| Setting up
as Host: Establish
an Internet connection. (however you do it... there are
various ways... the simplest way may be to just get on
the web using your Internet provider and then minimize
your web browser to get it out of the way)
Using Winipcfg.exe, find
your IP address. It will be a number similar to:
123.456.789.12 If the number listed is 0.0.0.0 then you
do not have a valid Internet TCP/IP connection.
Write down the number and
give it to your friends who want to fly with you.
Keep the same Internet
connection up and running (the address will change if you
log off and back on)...
In FS98, go into the
Flights menu... choose MultiPlayer... choose Connect.
You will be prompted
whether you want to:
-Host a session... or...
-Join an existing
session... or...
-Find other players on the
Internet (this means, go to the MS Internet Gaming Zone).
Enter your Callsign and
choose HOST a session.
Enter the Host options...
choose a Session name such as your own name so that your
partners will readily recognize your session.... choose
Next.
You will be given a list
of protocols to choose from. Choose TCP/IP.
That's all there is to
it... now you are established on the Internet as the host
of a session. Your friends can now join you flying in
cyberspace.
You should come back to
the FS98 cockpit view with a Chat window on your screen.
Move and resize the chat window to suit you. Your own
name will be in the list of players in that window. As
your friends join your session, their names will appear
in the list.
To use the Chat window,
hit ENTER to activate the window, or use the mouse to
activate it.
Joining a Session:
The host must give you his
current IP address. Write it down.
Establish an Internet
connection and start FS98.
In the Flights menu,
choose Multiplayer... then Connect.
You will be prompted
whether you want to:
-Host a session…
-Join an existing
session… or...
-Find other players on the
Internet, (this means, go to the MS Internet Gaming Zone)
Choose "Join an
existing session".
You will be given a list
of protocols to choose from. Choose TCP/IP.
A small gray dialog box
will appear... type your host's IP address into the box.
(You are also given the choice to let FS98 search for
sessions. This will probably never work for you on an
Internet hookup. I think the search feature is only there
for use with LANs. I've never heard of it turning up any
sessions on the Internet)
You should see your Host
friend's session listed in the next box immediately.
Choose your friend's
session and hit Join.
That's about it.
You will come back to the
main FS98 cockpit screen with a chat window in view. Your
Host's name and your own name will be in the list of
players on the right. Any other connected players names
will be listed there. To activate the chat window, hit
ENTER or use the mouse to activate it.
When you come up in the
session, if you and the other players are not at the same
airport, you can easily move to the same location using
either Flights, or by using the GoTo feature of FS98.
Finding Partners
I like to hook up with
potential partners in the Compuserve FSFORUM (go
fsforum). Another good place to find partners is
www.TradeIP.com. On that site, you can post your IP
address and a description of what you want to do with
your session so that other people coming along later can
just drop into your session. I can usually find a good
group just by joining in an existing session, but if I
host a group, I can usually count on others joining in
within a few minutes. With time-zone variations around
the world, there's never a bad time to fly.
Copyright
© 1997, Rick Lee / please distribute freely
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