Introduction to Game Hosting/it: Difference between revisions
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Questo è in breve il port forwarding, la ragione principale per cui avete bisogno di impostarlo è che la maggior parte dei router (specialmente se sono configurati in maniera corretta e sicura) non consentono il traffico casuale di informazioni. | Questo è in breve il port forwarding, la ragione principale per cui avete bisogno di impostarlo è che la maggior parte dei router (specialmente se sono configurati in maniera corretta e sicura) non consentono il traffico casuale di informazioni. | ||
=== | ===Precisazioni e approfondimenti sul Networking=== | ||
I was all set to write an elaborate section on networking, when I realized that there is an excellent [http://forums.rptools.net/download/file.php?id=116 FAQ] written by Azhrei at the [http://forums.rptools.net MapTool Forums]. If you are unfamiliar with concepts like Port Forwarding, configuring your router, or how networks work (in general), please read the FAQ. | I was all set to write an elaborate section on networking, when I realized that there is an excellent [http://forums.rptools.net/download/file.php?id=116 FAQ] written by Azhrei at the [http://forums.rptools.net MapTool Forums]. If you are unfamiliar with concepts like Port Forwarding, configuring your router, or how networks work (in general), please read the FAQ. | ||
Revision as of 06:27, 9 September 2010
{{#customtitle:Introduzione al Game Hosting|Introduzione al Game Hosting}}
BEGINNER
THIS IS A BEGINNER ARTICLE
Introduzione
Come già visto nella Introduzione al Mapping, MapTool permette di creare mappe e "miniature" virtuali (conosciute nel gergo del programma come tokens) da utilizzare per riprodurre una sessione di gioco di ruolo proprio come se la si giocasse su un vero tavolo. Infatti, è per questo che chiamiamo Maptool un "Virtual tabletop" o "VTT" (tavolo virtuale). In questa guida tratteremo la ragione principale dell'esistenza di MapTool: Condividere una mappa con altri giocatori attraverso internet.
Nota: MapTool non è utile solo per giocare online - molte persone lo usano per le loro sessioni faccia a faccia, perché con una mappa virtuale si possono fare cose impossibili con una reale. Inoltre, avete meno probabilità di roversarci sopra una birra. Tuttavia questa guida presume che giochiate online.
L'introduzione al mapping vi ha guidato attraverso i passi base per procurare MapTool, aprirlo e disporre map e token. Ha anche parlato del salvataggio dei Campaign Files e del movimento/zoom di map e token. Queste sono le caratteristiche principali del programma senza le quali niente del resto che è scritto in proposito avrebbe valore!
Poiché l'hosting non è divertente senza persone che si connettono alla nostra partita, la parte finale della guida illustra come connettersi al server di MapTool. Avete bisogno di spiegare ai vostri amici come fare, quindi siate sicuri di leggere questa sezione!
Infine, visto che questa guida parla di ospitare (hosting) un gioco online, "voi" sarete intesi come "la persona che ha in esecuzione il server".
Architettura
Quando viene usato per giocare online, MapTool usa un architettura client-server. In altre parole, una persona (usualmente il GM, ma non per forza) utilizza MapTool per avviare un server e le altre persone del gruppo ci si connettono come clients.
Una volta che si avvia il server e tutti sono collegati, il campaign file (con tutte le maps, tokens e le altre informazioni) è quindi condiviso con tutti i giocatori, in modo che chiunque di loro possa osservare la stessa mappa, gli spostamenti dei token propri e degli amici, inserire testo nella finestra di chat e divertirsi molto.
Una Parola Approposito sul Networking Stuff
Uno dei cimenti con la quale ci si dovrà confrontare durante la creazione di una partita a MapTool (come per le altre applicazioni client-server incluso gli altri programmi di Virtual Tabletop), è configurare la vostra rete domestica per consentire agli amici di connettersi al vostro server.
Ci sono diversi modi per configurare la vostra rete per consentire a Maptool di hostare attraverso internet. UPnP, port forwarding, oppure una VPN (un programma per il Networking privato su reti pubbliche). Dipendentemente dal vostro computer, ISP ed hardware (come una connessione via cavo/DSL e o router) verrà determinato quale di queste opzioni funzionerà per i vostri settaggi - con gli innumerevoli tipi di reti domestiche e di hardware, non è possibile darvi un singolo insieme di regole che garantiscano il successo.
UPnP
Un alternativa al port forwarding - se disponibile sul vostro router - si chiama UPnP (acronimo di Universal Plug-and-Play). Questa peculiarità, invece di indicare permanentemente "il traffico transita sulla porta XYZ", comunica al router "per un po' - mentre giochiamo - dovrò chiederti di aprire la porta XYZ per noi. Sarebbe stràààfico".
In altre parole, questo rende la gestione delle porte e del traffico in entrata/uscita più semplice e scorrevole. Indubbiamente, l'aspetto negativo è che non tutto supporta l'UPnP e si dovrà capire se la propria rete può farlo. Nondimeno, se il vostro hardware di rete lo supporta, questo è senza dubbio il modo più semplice per conseguire la corretta esecuzione di un server di Maptool.
Port Forwarding
Per le reti domestiche che utilizzano router o firewall fisici probabilmente occorrerà configurare il port forwarding (apertura delle porte). Questo è un meccanismo per il quale le informazioni in arrivo sulla vostra rete, attraverso una specifica porta, sono spedite nel posto giusto all'interno della vostra rete. Questo è importante per voi che siete l'esecutore del server di MapTool, visto che i tuoi amici hanno bisogno di inviare le informazioni al posto giusto!
Le istruzioni specifiche per configurare il port forwarding dipendono dall'hardware, dovrete controllare il manuale per questo. L'idea base è che voi indichiate due cose al vostro router/switch/firewall:
- Quale porta userà MapTool (più avanti avrete i dettagli) - questo dirà al router "delle informazioni possono arrivare sulla porta XYZ, fai attenzione!"
- Quale computer, all'interno della rete, deve ricevere queste informazioni - in sostanza, "e quando delle informazioni arrivano su questa porta, spediscile quì"
- Per coincidenza, configurare il port forwarding comunica al router anche dove far passare le informazioni in uscita.
Questo è in breve il port forwarding, la ragione principale per cui avete bisogno di impostarlo è che la maggior parte dei router (specialmente se sono configurati in maniera corretta e sicura) non consentono il traffico casuale di informazioni.
Precisazioni e approfondimenti sul Networking
I was all set to write an elaborate section on networking, when I realized that there is an excellent FAQ written by Azhrei at the MapTool Forums. If you are unfamiliar with concepts like Port Forwarding, configuring your router, or how networks work (in general), please read the FAQ.
If you are familiar with network configuration and managing your home network (especially if you can set up software to act as a server, or have set up port forwarding on your network for other applications), setting up MapTool to act as a server will be old hat: you'll basically need to configure port forwarding or UPnP on your router to permit MapTool network traffic to pass.
If you need specific information on port forwarding configuration for your network hardware, check out Portforward.com for an extensive collection of how-to documents for specific network hardware and specific software packages.
On the other hand, if all that stuff above made no sense to you: read the Networking FAQ! All will be revealed!
Now, let's get on with it.
Starting Up a MapTool Server
Assumptions
From here on out, these instructions assume that you have configured your network to handle MapTool traffic (via port forwarding or UPnP, for example). If not, you'll have to figure out how to do that before it will be possible to start a server that your friends can use.
The Start Server Dialog
1. Go to File > Start Server.
2. You will now see the Start Server dialog. There are a lot of options here.
Server Options and Settings
Configuration Settings
- Username: this is the name that will appear in chat and in the Connections window; you can set it to be anything you like.
- Role: this drop down box lets you tell MapTool what kind of user you are: are you the GM (and therefore in possession of Total Cosmic Power over all of the MapTool functions?) or are you a player, who lives at the GM's every whim (or, in other words, only has access to player functions)? Note that a game can have more than 1 GM!
- Port: A very important setting, this is where you tell MapTool what port you've configured your router to forward. If you give it the wrong port, MapTool traffic will be unable to enter or leave your network, and you will have no game!
- RPTools Alias: this field allows you to set up an "alias" for your server to appear on the RPTools server registry. It basically lets you tell your players "look for the server named Awesome Server and connect to it," instead of "connect to the server at IP Address 123.45.678.9"
- Passwords: you can protect access to your server by configuring passwords. Setting a password on the server is optional; however, if you leave it blank, anyone who can find your server can connect to it as a player. There are two password categories:
- GM: the GM password is used to provide someone with full access to the campaign remotely, though there are a small number of features which cannot be done remotely, such as loading a campaign. The GM password is typically used for a secondary GM so that GM duties may be shared, but can also be used in cases where the GM may not be able to get hosting set up properly and has one of his players host the session.
- Player: people connecting to the server in the "Player" role will use this password to connect.
Ownership, Vision, and Behavior
- Strict Token Ownership: MapTool uses a concept called "token ownership" to control who can select, move, or look at the properties of a particular token. If you enable Strict Token Ownership, only the owner of a particular token may perform any actions on it - everyone else is confined to looking at the token.
- Players can reveal vision: MapTool has a vision and fog-of-war system (where you can configure how tokens "see" the map). With this option enabled, players can reveal the area that is "visible" to their token without GM intervention (in other words, an area hidden to the token is covered by Fog of War, and appears opaque on the screen; when you reveal it, the opaque overlay is cleared, and the map underneath becomes visible). Otherwise, the GM must do all reveals.
- Use Individual Views: in the vision system mentioned above, player tokens can either "share" their vision (i.e., everyone sees what one player character sees) or they can have individualized views.
- Restricted Player Impersonation: This means that players can only impersonate tokens that they have ownership (see above) of
- Players Receive Campaign Macros: MapTool lets you write macros, which are basically sequences of text, token, and dice rolling commands used to automate certain activities - basically, a short script that does something. The GM can create "Campaign Macros" which become available to all players if this option is checked.
- Use Tooltip for [] rolls: Enabling this option makes any dice roll you enclose in square brackets show only the roll result, and display the full roll details if you hover your mouse over the result.
Testing the Connection
Before you start your server, it is a good idea to hit the Test Connection button. This will send a message out to a server at RPTools.net asking that it attempt to connect to your computer - in other words, the RPTools connection testing server will find out if it can see your computer over the network!
What you want to see is Success! I can see your computer! If you get that, you can be pretty sure that your server will be visible when you start it up.
If you do not see a message proclaiming a successful connection test, you will need to investigate port forwarding and your network configuration to make sure you have the right ports configured and everything properly arranged.
Get your Connection Information and Tell Your Friends
Assuming that you had a successful connection test, and you clicked OK to start the server, you can then check out your Connection Information to double-check the settings. These settings will need to be passed on to your friends so that they can connect to the server.
1. Go to File > Connection Information.
This will display what MapTool currently knows about your computer. Since you haven't started a server quite yet, you'll just see your computers internal and external IP addresses (this is useful info, though, especially if you haven't quite set up port forwarding!).
When a server is started, you will also see the name of the server (if you give it one), and the network port that server traffic will use.
2. Provide this information to your friends: tell them the Server Name (a.k.a. the RPTools Alias, if you set one), the external IP address, and the port. They will need to put this into the Connect to Server dialog when they attempt to log in to your server.
Connecting to a MapTool Server
The steps leading up to this point walked you through setting up a MapTool server so that people can connect to it. Of course, if you don't have anyone connecting to your server, things are going to get pretty boring pretty quick. These steps are focused on your friends who will be connecting to the server you just created.
Assumptions
The following information assumes that all of the following are true! Lacking any of these is going to make for a very short trip.
- You have friends
- You have a MapTool server running
- Your friends know the following:
- Either the server's Name OR the servers External Address is (or preferably, both!)
- What the appropriate password is (either GM or Player password)
- What Port the server is using
- VERY IMPORTANT: Your friends are using the same version of MapTool that you are using!
Open the Connect to Server Dialog
If the assumptions mentioned above are met, here's what you tell your friends:
1. Go to File > Connect to Server to see the Connect to Server dialog.
2. Enter a User name. This can be anything your friends wish.
3. Enter the password (which you set when you started the server).
4. Choose your Role. Your friends can connect as a GM, or as a Player. Make sure that they pick the right role for the password you're using!
Choose how You will Connect
The Connect to Server dialog presents three ways to connect to a running server.
RPTools.net
This tab (which is shown by default) lists all of the servers listed at the RPTools.net Server Registry. When you set up the server, you had the option to give it an alias, which is what appears in this list. The Server Registry stores the connection information for the server, so your friends can just select the server they want, and hit OK.
LAN
This tab will show any servers that are currently running on the local network. This is for when you want to have a MapTool LAN Party, or when all your friends are inside the same network (like if everyone bringes their laptop to your house for game night).
Direct
A direct connection is just that - your friends bypass the friendly RPTools.net tab, and simply type the External Address and port number for the server.
Verifying Connections
As your friends connect to your MapTool server, you will see notifications in the Chat Pane that people have connected to your server, which look like:
JQRandom has connected.
You can also check the Connections Pane to see a list of everyone who is connected to your server. If you do not see the Connections Pane, go to Window > Connections to have it pop into view.
Tokens on your Map
When you're running MapTool by yourself, you've got access to every token and every item on a map, because MapTool assumes that you're the GM (and, therefore, the All-Powerful God of the tiny world represented by the Map). However, when you start hosting a game, MapTool has different roles (mentioned previously) for the different people connecting. The GM role retains it's all-powerful status, able to select and manipulate anything on the map; however, the Player role has a much more restricted set of options, able to control only those items that the player has ownership of.
Because of that, when you start a server, you will need to make sure that you give your players ownership of the Tokens they are supposed to control! This is a common oversight when starting up a new server - forgetting to set token ownership after your players have connected!
Token Ownership is explained in more detail in Introduction to Tokens, but for the purposes of this tutorial, once you've started a server and you've got your friends connected as players, do the following for each player connected to the game:
- Double click on the token that player will be controlling as their Player Character (see Note, below).
- Set the token type to PC.
- Go to the Ownership Tab
- Check the box next to the player's name, granting them ownership of the token.
- Click OK to save the changes.
Once you do this, the players will be able to move and edit their own tokens. You can also grant ownership of a token to All Players, if everyone needs to manipulate it.
NOTE: players can have ownership of NPC tokens if you wish (the process is the same, except you don't do Step #2); however, you'll at least need to make sure they own their own player token!