GameRanger: a new place to play Emperor: Battle for Dune online

[Scott Kevill]

Hi all, just thought I'd let you know about a new multiplayer network I've created for playing Emperor: Battle for Dune online called GameRanger.

Basically, GameRanger makes it quick and easy to play your friends online.

It has full lobby support for over 500 different games and demos (including Emperor, of course), without the hassles and headaches that usually happen with network connections (eg. routers & firewalls).

I'm really excited to be releasing it, and hope it helps boost the Emperor community by allowing people to play that were unable to until now due to problems with opening ports, etc. The more barriers that can be removed, the more likely the community will stay strong, as new users won't be put off. You should find this way simpler than the other methods you have been using.

You can download it at www.GameRanger.com

[Madenod]

Who are you? These emperor players need to know they can trust you in order to use this network that you are giving them so they just need to be on the safe side to know that you are telling the truth as a bit more details would be of more help please. If it is true then this man may be your saviour ppl! ;) 8)

[Scott Kevill]

That's probably very sensible to be a little cautious these days. :)

I am the owner. GameRanger started on the Mac back in 1999. Here's an article on Apple's site: http://www.apple.com/games/gettingstarted/multiplayer/

Today a PC version was announced and released, and that's what brings me here. E:BfD is one of the games it supports from day 1. Have a browse of the press releases on the GameRanger site to get an idea of the history if you like.

[Madenod]

Anyone of you emp players wanna try this out since RA is'nt around you guys would have scott to give you a newer network muultiplay lobby with everyone getting in that does'nt need a server directing tool like xwis.

Sounds fantastic. Tsa shame I don't have ebfd. :'(

[alchemi2]

Tis more than a shame, it's a crime against the natural order of life.  ;)

[Voodoo Daddy]

I would think that GameRanger must be sort of a server re-directing tool. Otherwise how would it connect you? Unless it uses LAN over IP like Hamachi. I am always skeptical of these alternate connection methods. Mainly due to the fact that it would probably fragment an already small community. Getting EVERYONE in this community to do anything all at once is near impossible!

As to it being Emperor's savior, I would ask How? Unless there are hundreds of Mac addicts just waiting to play Emperor, I can't see how it will make a difference. By the way, will Emperor even install on a Mac? I don't know.

This might come in handy if RA ever has to shut down his server for some reason. As to him not being around, I still talk to him occasionally, he is currently busy designing a new game. It's true he doesn't play, but what does that matter? His server does what we need it to, which is connect games. I wonder if the GameRanger system offers all the in game and in lobby features that RA's server does? Even XWIS doesn't have his features. Over this winter I hope to get the game results feature working again with RA's help, what that means is getting the game to automatically post results here on Dune2k.

By the way- XWIS is now the official server for E.B.F.D. since EA gave them the Westwood IP addresses- Yes, that means you don't need the XWIS tool to play on XWIS any longer, just install the game and go - But you had better have a valid serial since XWIS checks against the old Westwood master list So for most of us, there is our back-up.

[alchemi2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GameRanger

I've downloaded it but no one was on hosting any Emperor game, So Voodoo is probably right, there ain't a host of Mac player out there.  ;)

[Scott Kevill]

Emperor isn't available on the Mac. I'm talking about the PC here.

The Wikipedia entry is out of date (and has always been wildy inaccurate) anyway, so don't take too much notice of that.

alchemi2, GameRanger for PC was only released for the first time a couple of days ago, it's only natural that it will take a little time for momentum to build.

[Madenod]

To test it out you guys should do it as a group to see if it really is quick and easy like scott has described it to be. 8)

[elsipues]

HI I'm still here you may be wondering Y but I'm still here

sch am if you like i will be on line next Tuesday some were around 9 o'clock eastern time USA that is

and we can try this server

i would like to c if it actually works.