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GENS: Petition for Smoother Netplay -- P2P Guide Pt. 1


Scribe99

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Here's my guide for using the new P2P kaillera.

The advantages of using this are that P2P games are much smoother and offer greater control (half of the controller delay and lag of server play), you can still play on severs with this kaillera if you want to, it's compatible with older versions, you can record movies, and it's a huge improvement in all aspects over the old netplay. And, this works with all gens emulators. So no one has to switch to an emulator that they don't like. It would be a big help if everyone could take the time to update their netplay, so that the people who are setup to host P2P games, will be able to.

The next guide will be focused on setting up your internet to allow you to host games. Remember, anyone can connect to someone else for a P2P game. It's the host player who has to make sure his connection is properly set up.

http://kaillera.movsq.net/

kailleradld.jpg

First off, you need to download a new kaillera.dll file, and place it next to your emulator's .exe file. Just replace your old one with this.

netplay.jpg

To play online, you click netplay in your emulator, just like before.

clientp2p.jpg

Here's the first screen you see. Notice the option in the upper right corner, it says (p2p, client, and playback). You need to switch this option depending on what you want to do. Client is the same as server play, so if you'd like to connect to a server, choose this option and make sure you set your connection speed to the default (Good) setting.

serverslist.jpg

To find servers, click on master servers list at the bottom of the screen.

refresh.jpg

Once you are there, you will need to click on refresh to load all of the 300+ servers.

ping.jpg

After the list has loaded, sort by ping, to see all of the familiar servers.

locallist.jpg

After you've sorted by ping, a nice time saver is to highlight all of your usual servers, and then click on [add to local list]. This way you won't have to ever load the entire server list again. To connect to a server, double click on it. To create a game on the server, you may need to right click by the games list.

host.jpg

Now, to play P2P, one person hosts and the other connects. You will want to choose the P2P option from the main screen. Then if you are the host, highlight the game of choice and click on host game.

waitinggames.jpg

On the newest kaillera update, there is an option to enlist your games on a waiting games list, much like zbattle. That way the person connecting to your game can easily find you, but you have to check this box after you create the game or it will not be shown on the games list. You can also click on [whatsmyip] and your public IP address will show up. The other play can also connect to you using this address.

smoothing.jpg

The options in the bottom right corner are there so that P2P can deal with poor connections. When the other player initially connects to the host, the ping between the two players is calculated and kaillera automatically adjusts the frame delay based on that. For example, I've had extremely smooth and fluid games when the ping between two players is near 100. However, where you run into problems is when the ping between the two players keeps fluctuating, even if it's low. In that case, you will want to use one of the smoothing options. The last option [extra] will be your best bet for an unstable connection, while the middle two options are somewhat of a compromise between no smoothing and extra smoothing.

connecting.jpg

To connect to someone who is hosting, on the main screen change the mode to P2P and then choose connect. You can enter the other person's IP or you can click on waiting games list to find the game.

waitinglist.jpg

This shows the waiting games list, however there are no games created when I snapped this. Just click on the game and join.

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I would like to chime in on the P2P Kaillera based on my experiences thus far.

P2P when I played with BHF (who lives 2 blocks from me in Chicago) on a Friday night ran pretty good.

Pro: Gameplay button/pad response was significantly better.

Con: There were a lot of little hiccups during the game (like a CD skipping).

I still think the P2P is the preferred way for me to play despite those skips. Lately, without P2P, I feel more delayed in the gameplay.

Scribe, if you have any ideas on how to minimize these hiccups, let me know. Also, I need help finding out my IP. Can you assist me with that?

I do think everyone should give this a try though and add their input. It took no more than a couple mins to set up this new kaillera. It's just as easy to use as the last version, you just get the added feature of doing P2P if you want.

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I have used the P2P against AJ who is out here in CA, and SSiG who is on the East Coast. Other than what EA describes a couple of hiccups every so often, the gameplay has been relatively smooth.

I did encounter, however, when I used the new kaillera when playing on a server that I seemed to desync more often in 1on1 games. (not so much in 2on2).

I would definitely use it for league play, and keep the old version as a standby.

EA, to find out your IP create a netplay game, and at the bottom there will be a button "whatsmyip"

just click that and your ip address should appear in the chat box

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EA, to find out your IP create a netplay game, and at the bottom there will be a button "whatsmyip"

just click that and your ip address should appear in the chat box

You can also go to a website such as www.ipchicken.com . The hiccups are there sometimes if one person's internet connection tends to change speeds. When you join to someone else in P2P, you can watch the ping between the two of you. If it fluctuates up and down, chances are you might have some hiccups. To relieve this, there is an option which the host can check mark called "add an extra frame of delay". In the newest update this option is called "smoothing". For most people this should take care of any hiccups. However, with those players who have highly volatile connections, server play might still be your best option.

The nice part about this P2P update is that it still allows server play, so I would encourage people to update their kaillera files to accommodate both server and P2P play.

BTW, there are a couple versions of the P2P client. The newest one has a waiting games option like Zbattle so that you can find your P2P game instead of using the host's IP address. However, I'm still deciding which version I like better. Right now, I'm testing the newest update, which I linked to, for desynching issues. All of these P2P kaillera clients are compatible with each other, so you don't have to worry about the different versions. In case people have issues with the newest version, I'll attach a slightly older version of the P2P client in which IP addresses have to be used for P2P play.

kailleraclient.zip

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Are you suggesting that there's a way to do this *WITHOUT* requiring the host to configure port forwarding?

No, I think I was trying to say that the person who is connecting, not hosting, doesn't have to worry about routers, port forwarding, etc.

Although the way for the host to play without configuring their ports, is to simply plug directly into their modem. But that probably won't fly for some who have other pcs connected to the internet. And actually the other way to get around configuring is to use hamachi, but some people don't like that for security reasons, along with the fact that the free version of hamachi encrypts the data, which could slow things down.

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More information about how P2P and server play actually work:

Server play runs at 8 frames of delay regardless of your ping, on the "good" setting. Therefore the control on server play is inherently sluggish when compared to playing the game offline. Switching players on defense, gaining control of your goalie, dekeing, passing, etc. -- are all delayed more than normal. This is why P2P is a nice option to have -- it's much more responsive.

A look at frame delay for P2P: (ping time between two players)

Ping -- Delay

20 -- 1 frame of delay

40 -- 2 frames of delay

70 -- 3 frames of delay

100 -- 4 frames of delay

140 -- 5 frames of delay

240 -- 8 frames of delay

So a relatively high ping of 100 actually cuts your response delay in half compared to server play.

The P2P mode gauges the ping between two players prior to starting the game, and locks in your frame delay based on that number. Where you may run into problems is if one player's connection tends to spike greatly. This is problematic because the P2P connection establishes itself based on your usual ping, so a big spike may cause a desync to occur. This same problem can occur on server play, but because you are playing with 8 frames of delay from the start, there is less chance of a lag spike causing the match to desync.

When starting a P2P match, watch the ping between you and your opponent. If you see it jump from say a 40 ping to a 300 ping for a brief moment, chances are a similar spike will occur during the game and cause a desync. Now if you are only seeing small fluctuations, it should be fine. However, there are smoothing options present with the P2P client that the host of the game can select and are useful for smaller ping spikes:

- "If near UB" adds 8ms to your ping time before the delay is locked in.

- "Always" adds an extra frame of delay.

- "Extra" adds an extra two frames of delay.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 months later...
I am pinning this topic, since it is becoming more important for online gaming.

Anyone who hasnt tested it out should because it is much better then anything Client has to offer.

At this point, P2P should be mandatory for league play. Why play laggy when you don't have to? What are people's excuses anyways?

There are many people available to help with the port forwarding.

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At this point, P2P should be mandatory for league play. Why play laggy when you don't have to? What are people's excuses anyways?

There are many people available to help with the port forwarding.

Some people don't have access to their routers for one reason or another (communal living, don't own it, etc.) but in general p2p should be favored. Now if only the people responsible for it could figure out how to let us choose who's player 1 and player 2 instead of making it dependent upon who connects to whom.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 years later...

newb here lol..

help please..

my buddy and i got everything set up right (or so we think), we can get in the games, select teams etc.. but when we get in the game, we lose each other. meaning, its like im playing a game vs the cpu and the same for him.. 15 to 45 seconds of game clock behind or a head of each other.

can someone help us out here? let us know what we doing wrong? we have same versions of gens, same netplay etc.. whats the issue?

thanks in advance.

edit - we can play the original NHL94.bin without a problem. its when we play an edited version say the new 2011 Playoff Edition, where we get the delays in the game.

how do we fix that? or can we only play certain files online?

Edited by Fiddy
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