This SimpleText file will describe how to play a network game of Descent. There's nothing quite like a network game of Descent with 2 or 5 or 8 friends blasting away at each other, and we'd love you to play one!
Chapter 1 of this file will describe how to set up the hardware portion of the network -- that is, the cabling required to get going. Chapter 1 is intended for people who aren't familiar with Macintosh network hardware and just want to hold a Descent party with a few Macs hooked up together to play.
Chapter 2 of this file will describe how to set up the network software required to play Descent, including both AppleTalk and MacIPX™ software.
The very end of this file will include a few final tips before you get going.
Important note on When Things Just Don't Work: MacPlay and Parallax probably won't be able to help you if you can't get everything set up the way it ought to work. We suggest you find an expert. Your local user group probably includes a few experts who have dealt with Mac networks before. Most likely these experts also like to play Descent. Apple Computer can locate user groups that are near your area if you call them at 1-800-767-2775 and ask for a user group you can join.
Vocabulary Note: Some network hardware and software vendors have used the term "AppleTalk" in several conflicting ways, leading to mass confusion in the world today. The definition of AppleTalk is "Apple's network software that lets Macintosh computers communicate with each other." Some vendors, including Novell (makers of MacIPX) use the term "AppleTalk cables" when they are talking about "LocalTalk cables". Fix in your mind the fact that AppleTalk refers to network software and you will be less confused by everything in this brave new world of networking. Thank you!
Chapter 1: Setting up the hardware
This is a basic primer on how to set up a small, Mac-only network. If you want to play Descent at work (hee hee) and you experience problems, please do not ask us how to configure your network to make Descent work. There are many, many, many complexities in the design of large networks, and we will not be able to configure your company's network for you.
This primer was written mostly for people who don't yet know anything about networks and want to just go buy network cabling and play. For the most detailed instructions on setting up networks, consult the manuals that come with the network hardware or cabling. Although this file doesn't contain complete instructions for dealing with every nuance of a network, it should help you make a purchase decision if you need to buy some network hardware. Also it will assist you in setting up your software.
• If you want to play Descent between just two Macs, it's much easier to set up a 2-Mac network than a network of 3 or more Macs. In the "Localtalk" and "10Base-T" sections below, watch for the text "TWO-PLAYER NOTE" for notes on shortcuts you can take if your network size is only 2 Macs.
Network Cabling
The first choice you have is what physical cables are needed to hook up the Macs. There are three popular types of cabling that are most frequently used for small networks:
* Localtalk -- Cheapest, but slowest, and you are limited to 3 players in Descent
* Thin Ethernet -- Probably the best choice for a quick Descent setup, any number of players
* 10Base-T Ethernet -- Complex to configure
Localtalk cabling will work with any Macintosh. It is a low-speed network standard that uses the Macs' printer port to send and receive data to and from all the other Macs on the network. Another popular low-speed standard called "PhoneNet" is based on Localtalk but uses phone cabling rather than Localtalk cabling. You can play Descent over a LocalTalk network with 2 or 3 players. If you want to play with 4 or more players, you will need to use Ethernet instead.
Thin Ethernet will work with any Macintosh that has either (1) an Ethernet card that supports thin Ethernet, or (2) what Apple calls "built-in Ethernet" along with a "transceiver" for thin Ethernet. Thin Ethernet is much, much faster than Localtalk and will make for a better multiplayer game of Descent. It is much easier to set up than 10Base-T Ethernet.
10Base-T Ethernet will work with any Macintosh that has either (1) 10Base-T Ethernet built right into the computer, like the Power Macintosh 7200, 7500, 8500 or 9500; (2) an Ethernet card that supports 10Base-T Ethernet; or (3) what Apple calls "built-in Ethernet" along with a "transceiver" for 10Base-T Ethernet. 10Base-T Ethernet is just as fast as thin Ethernet, and is a much better choice for large networks (i.e. more than 10 or 20 computers). However, it is much harder to set up a 10Base-T network, as you must purchase expensive peripherals called hubs.
Setting Up A Localtalk Network
Localtalk is the slowest network available, but it is the cheapest, works on all Macintosh models, and is easy to set up. You will need Localtalk Connector Kits from Apple (about $35.00 each) or PhoneNet kits from companies like Farallon (about $20.00 each). Note that the Apple Localtalk kits are not compatible with the PhoneNet kits! You must choose one or the other, and everybody on the network will have to have the same type of kit.
Each of these kits comes with a cable and a little box which plugs into your Mac's printer port. The little box has two plugs on it. You insert one end of the cable into one of the two plugs on the little box. Then insert the other end of the cable into the second little box. If you want to add a third Mac to the network, just add it to the end of the chain. You can add as many Macs as you want to the network, in one long unbroken chain. After you add all the Macs to the network that you want, you may have to add a "terminator" or "terminating resistor" to each endpoint of the chain.
Do make sure the chain of Macs is one long line. Do not link up the last Mac to the first Mac: the network should not form a ring, but just one long line. If you used PhoneNet, you also need to have a terminator at each end of the network.
TWO-PLAYER NOTE: It is possible to connect two Macs together via a very miniature LocalTalk network. You only need one cable! In fact, you may already own one -- it's the same cable that is used to hook up an ImageWriter II, StyleWriter, or StyleWriter II printer to a Macintosh. Apple calls this the "Apple System Peripheral-8 Cable" and you can get one for around $10.00. To hook up this incredibly small network, just plug one end of the cable into one Mac's printer port, and the other end of the cable into the other Mac's printer port. Presto! No LocalTalk Connector Kits or PhoneNet kits are needed if you're only playing with a two-Mac network.
That's it! Simple, wasn't it? Now that the hardware is set up, you can prepare the software portion of your network. See Network Software in the Localtalk section below to continue.
Setting Up A Thin Ethernet Network
Thin Ethernet is a good choice for a fast, small network. It is not a good choice for large networks -- a 10Base-T network is faster if you have over 20 machines or so -- but Thin Ethernet is especially good if you just want to hook up 2 or 3 or 8 Macs at a friend's house for a fast game of Descent.
For Thin Ethernet to work, you will need either (a) a Mac with "built-in Ethernet" along with a transceiver that supports Thin Ethernet, or (b) an Ethernet card that supports Thin Ethernet.
Category (a), a Mac with "built-in Ethernet", includes such machines as the Power Macintosh 6100, 7100, 7200, 7500, 8100, 8500, and 9500 models. Apple's term "built-in Ethernet" means that you have to buy something called a "transceiver" to plug into the "built-in Ethernet" port. You can get transceivers from companies like Focus or Farallon or Dayna for around $50.00, or you can get an Apple transceiver for about $70.00. Make sure that you buy a transceiver that supports Thin Ethernet if you choose to set up this kind of network. The transceiver is a little box with a T-plug on it. (See below.)
Category (b), an Ethernet card, is required if your Mac doesn't have built-in Ethernet, such as on the Power Macintosh 5200 and 6200. This will cost $75 or $100. You then have to open up the computer, install the card in the appropriate slot, close the computer, and install the appropriate software drivers as needed to make the card work. Make sure you buy an Ethernet card that supports "Thin Ethernet". The card will have a T-plug on it. (See below.)
T-Plugs: The bottom of your T-plug connects to your transceiver or card. One arm of the T connects to a "thin coax" cable. Then the other end of the thin coax cable connects to a second T-plug, which connects to the second Mac in the line. The other arm of the second T-plug can connect to another thin coax cable, which can in turn connect to the third T-plug. And so on ... and so on .... You can hook up a hundred Macs to a network like this if you feel like it.
At each end of a thin coax network, you must attach a "terminator" or "terminating resistor" to the arm of the last T-plug in the line which is not being used.
At this point you've finished setting up your Thin Ethernet network. Now see the Network Software chapter in the Ethernet section to set up the software portion of your network.
Setting Up A 10Base-T Network
10Base-T Ethernet networks are as fast as Thin Coax Ethernet networks. They are faster if you have a large network (from 15-20 computers or more). However, they are very difficult to set up. If you want to set up a 10Base-T network, you have to be familiar with, and buy, expensive peripherals called "hubs" and "routers", and for this reason we will not discuss how to set up a 10Base-T network here. We will only discuss how to directly connect two Macs via a 10Base-T "crossover cable", to produce a 10Base-T Ethernet network that consists of only two Macs.
TWO-PLAYER NOTE: If you have two Macs with 10Base-T Ethernet capability, you can set up a two-Mac network very easily, though you may have to shop to find the cable you need. It's called a "10Base-T crossover cable". You can get it at any computer store that is pretty hardcore. We would suspect that the electronics store chains you find at the shopping mall probably won't carry this cable, but "Joe's Computer and Electronics Shack" may. You may have to find a good mail-order electronics house to find this cable.
All you have to do is make sure both Macs have 10Base-T Ethernet capability, and then plug one end of the crossover cable into one Mac, and the other end into the second Mac. The two Macs should be able to communicate with each other immediately at a gratifying speed, and you can play a great 2-player game of Descent.
10Base-T Ethernet is built into some Mac models, like the Power Macintosh 7200, 7500, 8500 and 9500. You can give other Macs 10Base-T capability by purchasing a "10Base-T Ethernet transceiver" into their "built-in Ethernet" port. These transceivers cost from $50 to $80.
Chapter 2: Setting up the software
Once you have connected the proper network hardware to multiple Macs, it's time to set up the appropriate software so your Macs can communicate with each other.
The first part of this chapter is called "Setting up AppleTalk" and will describe how to enable your Mac's network software. The second part of this chapter is called "Testing the Network"; this part will let you check to see if your network hardware is hooked up correctly by means of File Sharing. The third part of the chapter is called "Setting up MacIPX" and will discuss how to enable Novell's MacIPX™ software to play a network game of Descent.
System Software note: Setting up your Macintosh network is significantly different if you use "Open Transport", Apple's new set of network software. If your Macintosh runs System 7.5.1 or earlier, you are probably not using Open Transport and you should consult the sections that start with the text "System 7.5.1 or earlier". If your Macintosh runs System 7.5.2 or later, you are probably running Open Transport and you should consult the sections that start with the text "System 7.5.2 or later".
Setting up AppleTalk with System 7.5.1 or earlier
Once you've hooked up your network hardware, the following steps will turn on all your network software if your Macs are running System 7.5.1 or earlier. If any Mac on the network is running System 7.5.2 or later, see the next chapter which describes the slightly different procedure you'll need to follow.
If you get an error message while following any of the steps listed below, it's possible that you have disabled your network software or File Sharing; or you have an incomplete System software installation; or the Mac has detected that your network hardware is incorrectly set up; or if you have an Ethernet card, you didn't install some required driver software that came with the card. You may need to get your System software disks and install all required network software.
1. From the Apple menu, pick "Chooser".
2. Make sure that AppleTalk is "Active", as shown at the bottom of the Chooser window. If one of the buttons at the bottom says "Active on restart", turn it on, restart your Mac, and start over with step 1.
3. Open the "Network" Control Panel.
4. If you are setting up an Ethernet network, click "EtherTalk". If you are setting up a LocalTalk network, click "LocalTalk Built In". If you don't get an error message, click the close box of the window.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for each Mac on the network.
That's it! Now skip down to the "Testing the Network" section below.
Setting up AppleTalk with System 7.5.2 and later
Once you've hooked up your network hardware, the following steps will turn on all your network software if your Macs are running System 7.5.2 or later with Apple's "Open Transport" network software. If any Mac on the network is running System 7.5.1 or earlier, see the previous chapter which describes the slightly different procedure you'll need to follow.
The very first thing you need to do if you have System 7.5.2 is to make sure you are running Open Transport 1.0.6 or later. Previous versions of Open Transport included serious bugs, and your Mac won't work with MacIPX at all if you are running an old version of Open Transport. To determine the version number of Open Transport you are running, open the "AppleTalk" Control Panel and choose "About AppleTalk..." from the menu. You could also click on the "AppleTalk" Control Panel from the Finder and choose "Get Info" from the File menu. If you are running an earlier version of Open Transport, you need to upgrade to version 1.0.6 of the software or later before you play Descent.
The following steps will set up and verify your network software if you run System 7.5.2 or later:
1. From the Apple menu, pick "Chooser".
2. Make sure that AppleTalk is "Active", as shown at the bottom of the Chooser window. If one of the buttons at the bottom says "Active on restart", turn it on, restart your Mac, and start over with step 1.
3. Open the "AppleTalk" Control Panel.
4. If you have set up Ethernet hardware, choose "Ethernet" from the pop-up menu. If you have set up LocalTalk hardware that plugs into your Mac's printer port, choose "Printer port" from the pop-up menu.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for every Mac on the network.
That's it! Now go to the "Testing the Network" section below.
Testing the Network
1. On one of the Macs -- we'll call it "the first Mac" -- open the "Sharing Setup" Control Panel.
2. Fill in an "Owner Name", pick a password, and give the Mac a name by filling in the first three fields in the Control Panel. Then click the "Start" button. Wait until the Control Panel indicates that File Sharing is on, then click the close box of the window.
3. On each other Mac on the network, open the Chooser and click the "AppleShare" icon. The name you gave to the first Mac should show up.
If the first Mac doesn't show up on any of the other Macs on the network, try repeating steps 1 through 3 using a different Mac as "the first Mac". If this still doesn't work, you probably have a hardware problem and your network is configured incorrectly. Check with the manuals that came with your network hardware (or cabling) and make sure you've configured everything correctly. Double-check the procedure for setting up the network software. Be especially sure you have installed any "terminating resistors" that are required, and that you haven't configured a LocalTalk or Thin Ethernet network in the shape of a ring. If all else fails, something else is wrong and you may have to find an expert (see the top of this text file).
Setting up MacIPX
Now that your network hardware and software are set up and ready to go, you should install Novell's MacIPX software. This is software that each copy of Descent on the network will use to communicate with all the other copies. MacIPX also allows the Mac version of Descent to communicate with the PC version of Descent if you have any friends with PC's on your network that you want to crush.
To install MacIPX, run the "Install Descent" installer on the CD-ROM. The "Complete Install" option will install MacIPX into the appropriate places, automatically. There is also an option within the installer which will install only the MacIPX files.
Once you've installed MacIPX, open the MacIPX Control Panel.
Choose "Ethernet" if you have set up an Ethernet network. Choose "AppleTalk" if you have set up a LocalTalk network -- Novell calls LocalTalk cables by the old name of "AppleTalk cables".
That's it!
Starting a network game within Descent
You're ready to go! Just make everybody on the net launch Descent and follow the instructions in the manual to start a network game.
We recommend you play IPX games rather than AppleTalk games. Descent plays faster and a bit more reliably if you play IPX games.
Some users have asked whether Descent can be played on the Internet. We didn't really design Descent for Internet play due to the very erratic bandwidth and latency periods that are experienced when on a worldwide network. However, there are utilities created by third-party developers which can be used to encapsulate Descent's IPX packets and route them across a TCP/IP network such as the Internet. One popular encapsulation utility is "Cali", and a Macintosh version of Cali may be forthcoming. You may want to check the Usenet newsgroups alt.games.descent or comp.sys.mac.games.action for news or opinions from other users, or check MacPlay's World Wide Web site at http://www.macplay.com for any news on this subject that may be forthcoming.
One last tip: If you play Descent at work and your boss complains that it slows down the network, you can honestly tell him or her that Descent doesn't use "broadcast packets" except during a brief period at the beginning of an IPX game while the user is looking for a Descent game to join. We wouldn't go so far as to say that Descent causes zero load on the network, but the impact shouldn't be very high.
