Need help playing with my friend online

[CommandoScorch]

Hi. My friend and I are having a nightmare trying to forward ports and trying to connect. I could really use some advice D:

[x4000]

The general advice is this:

1. The host needs to make sure that port forwarding is set up correctly (instructions here, as well as in-game: http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/topic,8496.0.html).

2. The clients and the host need to make sure they have the AI War program, and/or the AI War port, allowed in any software firewalls they may be running (some antivirus software comes with a firewall folks may not know they are running).

3. Then the clients connect to the host's external IP address via the Direct IP Connection button inside the game, and you're off to the races. All the clients have to be using the same port as the host, I should note -- but they will be unless someone decided to change it.

You can also use VPN software like Hamachi or Commodo to get around the need for port-forwarding if you like, but that introduces a bit more latency because of the need for encryption in those programs, etc.

Beyond that, what problem are you actually having?  What have you tried so far, and how are you trying to connect, etc?

[CommandoScorch]

Well, just port forwarding in general. We really don't know how to do it. We tried it, and I tried connecting to his game, using his external ip address, but it didn't  work. P.S. the link you gave me doesn't work. Could you please try it again? Thanks for the help!

[x4000]

Sorry, fixed the link; I had copy-pasted from my response to your same question on the steam forums and it ate the link.

All the instructions are in that thread, although he may have to consult his router instructions since he's hosting.  If it seems set up  correctly but it still doesn't work, then 99% of the time one of you has a software firewall that isn't allowing AI War to talk through.  Sometimes antivirus software has that built in, like I mentioned; but there's also the regular old windows firewall, standalone software firewalls like ZoneAlarm, and so on.  Sometimes you can have multiple software firewalls running at once; some third party firewall and the windows one, usually.

Very rarely, mainly at certain college dorms or similar, you might find your traffic is barred from the network based on being an unfamiliar port to the network.  In that case you could both switch the game to using a very common port, like port 80 or something.  If both of you are using the same port, then that's going to work fine to change it; but you'll be unable to connect to anyone else using a different port unless you change them back later.

If worst comes to worst, there's always Hamachi and Commodo and similar.  Those bypass both strict college dorm network restrictions, as well as the need for port forwarding.  Sometimes they bypass the software firewalls, but usually not; if you still can't connect AI War even with Hamachi successfully connecting your computers, then you're pretty well guaranteed it's a software firewall that someone is missing.

Hope that helps!

[CommandoScorch]

I decided to go with Hamachi. I set it up and it has an ip address, but how does that help me set up a game in ai war?

[x4000]

1. Your friend also gets on Hamachi. 

2. One of you creates a network with a name and password, and the other joins.

3. You each can see the other's new virtual address (5.something).

4. The client connects to the host's virtual address within AI War, while both copies of Hamachi are running and connected to one another.

Having Hamachi running in this way simulates you and your friend both being on a virtual LAN together, each with "local" addresses in the form of that virtual 5.something address from Hamachi.

Good luck!