Mac vs PC Problems

[podin04]

My brother and I are trying to play a mac vs PC Direct IP game.

I'm running Mac OS X version 10.4.8 on a 2 GHz Intel Dual Core Mac
He's running MS Windows XP on a Dell Dimension deskop

He's installed the 1.61 patch and my firewall is off (I usually try to host).

We're both using wireless.

Neither of us can connect to each other. We both get the "timed out" message.

What's up?

Dan

 

[AlanH]

I haven't tried it before, but I was able to establish a Mac-to-Mac connection with no problem. Mine was on wired Ethernet, G4 tower (client) to Mac Pro (host)

On the host Mac I started a Multiplayer/LAN game and got as far as the Lobby screen.

On the guest Mac I selected Multiplayer/Direct IP and entered a name and the IP address of my host Mac. Clicked Next and was in the Lobby, and both Macs could now see each other. I clicked Ready on both ends, and Launch on the host Mac, and the map loaded up.

I doubt if there's any difference in the process when you have a PC at one end. I also can't see why wireless would affect it, as long as both machines are on the same LAN address range. I don't have a firewall on either of my Macs, as I have a hardware router/firewall to the Internet, but I tried turning the client firewall on and it still worked

Where in the above process does it fail for you?

 

[podin04]

We can't do LAN. He's in Boston and I'm in DC. Wither of us can get as far as the lobby screen, but when the other tries to connect via direct IP, he gets a "timed out message" and no connection.

 

[AlanH]

Are either of you behind network address translating (NAT) routers, or do you both have direct, public IP addresses?

 

[Bazzalisk]

If either of you are behind an ADSL router (or, for example, on a college network) then there is a very good chance that it will only allow through incoming connections on particular ports. There is almost certainly a way to tell the router for your local network to allow connections on the ports needed, how you do this varies from router to router, but generally on consumer grade routers you point a web-browser at the router from your local network and log in with some sort of administrator password.

 

[AlanH]

Actually, given that both of you are running wireless on different networks, you are certain to be using NAT routers at both ends. That means you need to set up port mapping, at least in the host end router, to enable the client's IP packets to route to your hosting system.

Here is a thread covering a similar question.

 

[oLO]

Internet games cross platform and with 3 players worked out for me just fine.
We might have had timeouts after 3 hours or something, but that was okay.

10.3.9 Dual g5 2x2 1 Gig`o´ram 2 Mbit wire

oLO

 

[Welnic]

Also note that the IP address that you need is the one that your router uses. If you are using the address that your computer has that would only work for LAN. Any of the following numbers are local IP numbers:

10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255

So you each have to logon to your router to see what your real, visible to the world IP number is. Or this web page will tell you your IP number:
http://www.ipchicken.com/

 

[podin04]

OK everyone. This is all well and good, but what I need is someone who has hosted successfully on a mac to give me step by step instructions in non-technical terms on how to set up my Mac and Airport to host my brother's PC on a direct IP connection.
Thanks
Dan

 

[AlanH]

Step by Step:

1. You need to know your external IP address - the one that is seen on your public Internet interface. Welnic gave you a link that will tell you that. Click his link and you'll get a big red IP address. Make a note of that, as your brother's client PC will need to use it in the Direct IP screen.

2. Go to System Preferencees/Network and look at the TCP/IP screen for your Airport interface. Make a note of the IP address that is given there. [Apple tell you you should ensure that it's a manually assigned address. It will probably work OK if it's DHCP-assigned, but be aware that it *may* change on reboot if that's the case]

3. Assuming the Airport is the only box between your Mac and the Internet, and you have set it up to do Network Address Translation, not in Bridged Mode, you need to set the Airport up to route packets for port 2056 to your Mac.

Page 49 of Airport Extreme Network Designs describes Port Mapping:

To set up inbound port mapping:
1 Open AirPort Admin Utility, select your base station, and click Configure.
2 Click Show All Settings.
3 Click the Port Mapping tab.
In the Port Mapping pane, click Add and enter the following information:
• Public Port: The port number other computers will use to access the services
provided by your computer. For example, computers look for web services on
port 80.
• Private IP Address: The manually assigned, private IP address of your computer.
• Private Port: The port that will be used on your computer to provide services. In most
cases, you can use the same number as the public port.

Public and private port are both 2056. Private IP address is the one you noted in step 2.

When you have done all the above, and saved teh updated Airport config, start up Civ4 on your Mac and then see if your brother can connect using the public IP address you obtained in step 1.

 

[GenMarshall]

I might be just a lowly windows user here (Watches as 95-tan in my Avatar twitching a bit), but have you tried a standard internet connection and having the game set as a password protected game for two players?

 

[Bazzalisk]

I might be just a lowly windows user here (Watches as 95-tan in my Avatar twitching a bit), but have you tried a standard internet connection and having the game set as a password protected game for two players?

The protocol used by the mac and windows versions for "Internet play" is different due to licensing issues, so they won't work together.

The NAT issue also isn't really a mac vs. windows issue, you'd have the same problems connecting two windows PCs using direct IP connection.

 

[ancestral]

I have successfully played Direct IP games with my PC friend over the Internet. I've hosted on the Mac and it works every time.

A couple of things that are important:

If you have a modem or router and you are hosting, regardless if it is PC or Mac, you will need to configure it so that it allows traffic through the ports for Civ IV. Sometimes it is simpler just to allow all traffic through.

Also, find the host's IP address which is also located on the modem's/router's config page. (If unsure, many websites (e.g. http://whatismyip.com/) will tell you what your IP address is). Unless you're both on the same LAN, any IP beginning with 192.168 or 10 is not correct.

 

[bloodycelt]

I don't really think there is a non technical way of describing it.
I'm sorry but if you really want to get this game playing Direct IP. You'll need to learn a little router configuration. (Which isnt a bad thing).

If you have further problems, post your router make and model. I'm sure someone here has experience with it.

 

[podin04]

thanks everyone, especially to AlanH, for taking the time to help. My brother and I are now having a blast playing each other over direct IP. The key was getting the ports in sync with the TCP/IP on airport i.e., making sure the internal IP addresses were the same (the mac would somtimes switch it up on me unanncounced).