Macintosh Network Gaming

Updated3/16/08

 

I've acquired another Mac and wanted to connect them in a network to do head-to-head gaming. My first attempt didn't work as I was only able to exchange files. But I asked a coworker about it and he told me what to do, and it worked! I'm writing this not only because I couldn't find step-by-step directions on the internet, but by publishing this article (and hopefully there ARE others out there on this), hopefully I can get others into doing these incredibly simple steps. Mac networking for games can be done by four ways. This page will go over using standard Ethernet connections, but to see the pages for networking using Firewire, a crossover cable, or connecting wirelessly, please click here.

First off is standard Ethernet networking. What you'll need are:

1. Two Macintosh computers - They both have to be running the same operating system, either OS 9 or OS X. I'll go over adding more computers and combined Mac and PC computers later.
2. Router - These can be had for around $25-$30, older ones for cheaper, and they can be wireless or standard.
3. Ethernet Cables - Get long enough cables just in case your Macs are father apart. You can pay extra for longer ones and simply coil them up if the extra length isn't needed.

 

1. First you want to move the computers in close vicinity of each other, or as far as both of your Ethernet cables can go. Ethernet cables look like a fatter version of a regular phone cable. On the back of your router you should see 5 Ethernet jacks. 4 jacks should be in a row or clustered together and the other should be by itself. On the router you should leave the Ethernet jack for the Cable modem or DSL modem unplugged. This is the jack that is by itself and labeled "Internet", "WAN", or "Modem".

2. Take one end of your Ethernet cable and plug it into a port on the router, and the other end of the cable into the Ethernet jack on your computer, then repeat this for the other Mac. Now you should have two jacks occupied on your router. Basically, you're done connecting the hardware! Now all we have to do is configure the software to see each other.

3. On your Macs you'll need to set it so that it looks for the other computer in a particular order. In this picture it shows that my wireless card is set to connect to the internet first and then to use Ethernet to connect second. This is my personal home setup as there is a computer connected to the internet downstairs, which also has a wireless router connected to it. Since I connect to the internet more than network my Macs to play games, I use the wireless card in my computer to connect to the wireless router downstairs, so that's why I have AirPort set as the first connection type. But if I wanted to connect to the internet using the Ethernet ports I would either click and drag the "Built-In Ethernet" entry to the top which would move the "AirPort" entry right below it, or simply de-select the AirPort entry at the top and leave the Built-In Ethernet selection checked. Think of it as having one ear listen to someone on the phone and the other ear listening to a TV in the background. Now go to the top by the word "Show:", click on the drop-down menu beside it, and select "Network Status".
4. In the Network Status window, it shows the status of the current connections. It doesn't get any more basic than this. The AirPort entry shows that it's connected to the router set downstairs on the network named KE7328SUZ8RU5H. The Built-In Ethernet status shows that it is currently connected and also shows my Internet Protocol (IP) address of 192.168.2.83, the address of my computer. The other Mac that it's networking with has an IP address of 192.168.2.85, and shows this same window with the corresponding IP address. Basically the two computers are now connected, and you can close the System Preferences window. If it asks you to apply the configuration changes, click "Apply". What we have to do is open up the ports on the router to allow the two games to connect to each other. Doing this only requires one computer, not both.

5. You'll need to access the router using Internet Explorer, Firefox or another browser. In most cases it can be accessed by entering an IP address of "http://192.168.2.1" where you would type in the internet address. I have a Belkin router myself and typing in the above IP address gives me the (smaller) window to the left. Check your router's manual for directions on how to change the address so that you can access it. If you haven't done so already, login to your router using the window that should look similar to that of the left. Once you log in you should be able to make the changes.

(Click the image to show it enlarged in a separate window.)

6. As stated before the Belkin router used in this example displays the window to the left, but other Belkin routers or routers from a different brand name will display windows with similar options but different appearances.

The next step is to click on Virtual Servers in the left column, which will bring up a window similar to the one shown. If you look closely, the Virtual Servers option appears under Firewall. When we set this up, we're going to tell the router to only allow certain games to network with each other. So you're allowing one computer to communicate with another without compromising security.

(Click the image to show it enlarged in a separate window.)
7a. Here's the really easy part. Click on the drop-down menu next to "Add", and you'll see a long list of games and applications. If you're going to play Quake III on both Macs, select Quake III from the list and the information will get filled in automatically below in the slots. If you see in the list there is a selection for a Web Server. Using the router and configuring the firewall, (and using web server software sold separately), you can use your computer as a web server. Other applications include an FTP server, Telnet server and more.

7b. Here's a shot of the information filled in when you select Quake III from the list. It shows the Description entry which is the name of the application or game, inbound port range, connection type, Private IP address (intentionally left blank but there's no need for you to enter any data here), and the private port.

(Click the image to show it enlarged in a separate window.)

8. You can add multiple games and applications, and just like our example with adding Quake III, the information gets filled in automatically. In this example Unreal Tournament is chosen, but multiple ports are opened. I didn't choose the same application three times either. It just happens that using Unreal Tournament on a network requires three open ports, which again are configured automatically. As you can see Unreal

(Click the image to show it enlarged in a separate window.)

9. Here I've also added the game Diablo II to the list. Unlike the first two games, Diablo II requires two open ports.

The games are in particular slots, but the order of each game and application is not important. In the example listed to the left, I can even delete the first entry of Quake III leaving slots 2 through 6 filled, and the networking would still work. If I were to delete slot 5 leaving one Diablo port open instead of the standard two, or any one of the three Unreal Tournament ports, more than likely the networking wouldn't work since the games require more than one port open.

Once you're finished setting up the ports for the games you want to play head-to-head, click on "Apply Changes" or the applicable button listed on your router setup screen.

(Click the image to show it enlarged in a separate window.)

 

 

10. There's very little left to do now since all the routing and firewall software is configured. Now take the fastest Mac of the two, start the game, and there should be an option for multiplayer. I don't have any screenshots here because the games differ in their menu and where the multiplayer options are. In Quake III for instance you choose the multiplayer option, and then you can choose between "Start Server" and "Join Server". You choose Join Server, name the game as it will appear on the list of other servers (no matter if you're connecting to the internet or limiting it to the other computer nearby), then you can set boundaries as to how many players can join, if weapons take a while to regenerate or if they will remain there after a player picks it up, a frag limit (how many kills one must achieve before the game ends), a time limit (how long the game lasts before the game is over), what map is used, and more!

11. Once that is finished you can go to the other Mac, start the same game, but instead of going to "Start Server" you want to select the "Join Server". I believe that Quake III defaults to the internet, but you can select it and choose "local", and you should see the name of the game you created on the other computer. Once joined the graphics and map will load on both computers, and you can now play head-to-head. Even if you're playing solo, you can approach the opponent using the main computer, then go over to the other computer and see the main computer's character appear on the screen. Congratulations! You've now setup your own Macintosh gaming network. This is only the beginning.

Q: What if I have friends coming over who want to add their Macintosh to my network to play games?

A: That's still very easy. Simply follow step 2 which only involves hooking up another Ethernet cable from the back of that Macintosh, and hooking it into another port on the router. Then on the new Mac, go to the game that everyone else is playing, join the server, and they're good to go.

Q: If I have a Windows computer, can I play the same games on the same network that the Mac guys are on?

A: Of course! You do have to have an Ethernet port on the Windows machine though. Today's PCs have an Ethernet port built right in, but if not you'll have to get a PCI network card that has an Ethernet port, which can be picked up for $5-$15. Like all networked computers you'll need a regular Ethernet cable to connect to the router that the other Macs are connected to. When it comes to software you'll need to have the PC version of the same game that the Mac users are using. Some games come on a CD which work on both a PC and a Mac, but others have their PC version on one CD and a Mac version on a different CD. Also note that for some games to run, the game CD or DVD must be kept in the computer while the game is running. These rules also apply if you're using Linux as your operating system. If the PC that's being used has a faster processor than the Macs, you'll have to go into the PCs network control panel and configure it accordingly, but the Belkin screens used in the above examples would depend on the router being used.

 

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