LAN games going out of sync

[Tytan]

Might be a bit of a long shot for such an old game, but I figured someone here may be able to help

I've managed to get a 2-player LAN game working, however at the start of the game both machines receive a warning message about being possibly out of synchronization. From that point onwards, the game gradually goes out of sync (creature being in different places, villages belonging to different players etc).

We've noticed that if we play on the same "team" the problem is much less apparent, and we don't receive any warning messages until about an hour of play in.

I'm guessing the problem stems from running an old game on modern PCs/network - I've tried using the B&W multiplayer client but I cannot get that to recognise the game installation on either machine, even when I download the game via the client and fix the registry etc. Has anyone experienced this before or have any suggestions?

 

[Tytan]

In case anyone is following this, I've run some tests with 3 different machines across the same network, I'll call them:

DESKTOP-PC
LAPTOP
MEDIA-PC

The results:

MEDIA-PC connecting to host DESKTOP-PC: Game starts but with sync error
LAPTOP connecting to host DESKTOP-PC: "Could not connect to remote machine" error
DESKTOP-PC connecting to host MEDIA-PC: "Could not connect to remote machine" error
LAPTOP connecting to host MEDIA-PC: "Could not connect to remote machine" error
DESKTOP-PC connecting to host LAPTOP: Game starts but with sync error
MEDIA-PC connecting to host LAPTOP: Game starts successfully with no error

I have another laptop to try, but for now it seems the MEDIA-PC connecting to the LAPTOP is the most successful. I haven't tried a long game with that setup yet so I'm guessing it'll still throw sync errors after a while, but at least we should be able to quit and rejoin (in theory). If I figure anything else out I'll keep the thread updated.

 

[Dahleander]

I hope you've managed to find a solution in the past four years, but if not, don't hesitate to reach out.

 

[Leghatorby]

I see this post is a bit older, but synchronization issues in old LAN games can still be relevant today. It sounds like you've already tried a few troubleshooting steps, like playing on the same team to reduce issues.One thing we found helpful was checking if there were any patches or updates available for the game that might address compatibility issues with modern PCs and networks. Sometimes forums or community sites have workarounds or mods that can stabilize multiplayer sessions.When I need a break from troubleshooting, I often turn to a game like Spider Solitaire. It’s a simple way to unwind and clear the mind after a frustrating tech session.