When I heard that ToCA 3 will allow more than one player on-line
through the same router, without lag issues, I just had to try doing
that. We have now tested playing three consoles through one router and
there were no unusual signs of lag through a reasonable DSL
connection!
Equipment
Each player will need:
at least a router, to LAN. A router also helps getting on-line if
you
also want to have a computer connected to the Internet, at the same
time, but you can connect the Internet cable directly to the console's
Ethernet port, if you wish. The router will handle
a lot of the background networking stuff for you (both a switch and a
hub have yet to be tested here).
a complete console "station" (on-line capable console, TV, memory
card, game DVD, cables, etc).
a headset/mic. This really helps with good communication during
races
and is much more convenient in the lobby.
space to set up any accessories, such as chairs, wheel stands,
and a
way to
run all of the wires without people tripping on them.
LAN Play
We first tried racing together by setting up a LAN. There are no
instructions for doing this in the game's manual. The game's LAN mode
is called Network. If any
players are new to the game, then you need to
set up a Profile for each one and have each player start a game
running. On each memory card, you must create a
normal Network Config File, too, to be able to LAN or go on-line. The
PS2's On-line disc is not necessary now because the game can do
everything you need to make a Config File. When making a
Config File, you probably won't need to set up a user ID and password
in the Config File
because most routers handle that for on-line use, so unless yours won't
handle the sign-in, you can probably
just use the default settings, too. If you try to enter your ID and
password for when you do a "test" of the config file, chances are your
connection to your ISP will fail. The normal DNAS restrictions from
SONY will
also apply
to using the same config file on different consoles (a config file
created with one console won't work on any other console),
therefore, you will have to pay attention as to which memory card is
used
with each console now, for networking or on-line play. If necessary,
you
can easily edit
or replace config files, though.
You must make sure you actually save the new or changed config file,
too.
When you exit the editor, the game will reload. When you try to enter
the On-line or Network modes again, which allows selecting the modem
settings,
you will see the on-line settings again. Back out of this page (press
Triangle) and the config file will be saved (look for the memory card
symbol which indicates a save is really happening). Only after it is
saved will you be able to
enter the On-line or Network modes. If you can't see the GameSpy
Agreement page
when trying to go on-line, then you have not saved the config file yet.
Once the Config File is saved, enter Network
mode and create a race,
just as you would while on-line. All the other consoles can
just "join" the LAN session and the same familiar on-line lobby
appears.
It's really that simple. Chatting with voice was handy over a LAN, too,
because when not all of the
consoles are in the same room, players with mic-headsets can still
communicate without yelling. Players without mics can still type text
chat messages, though.
After creating a new GameSpy ID for MissGT, a 2 player on-line test
room was then set up. We tested with a player from Australia and there
were no lag problems and we have also had a number of races with all
three
consoles on-line at the same time. We can also have a mixture of people
playing ToCA 2 and ToCA 3, at the same time, on the same router (but
not in the same on-line room, obviously). A mixture of off-line
players and on-line players could also be using the same
router.
When you race in a LAN, you can also unlock non-bonus Championships
just as if you were racing on-line, so your LAN play can open up
content.
Since we aren't set-up wirelessly, I still need to figure out how to
get all three consoles connected on-line without using up most of the
four router ports. With 3 on-line capable PCs and 3 on-line capable
consoles, something has to give or else a router/switch is going to
have to be used for the consoles, if we are going to get all 3
consoles on-line at the same time without unplugging some PC
connections. I haven't looked into this yet. Getting all consoles
connected with wires to the router
at the same time is the only problem here, not setting them up in a
LAN. Label all networking cables (for consoles and PCs), to make it
easy to physically
unconnect/connect the right equipment.
If on-line players complain that you are lagging, then make sure there
are no computer background programs eating up your bandwidth. For
example, if a PC is uploading or downloading files, chances are that
you won't stop lagging.
If other players cannot enter your on-line room, then it may help to
reset your router, your broadband modem, or both. If the router has not
been turned off or reset for a while, it may be causing this problem.
LinkSys routers without updated firmware are paticularly susceptible to
this problem.
So, for anyone interested in ToCA 3 LANs or in having multiple
consoles going on-line through the same router, it works and it's easy!
