hifi

You enabled hardware fills, disable them. The package by default doesn't have it enabled. It happens because cnc-ddraw doesn't support hardware fills (yet) and it's also fairly useless.

The news forum from cnc-comm.com is now working on cncnet.org again. So what did we miss? New site! Holy crap! And CnCNet's master dedicated is now hosted in UK to overcome US latency, whee! CnCNet / CGA integration is going slowly but it surely is going forward. It'll be released when it's ready, duh.

I agree on moving the downloads away. I can host the new cncnet.org completely when we finish it. Though that still means cnc-comm.com stays where it is. This way cnc-comm will only be a community site with this great forum and info about the games.

and again

boooga's games processed

Welcome to the official CnCNet Red Alert Ladder! The ladder is hosted at http://redalert1.com/ladder/ and is split into pro and newbie. The loser should post the results according to the guidelines. Remember to add which ladder you played! Following template should be used: Ladder: pro/newb Winner: Loser: Not all games are in this thread, we take results from the chat too from trusted players and games we spectate live. This topic is purely for results, all discussion about the games or the ladder should be done someplace else! If you played against a ladder admin or an admin spectated the game, you don't necessarily need to post the result here if he does it directly.

Ohai. Sorry for this release, I was planning for auto-updater and all for 3.1a but this major LAN regression forced a release before that. For CnCNet, there are no actual changes, you do not need to upgrade if you just play online. However, at least in Red Alert the LAN mode was bugged and not being enabled on Windows while it worked fine with Wine so I missed that when working on 3.1. The Red Alert package was upgraded to include 3.1a so new RA players will get it automagically. If you already downloaded from redalert1.com, you need to upgrade if you wish to play in LAN. Again, sorry. Changes ------- 3.1 -> 3.1a * Fix LAN mode detection, it was broken and resulted Red Alert LAN not working (cncnet.dll) * Don't force binding on 8054 in dedicated mode, allows running multiple games on the same host (cncnet.dll) * Default to Yuri's Revenge if it exists instead of RA2 (cncnet.exe) * Use open.cncnet.org as the new lobby address, old one points to it

I never downloaded or installed it, hifi. Been busy with tons of non-C&C related stuff lately. Oh c'mon! Do something fun once in a while!

Oh c'mon! It has a full readme included with all the modifications. If you install the music and video addons, it doesn't have anything stripped anymore, it was only splitted.

Oh c'mon!

Hehe, don't worry, I think I can settle down with this one for now. There is a minor "issue" that you can't run multiple games at one on the same PC connected to the dedicated server but who would want THAT?

It is time for a new era of no port forwarding! CnCNet 3.1 is now officially live with new dedicated server in Finland. If resources allow, we will add a secondary server in North America to speed up games played on that side of the world. If you have slowdown problems with the dedicated because of your distance, try playing with direct ip or the legacy 3.0 option (currently offline) in cncnet.exe Settings. These games are "off CnCNet" so you'll be on your own and need a friend to play with. Please upgrade ASAP and stop using the old 3.0. I will shut it down for a while to show an error message so people will understand to upgrade. The player counter will come back after some server side rewrites. The whole change log from 3.0 to 3.1 is below. Changes ------- 3.0d -> 3.1 * Settings redesigned (cncnet.exe) * Support for dedicated server, it is the new default (cncnet.exe) * Support for direct ip 1on1 games off CnCNet (cncnet.exe) * Support for custom command line arguments, defaults to "-LAN", can be used with ra95-hires to pass the width and height (cncnet.exe) * Pass the URL in an env var to be compatible with ra95-hires (cncnet.exe) * Remove cncnet-tester.exe from the release package to avoid confusion * Reformatted this file to fit in reasonable sized Notepad (README.txt) 3.0c -> 3.0d * Fix a massive C&C bug that caused a crash when you select the maximum numbers of unit at once (cncnet.dll / thipx32.dll) 3.0b -> 3.0c * Fix C&C support, totally forgot, sorry all (cncnet.dll / thipx32.dll) 3.0a -> 3.0b * Add support for dedicated server to cncnet.dll, launching trough browser for now (cncnet.dll / wsock32.dll / thipx32.dll) 3.0 -> 3.0a * Update cncnet.exe to use SUN.EXE for TS and RA2.EXE for RA2 instead of GAME.EXE for both as they don't always work (cncnet.exe) * Add cncnet-tester.exe to test port forwading (cncnet-tester.exe) * Fix this files line endings so they work in Notepad (README.txt)

Thanks to wonderful testing done by CnCNet players rAiGa and Helpme1986 (a newcomer, yay!) they found a bug in 3.0 that caused the game to crash if you select the maximum number of units at once. This is a regression from v2, it had a similiar bug in the beginning but I had totally forgotten it. 3.0d is now released with fixed support for C&C. It affects all ways of playing, P2P and dedicated so upgrading is a requirement. When you upgrade, remember to run cncnet.exe once to rename cncnet.dll to the correct dll used by the game. In case of C&C, cncnet.dll should be renamed to thipx32.dll. Sorry.

EDIT: 3.0c was just released, I totally forgot to fix C&C support (only supported RA and up). If you already downloaded 3.0b for C&C, please upgrade to 3.0c. RA players are fine. Ohai, I keep posting news every day o/ Today I have finished the first publicly released version of CnCNet 3.0c client files which are backwards compatible with 3.0 and 3.0a but also include support for the new dedicated server thingy. The new client files are released in the Downloads section and on the testing site. What this means is that when you are playing on CnCNet trough a dedicated server, you don't need to forward any port. It should work behind any firewall or router as long as the program has internet access and UDP packets are not blocked altogether (equals you can play other online games). What is also means is that games will be slower and how much depends on the dedicated server location and player amount. When there are more than two players playing in the same game the amount of traffic that goes trough the dedicated server increases exponentially. There is really no way around it because that is how the protocol of these games work. The good news is pure P2P will be always available and faster but the dedicated server gives a possibility to play from restricted connections. Ok, I've babbled enough. The testing site is like usual at http://hifi.iki.fi/cncnet/ and contains the quick launch button for each game. You need to update your 3.0a to 3.0c and then run cncnet.exe once to fix the dll name and to register the protocol. If you're running Windows Vista or 7 remember to run it once as the Administrator, it won't register the protocol otherwise. After that you can use the button to launch and you'll be dropped in the dedicated lobby. The dedicated server is not yet fully complete but I expect it to be soon. The dedicated server is meant to host a single game for a group of people. Everyone will be able to run their own dedicated server and even keep it private if you value your bandwidth. More about dedicated servers after testing is done. The testing server is in "open" mode so anyone can anonymously play trough it for now. The other big news is we're integrating with CGA, Classic Gaming Arena (http://classicgamingarena.com)! It means everything CnCNet 3.5 is about and more! We hope to achieve a bigger retro gaming community and CnCNet will be a big part of it. Though rest assured, we are not fully depending on CGA so if we ever hit a wall with them we can go rogue again. This is part of the deal I've made with them so both parties can be at ease the other one can't leave the other hanging. No more port problems, whee! If you have connectivity problems with 3.0 and really want to play with your friend you could try 3.0c the testing server. Be aware the server is located in Finland so all your data is going trough my server first. That means if you are in the states your might have some extra latency playing with someone near you. (Myg and Irony, I haven't seen either of you for a long time so this might be news for you too but I had to go forward on my own to get things rolling.)

Omigod our webmaster lives! :O

The server hit it's bandwidth limit just in the end of the month and the site including CnCNet 3.0 was down for that time. Everything is back to normal. In case of a bigger downtime the CnCNet 3.0 client (cncnet.exe) has an option to change the server address. If such a thing will happen in the future for a longer period we will put up a secondary service and it'll be available from our chat, so remember to bookmark it! In other news the CnCNet v2.0 server was shut down forever. Upgrade to 3.0 if you haven't already.

Working on the next update of 3.0 that will allow that and will always work.

I can pretty much sum the 3.0 aftermath to this helpful comment, it is not the first one: [pre]< Connell> cncnet 3 sucks and is broken[/pre]To clear things up: no, it is not broken, it works in a different way. I'm now going to briefly explain the things people are wondering about. I see players on the site but no one is in game CnCNet 3.0 counts *all* players who used cncnet.exe to launch the game as being in-game. This means if you leave the LAN lobby and go do other things you are still counted as online if you don't restart without cncnet.exe. Don't do that, please. But I really don't see anyone and there are like 5 people online! The other case is someone doesn't have the port forwarded but launched the game anyway. What this means is if you connect *after* this person he will not show up in the lobby. 3.0 has a workaround that if you don't have a possibility to forward a port you must be the last one that connects for you to see anyone who actually has the port forwarded. NO WELCOME MESSAGE IT IS DEFINITELY BROKEN There is no welcome message anymore. Really. In other news, ra95-hires will get an update for CnCNet 3.0 soon and there is a big change coming related to 3.5, stay tuned!

If there is an actual need for RA2/YR, we will of course add it. We haven't heard from the RA2 community so we don't officially support them.

Howdy. Just a minor update to the CnCNet 3.0 client package. If you already have everything working you do not need to update. I feel 3.0 release was a great success! Active players moved to use it pretty quickly and there were no problems with it at all! Still, if you encounter any bugs, please report it at the forums or in the chat. Changes 3.0 -> 3.0a * Update cncnet.exe to use SUN.EXE for TS and RA2.EXE for RA2 instead of GAME.EXE for both as they don't always work * Add cncnet-tester.exe to test port forwading * Fix README.txt line endings so they work in Notepad

Ohai fellow commanders! CnCNet 3.0 is now released in the Downloads section! CnCNet v2 server will be shut down sooner or later, probably sooner, depending if there are any big bugs or blockers in 3.0. Testing by releasing is what the game industry does anyway! This release of 3.0 is not the planned one I posted before, this is a step closer to it as it took longer than expected to develop. The web frontend will be called 3.5 once it is finished and it will be fully compatible with 3.0! Major features of 3.0 * Seamless LAN compatibility, just works * Supports more than one player behind a single ip * Should have somewhat better NAT workaround for 1on1 games where the other end is behind a restrictive NAT * Newly written and clean code base * 100% compatible with other products, VPNs and normal LAN games * Depends only on cnc-comm.com, no need for an external server If you have any problems or bugs, joining the chat and talking to me directly gets these things solved faster than in the forums. Note to players who are coming from v2: there is no welcome message anymore as it is not technically possible with the new setup, don't worry if you don't see it but there are players around!

The CnCNet v2 game server will be down for maintenance this weekend. We will try to get it up as fast as we can but it might take some time. In the meantime I'll try to get v3 button up somewhere on the main site (the v3 demo site is going down too) so the games can continue on v3! UPDATE: The move was moved to 9th September and as I'm writing this the move is already done to a temporary server. This means that all you players who are *currently* playing will be splitted between the old and the new server. It will stabilize in an hour I hope. Reconnecting helps. Final update: v2 should work again.

You can't downscale the game in a way it would still look nice. Try starting C&C from the game exe directly when the dll is installed in the same folder. If you are using Wine or something then you need to do additional configuration but you didn't say so so I don't expect that. There is a bug in cnc-ddraw that it doesn't read the configuration from the right directory, BUT it should still default to windowed mode when there is no configuration file at all.

*pat* *pat* is this thing on? Hello folks, it's me, hifi! My first news post, yaay \o/ As no one knew, the next version of CnCNet was in development for about a week. Now I have some new things to show! The actual new this is that there is a web launcher on top of this all. It will have integrated chat and all when finished. Some might think it is a setback from v2 as it only required you to install the dll. However, after some careful planning and consideration (yeah, riiight) I came to the conclusion it is best to have a central meeting place instead of the actual game lobby as there is none for C&C and the RA lobby is a bit dead as no one hangs around in there. CnCNet 3.0 features * A web based launcher with full integrated chat * Rooms for each game * Web frontend rooms have late joining support (after the game is launched) if enabled for the room * Private rooms * Multiple players from the same LAN can play in the same game * Integrated LAN support, no need to switch the dll anymore * Should have better NAT support where ONE player is behind a restrictive NAT * Zero configuration, no cncnet.ini, it just works (with the exception of multiple players from the same LANO) * No master server, there is no single point of failure and no need to keep up a separate server and code for it, if the web frontend is down, there is a workaround to play online games without it! Where do I get this?! http://hifi.iki.fi/cncnet/ Does it work?!?! Yes, it should work to some extent. The client .zip has cncnet.dll and cncnet-register.exe inside it. Extract them to the game directory (C&C or RA, doesn't matter) and run the exe. It should inform you that the protocol for that particular game was registered. Some advanced things in the features list are still in development, but are going to be in the final version. The backend (cncnet.dll) is quite finished. Does it work on Linux?!?!?! Yes, but you need to do some manual stuff to start a game as there is no direct browser integration over Wine, join the CnCNet Chat for more instructions for now. It has a bug!!!! Yes, it does have bugs. Drop a line in the CnCNet Chat if you find one. At least there are some problems when creating rooms that you get thrown to the main rooms list instead. Investigating that. The frontend doesn't work at all! I get network error, white page or something! Too bad, I'm either breaking or fixing it or it just broke down badly. Things happen in beta. Try again later. You still support Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2, right? Yes, we still have support for those. Is there any difference in the speed? Of course not! The game runs fully P2P all the time so the only latency there is comes from the connection between the players. The new version removes the master server completely so after the game is running you are directly connected to your friends, there is no server between you. What happens to v2? It will be shut down when the time comes. If someone feels it must be kept online I can be contacted for information how to run the v2 server on your own, I'm not going to host it after 3.0 is stable.

Would the C&C95 and/or RA community be interested in a ladder that is tightly integrated to the C&C Comms forums. This wouldn't be an automatic ladder in the sense of just playing a game and the results popping up here, but a ladder system that takes results in manually and shows the rankings. The flow for a successful game would be around this: 1. Challenge a forum user in the forums 2. The opponent accepts the challenge in the forums 3. Game is played on CnCNet 4. Both input their results by using a button in the forums (win or loss) 5. Ranking is adjusted for both of them, displayed in a top list and possibly besides the forum avatar There are a lot of different error/conflict scenarios that I don't go in yet. The point of this thread is to gather if players would be interested to use a ladder like this. There are also a lot of small things that can be done but the main point is if a ladder like this is worth the trouble and there would be players using it.