quote:

For those who would like to try out the LAN play and don't have two networked machines, you can do what I have learned to do.

1. Create a second complete installation of FPG. It can be in any directory so long as you can find it again.

2. Start an instance of FPG and select Style of Play "Host over a LAN (DirectX)" instead of the usual "Computer Oponent" or PBEM.

3. Select a scenario and click on the Proceed button.

4. You will be taken to "Congifure DirectPlay Host Connection" Screen. Keep all the default selections and click on the Host Game button. The game will start and you can position your forces inside the setup box. Notice that there is a new "Unsecured Comlin" chat box at the bottom of the screen. You can type in messages to your opponent there if you like.

5. Click on the blue 'box' button in the extreme top right of the form to make the game a normal (not full screen) window. Shrink the screen down to about 1024 x 768 and park it say in the top left of your screen. It helps to have a high screen res running - I use 1280 x 1024.

6. Start the second instance of FPG and go to Select Scenario and click on the "Join LAN Game" tab.

7. The same 127.0.0.1 local host address will be the default so click on the Search button. It will find the current session and let you click on the "Join this Game" button. Do so and you will be told which scenario and side you will be playing.

8. Click Proceed, go through the Mission Briefing and position your forces. Again, make this instance of the game 'not full screen' (I forget the correct term) so that you can see at least part of each game. I usually put the client session in the bottom right corner of the screen. You can then pass the focus back and forth just by clicking on the instance that you want.

9. You are now ready to test. When you resolve the turn you will hear all the sound effects times two. There might be some curious differences in timing of animations but nothing that is material. You can now play a complete game as if it was with someone else across the internet.

10. [ deleted].

11. If you spot something that you don't like, please take care to tell me whether it occured on the HOST session or the CLIENT session. That makes all the difference to me wrt actually reproducing and fixing it!