How to play red alert 1 over LAN with WinXP [TFD]

[fosterboy123]

ok just thought i would write a guide and help anyone out who had troubles like myself.

 

1, Install Red Alert 1

 

2, Download & Install the following patches

 

Patch 1 (TFD Update, Just run the EXE) - http://files.ea.com/downloads/eagames/official/cc_firstdecade/TFD-101.exe

Patch 2 (TFD Update, Just run the EXE) - http://files.ea.com/downloads/eagames/official/cc_firstdecade/TFD-102en.exe

Patch 3 (3.03 RA Update, Extract to (Drive):\Program Files\EA Games\Command & Conquer The First Decade\Command & Conquer Red Alert ) - http://ra.afraid.org/html/downloads/patches.html

Patch 4 (3.03 TFD Fix, Place the "bmap.vqp" & "THIPX32.DLL" files into the above dir, and overwrite the current DLL, then run the "tfd-ra303fix.exe") - http://files.filefront.com/Red+Alert+Patch+Version+303+TFD+Fix/;5000445;/fileinfo.html/1/1

3, Next go into "My Network Places" in your start menu, and click "View network connections" on the left side. Right click your LAN connection and go to properties.

 

4, Click "Install..." then in the new window select "Protocol" in the next window select "NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol" Then click "Ok"

 

5, In the list above "Install..." on the first window again, click our new protocol and select properties.

 

Ok now this is the part what im a little unsure on because i just messed with mine and it worked. but anyway heres how mine is set and hopefully yours will work if its set the same.

 

6, Leave "Internal Network Number" as "00000000", Change "Frame Type" to "Ethernet 802.3" and "Network Number" to "00000002". (I set this the same on every computer.)

 

Also, Red Alert will not work well with LAN firewalls so disable it before you try and play. (Right click connection, Properties, Advanced, Firewall Settings, and then check "off".)

 

7, Repeat the above steps on each computer

 

The reason you have to set up a new protocol is because Red Alert is such an old game that it uses old LAN communication methods that arent installed automatically on XP. The patches fix Incompatibility issues and also 3.03 makes the menu a lot better.

 

Run Red Alert through the TFD menu, I find it a lot more stable and never get the "Insert CD" coming up that way.

 

On another note, if anybody wants to share how to make the editor work please do  it asks for the CD even if its in.

 

Hope this helps 

 

(Also thanks to Tore for helping me out when i had probs with it!)

[Tore]

Nice tutorial but after doing all this you don't have to use the launcher. Just run RA95.exe and the fixes can be found here as well.

[Killa57]

okay heres my guide to play Red Alert lan on TFD. (get all downloads here http://ra57.cnc-comm.com/download.php ) any thing with a *** is a download

1) install red alert from TFD disc.

 

1.5) .It dosent matter if you have TFD 1.01 or 1.02 patch aslong as the game you trying to play is the same version (example: Red Alert Generals Tiberian Sun and Dawn have to be same version)

 

2. patch red alert with the 3.03 patch its in the section patches***

 

3.Download the TFD3.03fix its in the section utility*** and copy and paste the thipx32 file that comes with it into the red alert folder mine is ( C:\Program Files\EA Games\Command & Conquer The First Decade\Command & Conquer Red Alert )

and run TFD3.03 fix.(if it says abort then start from number 2)

^^^this will make it so that it wont say please enter RA disc when trying to play game^^^

 

4.Run RA95.exe it should say install Westwood components or something like that click okay or next.

 

5.go to start\control panel\network and internet connections\

 

6 right click your local area connection\ click install\ Select 'Protocol' in the next window and click 'Add

 

7.Select 'NWLink IPX/SPX (etc)' and click 'OK'

^^this enables the network button to work in game^^

 

8. Go to your red alert folder mine is ( C:\Program Files\EA Games\Command & Conquer The First Decade\Command & Conquer Red Alert )

Open RASETUP.exe and at bottom at destination address put 00.00.00.00

 

9.Open Red Alert through TFD menu once red alert is running go to multiplayer then network.

 

10. ^^^do steps 1-10 to both computers^^^

 

11. HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12 i have done this so many times it works. Killa57

[Tore]

TFD patch 1.01 and 1.02 does matter for some, they fix critical errors in TFD.