Do I need unique keys for LAN Play?

[mehoo462]

I'm hoping to host a mega multiwinia LAN party! It's going to be great. There's going to be about 12 computers, which means we can do up to three simultaneous games of Multiwinia... awesome!

Question: Does each LAN seat require a unique authentication? Do i need to by 12 copies of multiwinia to have my party? Even though many of the people will play for the day and forget about it?

That would put a damper on things.... it's such a great pick up a play game. It'de be a shame if couldn't just invite people over to pick up and play., instead each of them had to invest $25 first. As I see it. If i have twelve people over to play MW and 3 of them decide to buy the game after spending a day with it... it's better for IV than me not having twelve people over.

I haven't had a chance to experiment with LAN since the patch. Anybody have any insight into how this works?

[bert_the_turtle]

Question: Does each LAN seat require a unique authentication? Do i need to by 12 copies of multiwinia to have my party? Even though many of the people will play for the day and forget about it?

Yes, yes, and irrelevant. They won't forget about it.

I haven't had a chance to experiment with LAN since the patch. Anybody have any insight into how this works?

Fine, thanks

Sorry, could not resist. LAN play works in two ways:
1. the host broadcasts its existence over the LAN, and the clients pick that broadcast up and display it on the server browser. Since the metaserver and its version compatibility table is unavaliable, you can only connect to the host if the program versions match exactly.
2. the host transmits its LAN IP and public IP to the metaserver. The clients on the same LAN notice they share the same public IP and thus are on the same LAN, so when they connect to the host, they know they can use the LAN address instead. The metaserver manages version compatibility here.
No method allows you to use the same key in one game. The host makes sure that this is so.

[mehoo462]

but if I bought the game through steam... then I would be able to make it work via offline mode. I see. That's kind of frustrating.

[rainingblood]

but if I bought the game through steam... then I would be able to make it work via offline mode. I see. That's kind of frustrating.

Offline mode in Steam doesn't really mean anything more than that Steam doesn't need to be online - says nothing for the games.

Jelco

Hem, the offline mode enables you to organize a huge TF2 lan party for example, with only 1 steam account

[bert_the_turtle]

Yeah, but it probably won't work for Multiwinia. I can run the steam version in wine, for example, and it does not connect to steam in any way (odd, if you ask me, but I don't complain), but it still communicates with IVs metaserver to validate the key that was downloaded by steam on the first run, and as far as I know every steam account only gets one key, and no two players in a game can have the same key. Starting the game directly from offline mode for the first time simply may not work at all.

[Greeba]

Yeah, but it probably won't work for Multiwinia. I can run the steam version in wine, for example, and it does not connect to steam in any way (odd, if you ask me, but I don't complain), but it still communicates with IVs metaserver to validate the key that was downloaded by steam on the first run, and as far as I know every steam account only gets one key, and no two players in a game can have the same key. Starting the game directly from offline mode for the first time simply may not work at all.

I don't think he's suggesting that it might work, but that it should. Debatable; as Multiwinia is a primarily multiplayer game, you could argue that you should each have a copy to play it (TF2 comes as part of the Orange Box, which is about 3/4 single player content)

[thePyro_13]

you cannot have to players with the same auth key in the same game. tried it with my little bro. doesnt work.

offline mode, however, will allow you to play the steam version of the game without having to use the internet. but each steam account has a different auth key so everyone still needs a different key.

[MikeTheWookiee]

Since you can only have 4 in one game, you could always just get 4 keys and have just the one game on the go at any one time. If you go direct via IV and not Steam, then there's nothing to tie each key to the specific computer. You can wipe the key off one machine and re-enter it on another to give the other person a go.

**Warning!** That's if it all works like defcon. Also, I await being corrected / slapped by IV if I've just told you to do something illegal or unapproved. **Warning!**

[bert_the_turtle]

If they only play one game at a time with four keys, that certainly would work and be OK legally.

[mehoo462]

I was reading this excellent article here: http://www.designer-notes.com/?p=106

And this guy has a very well articulated alternative point of view. I thought I'de share it here.

6. Anti-piracy paranoia

The damage that piracy does to our industry is impossible to calculate but also impossible to ignore. Few company heads can be as brave as Stardock’s Brad Wardell, who chose to leave out copy protection altogether for the Galactic Civilization series. (They encourage paying customers by providing on-line updates to players with legitimate serial numbers.) Having some sort of mechanism to stop casual piracy is a given in the industry, but what is not a given is the hoops companies will make their customers jump through just to be able to start the game. The most important question to ask is “will this added security layer actually increase our sales?” A good place to be lenient, for example, is with local multi-player games - in other words, can players without the CD join a multi-player game hosted by a legitimate copy. Starcraft let you “spawn” extra copies of the game that could only join local multi-player games. Allowing unlimited LAN play was our unofficial policy for Civ 4 as well. The game does a disk check when opening the executable but not when you actually launch the game; thus, a group of 4 friends could just pass one disk around for local multiplayer games. We do not believe players are willing to buy extra discs just for LAN parties, which are rare events. However, we would love for new players to be introduced to Civ in these environments, encouraged by their friends who are already fans. At some point, they are going to want to try single-player [or play online] - in which case, it is time for a trip down to the local retailer to buy their own copy.

Of course Introversion is welcome to a different opinion, and if I was Thomas Arundel, in charge of a small start-up poised to conquer the world, I would definitely consider pursuing the same hardline policy demanding every sale I can get.

But it should be noted that the result of this policy wasn't 12 more sales for Introversion. I simply had to cancel my party which led to a bunch of disappointed people. And the three or four people I invited who may have bought the game now probably won't.

[lorant]

Another related possibility would be to have limited support for multiplayer in the demo. This would ease our proselytism attempts (or is that evangelism?), and may also bring more player available for those who own the full game. Would make everyone happier... But I understand it may not be the more profitable option for IV.

[mehoo462]

that's how Defcon worked.

[Qwertyuiopas]

I have seen a diffrent game that allowed demo users to connect to LAN games by users with the full game.
If it were adjusted so that a full version could give out a "LAN key" of some sort that would allow up to X people to join that copy during the next 24 hours, but only the copy that the key was given by, and there was a limit, such as that could only be used every 48 hours or so, AND each key could only be used by up to 6 computers, sending a replacement key to the first 6 or something.
That might make it a bit more reasonable, but of course it would depend fully on the staff/programmers who made Multiwinia.

[Ahtykk]

but if I bought the game through steam... then I would be able to make it work via offline mode. I see. That's kind of frustrating.

Offline mode in Steam doesn't really mean anything more than that Steam doesn't need to be online - says nothing for the games.

Jelco

Hem, the offline mode enables you to organize a huge TF2 lan party for example, with only 1 steam account

Strange, setting Steam to offline mode makes mine refuse to run anything.
At all.

[NeatNit]

but if I bought the game through steam... then I would be able to make it work via offline mode. I see. That's kind of frustrating.

Offline mode in Steam doesn't really mean anything more than that Steam doesn't need to be online - says nothing for the games.

Jelco

Hem, the offline mode enables you to organize a huge TF2 lan party for example, with only 1 steam account

Strange, setting Steam to offline mode makes mine refuse to run anything.
At all.

Heppened to me too, but that was a LOOONG time ago. I was nude.


Or something.