Q175348: Age of Empires: How to Troubleshoot Issues in Multiplayer Games

Article: Q175348
Product(s): Microsoft Home Games
Version(s): 1.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbusage kbtlc aoe kbSysSettingskbfaq
Last Modified: 09-NOV-2001

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Age of Empires, version 1.0 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

This article describes how to troubleshoot issues you may encounter when you
play a multiplayer game in Age of Empires.

MORE INFORMATION
================

To troubleshoot multiplayer issues in Age of Empires, use the following
methods.

Improve Multiplayer Performance
-------------------------------

To improve performance in multiplayer games, follow these guidelines:

- Reduce the number of players in the game.

  As the number of players in a game increases, the speed of the game decreases.
  Game performance is slower in an 8-player game than in a 2-player game.

- Do not use computer players in an Internet game.

  When you use a dial-up Internet connection to play a multiplayer game, do not
  add any computer players to the game if you are playing with three or more
  human players. Computer players decrease game speed more severely than human
  players, especially when you use a dial-up or other low-bandwidth connection.

- Use the fastest computer to host the game.

  The player with the fastest computer should host the game even if there are no
  computer players in the game. The host computer acts as a network server as
  well as a game station.

- Quit all unnecessary programs before you start the game.

  Unnecessary programs that are running on your computer can decrease game speed
  in a multiplayer Age of Empires game. If you play a multiplayer game on
  Zone.com, you do not need to leave your Web browser running after you start
  the game. To close your Web browser after you start a game on the Zone, press
  ALT+TAB to switch from the game to your Web browser, and then press ALT+F4 to
  close the browser.

Network Latency
---------------

A multiplayer game runs only as fast as the slowest computer or connection in the
game. To display scores and game performance information for all players in the
game, click S in the lower-right corner of the game screen.

If the frame rate for any computer in the game is slower than 15 frames per
second, Age of Empires displays a turtle next to the name of the player with the
slowest computer. The player can attempt to increase their frame rate or drop
out of the game.

If you have a slow connection with any other player in an Internet game, Age of
Empires displays a yellow or red symbol beside that player's name. A yellow
symbol indicates network latency between 300 milliseconds and 1 second. A red
symbol indicates network latency greater than 1 second. To reduce network
latency, proceed to the "Improve Multiplayer Performance" method, or quit the
game, disconnect and reconnect your Internet connection, and then restart the
game.

Multiplayer Games with Eight Players
------------------------------------

For best performance when you play a multiplayer game with eight players, follow
these guidelines:

- Each player's computer must be based on a Pentium 90 MHz or faster processor
  (this is a minimum system requirement to play Age of Empires), and have 24
  megabytes (MB) or more of random access memory (RAM).

- The player with the fastest processor and largest amount of RAM should be the
  host for the game.

Modem Connections
-----------------

You will not receive a busy signal if you join a multiplayer game using the
connection type Modem Connection for DirectPlay and the phone line of the host
computer is busy.

Browsers Supported by Zone.com
------------------------------

To view the System Requirements of the Zone, click the article number below to
view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q163887 Zone: System Requirements

Multiple Adapters and IP Addresses
----------------------------------

When you host a game, if you send the address you see when you click IP on the
Multiplayer Create Game screen to the other players, they may be unable to use
this address to connect to your computer. This behavior can occur if multiple
network adapters are installed in your computer, and each adapter has a
different IP address. To determine the IP address for the adapter you want to
use for the game, use the IP Configuration tool included with Microsoft Windows.
To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type "winipcfg" (without the quotation marks), and then
  click OK.

3. If you use a dial-up connection to play multiplayer games in Age of Empires,
  click PPP Adapter in the combo box under Ethernet Adapter Information.

  If you use a local area network (LAN) to play multiplayer games in Age of
  Empires, click your network adapter in the combo box under Ethernet Adapter
  Information.

4. Note the IP address in the IP Address box, and then click OK.

Additional query words: 1.00 aoe tshoot ts multiplay igz z4 msgame kbfaq

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbusage kbtlc aoe kbSysSettings kbfaq
Technology        : kbHomeProdSearch kbAOE kbGamesSearch kbZNotKeyword kbAOESearch
Version           : :1.0
Issue type        : kbhowto

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.