942 / BF2 language means either you against bots, or you and your other players in multiplayer against bots. It not anything like SP campaign or COOP modes of sorts you can see in modern games.

EDIT:
EDIT: Doh! I just realized FH2 is for BF2, not BF1942.   I haven't found my old BF2 CD, but I'm sure I can get it used cheap on Amazon.    I'm assuming bots on BF2 were about the same as bots on BF1942.

Don't bother. You can get a fully working online (in case you wanna join us on the server ;) ) standalone version of FH2 here:  http://playfh2.com/
« Last Edit: 25-06-2019, 21:06:31 by jan_kurator »

Offline oldgamer69

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #5 on: 25-06-2019, 21:06:46 »
You can get a fully working online (in case you wanna join us on the server ;) ) standalone version of FH2 here:  http://playfh2.com/

Thanks for hanging with me Jan.

So I'm basically re-editing this whole post.   I downloaded and installed from playfh2.   

I'm still confused about what my options are for LAN play with bots.  From your last post you seems to say that bots are ONLY with singleplayer & co-op.   This makes sense because when I tried to "Create local" (under multiplayer) I was successful but no bots.

So let's recap.  I want to play on LAN with bots.   My one guess is do a single player game (where I see I can assign bots).  Then, can I use this single player game to invite other players (i.e. co-op)?  If I do this will it be just like MP where other players and fight with or against me, all with bots?  Is there a limit to how many can play with me?  (I'd prefer myself and two others).

Or is this the wrong direction?  Should I be looking for a dedicated server that I can run on my PC to host for the LAN and then let others join?   In THIS case, would a dedicated server have the option to add bots?

When I'm on the "create local" screen it stated, "to get access to more options use dedicated server launcher."   Well, I don't seem to have the dedicated server or a launcher for it and I'm not having much luck searching the forums for a download.

I'm not sure if I need to download something more (dedicated server) or if I'm using the wrong mode, or if what I want to do just isn't possible.   Please someone set me straight and thanks for your help!
« Last Edit: 26-06-2019, 00:06:43 by oldgamer69 »

Offline jan_kurator

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #6 on: 26-06-2019, 06:06:00 »
You need to choose a game mode (conquest by default) in the multiplayer tab. After you switch it to coop, your map pool will be limited, as not all maps have a bot support. Then you can choose a map and start your game. I don’t have experience with LAN or running the server in general but to keep your game and the server on separate CPU cores, which is the best way to do it, you will need to run a dedicated server. You can download server files in the download section on ours website: http://forgottenhope.warumdarum.de/fh2_downloads.php

Unfortunately, this is where my knowledge about running a server ends, so I recommend joining us on Discord and asking in the tech-support channel where your chances to get help are much bigger: https://discord.gg/hU878P4

Offline oldgamer69

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #7 on: 26-06-2019, 15:06:40 »
You need to choose a game mode (conquest by default) in the multiplayer tab. After you switch it to coop, your map pool will be limited, as not all maps have a bot support. Then you can choose a map and start your game. I don’t have experience with LAN or running the server in general but to keep your game and the server on separate CPU cores, which is the best way to do it, you will need to run a dedicated server. You can download server files in the download section on ours website: http://forgottenhope.warumdarum.de/fh2_downloads.php

Unfortunately, this is where my knowledge about running a server ends, so I recommend joining us on Discord and asking in the tech-support channel where your chances to get help are much bigger: https://discord.gg/hU878P4

It's been a while, but that sounds about right.   

Thanks for the link.  I can't believe I didn't see it when I was on that page last.   However, upon trying to install, I got lots of missing dll errors.   The "readme" file makes a chmod command reference.  I'm no programmer, but chmod isn't a windows command.  Long story short, I believe this server install file is only for Linux.   If so, I can't run it on windows 10.

I found a different download for FH2 dedicated server over at File Planet, but I think it's an older version and may not run with the client version found at playfh2.  I'm downloading that now...

Anyway, it's down the rabbit hole we go as so often happens with these things.   I've never used Discord or even know what it is so before I do all that I think I'll check the support/help section of the forums here first.

So thanks Jan for all your help and patience.   I got your helpful PMs as well.   At least now I think I know what I want to do.   Have good one!  :)


Offline jan_kurator

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #8 on: 26-06-2019, 16:06:15 »
I've never used Discord or even know what it is so before I do all that I think I'll check the support/help section of the forums here first.
Of course, you can do that, though Discord is just a chat-like kind of a thing, and you can either download and use a client or simply join via your browser. It's super easy to use, just choose your nick and you're ready to go. We have different sections related to stuff like technical support an whatnot, you can search through the history, or simply ask us anything over there. There is more than 800 members in our FH2 group with at least 100 being online on average, so it's quite helpful whenever you have any questions regarding our mod, as we can talk in real time.

Offline LuckyOne

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #9 on: 26-06-2019, 18:06:48 »
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong but you don't need to setup a dedicated server to host a local LAN game. Just select coop game mode and chose the map rotation and other computers on the same network should be able to see it.

However running a dedicated server might give you better performance and stability as you can set the affinity of the server process to run on separate cores than your game client.
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Offline jan_kurator

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #10 on: 26-06-2019, 19:06:57 »
However running a dedicated server might give you better performance and stability as you can set the affinity of the server process to run on separate cores than your game client.
Yes, that was the whole idea.

Offline oldgamer69

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #11 on: 27-06-2019, 16:06:54 »
Jan/Lucky,

Thanks again guys.  I'll probably try Discord next as I'm not having any luck with this forum's FH2 help section (just as you warned me Jan).    There just doesn't appear to be a readily available windows version of the dedicated server.  If nothing else, we'll be ready to join you guys on the weekend sometime in the future. 

I actually got a used copy of BF1942 in the mail today so I'll try out the vanilla and see how it works, although I'm not sure if it comes with a vanilla dedicated server.  A used copy of BF2 is also on the way.  I know there are other ways, but the used DVDs are so cheap now and it's nice to know I'm not getting viruses.

Anyway, do you guys know if FH1 Client and FH1 Server are still available?  Is this even the right website/forum to find info on the first Forgotten Hope?  I might give those a try.

Offline jan_kurator

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #12 on: 27-06-2019, 16:06:12 »
Anyway, do you guys know if FH1 Client and FH1 Server are still available?  Is this even the right website/forum to find info on the first Forgotten Hope?  I might give those a try.
I'm not sure about the servers files, but when it comes to a client, just like there is a standalone installer for FH2, you can get a portable version of FH1. Maybe servers files are included, I dunno.

Offline oldgamer69

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #13 on: 27-06-2019, 17:06:18 »
Jan,
Not to be a whiner, but do you have a link for FH1 where I don't need to install special software (MEGA?) just to download it.  Also, not sure why I'd net portable.  If not, thanks anyway.  I'll keep looking. 

EDIT: The more I think about it I should just ask you gusy.  I've been out of the BF loop for a long time.    I'd really like is just a Battlefield style experience with bots but set in the WW2 or maybe WW1 era.   I bought BF ONE (ww1) last year but it was a beast on the harddrive alone and I don't want to cash out for 3 copies just to play on LAN.  I know nothing about BF after BF2.   Is there a good option for something newer than BF2, with bots, with good ww2 ww1 makeover (mod),  but without high systems requirements and without a high price tag?
« Last Edit: 27-06-2019, 17:06:49 by oldgamer69 »

Offline LuckyOne

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Re: Advice for Private LAN Play
« Reply #14 on: 27-06-2019, 22:06:11 »
Basically, no. Most newer WW1/2 games are very multiplayer focused and bot support is often an afterthought.

Besides, nothing out there quite matches the scale and quality of FH1 or FH2.

There is a community made downloader for FH1 called the FH1 toolbox that should be you go-to point for anything FH1 related (fixes, mappacks, texture packs):

http://www.pixel-fighter.com/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=10#cat



Don't know if it works on Win 10 as I haven't used it for a few years... But it worked quite good on Win 7.

Unfortunately they don't seem to provide an easy link for the server files so unless one of the devs or some server admin from CMP / old Forgotten Honor (the tournament communities) knows where to find them as a direct download you'll have to try to find it on you own.


Edit: there's the official dedicated server files on this site but I have no idea if the links (or even the files) still work:

http://forgottenhope.warumdarum.de/downloads.php?
« Last Edit: 27-06-2019, 22:06:48 by LuckyOne »
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