A multiplayer guide
* How multiplayer games are hosted:
There are two ways a multiplayer game can be hosted, which affects how a player plays her turns:
- The game can be hosted on a server always running (this is called TCP/IP). To play in such a game, go to Network in Dominions main menu, and click on Connect to a Dominions Server. Type in the address of the server (as given by your host), the port number of the game, and you will be connected to the game. The game is then automatically downloaded to your computer, and you can play your turn directly Online. Once you have finished your turn, hit the End turn button, and your turn will be uploaded.
- Alternatively, the game can be played by email (PBEM), where you receive and send your turns via emails. Your host will send you a XXX.trn file, where XXX is your nation name. Put this file in a game directory (any will do), play your turn as usual, and send the XXX.2h file to the host. This file contains your orders for the turn.
- A note on creating a Pretender for a game: create your Pretender as usual, making sure you have set a password. Then send the Pretender file (XXX.2h, this time found in the newlords directory) if you are playing a PBEM game, or claim your nation in a TCP/IP game. Note that only your latest Pretender is included in this file. Once your Pretender has been taken in, you are free to create other Pretenders for the same nation.
* Maps, mods and patches:
You will likely need to install other files in order to play in any particular game: these may be a specific map (if you are not playing one of the maps supplied with the game), a mod (which alters the game, by modifying Pretenders, spells, creatures and so on) or a patch (which is an official update to the game, fixing bugs and adding features).
- To install a map, simply put it in your maps directory (where Dominions is installed). You only need the YYY.tga file to play on map YYY; the YYY.map file is only used when creating a game with this map. Therefore, you will not have to worry about having the same .map file as your host when playing a multiplayer game.
- To install a mod, put it in your mods directory; you should see a ZZZ.dm mod in your mods directory. If you have download an archive instead, you may also see a ZZZ subdirectory in your mods directory.
The mod should be automatically activated whenever you play a game needing it. However, if you are creating a Pretender for a modded game, make sure you have activated the appropriate mod(s) before creating your Pretender. While I think you will not need the mod(s) if they do not alter Pretender stats, they are otherwise needed. For example, if your particular Pretender has been made a bit more expensive by a mod, and you used all 500 design points when creating it (without using the mod), you will trigger the cheat alert.
- The latest patch for Dominions can be download from Shrapnel here. Unless stated otherwise, all new games are created with the latest patch, so you should update your Version as well. Patches (or at least the recent ones) are comptabible with one another, but using a different Version from your host will result in incorrect battle reports on your side.
Should you ever need to download older patches, copy the URL to the latest patch and replace the figures in the URL by the figures of the patch you would like to download. For example, [...]/dom_215/dompatch215.exe would be the end of the URL for the 2.15 patch, while [...]dom_212/dompatch212.exe would allow you to download the 2.12 patch.
* Various problems and tricks:
While the short guide above is more than enough to play multiplayer games, there are a few other things you might want to know to make your life easier.
- Problems connecting to the server (TCP/IP): you may have trouble connecting to the server from time to time, especially when playing in big games, while it works fine the rest of the time. Attempting to connect several times in a row usually helps, and the host can restart the server as well.
- Uploading your turn in a TCP/IP game: your turn is immediately uploaded as soon as you end your turn, or connect to the server before the current turn has run. If you do not wish to play your turn while being connected to the server, you should use the "Quit without saving" option, which will clear all orders you might have issued for the current turn. If you would rather keep your orders, use the "Save game and quit" option instead, which should save your orders.
In both cases, you can now play your game offline, as you would load any other game. Your player file will then be uploaded to the server as soon as you connect to it (unless the current turn has already run).
- Keeping the address (IP and port) of several games: only the IP and the port of the game you played Last is kept in the game, so you may prefer to use a shortcut to directly connect to the game instead. To do so, create a shortcut of your Dom2.exe, and add the following in the Target line: --ipadr [IP of the server] --port XXXX. Double-clicking on the shortcut will then allow you to connect directly to the particular game when hitting "Connect to a Dominions server", without having to type the IP and the port every time.
For example, your Target line could be something like: C:\dominions2\dom2.exe --ipadr dom2.mosehansen.dk --port 9876
- Having several Versions of Dominions on the same computer: you might need to have both the latest Version and an older one installed on your computer at the same moment. To do so, copy your current dom2.exe, and patch the original dom2.exe. The copy of the executable will not be updated, allowing you to play games still played with the older Version. This works at least for the Last few patches, as they only modified the executable itself.
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