Web Play - [EBP Help Contents]

You can play EBP versus human opponents live online via the Internet, as well as via your multiple home devices that share a router (even if they don't otherwise have networking enabled). To use this feature, each participant's device must either be on a network, connected to the same router, or be capable of connecting to the Web; plus all participants must have the same version of EBP. If you want to find new opponents, visit the Crayon Rail Fanatics Web site at http://www.railgamefans.com for links to player groups.

Note that the default settings of software and hardware firewalls often block the connection EBP needs for Web play. If that happens, you can tell those firewalls to permit EBP through; consult their documentation to learn how. Or, you can bypass the firewalls entirely by using a virtual network via software such as LogMeIn Hamachi (see online information). Additional details follow below.

QUICK START

If you don't care about details, and just want to play via the Web, here's what to do:

1) Decide in advance who will be the GameMaster (any one person will do).

2) Make sure your local network or Internet connection is active/ready.

3) Run EBP and choose the Game, Start menu.

4) Put your information (name, preferred color, etc.) in slot 1. Every person uses slot 1 to get started.

5) Use the Web pull-down menu, and choose GM or player. The Web window will open; if it does not, some drivers on your device likely need updating (see below).

6) If you are a player, when prompted, enter the GM's dot address.

7) When everyone is ready to start play, in the Web window, the GM should choose the Match, Begin/Resume pull-down menu.

That's it! Can't figure something out? Details are found below.

THREE WAYS TO PARTICIPATE

In EBP, you can participate in a Web game in any of three ways:

GameMaster (GM) - The GM's device is the "master" and controls the pace of the match. If your match includes AI players, the GM's device will operate them. Any person can be GM, and the GM always plays in the match. There is exactly one GM per match.

Player - Like the GM, a player participates in the match, but his device does little more than communicate with the GM's. Up to five Players can participate in the match at once.

Spectator - A Spectator can watch the match, but not play in it. EBP allows for up to 60 Spectators to watch the match at once.

DETAILS OF WEB PLAY

Up to six human players can compete in the same EBP match. The AI players can fill any slots not occupied by a human. Before starting EBP, use external means (telephone, email, text, etc.) to decide who will participate and what time the match will begin. Also, choose exactly one person to act as GameMaster (GM). The GM's device will be the controlling, master device.

DETAILS FOR THE GM

1) The GM should run EBP and start a new game. On the Game Setup/Configuration, the GM should select the total number of participants (i.e. the total human participants plus any desired AI players). The GM must specify his personal information (name, color, etc.) in the area for player 1. Always set the "Type/Style" to Human (do not select Human, Remote).

2) Next, the GM should choose the Web, Make me GameMaster pull-down menu. The Web window will appear (it is an "always on top" type window). If the GM's device is already connected to the Internet, his IP dot address will appear as the caption of the window. (A dot address resembles "200.123.45.182".) If the dot address does not appear automatically, the GM will be asked if he wishes to connect.

3) Now, the GM must tell his dot address to each of the participants (via telephone, email, text, etc.). The participants must know this address in order to connect to the GM's device. If EBP displays both a local and external dot addresses, the one to use depends on where you opponents are located. If they are on your local network (such as connected via the same router) use the local address, otherwise use the external. EBP determines your external address by performing a Web query to a site that echoes it back; if needed, you can change the site employed by entering its URL in the IPLookup parameter stored in the EBP.INI file.

4) The GM should wait for all participants to connect. The status of the connection(s) will be shown in the lower box of the Web window. As participants connect, EBP will update the Game Setup/Configuration window with the name and chosen color. EBP will automatically assign each player a slot (starting with slot 2 because the GM's info is in slot 1). If more than one participant chooses the same color, EBP will attempt to swap or substitute colors; it is the responsibility of the GM to override any unreasonable substitutions. If necessary, the GM can send a message to the participants to help resolve the matter (use the Message menu).

5) Unfilled player slots can be occupied by AI players, as selected by the GM. After everyone connects and is ready to play, the GM should choose the Match, Begin/Resume menu item.

DETAILS FOR THE PLAYER(S)

1) The non-GM players should run EBP and start a new game. On the Game Setup/Configuration window, each non-GM must specify his personal information (name, color, etc.) in the area for player 1. Always set the "Type/Style" to Human (do not select Human, Remote). The slots for other players should be ignored. Only one human may participate per device.

2) Next, choose the Web, Make me a Player pull-down menu. The Web window will appear (it is an "always on top" type window); it must remain open for the duration of the match. You will be prompted to enter the GM's dot address. Obtain the GM's dot address (via telephone, email, text, etc.).

3) Enter the dot address the GM provided. EBP will then attempt to establish a connection with the GM. The status of this connection will be displayed in the lower box of the Web Play window. If you have trouble connecting, see the Connection Difficulties topic below.

4) Non-GMs should wait while all opponents connect. The GM will start the game when everyone is ready. While waiting, you can send messages via the Message menu. An easy way to reply to a particular individual is to double click his message in the message box.

5) The match will begin automatically when the GM designates.

The match should play very much like a normal game, however note that to keep the match moving along, some information boxes do not wait for you to click OK to close them. If you'd like an audible notice of when it is your turn, choose File, Game Options, and in the Variants/Misc box scroll to the My-turn sound checkbox. When you enable My-turn sound, a window will open listing WAV sound files. You can navigate to any folder on your device and choose the WAV sound effect you want as your turn notifier.

If you as a non-GM should become disconnected from the GM during the game, attempt to reconnect via the Connect, Connect me to GM menu. EBP should automatically reload a copy of the game from the GM. If it does not, after the connection has been re-established, choose the Match, Reload pull-down menu.

DETAILS FOR SPECTATORS

You can observe a game being played without actually participating in it. To do so, you need to know the GM's IP dot address. Choose the Web, Make me a Spectator menu option. EBP supports up to 60 simultaneous spectators, or the limits of Windows (whichever comes first).

CONNECTION DIFFICULTIES

Common in an era of increasing Internet security are various hardware and software firewalls that do the necessary job of keeping out unwanted incoming connections from remote device. Unfortunately, these same firewalls can also keep out the wanted connections. If you experience trouble connecting for a game (such as "Connection Refused" or "error 10060" messages), try any or all of the following.

1) Sometimes firewalls or other security measures prevent either inbound or outbound player-to-player connections, but not both. Therefore, try swapping roles: choose a different person to act as GM, then try connecting again.

2) If playing via the Web, your router may need to have certain ports opened or redirected; this is sometimes called port range forwarding. By default, EBP employs port numbers 1103 and 1104 for communication. For example, on many Linksys brand routers, go to the router's admin page, select Applications and Gaming tab, then in the Application field enter ebp.exe, in Start enter 1103, in End enter 1104, set Protocol to Both, and IP Address to match the value EBP displays as your local dot address. The value must match otherwise you will not be able to connect! Usually this value is something like 192.168.1.100 or 192.168.1.101; careful: it can change from one day to the next. See the software FAQ at the EBP Web site for more info.

3) If playing via the Web or your home network, you may need to adjust your software firewall to allow incoming connections. Consult the firewall's documentation to determine the steps necessary. For example, in Windows do the following: go to your Control Panel, look in the Security area, click "Allow a program through Windows Firewall", "Allow an app of feature through Windows Firewall" or similar wording. This opens the Windows Firewall Settings window, Exceptions tab. In the list of programs, look for Empire Builder Pronto or EBP (if it is not already in the list, use the "Add program" feature). Enable an exception by clicking EBP's check box. Some Windows versions let you set exceptions separately for Private and Public networks; choose the one that applies to your situation.

4) By default, EBP employs port numbers 1103 and 1104 for communication. For special purposes (such as an attempt to rectify connection difficulties), this can be changed by editing the Port entry in the EBP.INI file. All players in the match must employ the same port number. Contact your ISP or Webmaster to learn which ports are available for a "standard peer-to-peer IP socket connection". Rarely should you need to change this.

5) If you get no response upon choosing a Web play option, or get run-time error 372 or 339, your version of the Windows internet drivers is likely outdated or missing. Refer to the driver information in the Hardware topic.

Gamers who have been unable to connect due to routers or firewalls report success by instead running their EBP Web match on a virtual network. Software such as LogMeIn Hamachi can help the GameMaster set up a virtual network.

For the latest info, see the FAQs and RailGameFans.com. If problems persist, consider trying Play by Email instead. Since it operates via email, it may not be blocked by a firewall or other problems.

POOR CONNECTION QUALITY

EBP monitors the status of the network connection between players and the GM. That connection is established and maintained by your hardware and operating system. A wireless network is the type most prone to failure due to poor signal quality. If EBP detects a dropped connection, it will notify the player and ask he wants to reconnect. Before agreeing to reconnect, check any network cabling or reposition/relocate your device so as to regain a good signal. Frequent "lost connection" messages are a sign your signal quality, or that of the GM, is not stable enough to support EBP. Since problems in connection are outside of EBP, to fix them you need to reference tech support for your hardware and operating system.

HOW TO CONFIRM EBP IS WORKING

To determine whether the cause of Web play trouble is within EBP or outside it, run two instances of EBP on the same device and connect the two for a network match by using the local dot address 127.0.0.1

Detailed steps:

....1) run EBP

....2) use Game, Start then the Web, Make Me GameMaster pull-down menus

....3) start another instance of EBP on the same device

....4) use Game, Start then the Web, Make Me a Player pull-down menus

....5) as the dot address to which to connect enter 127.0.0.1

This links the two instances of EBP together such that in the GM instance you can use the Web window's Match, Begin/Resume menu to get things going. When you build track in one instance of EBP, it will also instantly show up on the map of the other, just as if you were playing over the Web or your local network. Note having the two or more EBP game windows open and running simultaneously on the same display monitor can get confusing in a hurry.

This test isolates all network play connections and communication to within your device. Internally EBP is processing the match just like it would if the players were at different physical locations. If a failure persists during this test, the trouble likely is in EBP; please tell us the steps needed to recreate the failure here so we can fix it.

Conversely, success of this test (i.e. no trouble) proves the problem you are experiencing lies outside of EBP. Next, if you return to the typical multi-player setup, but the problem recurs, by these steps you have isolated the trouble to the configuration of your router, firewalls, other items that control/permit access to your device, or the interference/malfunction of third-party software. There exist too many brands and versions for us to know the details of all of them and be able to competently help you, so for assistance, consult online references and the corresponding third-party manufacturers.

SUSPENDING AND RESUMING A GAME

If you need to temporarily stop playing a Web match and resume later, here are the steps:

1) Play until a human player is either just starting his turn, or has just completed it.

2) The GM should save the match to disk (via the File, Save Game menu).

3) The players should disconnect.

4) To resume later, the GM should reload the saved game (via the File, Open Game menu). Next, the GM should use the Game, Edit Setup pull-down menu and in the window that opens choose the Web, Make me GameMaster pull-down menu.

5) The remote players should connect to the GM in the usual fashion (Game, Start; enter name in slot 1; click Web, Make me a Player; etc.). After the connection has been established, EBP will automatically obtain a copy of the match from the GM. If there are multiple remote human players in the match, EBP will ask which player slot you wish to occupy. Wait for the GM to resume the match.

6) When everyone has connected, the GM should choose the Match, Begin/Resume menu item.

ASSORTED NOTES

Strive to have the same version of the EBP.EXE program as the GM. The Help, About menu item shows the creation date of your copy of the EBP.EXE. If you encounter inexplicable communications problems, compare your EBP.EXE version date and time with that of the GM. You can download the latest version from our Web site.

At the GM's device only, additional human players can participate in hotseat fashion. They should be added to the bottom of the player list after all remote human players have connected.

If a player becomes disconnected, and appears to be unable to reconnect, the GM can continue the match by substituting an AI player. To do so: 1) use the Game, Edit Setup pull-down menu, and 2) change the player's Type/Style setting from "Human, Remote" to one of the AI players. Upon returning to the map window, the GM may need to click the "OK (done)" button to prod the AI to proceed.

If a human player attempts to join a match already in progress, EBP will alert the GM. The GM can then decide if the person should be allowed to join (and take the place of one of the AI players).

The message "CAUTION: this game appears to have been started with a different version of the map" can occur if the program you employed to unzip/install a file containing an EBP game map does not preserve the last editing date of the .ebm map file; this is a known problem in some versions of Windows. In such cases you can safely ignore the caution message and proceed.

EBP supports IPv6 addresses, but whether the Windows drivers it employs do as well has not been tested as of this writing.