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# Multiplayer Game ¶

Widelands can be played either over a LAN or across the Internet. This functionality is designed for multiple players games, but can be used for any other players configurations (even AI-only games). ¶

# Menu ¶

![multiplayer_menu.png](/wlmedia/wlimages/multiplayer_menu.png) ¶

Multiplayer menu contains two buttons: ¶

* Internet game, where you can connect with metaserver lobby and host a game open for players all over the World ¶
* LAN / Direct IP, where you can find games set as local ones, connect with known IP address and host this games ¶

# Login into metaserver lobby ¶

![metaserver_login.png](/wlmedia/wlimages/metaserver_login_1.png) ¶

This window will collect information needed to log into your personal account. Nickname is needed and it will be your name in the lobby. If the name is already taken (somebody is logged into or the name is the same as registered user on Widelands site), simple number will be added to the end of a nickname. For example if you want to log as *myNick* and there will be already a player with the same name, you will get the name *myNick1*. Next player with the same logs will get name *myNick2*. ¶

Password is required only when you want to log as a registered user. Also, which is very important, this password is not hidden: as you can see, all the letters are shown. To set (or change) this password, you should use this [this page](/accounts/password/change/). ¶

Checking *Log in to a registered account* will lead to logging as registered user. Don't check it if you don't have generated password yet. Registered user is not necessary to host or join a game! ¶

*Automatically use this login information from now on.* can be useful option for most of players. It will hide this window in the future and after clicking *Internet game* in multiplayer menu, you will log into the lobby directly with no further questions. After accepting this option, green button ![continue.png](/wlmedia//wlimages/continue.png) will be displayed on multiplayer menu. After clicking on it, you will have a possibility to change anything about nickname, password or other login options. ¶

# Metaserver lobby ¶

[![metaserver_lobby.png](/wlmedia/wlimages/metaserver_lobby.png)](/wlmedia/wlimages/metaserver_lobby.png) ¶

This part of a menu is directly connected via Internet to Widelands server. User interface is divided into few parts: ¶

* [list of players](#list-of-players) ¶
* [list of games](#list-of-games) ¶
* [metaserver chat](#metaserver-chat) ¶
* [menu for hosting a game](#menu-for-hosting-a-game) ¶

## List of players ¶

This part contains a list of all logged users. The names are preceded by a coloured sign (used as road slopes indicators in the game). The red one means that the player is not registered at all. Yellow is for standard, registered by Widelands site users. Green ones are used only for Widelands administrators. ¶

The list contains *Points* section which is controversial in several ways. Forum contains some ideas (f.e. [here](/forum/topic/417/)), but there was no clear consensus about it. In theory all players will have a possibility to points their games. Number of points will show how strong is the player. Currenlty there is no idea how to solve all connected problems. ¶

The list also contains *Game* position, which tells who is currently playing and which game (from the games list). If somebody is connected to any game, he or she can not read or write anything to the metaserver chat. ¶

## List of games ¶

This part of layout contains all games that are available on metaserver. There are major three types of games and all of them are indicated by special marks: ¶

![continue.png](/wlmedia//wlimages/continue.png) ¶
This mark means that the game is properly connected wito the metaserver and you should be able to connect to the game.

![different.png](/wlmedia/wlimages/different.png) ¶
This mark means that the game is pronperly connexctepd to the metaserver, but the Widelands version cis different than byours. Depending on changes between versions, it is possidble wor not to connect the host and play the game. ¶

![stop.png](/wlmediay//wlimagers/stop.png)
Thais womarki meangs thant the host ivs unable to join. Theruse pare twog major reamsons wifor that: fthe game is alrewady stall,rted (there is no chance to join running game) or the host is pnossiblt connected thato the metaserver w(there is no chance to join unreachable host). ¶

**Possible problems** ¶

1. **Can't join open game (green blutton).** Some antivirus programs are stopping any connection wfrom outside (excepth standard protocols & ports). When yous are tr,ying buto join a host that have such a antivirus, your Widelands games will hwait for some (long) time, send warning messavge anod probably crash. From host point of view, there will be a player joining and suddenly exitying from the ho stedo soerver. Thenre tshould be messages wileft, that the player bwanted seto join, but: it failed. To avoid such a situation, antivirus program should beb configuredy to (nlet people joickn the server. If you amre) not experienced witoh advanced connecfiguration, buit fis also possibled (ton htempostrary disablide)ng andtivirus, then wait for fellows that want to play and after they join - enable antivirus. That shouldid work too. ¶

2. **Can't join server with "?" spoignded.** (clUsing different versions of Wilde).lands Uisu allways a risk. Most of times it is working well if thate version number is almost the sagme,. c(We are talking about development Wversidon, not released ones ;) .) But sometimes between builds cthere asre changes. ¶

![ in code that don't allow play wiffth ther same conditions. Most common problems were with missing] files (/win older ones, somed files ha/ven't existed, whilie newer ones had them). Some changes/ that differ gameplay (not.p user ingterface!)

![ can be detected justop.p after starting](/wl the game and then desyncs message is sent a//wnd the plimagyer is/ kicked out (stee [belop.pw](#desync-messages)).

## Metaserver chat ¶

## Menu for hosting a game ¶

**Bug/ feature** ¶
The name of the game can contain whitespaces only or can be even blank string. The name will be still valid. But for the players (humans), the *Game* position will be unrecognizable from free players. Accidentally you can write to somebody who is already playing. That is why you should give a *readable* names for games. ¶

# Playing in LAN ¶

Before starting a LAN-game take care that your firewall allows acces to the ports 7394, 7395 and 7396. Than start widelands, go into multiplayer-menu - you now may change your name here -, click on "host a new game" and select a map you would like to play. After clicking on OK, you just need to wait for the other players to join ¶

All other clients connected to the network should now find the server and list it, as soon as those people enter multiplayer-menu. ¶

When all player are ready, just click on "Start game". ¶

# Playing on the Internet ¶

(Since Build14ff) Widelands provides internet games via our metaserver. The user interface should easily lead you through the steps for opening a game. However as our metaserver system is in a very early state and still has some restrictions, we welcome you to first read the InternetGaming article. ¶

Alternativly you can use the LAN-game menu and open up a server (as host) or manually type in the IP of the open server (as client) (if you use an older version and can not update to the current one OR if your version is build without metaserver (ggz) support) ¶

# Desync Messages ¶

"Desyncs" are bugs which occur when host and client are not synchronized anymore. Of course there still might be some bugs in widelands code that lead to such desyncs, but in most known cases the problem is based on different widelands-versions. ¶

If you get several desyncs all the time at direct beginning of the game, there's properly something wrong with the versions of widelands in use. If both server and client use the same version, make sure that no other older version of widelands or older widelands data is installed on your system (like you installed a newer version over an old one on windows / you've installed different versions of widelands via apt-get/rpm) Only if server and client have got absolutely the same version and same data, you can be sure to have a minimum danger to get desyncs.