AoE2/AoK LAN connectivity
With a group of friends, we fired up our old copies of AoK to play together through LAN, as the HD version (through Steam) only offered unplayable games.
To play our "not so recent" games, we use an OpenVPN network I set up. This solution, while not being the easiest one to configure, is the most reliable one as it has a very small memory footprint and offers great pings.
With it, we've managed to play several games successfully. Up until the "Age" series.
So, few days ago, we installed AoK, patched it to the latest version and added "UserPatch" to the mix. We all have the exact same version.
We were 3 to do our tests, all on Windows 7.
Both my friends could see everyone's games, could host and join each other.
But as for me, they could see mine, I could see theirs, but the connection would always timeout either way.
So I did several tests:
- my firewall (software) was set to allow everything from AoK
- my firewall (hardware) was set to allow everything from OpenVPN (setting it off didn't change anything anyway)
- UPnP was off (unneeded for LAN anyway, apart from a rule for OpenVPN as I'm hosting the server)
- we're all using the same antivirus
- they both have the same router, I don't; I have a Speedtouch 780WL
- I tried switching on network-related services that were off, without success
As they could play with each other, I thought it was a network issue on my part, so I launched TCPView to see what was happening as they tried to reach my game.
I could see them trying to reach me, but to my surprise, the IPs shown on TCPView weren't the OpenVPN ones, but their external (ISP) ones.
So we did one more test: playing through Direct IP, using external (with proper ports forwarded) and OpenVPN IPs, instead of LAN, but this wasn't successful either.
So I'm clueless as to why it doesn't work. It's quite frustrating as I'm also the one who set up their computers.
The only thing that might differ is that I have a static IP for my own network (192.168.x.x), set in stone in both the router and the network card.
Though I don't know why this would cause an issue honestly.
Edit 1: Even when it works, TCPView still shows the external IPs, so it's probably not related.
Edit 2: I also tried hosting the OpenVPN server on a remote server instead, to see if that could cause the issue, but it ended with the same result.
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Can you play Age of Empires 2 on LAN?
Playing a LAN Multiplayer Game. Launch your AoE2HD game through Steam. Once you've added the game code to Steam, it will be added to your list of games on the left panel in the Games Library. Select the game, and on the right panel, click "Play."How do I host a LAN in Age of Empires 2?
Yes you can play single player offline against IA, campaigns, scenary editor\u2026 Or you can start the game in steam offline mode. There should be an option top left of the steam box for turning all of steam into offline mode.Can you play Age of Empires 2 HD offline?
As soon as you launch Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, click the Multiplayer icon on the left of the home screen. Then choose Host Game, where you can create your own match with the options below: Name your lobby and then set the settings for your lobby: Lobby Type determines if it is unranked or ranked.Age of Empires II Multiplayer LAN Offline Tutorial
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