You and your friends would play MP on a certain server, and there you would build your charcters.

We are working on some schema to try to make it possible move characters between servers, and we are fairly certain that we will add a bunch of tools and programs to the servers we host, such as ladders, specielt tournament settings for players and similar.

This is actually something a bunch of beta-testers are currently spending a lot of time to map out to build the greatest experience for you guys out there!

Best Regards
Christian "Bargib" Koerner
Editor in Chief, The Lancers Reactor

"Tach" - ful as usual

I can see where this would be confuzing now, so I'll try me best to explain by examples.

*All these examples are for MP only*

This is if you do NOT install and run the FL server software (which can be installed seperately and you're prompted to choose this when you first put in the CD)

1. You start FL for the first time, run through all the kewl movies in the beginning, then choose MP from the first screen of choices. This takes you to a list of global servers and you choose to connect to a server. The first time you connect to a server you're pormpted to create a character. You come up with a name and then you LOAD this character in the server. Blammo, you're off and running.
2. You start FL later, maybe run through those kewl movies again because hell, you finally got FL and actually enjoy cranking up the speakers each time you begin to play this awesome game like to let everyone know to just leave you alone for a few hours, you're in the "ZONE" baby. Then choose MP from the first screen of choices. This takes you to a list of global servers and you choose to connect to a server. If you choose a server you have never been to before, then look at step 1 above about creating a character. If you choose a server you have been to before, then you'll see the character(s) listed you have used on that server. You load the character onto the server and blammo, you're off and running again from the very spot you left off from before.

This is for is you DO install the server software

1. When you initiate the server software, you will have some decisions to make. Whether or not you want to make the server available to the internet is one of them. If you do make it available, then obviously the software will "talk" with the global server and then will list it to the world along with the other servers!
2. You can choose NOT to make the server available to the internet and this is where the localized LAN server is created. I'm not sure of the procedures from here on out, but you're essentially doing the same thing as in step one, just not making it publically available. So could you build up a character while in a LAN setting and then make it global and carry that character into the global server environment....sure. That has been done during testing. Can you bring along other characters built up while in a LAN setting, make the server public and bring all those characters along for the ride. I'd guess yes! (Too be honest, I'm not sure what would prvent this, but afaik, it's not been done yet.)
3. Can you take a character built up on a LAN server and transfer it to another server... unknown yet , sorry. Each server retains the characters created on it and those are non-transferable. If by some chance a person were to "find a way" to do this transfer, any server admin with their wits about them would be able to tell....TRUST me on this fact. (but how can you say that Stinger, huh? Could it be because you actually tried to do this...hmmm?)

Well, there you go...clear as mud now?

Edited by - Stinger on 11-02-2003 23:03:12

Will servers you last visited will be placed at the top of your server list? Like i nthe latest edition of GameSpy Arcade. Or do you have to make them "Favourites"?

You can find me on ELITE

@Wiz

Each column in the global server window is sortable. So yes, you can sort the "visited" column to show the ones you've visited before on the top.

will i be able to have one pc running the server app and being on the global list AND be able to play on it as client from 2 other computers on the same lan with no packets leaving the network from the 2 client machines thus leaving all my bandwith for people connecting to the server ???
i hope so

Same pipeline prevents that I'm afraid. You will lose some performace because of the packet loss. Depending on the size of the pipe, it's still feasible you could run all those comps on the server listed in the global. Here's a thought if performace dos become an issue. You could password protect the thing, or limt the number of players the server would hold. Those two options used independantly or in conjunction with each other makes me think you could make this a reality. It just might take some experiementing on your part, that's all.



Edited by - Stinger on 12-02-2003 02:38:49

thanks for that stinger i think i will be able to arrive at a suitable balance as i dont mind experimenting for a while to get things running as welll as possible
at this point i will probably be password protecting the server anyway as there are at least 4 people who will be trying to connect to it (uk broadband) and depending on the performance we get i will adjust the settings from there.


mad dog said the following in the 56k thread:-

*"from what i've noticed is that FL has an download of 3kb/s and an upload of around 1kb/s while you are multiplaying so a 56k should be able to make it"


my upload is around 25.6 kb/s assuming a limit of 3kb/s* per player maybe i could tweak the player load up to around 6 before i get lag problems