Hey, sorry to be rather...thick. I am far from a "n00b" when it comes to gaming, but I'm just not sure about the format of multiplayer on Jedi Knight II. I recently reinstalled it and have been playing it via the 'join a server' section in the multiplayer mode which is a first because I had previously [5 years ago] played it via The Zone.

Anyway, my friend and I are trying to connect to play over the internet. However, I am not completely sure how to host a game that can appear on the server list. I have attempted to start a game through the 'create a server' option, leaving plenty of 'human's in the player spaces. However, he is unable to find the game in the game listing, even after searching for my IP address and vice versa (with him hosting the game). Since out computers are on the same college campus (not 300 yards from each other) My question is, is there something specific you have to do to create a game that is playable over the internet?

Thanks a lot!

Here are some causes of such problems:

1) Wrong IP address. Since you're both on campus you can't use whatismyip.com or whatever. ipconfig.exe in a command prompt window should do. Make sure the IP you're giving is the correct one.

As a related issue... make sure both computers have IPX/SPX driver installed if you are using that to play JK. Starting with XP (possibly older NT variants too) IPX is no longer installed on network adapters by default.

Also it's entirely possible newer routers might not even understand IPX. Try using TCP/UDP with an IP address.

2) Firewall or router is blocking connection. If you have a router or hardware firewall make sure it is setup to redirect/allow traffic on the following ports to your computer:

6073 UDP
2300 UDP
2302-2400 UDP

If it has a trigger port feature I believe 6073 can be used so you don't have to have all those ports open all the time (6073 is used for handshaking and finding the actual game port), but until you have it working you should just keep those ports open all the time.

3) It's possible gaming is blocked on your network, if so you're screwed, at least until one of you brings your computer over and you hook your computers up directly. You can always check with ITS to see if they block games on the network (make sure you specify LAN gaming versus Internet. They might have different policies).

If you can't get it to work you can use tools to narrow down the problem area. Wireshark is a packet sniffer. Set it up to sniff UDP on the above ports on both computers (not easy to do, usually it's easier to capture everything and use the filter after you're done). Then you can see if the joining computer is actually sending out packets and if the host is actually receiving them. If both is true, it's a software problem on the host (ie firewall). If the host gets nothing but the guest is sending, it's a hardware problem (ie router). If the guest isn't sending anything, it's a software problem on their end (firewall probably).

You can also try running other types of servers on TCP ports (HTTP, SSH, Samba/Windows File and Printer Sharing), on standard and non-standard port numbers, to see if it's only specific protocols or ports that are being blocked by ITS.