Tags: °multiplayer °SS2

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Make sure you've followed the SS2 Technical FAQ before you go on. Post problems in Helpdesk.

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• About Multiplayer
• Enable DirectPlay on Windows 8/10
• Connecting
• Router Settings
• Saving
• Cooperative Players
• Sharing
• Joining, Leaving, Pausing and Death
• Mods in Multiplayer
• Multiplayer FanMissions
• Setting the Difficulty

About Multiplayer
SS2 is a game that is fundamentally about being ALONE. The sights and sounds of SS2 are all designed to instill in the player a dread sense of isolation and desperation. Be aware that by playing co-op, you directly undermine that authorial intent. The only reason SS2 even has a multiplayer mode is because the publisher demanded it.
You can only play a game for the first time once. By playing SS2 in multiplayer mode for the first time, you lose something forever - the experience of discovering all its pitfalls, twists, turns, and horrors with no one to depend on but yourself. Conversely, you can always go back and play SS2 in multiplayer mode without losing anything.

To enable multiplayer with up to 3 players in System Shock 2 you need to check the box under "Game features" in SS2Tool's options.



Enable DirectPlay on Windows 8/10
1. Right click Start
2. Click Programs and Features
3. Click Turn Windows features on or off
4. Make sure there is a check in Legacy Components
5. Click the + to expand
6. Check the box for DirectPlay

Connecting
Preferably use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) like LogMeIn (formerly Hamachi) or Tunngle.net. (Detailed explanation for LogMeIn.)
NOTE: If you're hosting, you might see your local IP address (http://192.168.0.XXX) in the game instead of the address of your VPN client - that's normal and doesn't matter. Your partner should use your VPN's IP address to connect to your game.

If you have problems connecting, disable the firewall on your VPN connection.
On Windows7: 
1. Click Start and type into the searchbox: "wf.msc".
2. In the middle section click "Windows Firewall Properties". Select your active profile (usually Private Profile.)
3. Next to "Protected network connections" click the "Customize" button.
4. Disable Windows Firewall on your VPN connection. But NOT on any other connections!

In some rare cases System Shock 2 still tries to use your normal internet connection when it should be using the VPN connection. To get around this there are two solutions:

1) Raising the connection's priority: Win7: Type into Start->Searchbox: "ncpa.cpl". Click "Advanced" on the window that opened. On the "Adapters and Bindings" tab find your VPN connection under "Connections"  and press the up arrow until it's the top priority.
WinXP: Open Network Connections, go to the advanced menu, open Advanced settings, select the VPN connection and press the up arrow until it's the top priority.

2) Disconnect from the internet by disabling your normal network connection, but leave the VPN connection enabled. Start SS2 and host the game. It should detect your VPN IP. Now Alt+Tab back to Windows and re-enable the normal network to connect to the internet again. When you get back to SS2, it should still be using the VPN IP. You will have to do this every time you want to host a game.





Router Settings
Router settings only have to be changed if you are NOT using a VPN client

To find out your LAN address and your router's address go to [Start-->Run] and type:
cmd
ipconfig.exeThe number given under "IP address" is your LAN address. Note it down, as you want to forward ports to this address lateron.
The number given under "Standardgateway" is your router address. Type this address into your browser to access your router.
Usually it will be http://192.168.0.1.
Login to your router, then look for an option named "Port Forwarding" or similar.

You need to forward the following ports (standard MSN gaming zone) to your own LAN address and set the trigger-port.

• Forward port range (TCP & UDP): 2300-2400
• Forward port range (TCP & UDP): 28800-28900
• Trigger port: Outgoing: 47624, Incoming: 47624

Port triggering will likely have it's own router menu option. If you can't find a port triggering option, just forward the trigger port like the others. You should also set up a static internal IP in this case to which you forward all these ports.
http://www.portforward.com/ offers free router specific help on port forwarding and triggering.


Saving
Note that you won't be able to save before reaching the Von Braun. From then on you should habitually save before using bulkheads and elevators. Crashes happen mostly during these level changes.
Keep several save games! Sometimes save games are corrupted and cannot be reloaded. It's not anyone's fault, so don't scream at friends!
Any player can save the game. The game is saved on all connected computers. The same players (and mod setups) need to resume a saved game. If one player is missing, a "Personal Effects Box" will appear, which contains the dead companion's belongings.
(Resuming a savegame file of another player will turn you into that player. This leads to some interesting cloning effects if all the players use a copy of the exact same savegame, e.g. copy it from one of the player's computers to all others'.)


Cooperative Players
A fun cooperative game experience is based on good communication. LAN games are best suited, also saving you from common connection problems. Internet players should post to the Multiplayer List on TTLG.com to find like-minded players.
Additionally you can meet for games in our IRC channel. If you join the chat to find a game, change your nick like this: "Kolya|wtp" (This means: Wants To Play)

The command to chat within the game is "talk". It's bound to shift+' by default. Rebind it to something useful before you start your MP game. Voice-chat programs are also useful. Either simply call each other via Skype, or use traditional gamer voice-chat programs like Roger Wilco or Ventrilo.

Note that each player proceeds alone through training level, although you can already use the in-game chat. You do not meet until you arrive on the starship Von Braun. The message history can be viewed/hidden by pressing the L key. 


Sharing
Cyber modules, logs and research results are shared automatically among the participants.
You can also share any items like weapons, ammo, implants, etc. by dragging them from your inventory into the world or directly on another player there. To share nanites press the Alt-key while dragging them to the other player.
Since it's easy to miss the notice when someone gives you an item and additionally gifts may just fall to the ground if your inventory is full, it's a good idea to arrange meetings from time to time for exchanging goodies.


Joining, Leaving, Pausing and Death
You cannot join a running game. And you cannot re-join a game unless everyone reconnects and a previous save-game is loaded by the host. If one of the players leaves the game, the others will find a "Personal Effects Box" with his belongings where he left.
Only one player needs to activate the QBRM (vulgo: resurrection machine). All players will be ressurrected at this QBRM then. If someone dies without the QBRM activated, they will just be returned to one of the bulkheads in that map.
Friendly fire does harm, including psi attacks (eg Localised Pyrokinesis), excluding all melee-weapons and EMP weapons.
Entering the game menus Esc by any player pauses the game for all participants. You can still chat.





Mods in Multiplayer
Generally it's best when all players use the same setup of mods. Cosmetic mods like Rebirth and SHTUP are optional though. Only the player(s) who use these will benefit from their changes of course.
Mods concerning gameplay like Zygoptera's Ultimate Spawn Mod or Crion's Impossible Difficulty MP should be evenly distributed. The same applies to FMs.


Multiplayer FanMissions
Only part of the available FMs are prepared for Multiplayer games. (Note for map designers: The FM author needs to set multiplayer spawn-points for the players in the map. And the FM needs to start with Earth Training. The final training year triggers a necessary script. It might be the flag "2" set by career mission selection script.) 

To play MP-FMs they need to be installed by all players.
Multiplayer enabled Fanmissions:

• Ponterbee Station
• UNN Nightwalker
• Polaris
• Urlaub
• Shocking Ruins
• Return to the UNN
• Zygoptera's ARENA
• Iceman's Ancient

Setting the Difficulty
Changing the difficulty in MP-games has no effect. MP games have a hardcoded difficulty that's rather easy for two skilled shockers and the game gets easier the more players are involved. With the following mod you can play MP games on a difficulty level that's similar to Impossible in single player games (vanilla game ONLY though). All clients have to install the mod.
This mod also includes two respawn points for multiplayers in the BOTM level now, set after each of the two sphincters. This badly needed feature was added by NamelessVoice. It saves you from running through the whole level (including the infamous teeth jumping) should you die at any point.