Hello, i need help.

I'm new to online playing, but managed to have a few test games with Jwebber64. Games were really laggy with ping way over 300! I did some internet speedtests today and ping was always somewhere from 20 to 70 depending on where the server was located. Then i remembered Jwebber64 telling me that "you're blue on hamachi" and found out that it means "relayed connection". He also has the blue dot on my hamachi, or haguichi since i'm on linux.

Now, how do i turn my connection into "direct" like it should be? There's few instructions on the internet, but they're all for the hamachi interface thats a bit different than the haguichi. I just can't make the setups like those instuctions tell me to.

I know, i'm a bit slow, but this is driving me nuts...

Edited March 12, 20188 yr by Meka

Definitely do a google. Lots of info on Hamachi out there. When I have Hamachi problems a couple google searches usually sorts it. (Then I forget the answers, and need to search again next time.) 

Edit: I see you did some searches. I recommend you do more. In my experience of 5 search results, 4 are complicated with 35 steps, and the one that works is an easy 3 stepper. Murphy's Law or something... 

Edited March 12, 20188 yr by aqualizard

Also jwebber is in Taiwan, so that is the main (and possibly only) culprit for bad ping! 

Where are you at? I am in Toronto and my ping with jw was well over 200.

Edited March 12, 20188 yr by aqualizard

I'm in Finland, so it's quite a long way to Taiwan. But still 391ping feels a bit too much.

Yes, that is too much.. Should be less than Toronto. 

I'm getting really frustrated. Been googling and asking around and found the tcp ports that hamachi uses for direct connection. I know how to open those ports from my router if needed, but that's not the problem. The problem is that my hamachi don't know those port numbers, and 'cos of that it makes a relayed connection through upd port.

And here's the frustrating part. On windows you can click on your hamachi settings and add those missing ports. I'm on linux, and on linux you can't do nothing to hamachi settings so the tcp ports that are needed for direct connection remains not available. I've reinstalled hamachi few times already and it doesn't help.

So it seems like no netplay for this dumb garbage truck driver. Better start organizing live tournaments.

Gonna go watch something stupid from netflix now...

Edited March 14, 20188 yr by Meka

33 minutes ago, Meka said:

I'm getting really frustrated. Been googling and asking around and found the tcp ports that hamachi uses for direct connection. I know how to open those ports from my router if needed, but that's not the problem. The problem is that my hamachi don't know those port numbers, and 'cos of that it makes a relayed connection through upd port.

And here's the frustrating part. On windows you can click on your hamachi settings and add those missing ports. I'm on linux, and on linux you can't do nothing to hamachi settings so the tcp ports that are needed for direct connection remains not available. I've reinstalled hamachi few times already and it doesn't help.

So it seems like no netplay for this dumb garbage truck driver. Better start organizing live tournaments.

Gonna go watch something stupid from netflix now...

You can always host directly, but you can only play as the home team that way (unless you switch to SNES!). Unfortunately you won't be able to do away games unless your opponent can also set up their router correctly for direct connections.

4 hours ago, Meka said:

I'm getting really frustrated. Been googling and asking around and found the tcp ports that hamachi uses for direct connection. I know how to open those ports from my router if needed, but that's not the problem. The problem is that my hamachi don't know those port numbers, and 'cos of that it makes a relayed connection through upd port.

And here's the frustrating part. On windows you can click on your hamachi settings and add those missing ports. I'm on linux, and on linux you can't do nothing to hamachi settings so the tcp ports that are needed for direct connection remains not available. I've reinstalled hamachi few times already and it doesn't help.

So it seems like no netplay for this dumb garbage truck driver. Better start organizing live tournaments.

Gonna go watch something stupid from netflix now...

 

What about installing VirtualBox and loading up a Windows VM? Maybe Wine will work also?

Yep i've tried installing hamachi gui with wine but it doesn't work at all. I also found an older gui for linux called hamachi-gui which was told to imitate the windows version, but that didn't work at all either. I haven't tried VM yet, propably have to do that next. I've sent an email for both hamachi and haguichi about this problem i have, waiting to see their answers.

13 hours ago, Meka said:

I'm getting really frustrated. Been googling and asking around and found the tcp ports that hamachi uses for direct connection. I know how to open those ports from my router if needed, but that's not the problem. The problem is that my hamachi don't know those port numbers, and 'cos of that it makes a relayed connection through upd port.

And here's the frustrating part. On windows you can click on your hamachi settings and add those missing ports. I'm on linux, and on linux you can't do nothing to hamachi settings so the tcp ports that are needed for direct connection remains not available. I've reinstalled hamachi few times already and it doesn't help.

So it seems like no netplay for this dumb garbage truck driver. Better start organizing live tournaments.

Gonna go watch something stupid from netflix now...

Would this help? It is Hamachi client for linux. https://www.vpn.net/linux

Although there is limitations like there is said: "the Linux client uses the command line and offers a relatively limited set of features."

I quess you have installed this already and searched for command line options...

Edited March 15, 20188 yr by Kiba

Ok, now i feel stupid.

The problem is actually on my internet contract. It seems that i need an opengate service fom my internet operator for 2€/month...

Just ordered that, takes a few days to start working.

Been busting my brain off with this, opening gates and learning how to do changes to the hamachi config file and all it should take is 2€/month...

Althought i'm affraid it still doesn't work afterall.

Well, we'll see how this goes.

5 hours ago, Meka said:

Ok, now i feel stupid.

The problem is actually on my internet contract. It seems that i need an opengate service fom my internet operator for 2€/month...

 

 

Don't feel stupid, that's messed up. That sounds like an artificial limitation they've created.

Or.. all I can find about "opengate" is this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenGate

Are you using wireless internet?

Yeah, don't feel stupid.  I just hope you are right!  If you are, and the problem is fixed, that is what is important.

I had a similar situation.  I switched to DSL, and was having poor NHL94 connections.  After a week of trial and error on my end, I called up my provider, and they mentioned "sometimes gamers prefer to have 'interleaving disabled', which we can set from HQ here".  Well, this did the trick.  And I had never even heard of "interleaving" before.

13 minutes ago, aqualizard said:

Yeah, don't feel stupid.  I just hope you are right!  If you are, and the problem is fixed, that is what is important.

I had a similar situation.  I switched to DSL, and was having poor NHL94 connections.  After a week of trial and error on my end, I called up my provider, and they mentioned "sometimes gamers prefer to have 'interleaving disabled', which we can set from HQ here".  Well, this did the trick.  And I had never even heard of "interleaving" before.

Oh interesting. Maybe we should put that trick into one of our 'playing online' guides.

Here's a description: https://www.gpforums.co.nz/threads/292343-Interleaving-Explained

16 minutes ago, smozoma said:

Oh interesting. Maybe we should put that trick into one of our 'playing online' guides.

Here's a description: https://www.gpforums.co.nz/threads/292343-Interleaving-Explained

Good idea. I will do so.

Edit: Added it to Best Connections for Online Play.

 

Edited March 16, 20188 yr by aqualizard

Yes, i'm on wireless 4g. That's the fastest internet option here where i live, just cheked that out today. This opengate stuff is a bummer. If i've understood it right, my operator doesn't allow me to make a direct connection. And opening ports from the router just wont work. All connections from/to my computer has to go through a third spot and therefore netplaying just won't work like it should. So i need to pay them a little extra to let me make that direct connection. I'm not sure is it the same with all the operators, but i think it is.

Probably it's like this because esports are getting bigger and bigger and the operators want their piece of that. Maybe there is a way to hack past this, but i'm not the right dude to make it. I'll just have to wait 'till next week to see does this work. I wouldn't be supprised if there's still somekind of weird setting up still on my way, but i'm getting there.

Note that when it comes to Internet, there are two different types of 'fast.'

1. Bandwidth (how much data can be sent in a period of time). Higher is better. Typically measured in megabits-per-second.
2. Latency/ping (how long it takes for a piece of data to go from one place to another). Lower is better. Measured in milliseconds.

For downloading files or watching HD video, you want high bandwidth so that you can get LOTS of data in a short period of time.

For games, you want low latency so you can get data SOONER. Games like NHL94 use very little data, so the only important thing is latency.

If you can get cheap wired internet, even if it has has low bandwidth, that will be better for 94. We have found that wireless connections are always worse than wired connections.

Fastest for my kids and wife They don't play nhl'94 at all. I've told them their weird 'cos they don't, but they can't hear me, they just stare at that youtube and netflix...

I'll have to check all my other options for internet after i get this relayed stuff turned into direct first.

Finally, i got hamachi to direct connection! Just needed that opengate stuff, some port forwarding and thats it. Hamachi is on green.

But...

Tested it with icecow several times and only once i was able to see the rom starting.

Maybe it's because i'm on linux and using gens on wine. But i've understood that it has been played like that before. Maybe the virtualbox does the trick, have to check that out.

2 hours ago, Meka said:

Finally, i got hamachi to direct connection! Just needed that opengate stuff, some port forwarding and thats it. Hamachi is on green.

But...

Tested it with icecow several times and only once i was able to see the rom starting.

Maybe it's because i'm on linux and using gens on wine. But i've understood that it has been played like that before. Maybe the virtualbox does the trick, have to check that out.

Let us know if you have luck with virtualbox, I've got hamachi to run but I haven't tried playing online against anyone with that setup (I use a Mac so I dual-boot instead)

Been messing around with virtualbox for couple of days. Wasn't easy to it get working, and still having some troubles. I installed both 32- and 64- bit versions of windows 7 in it, and they appear to work pretty well. Except gens. It starts allright, but when i run nhl94.bin i can hear the theme song play but don't get any video at all. I don't know how to fix that.

Dual-boot might do the trick as well, but all this hacking around is just starting to feel like a pain in the ass.

 

Just realized that i've only been trying to get the gens version working. Would be a good idea to test the snes version as well.

Edited March 21, 20188 yr by Meka

6 hours ago, Meka said:

Dual-boot might do the trick as well, but all this hacking around is just starting to feel like a pain in the ass.

I can feel your pain!  Really.

I would say dual boot.  Then you will have Windows 7 or whatever, and have it made in the shade.  Or.... you re in IT, right?  Can you not get your hands on an old laptop?  Get Windows on it, and have a dedicated NHL94 computer!  (Many people have done that, to avoid the headaches.  Hell, you could probably even buy a used laptop good enough to play this ancient game for $100!)

Finally somekind of progress. I found an older topic about netplay on linux and did everything just like they'd done. Had a couple of test games and actually got the online play working. It still is pretty laggy, but that's because i'm still on wireless. So the next stop is trying to find a good deal on wired.

Also found out that for some reason the .srm file causes gens to crash when starting a netplay. Everytime i close the rom the .srm file is created and if i don't delete it before next online game i'll get a black screen with nothing happening. But the opponent does see the game, and if i press a button on my controller it actually does something on the game, i just can't see it. Without the .srm file all works.

Here's the topic i found.