Live For Speed S2 is a serious racing simulator. No arcade modes, no steering aids - YOU have to do the driving. In S2 you can race alone or against the AI, but the real fun is to be found online, in multiplayer mode. Racing against real people is simply the best thing and LFS makes it easy for you to do so. There are also several online racing leagues you can take part in, if you are looking for something with a more competitive edge.

Post tutorial Report RSS How To Run a Dedicated Host of LFS S2 Alpha

Running a host is a piece of cake. Dedicated hosts are hosts, that don't actually play the game - hosting is all they've been created for.

Posted by on - Intermediate Server Tools

How to run a Host:

Running a host is a piece of cake. Here's how it works:

Click Multiplayer. Click 'Start New Game'. This will bring you to the configuration
page of your host. Fill out your host name, provide a password if you want your
host to be private, select if you want to report your Host on the Master Server
and finally select the maximum number of players you wish to host. Click GO
and your host is running and waiting for people to join.

Running a Dedicated Host:

If you would like to run a long term
host and not join in yourself and have no gfx drawn and physics calculated to
save on cpu, you can run a 'Dedicated Host'. There is the option to
run LFS from the command line with additional parameters (or run it from a schortcut
to lfs.exe). Using these command line options, your host will run straight away after loading LFS
with the settings you have stated in the command line options.
We now have a dedicated host for download, especially for people who only want to run a dedicated
host but with full s1 abilities. See the download pages for more information.

Here's all the options laid out as well as in the readme.txt that comes with your copy of LFS:


<span style="font-size: 8pt; font-family: FIXED SYS">Command line options : ---------------------- LFS can be run from a command line or another program. A dedicated host mode is available with no hardware draw : &quot;nogfx&quot;. Before selecting your options, you may find it helpful to run LFS and try out the options on the Start New Game screen - the required upload bandwidth for those options is displayed on screen. 1) Host options : Example : LFS /host=test host /cars=ALL /dedicated=nogfx /maxguests=4 /host=Host Name      :FIRST IN LIST /pass=Pass           :if required - password /admin=Pass          :if required - admin password /ip=X.X.X.X          :if required - local specified ip address /port=63392          :a high number below 65536 /mode=demo           :demo / s1 / s2 /usemaster=yes       :no / yes / hidden /track=XXCR          :track and config (e.g. BL1 / SO3R / FE4) /weather=1           :weather : 1,2,3 in Blackwood /cars=[cars]         :see below : &quot;Car Strings&quot; /maxguests=4         :max number of guests that can join host /carsmax=5           :max number of cars in a race /carshost=1          :max number of cars (real+ai) on host pc /carsguest=1         :max number of cars (real+ai) per guest pc /pps=4               :smoothness (3-6) number of car updates per second /qual=0              :qualifying minutes, 0 for no qualifying /laps=5              :number of lap, 0 for practice /wind=1              :0 no wind / 1 low wind / 2 high wind /dedicated=no        :no / yes / nogfx / invisible /vote=yes            :no / yes : can guests vote to kick or ban /select=yes          :no / yes : can guests select track /rstmin=X            :no restart for X seconds after race start /rstend=X            :no restart for X seconds after race finish /autokick=no         :no / yes / ban / spectate   (Wrong way drivers) /midrace=yes X       :no / yes                    (Join during race) /mustpit=no          :no / yes                    (Pit Stop Required) /start=finish        :fixed/finish/reverse/random (Default race start) /welcome=X.txt       :set welcome text file /tracks=X.txt        :set list of allowed tracks NOTE - alternative way to use the command line options : A command file xxx.txt can be used instead of a long command line. The command file would contain the command line parameters. The parameters can be spread onto several lines. The command file can contain comments, starting with two slashes // Then the command line would be simply : LFS /cfg=xxx.txt (where xxx.txt is the name of the config file) 2) Status file &quot;host63392.txt&quot; - updated whenever info changes : 63392 is the port number of the host. It contains the following information: lfs=0.5U             :version status=ingame        :offline / online / ingame guests=4             :current number of guests maxguests=4          :maximum guests allowed host=Host Name       :game name as listed on master server pass=Optional Pass   :host password usemaster=yes        :no / yes / hidden trackcfg=BL1         :short name for track and config cars=[18x&quot;0&quot;or&quot;1&quot;]   :cars allowed on host (0=no / 1=yes) qual=0               :qualifying minutes laps=5               :number of laps conn=Host            :player name conn=Guest 1         :player name conn=Guest 2         :player name ... Host commands : --------------- You can use text commands to control normal or nogfx dedicated hosts. Using the normal text message system &#40;pressing T in a normal host or simply typing into a nogfx host&#41;, the message becomes a command if you start it with a slash character. Simple commands with no parameter : /restart             :(re)starts the current race /qualify             :(re)starts qualifying /end                 :return to entry screen /names               :toggle display between player and user names /exit                :clean exit from nogfx host (host only) /help                :get list of commands /reinit              :total restart (removes all connections) Commands with a parameter - entry screen mode : /track XXCR          :track and config      (e.g. BL1 / SO3R / FE4) /weather X           :lighting              (e.g. 1, 2, 3...) /qual X              :qualifying minutes    (0 = no qualifying) /laps X              :number of laps        (0 = practice) /hours X             :number of hours       (if laps not specified) /wind X              :0 no / 1 low / 2 high /autox X             :load autocross layout named X for this track /axclear             :clear autocross layout Commands with a parameter - any time : /axlist X            :get list of layouts for track X - e.g. AU1 /maxguests X         :max number of guests that can join host /carsmax X           :max number of cars in a race /carshost X          :max number of cars (real+ai) on host pc /carsguest X         :max number of cars (real+ai) per guest pc /pps X               :smoothness (3-6) number of car updates per second /msg X               :send system message /rstmin X            :no restart for X seconds after race start /rstend X            :no restart for X seconds after race finish /autokick X          :no/yes/ban/spectate         (Wrong way drivers) /midrace X           :no/yes                      (Join during race) /mustpit X           :no/yes                      (Pit Stop Required) /start X             :fixed/finish/reverse/random (Default race start) /pass X              :set new password            (BLANK = no password) /welcome X.txt       :set welcome text file /tracks X.txt        :set list of allowed tracks Kick and ban commands - any time : /spectate X          :make user X join the spectators /kick X              :disconnect user X /ban X Y             :ban user X for Y days (0 = 12 hours) /unban X             :remove ban on user X Host settings commands : /vote X              :no or yes - guest voting /select X            :no or yes - guest selection /cars [cars]         :see below : &quot;Car Strings&quot; Other text commands : /out X               :ignored by LFS but seen by external programs These commands are also available to any user who has connected to the host using the admin password if one was specified when the host was started. To restrict the tracks allowed on a host : Create a text file named &quot;X.txt&quot; in your LFS folder. List all the tracks and configurations you want to allow. Type one configuration on each line. You must use the short name of the tracks : [first two letters of name] [config number] [reversed]
Example : BL1 BL2 FE1R Use the command /tracks=X.txt in your startup command line Car Strings : ------------- The /cars command for the startup command line or for hosts / admins now uses the three-letter S2 car codes. Example : /cars=XFG+XRG        :Allow XF GTI and XR GT /cars=MRT            :Allow MRT5 only These Car Groups can be used as well : ALL    - all cars ROAD   - road legal cars RACE   - race cars TBO    - same as XRT+RB4+FXO LRF    - same as LX6+RAC+FZ5 GTR    - same as FXR+XRR+FZR The plus and minus symbols can be used in conjuction with these : /cars=TBO+LX4        :Allow XRT, RB4, FXO and LX4 /cars=ROAD-UF1       :Allow all road cars except the UF 1000</span> 

Running a Host behind a Firewall or Internet Connection Sharing:

However, it may be that your
computer is located behind a Firewall or Internet Sharing network (when your
computer is not directly connected to the internet, but through a Router of
some kind). To be able to run a host in this situation, you have to open a 'Port'
in your routers Firewall and/or Internet Sharing settings. Unfortuantely every
OS and firewall software has it's own way of doing this. We'll try to explain
how to open a port using standard Windows firewall and ICS (sharing) software.

Opening a PORT on a router with Windows XP:

If your router uses Windows XP, you
will have to add a service device in your firewall settings. You can find these
settings in: My Network Places -> View Network Connections -> RIGHT click
the network device connected directly to the internet and choose properties.
On this next window, there will be 3 tabs (General, Authentication, Advanced).
Click Advanced and you should see your firewall and sharing enabled. Click the
bottom right SETTINGS button. Here you will be in the next window and tab called
'Services'. Click Add to add a new service. In this Service Settings window,
fill out a name for your own recognition, the IP of the computer on your network
where you wish to run the host, and twice the port number 63392 in the external
and internal fields. (We recommend running the host on your router, but it should
work from anywhere on your network provided you fill out the correct IP adress
of the computer running the host)

If you fail to do this, you may
seem to still be able to run a host, but nobody will see you and thus no one
will ever connect to you and people will have to wait longer to get the host
list from the master server.

Opening a PORT on a router with Windows 98 SE/Windows ME:

For Windows 98se and Windows ME users we
have a file for download: lfsportmap_me_98se.inf

To use this file:

1) download the file onto your router
computer

2) right click on the file and select
"install"

3) reboot computer

Then you can run a host on your router pc.

If you fail to do this, you may
seem to still be able to run a host, but nobody will see you and thus no one
will ever connect to you and people will have to wait longer to get the host
list from the master server.

 

Opening a PORT on a router with Windows 98:

This is quite impossible since Windows 98 does not share internet connections.

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