Hi guys,

Reading some of the threads here it seems like some of you are experiencing some issues with lag with regards to the multiplayer or don't have a server located close to you. I'd thought it would be a good idea to draft a quick guide on how to possibly host your own online and LAN dedicated server(s). Seeing that this is an Unreal Engine 3 game, the mechanics behind hosting a dedicated server should be the same for Alien Rage as I've setup some UE3 based servers in the past (Chivalry Medieval Warfare, UT3 etc). A friend of mine who owns the game let me test drive it for a while on his PC and this gave me the opportunity to test out some server hosting configurations on his machine which were successful. Here's hoping the CI reps allow this post to be stickied, if not, feel free to delete it.

You can host 2 types of servers:

a) LAN listen /dedicated server (where you can host and play on the same machine)
b) Online dedicated server

I'll cover each of these in brief below with some configuration settings:

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*LAN listen / dedicated server configuration*

1) To create a LAN listen/dedicated server, make a shortcut of the "ARageMP.exe" in the Multiplayer\Binaries\Win32 folder and add the following to the command line properties of the shortcut, for example:

"G:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\Alien Rage\Multiplayer\Binaries\Win32\ARageMP.exe" server mp_8_cliffside?dedicated?steamsockets?seekfreeloadingserver?listen=1?bislanmatch=1 Apply the changes to your shortcut and give it a descriptive name if you wish.

The game only shipped with 4 mp maps to choose from (the number in the map name indicates the number of players the specific map supports):

- mp_8_cliffside
- mp_8_operations
- mp_16_conversion
- mp_16_drillstation

You can use any of these in your server command line (specified in the previous step) to start your server.

The ?bislanmatch=1 command line switch creates your server as a LAN server.

2) Launch your LAN server from the shortcut you made.

3) To connect to your LAN server, make another shortcut to the ARageMP.exe in the "Multiplayer\Binaries\Win32" folder simply add the IP at the end of the command line, for example:

"G:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\Alien Rage\Multiplayer\Binaries\Win32\ARageMP.exe" 127.0.0.1 (or you local lan IP address on your network). Take note, there is a space between the closing quotation mark and the local IP address (127.0.0.1).

4) Launch your game via the shortcut you made in step 3 and not via your Steam library in order for you to connect to your own LAN server. Although, one thing that I didn't test is to use the "SET LAUNCH OPTIONS" option and add the IP address there. You can access the "SET LAUNCH OPTIONS" by right-clicking your Alien Rage shortcut in your Steam library and then choose "Properties".

Take Note:

Your LAN server won't show in the browser, so you'll need to give your LAN IP address for other players to connect as shown in step 3 or try using the method I specified in step 4.

5) Play!

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*Online dedicated server configuration*

1) In order for you to run a standalone dedicated server, you'll need to make a copy of your "Multiplayer" folder and rename it to something like "ARDS" and then use your "ARDS" folder and do the following steps:

a) In your dedicated server folder (ARDS), go to the "Binaries\Win32" folder and create a shortcut of the "ARageMP.exe" file and add the following to the command line of the shortcut, for example:

"G:\Games\Steam\steamapps\common\Alien Rage\ARDS\Binaries\Win32\ARageMP.exe" server mp_8_cliffside?dedicated?steamsockets?seekfreeloadingserver?listen=1?bislanmatch=0

Apply the changes to your shortcut and give it a descriptive name if you wish.
The game only shipped with 4 mp maps to choose from (the number in the map name indicates the number of players the specific map supports):

- mp_8_cliffside
- mp_8_operations
- mp_16_conversion
- mp_16_drillstation

You can use any of these in your server command line (specified in the previous step) to start your server.

The ?bislanmatch=0 command line switch creates your server as an online server.

2) Launch your online server from the shortcut you made. Check your server console window and ensure that your server obtains a Steam UID value like this:
Log: Steam game server UID: 1234567890 (these numbers will be random based upon your Steam account) If you don't get a Steam UID, then it won't be displayed in the browser.

3) Launch the game via your Steam library. You don't need to add any IP address here to the "SET LAUNCH OPTIONS" option like you can for a LAN server, seeing that your server will be visible in the server browser.

4) Once in game, go to the server browser and find your server in the browser, connect and play !

5) Please note that for some reason, your server name will be obtained from your computer's Windows name. I tried setting it in all the available ini files, but it doesn't want use that setting. For example, my PC name in Windows is "Viperman-PC", so your server name might be something similar unless you changed it to something else :)

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*Final notes*

- I'm still trying to figure out how to host a FFA server, because no matter what you do, the game ALWAYS defaults to TDM (maybe one of the CI Game reps can help us out here?)

- There is no way for your server to auto cycle between the maps, so once your map timer runs out, it just restarts the maps. It appears to me as if they never implemented this function, that's why you see so many servers only running one map each.

- Setting a custom server name is not possible (see the note I added in Step 5 of the online server configuration)

- If you're using a router to connect to the internet, ensure that you forward ports UDP 7777, 7778 and 39060 for your server to be visible in the browser.

- Remember to manually "update" your dedicated server folder each time a new update is released, by deleting your old one and making a copy again of your "Multiplayer" folder after each new update.

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This should help those of you living in Australia or any other location around the world to host your own server without playing on a server with a 300ms+ ping. If I discover anything else, I'll be sure to add it to this guide, otherwise feel free to ask any questions and I'll answer them to the best of my ability.

Have fun !