Setting up a PC "game network" - how hard/costly

[bigred]

Say I want to set up 4 PCs to be used largley for gaming between 4 people (most likely for FPS team-type stuff)......the PCs themselves aside, about how costly do you think this would be, and how hard to set up? Keep in mind I work with PCs a lot but I'm no network guru. I was thinking that if I don't care about playing the "hottest" games, I could get some not-so-cutting-edge PCs pretty cheap and I would set them up in the same room...basically, what's involved?

[Ripley Twenty-Nine]

Say I want to set up 4 PCs to be used largley for gaming between 4 people (most likely for FPS team-type stuff)......the PCs themselves aside, about how costly do you think this would be, and how hard to set up? Keep in mind I work with PCs a lot but I'm no network guru. I was thinking that if I don't care about playing the "hottest" games, I could get some not-so-cutting-edge PCs pretty cheap and I would set them up in the same room...basically, what's involved?
Precious little.

Each of the PCs would need a network card (Most have them built in to the motherboard nowadays, otherwise you can get them for about $5-10 a peice). You would then get a 4 port 'router' or 'switch' which you would plug all 4 computers into. This allows data from one computer to get 'routed' to the other computers. These are very cheap, especially if you don't care about Wireless. You should be able to get one for about $20.

If using Windows, you would have to make sure that all 4 computers belong to the same Workgroup. If they haven't been changed from the default settings, they should all belong to a workgroup called WORKGROUP.

If this is done, all computer should be able to see each other on the network.

With newer version of Windows, it's a pretty painless experience.

[bigred]

cool....thx

Knowing Windows/my luck/my expertise, it won't be that simple though. :) esp if networking older games.

[Yalius]

If you're going to use them just for gaming, and not sharing resources between the machines, you don't even have to worry about the workgroup settings. And if you're networking older games, like pre-1996 or so vintage, you might have to go into the network properties and add another protocol called NWLINK/IPX/SPX. It's not likely, but if you want to do some vintage gaming like original DooM or Descent, you may need it.

[quixotecoyote]

If you're doing games that old it's probably worth it to find some tools. I have a program that acts as a frontend network host/client for Doom. IPX is a pain in the ass to work with on finicky games. TCP-IP is much easier.

[a_unique_person]

cool....thx

Knowing Windows/my luck/my expertise, it won't be that simple though. :) esp if networking older games.

I'd go for an 8 or 16 port, doesn't cost much more, and then when you get a few more pals around, or want to hook up a network device or the internet to your lan, there's always a spare port. Get a gigabit switch, too.

As for older games, some of them can be problematical, and may use IPX/SPX. You have to make sure your network has them enabled.

[Wowbagger]

You crazy gamers got it spoiled, today!

Why, back in me college years, it took us days to set up a gaming network! We had buy a bucketful of equipment, and install and configure everything, ourselves! And, when we were done, the graphics looked terrible!

But, we liked it that way!

Today, alls you gotta do is pick up a hub at the local 5&10, and yer done. You kids got no discipline!

[bigred]

Speak for yourself punk! In MY college days, there WERE no PCs or "computer graphics" of any kind. I remember playing a football game on a mainframe which consisted of (dot matrix) print-outs where you picked any of about 5-6 plays on O or D by typing a number - you only could play vs the computer and it printed out the result of each play. whoo hoooo, now that was cutting edge...

Fortunately, we were much more into more worth activities like drink-fests, drinking games, playing darts, and making move on the women folk.

PCs truly are the serpant in the garden.

[Rat]

Speak for yourself punk! In MY college days, there WERE no PCs or "computer graphics" of any kind. I remember playing a football game on a mainframe which consisted of (dot matrix) print-outs where you picked any of about 5-6 plays on O or D by typing a number - you only could play vs the computer and it printed out the result of each play. whoo hoooo, now that was cutting edge...
You never had Spacewar! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spacewar%21)?

[bigred]

lol - no but that reminds me of an old fav called "Rip Off" that the early 80s arcades had.

[Almo]

You crazy gamers got it spoiled, today!

Why, back in me college years, it took us days to set up a gaming network! We had buy a bucketful of equipment, and install and configure everything, ourselves! And, when we were done, the graphics looked terrible!

But, we liked it that way!

Today, alls you gotta do is pick up a hub at the local 5&10, and yer done. You kids got no discipline!

My first network gaming experience was Descent. Went with a pal to the network den. Spent 2 hours waiting for it to work. Got to play for 30 min.

Next time was Populous... PC<->Amiga. Desynced a lot; never got to finish a game.

Then various others. First smooth experience was Descent 2 over the internet on my brand new PowerMac 7600 132 MHz. Then Starcraft, of course.

[Beerina]

You crazy gamers got it spoiled, today!

Why, back in me college years, it took us days to set up a gaming network! We had buy a bucketful of equipment, and install and configure everything, ourselves! And, when we were done, the graphics looked terrible!

But, we liked it that way!

Today, alls you gotta do is pick up a hub at the local 5&10, and yer done. You kids got no discipline!


Yeah, man! I had dual channel ISDN on one computer, the fastest I could get, and used it as a host for the other computer via Ethernet connector, so I could two-box EverQuest. Damn kids nowadays have it easy!