View source for Portal:Multiplayer

{| border=0 align=center cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=95% style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #202020; border: 1px #AA2020 solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: #512020; 70%;"|'''The FreeSpace Multiplayer Portal'''
|}

{| border=0 align=right cellpadding=4 cellspacing=0 width=20% style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em; background: #302020; border: 1px #AA2020 solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: #512020; 70%;"|'''''Technical'''''
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Multiplayer Getting Started Guide|Getting Started Guide]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[List of FS2NetD-Supported Mods]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Multiplayer Troubleshooting|Troubleshooting]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Multiplayer FAQ]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: #512020; 70%;"|'''''Gameplay'''''
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Multiplayer Medals and Awards|Medals & Awards]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; background: #512020; 70%;"|'''''Community'''''
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[:Category:Multiplayer Squadrons|Multiplayer Squadrons]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Playing Tips (Multiplayer)|Playing Tips]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Code of Conduct]]
|-
! style="color: white; height: 30px; 70%;"|[[Multiplayer lingo]]
|-
|}

Welcome to the FreeSpace Multiplayer Portal. This section is dedicated to providing guides on how to set up, play, host, and enjoy multiplayer games, as well as useful information about the multiplayer community such as squadrons, codes of conduct, and the like.

===FreeSpace Multiplayer===
[[Image:Create_game_screen.JPG|left|300px|thumb|Create Game Screen]]
Currently, the [[FreeSpace Open]] engine supports multiplayer games with up to 12 human participants as well as any number of AI players. Play can be both cooperative and head-to-head, and can consist of anything from single mission slugfests up to full-length cooperative campaigns.

All games are currently hosted by one of their participants. The host chooses the mission (''see image to the left''), and has the power to kick players, set priviledges, and the like.

The retail release of FreeSpace 2 in 1999 included a standalone server option which was later broken by various changes made by the SCP. Recently, a lot of work has been done to correct this, and on current builds the standalone server '''will work''' when run with retail data. Work is still progressing on making it compatible with the new data formats introduced by the Source Code Project. 

An upgrade of the current multiplayer code is also in progress, and is tentatively slated for release with FreeSpace Open version 3.6.10.


===Connection Types===
There are two ways of playing online games using FSO:
*Connecting through [[FS2NetD]].<br />FS2NetD is a replacement for the Parralax Online service that has now been terminated. It acts as a lobby for multiplayer games, tracking servers and facilitating connections without users needing to worry about each other's IP addresses, and also tracks stats for games that are played using validated data and missions. It does not actually host the games that are played, acting merely as a middle man.

*Direct IP connection.<br />It is also possible to play IP games, but doing this requires all participants to manually enter the IP of the server that hosts the game. This is also the option to use when playing LAN games.

Details of setting up FSO to use either of these two options are explained in the getting started guide.

===MODs and Custom Missions===
It is possible to use mods and play custom missions using FSO. Mods will need to be distributed to all participating players in advance, but missions will be automatically distributed if any participants are missing them.

When playing on FS2NetD, note that while mods and custom missions are allowed, stats will not be saved for games that use them. ''Only'' games using validated missions and data are counted. For IP games (where stats are not saved anyway) there are no such considerations.

===Validated Missions===
A package containing all currently validated multiplayer missions for FreeSpace 2 is available from the downloads section below. A voice pack for those missions is also available. To use them, the best way is to place them in a separate directory and select that as a mod from the launcher.

Do not place them in the [[mediaVP]]s directory if you intend to play for stats, as the current mediaVPs are not validated.
==External Links==
*[http://www.game-warden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=267 GameWarden Multiplayer FAQ & Getting started guide]
*[http://fs2netd.game-warden.com/ FS2NetD Website - Player stats & Information about current games]
*[http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/board,135.0.html HLP Multiplayer Forum]
==Downloads==
*[http://www.fszmirror.com/files/multi-mission-pack.vp Validated missions package for FreeSpace 2]
*[http://www.fszmirror.com/files/multi-voice-pack.vp Voice package for the validated missions]
__NOTOC__
[[Category:Multiplayer]]