Metaltech: Battledrome (Plus LAN Instructions)

[mairujyat]

So I've recently gotten Metaltech: Battledrome up and running on DOSbox, and on top of that, got the LAN gameplay working through the use of LogMeIn Hamachi.

Sort of curious if anyone's interested in trying to get together and shoot the crap out of one another in that?

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For anyone who's interested:

First, download or install Metaltech: Battledrome on a machine with Windows XP or later.

I've provided a clean install here: s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=23692732354682531461

Just extract the folder wherever you want, but remember where it is.

If you don't have DOSbox already, get the latest version (0.74 as of this post). It can be found here: www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1

Also get the Unmanaged version of LogMeIn Hamachi. You can download that here: secure.logmein.com/products/hamachi/download.aspx

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All that said and done, let's get to this.

First, go to the folder you installed DOSbox into, and run the DOSbox Options batch file, or "DOSbox 0.74 Options.bat".


Once you're in the .txt file it creates, go all the way to the bottom (or ctrl-f), and find the line that reads "ipx=false".


Change that to "true", then save and exit out from there.

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If you haven't run Hamachi yet, do so now. When you start it for the first time, it should prompt you to choose a name.

If you're joining a network, go to the "Network" tab, and select "Join An Existing Network".


Type in the name of the network, and the password (if it's needed), hit 'Join', and you'll be all set.


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If you're hosting, just make a network.


Name it whatever you feel like, as well as whatever password you want it to have.


Later on, if you want to, you can right-click the network in Hamachi, and disable the password protection, so anyone with the network name can join.

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Now, open up DOSbox.

If you're not the one running the network in Hamachi, type "ipxnet connect", followed by the IP Address for the network owner's Hamachi client.


Just as an example, I'm using the address for the old Hamachi network's client. If you plan on joining my network, then use the most recent IP address, listed at the bottom of this post, or anyone else's if they've set up their own networks.

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If you're the owner of the network, type "ipxnet startserver" in DOSbox.


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After doing either of those steps, type in "mount c ", followed by the filepath for the Battledrome game folder.


From here, type in "C:", and hit enter.


Then type in "bd", or "bd.exe".


Hit enter, and voila!


Battledrome is now running with an LAN connection enabled.

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To play via LAN, at least two players need to connect simultaneously.

To initiate the network, just select the profile you want to use (create one, if you haven't already). Afterwards, select "Remote".


Next, hit "Net".


You should end up on a screen like this one. Just wait for it to connect.


As long as you're connecting at the same time as at least one other player, you should end up at the main menu again, with the "Opponents" and "Herc" options no longer greyed out. Click "Opponents", and you can figure things out from there.


Thankfully, Hamachi has a built-in chat, so you can coordinate it more effectively than just setting a time and crossing fingers.


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I'm hoping to try and get at least monthly matches going on, since I think Battledrome was one of those awesome LAN games that shouldn't just be left to hide on a shelf.

Plus, Metaltech is still a part of Starsiege, isn't it?

EDIT

I set up a network on Hamachi specifically for this, anyone interested in joining, the information is below.

ID: B.C.N.
PW: Gierling
IP ADDRESS: 25.218.243.109

Also, if you're offline/inactive on Battledrome for longer than an hour, I'll boot you off, so others can fill the spot.

Unmanaged Hamachi networks can only hold 5 people at a time, and I'm not paying for more people per network unless I know people will use it.

EDIT #2
Added pics. Did anyone know that the photo upload hosting for the forums is dead/not working?

So yeah, if anyone complains that the images were taken off Tinypic, redirect them to this note, since they probably didn't read it.

I'll re-upload them as needed, just note me which ones are down.

EDIT #3
Changed the link to the Battledrome download, as Tarazedi's download section was re-done/removed. This is temporary, I'll get a more permanant link as soon as I can.

Also updated the info on the Hamachi network, please disregard the photos for information regarding the network I've set up, rely on the text for that stuff.

[SURGE]

Screenshots? .... lol

[mairujyat]

Jul 12, 2012 9:26:32 GMT -6 @SURGE said:

Screenshots? .... lol

KNEW that was going to be the next post. Let me get that done. lol

[uRgEs]

Yeah good idea that helps alot, but i was really refering to the screens of actual gameplay, like really lols dos? But the title screen looked neat enough though yeah yep yep

[mairujyat]

Jul 12, 2012 22:46:02 GMT -6 @uRgEs said:

Yeah good idea that helps alot, but i was really refering to the screens of actual gameplay, like really lols dos? But the title screen looked neat enough though yeah yep yep

Didn't think it'd come to this, but... There comes a day in every person's life where they need to do their own research.

But in all seriousness, while it might help to illustrate how the game plays and advertise the idea, nobody will really play it if it's "not as cool as it looked".

I plan to write a short summary of the controls and etc later on, but the main purpose of this thread was to give people the means to play the game once again, both offline and with friends over a network.

Plus, sometimes it's fun to just grab up a game without any real prior knowledge, and just play it, out of blind curiousity.

But if you MUST know what it's all about...

Have a commercial: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K3O-XeGwIM

[-={Green Demon}=-]

Great job on the post Mairujyat. Seldom is that much work done, it shows your passion for this BattleDrome project which is rare in SS players.

[mairujyat]

Jul 13, 2012 7:29:07 GMT -6 -={Green Demon}=- said:

Great job on the post Mairujyat. Seldom is that much work done, it shows your passion for this BattleDrome project which is rare in SS players.

Thanks.

Most of this was the result of my being generally pissed off about Tribes: Ascend, and it's tenuous grasp on the BD/ES/ES2/SS/Tribes lore.

When I get a good enough computer to run that game, I am going to make it a habit of asking people if they remember Earthsiege. Or Starsiege. Or even the god-damn original Tribes.

Knowing how things work, though... Nobody will remember, all of them just being bandwagon junkies, like what happened with Fallout 3 when it was announced. Just a huge bunch of people, who only just heard of Fallout for the very first time, joining in on the "OMG THIS WILL BE AWESOME" train, and never even playing the first few games.

But yeah, I set most of this up because the people on this forum are probably some of the last few who still remember that there were games before Tribes.

I sort of want to see about not just keeping Starsiege alive, but also the games that came before it.

[mairujyat]

Sunday night, around 9 PM Eastern, I'm going to pretty much be all set to play Battledrome on the LAN network I've set up.

It's the same network I mentioned in the tutorial.

Network ID is: BATTLEDROME COMBAT NETWORK
Password is: Gierling

Anyone who braves the 20 trials of the fearsome DOSbox LAN set-up and joins in on this will get a secret prize. Or something.

[zoolbastet]

still waiting on those screens

[mairujyat]

Alright, so I'm going to start keeping updates related to the status of the network for multiplayer, recent computer troubles made it impossible to do anything, so anyone looking for a match in BD, I apologize.

Do remember that it's possible to create a network in Hamachi yourself, so you -can- actually orchestrate your own matches.

Anyhow, new network information as follows:

Network ID: B.C.N.
Password: Gierling
IP Address: 25.218.243.109
Hope to see people join up for a fight!