Can't host game on LAN - get a strange error screen

Ask questions that relate to hardware / software issues.

Moderator: Staff

Post Reply
Domarius
Kabuto's Playtoy
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:45 pm

Can't host game on LAN - get a strange error screen

Post by Domarius »

Last night, we were playing Giants just fine on our LAN.

Now, whoever tries to host a game, gets a strange blue screen, with this text on it;

Giants: Citizen Kabuto
Wintry Cool game error screen
Cannot host a multiplayer game (code 80158320). Is there a network connection?
Enter to continue
Escape to exit

Our network is fine - we can share files, and play other network games.
We are running Windows XP.

The error seems to have started after we ran Windows XP "Network Setup" to configure internet connection sharing, at which point all the IP addresses changed - but why would that affect trying to start a host? We re-installed Giants, but it didn't make a difference.
User avatar
King
Administrator
Posts: 320
Joined: Sat Aug 02, 2003 11:49 pm
Location: California
Contact:

Post by King »

Make sure you have the 1.4 patch installed on all computers.
Domarius
Kabuto's Playtoy
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:45 pm

Post by Domarius »

Thanks guys - yes, everyone has the 1.4 patch, we're not using trainers, and not loading custom levels.

Looks like its one of those wierd things I guess...

The error actually appears the moment you press "Host game", so its before the game is set up or anyone tries to connect.
User avatar
Baldrick
Yan the Pimp
Posts: 143
Joined: Mon Aug 11, 2003 7:16 am
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Contact:

Post by Baldrick »

What operating system are you using?
Try re-installing giants or downloading that you are trying to play off someone else, it could just be a corrupt file.
If re-installing giants doesnt work, format your computer, if that doesn't work, buy a new computer, if that doesn't work, give up.
User avatar
Nullpointer
Staff
Staff
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2003 3:29 pm

Post by Nullpointer »

This is an issue with Windows XP (and 2000?), it happens to my lan only computer (the PC with all the Giants stuff on it is NOT connected to the internet of course, I'm not as careless as the HL2 developers were) whenever the network switch is powered off (so Win XP reports "no network cable connected").

This might depend on the order of network adapters (LAN and Internet, maybe also some defunct ones on your PC), Giants takes the first one and if there's no connection it does not take the next one but fails with that wintry error.
Domarius
Kabuto's Playtoy
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:45 pm

Post by Domarius »

Man, thanks Nullpointer!! That would make sense - I'm running WinXP, and it only happened after I set up internet connection sharing on Windows XP (did the whole "Network Setup Wizard", this computer connects to the internet through another, this one connects directly, make network setup floppy, run on client computers.)


All I need to know now, is how to fix it. How do I make it so that Giants chooses my LAN connection first, and not my dial-up connection?
It was working before. There must be a way to change it back so it works again.
User avatar
Nullpointer
Staff
Staff
Posts: 116
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2003 3:29 pm

Post by Nullpointer »

Try changing order of network devices or disable the ones you don't need while playing.
Domarius
Kabuto's Playtoy
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:45 pm

Post by Domarius »

How do I change the order of them though? I can't find any way of doing it, after opening Start - Connect To - Show All Connections

I couldn't disable my internet connection either. The closest thing was when I right-clicked on it, and there was a tick I could remove, next to "Cancel as default connection" but it didn't make a difference.

2 of the computers simply have an internet connection, and a lan connection. The third one has both, but also shares the internet to the other computers when it's online.
Do you have any suggestions?
Domarius
Kabuto's Playtoy
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:45 pm

Post by Domarius »

Still can't play Giants here :) No one has any suggestions for my previous post?
User avatar
RichardMH
Tel the Obnoxious
Posts: 737
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2003 3:38 pm
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Contact:

Post by RichardMH »

Domarius
Kabuto's Playtoy
Posts: 7
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2004 12:45 pm

Post by Domarius »

Thanks man - I saw that link in that other thread called "Firewall ports". Seems my whole problem is the Internet Connection Sharing thing, and I just have to open up that port number.
Post Reply