modem support

[adx]

does somebody knows if there's any port or launchers that would allow me to play via modem. the dm.exe included in the DOOM II package doesn't work.

[Mighty Duck X-treme]

Not that I know of, sorry. :(

Perhaps this might help?

[Hirogen2]

The modem times are over. TCP will assimilate you. (Get a copy of Windows 95 or
better [includes non-M$] )

[Mighty Duck X-treme]

Don't be too sure about that, because there are people who still use modems or cannot use broadband connection.

[HotWax]

All of Doom's modem code has been ripped out from ZDoom. The only multiplayer support is now via TCP/IP.

Luckily, there *is* a way to use TCP/IP over a modem connection. Well, actually there are a few...

The first method is the easiest, but might not yield the best results. Simply have both players connect to the internet and establish a connection the normal way. Okay, this really isn't a modem-modem connection... but yeah...

The second way is harder and relies on 3rd-party software which may or may not be readily available to you... This also assumes you use Windows.

Since you use a modem, I'm going to assume you're familiar with Dial-Up Networking. Well, certain Windows versions have a host application that can be installed. One computer would need to install it, and then the other would dial-up to THAT computer just as if they were calling their ISP. The host would assign an IP address to the client, and you're in business. At this point it's basically as if you're now sharing a network, so you can connect using the normal -host and -join commands that ZDoom supports. (You can find detailed instructions on using them in the ZDoom documentation)

[Hirogen2]

Ergh, Windows can do that. (Dunno how heh). You need to setup servers that accept dial in requests (I never done that except with ISDN under linux). It's like calling a service provider. The server (your opponent's computer) assigns an IP to both of you, so that the TCP/IP connection is transparent. This is called "Virtual Private Network" in the Windows setup.

The other way could also be trying to play with DirectPlay, which can mask it also AFAIK.

[HotWax]

Ergh, Windows can do that. (Dunno how heh). You need to setup servers that accept dial in requests (I never done that except with ISDN under linux). It's like calling a service provider. The server (your opponent's computer) assigns an IP to both of you, so that the TCP/IP connection is transparent. This is called "Virtual Private Network" in the Windows setup.

The other way could also be trying to play with DirectPlay, which can mask it also AFAIK.

Yes, absolutely. In fact I've done it before, between myself and someone else who apparently is also myself according to RandomLag. It's interesting that I live 60 minutes away from myself, really. But that's neither here nor there.

I'm pretty sure I was using Win 98 (FE or SE, not sure) and found the program in the add/remove programs->windows setup area. Dial-Up Server or something like that... When you start the program you get a dialog where you can enter a password and set a few options, then it minimizes to your system tray. On the other end the person just needs to create a new connection in Dial-Up Networking using your phone number as the call number and once they're connected, the gaming can begin...

[randi]

All of Doom's modem code has been ripped out from ZDoom. The only multiplayer support is now via TCP/IP.

Actually, there was never any modem code in Doom to begin with. It was all inside of sersetup.exe. Doom just had some stub routines that called into sersetup.exe to handle the connection.

And to be more accurate, the networking is actually UDP, not TCP, though most people probably don't know the difference, since they're both part of the Internet.

[Hirogen2]

In fact, it is useless. ZDoom (that's not ZDaemon or else) already plays crappy
with ISDN single channel 64kbps. Don't even try to do it with less.

[HotWax]

In fact, it is useless. ZDoom (that's not ZDaemon or else) already plays crappy
with ISDN single channel 64kbps. Don't even try to do it with less.

It's not useless if you make a direct modem connection.

The reason that ISDN connection sucks and a modem connection (via the Internet) would suck even more, is because when you go through the Internet, you route through several servers. So it might take a dozen or more "hops" to get from your computer to your opponents'. To make matters worse, the route used may change from packet to packet. Finally, countless other users may be routing through some of those systems at the same time, so traffic will not be consistant, meaning from one moment to the next your connection varies, and packets may be lost entirely.

With a modem-to-modem connection, there are no hops. There's your computer, and there's your opponent's computer. The speed of the connection is determined by that one connection rather than a dozen ever-changing connections. Like I said, I've done it before. The performance was quite acceptable. (Although it didn't feel as smooth as when we'd played using doom.exe and sersetup. But it had been a long time so I could be wrong.)

In any case connecting in this manner would yield better performance than you're likely to get on ANY internet connection no matter if you're using a modem or broadband. The only possible exception is if both you and your opponent have T1 lines or better, and that assumes that you don't route through a slower system. If you have the means to do so (and can afford the long distance charges, if applicable) it is definately recommended you play modem-to-modem instead of routing through the net.