Those people who don't have a router, and just have their computer connected directly to their modem, don't have a local IP address. If you type in "What's my IP" in google, it will show you your router's IP address. Your ISP (Internet Service Provider) assigns your router an IP address, which is used by the internet. These usually start with .x, or 10.10.x.x. When you are connected to a router, your router will assign a "local" IP address to your computer and other devices. Note, you will have 2 separate IP address for WiFi and Ethernet, because they are 2 separate "cards". IP Address - The network address assigned to your network card in your computer. So, if you plan on hosting netplay games, you need to set this up. Therefore, the security stuff on the host's side is the one that has to provide the exception to allow the connection (i.e. Since the host does not know the specific client who is connecting to them, it's security features (router, Windows firewall, etc) will prevent the connection. The emulator on the host's side just puts up a message, saying "Hey, anyone want to play", where the client's side says "I want to play with you, specifically". Just for clarity, all the stuff on the host's side of things affects if the communication can be established. This is where port forwarding and uPnP come in to help streamline the communication. Then, on top of that, everything has its own firewall, limiting unwanted and wanted connections from the internet. Where it gets complicated, is when there are multiple devices that the communication has to pass through, like a modem, router, switch, etc. This situation sounds very simple, and it is. The client then connects via the network port, and has a direct connection with the host. At this point, the emulator opens a specific port (designated by the emulator). Now, it is important to note that the port is ONLY OPEN when it needs to be, and is opened and closed by the emulator.įor instance, Player 1 hosts a game.
By opening a specific port, the host allows the client a direct connection to their computer. This is where something called a "Network Port" is used. In order for a connection to be made, the host needs to allow some kind of access to the client. The host creates the game, and the client connects to the host. When playing a game against someone via netplay (P2P - Peer to Peer), one player acts as the host (or server), and the other acts as the client.
Just requires a few minutes of work, and more time to find the instructions for your router/modem.Ĭheck out this video from therexershow - RetroArch - How to Set up Port Forwarding As of this date (), relay server is not working. With the upcoming season of Classic, I would like everyone to use Direct Connect for netplay.