Ever tried Hamachi?

Forum for the Naval Campaigns games series
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ivanmoe
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Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by ivanmoe »

Little YT video that make it look like a snap:

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mjhbuckeye
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by mjhbuckeye »

I have used the Logmein Hamachi for years to connect lan networks for h2h gaming for sports games, but never have tried with the continuous time WDS/JTS Naval or MAP series games. It works great for the former. No firewall port opening, just direct connection to a VPN.
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ivanmoe
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by ivanmoe »

mjhbuckeye wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 6:56 pm I have used the Logmein Hamachi for years to connect lan networks for h2h gaming for sports games, but never have tried with the continuous time WDS/JTS Naval or MAP series games. It works great for the former. No firewall port opening, just direct connection to a VPN.
I'll have to test it here at home with a laptop connecting to a desktop via Hamachi. I realize that a simple LAN connection would be far faster and more reliable, but, since the data is going through Hamachi, I'll likely get a good idea of how much the platform can handle. Twenty years ago, I spent quite a bit of time playing "Sid Meier's style" games on Gamespy. Lots of lag and data loss there, so I'm definitely looking for a better experience. I'm absolutely past the whole "DMZ" or "port forward" approach to online gaming. Its just too risky.
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parmenio
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by parmenio »

That YT video makes it seem simple.... this post on the Blitz doesn't:

https://www.theblitz.club/message_board ... 094&page=2

I guess the only thing you can do is try it out
Andy Edmiston
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ivanmoe
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by ivanmoe »

parmenio wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:53 pm I guess the only thing you can do is try it out
Hey, If I didn't like storms, I wouldn't have become a sailor! ;)
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parmenio
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by parmenio »

ivanmoe wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 1:29 pm Hey, If I didn't like storms, I wouldn't have become a sailor! ;)
:)

The only other thing I would say if you're going computer to computer at home, then you're basically on a LAN anyway so you might not get a true representation of the difficulties involved.

This is something I need to look at, I just haven't had the time.
Andy Edmiston
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mjhbuckeye
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by mjhbuckeye »

The Blitz thing is all wet. Everybody who wants to play should have the free basic Logmein Hamachi downloaded and turned on (there is a power button). One player, could be the host but doesn't have to be, creates a network with a name and a password when he passes on to whoever he wants to join the network, not the game yet. This assumes you trust your fellow gamers, but it is relatively secure as the network only exists while the app is powered up. Only when your opponent or opponents are joined on the network do you join using the game protocol selecting a host and invite joiners utilizing the static IP of the created network (Hamachi has a messaging function built into the app so you can tell folks when to join or use something like AOL Instant Messenger). In effect everybody is playing the same game simultaneously off of the host computer. Of course, everybody has to have the game and selected scenario up and running before joining the game. Currently, Hamachi allows up to five people to join the network (including the network host), but the company which made the h2h sports games I play was able to make a Hamachi lobby which could accommodate hundreds. Maybe the WDS wizards can make this happen. Unless you are still working with dial-up internet the lag is negligible.

If I were up to speed on any of the naval games I would give it a whirl, but I'm not and wouldn't want to embarrass myself, but the principle should work.
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ivanmoe
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by ivanmoe »

IMG_0161.jpg
Well, it works.

However, Windows 10 is apparently a problem-child with some network apps, Hamachi included.

That said, Hamachi DID install without issue on both computers and I got a "tunnel" established with the nearby laptop.

To get the game going, LAN-only, I had to perform "Fix1: Allow Hamachi through Windows Defender Firewall," as detailed on this webpage:

https://www.partitionwizard.com/partiti ... ocked.html

BTW, I had to perform the same process for GC, allowing it through the Windows' firewall.

Having overcome that hurdle, I found troubles with Hamachi in terms of its ability to accept inbound traffic.

That was resolved by "Fix 2: Exclude Hamachi From Protected Network Connections List," from the same article, above.

I should note that the game ran fine on both occasions, no niggles at all.

Two concerns, really...

First, as mentioned up the thread, the Hamachi connection may be hash over distance.

I don't know if the data was traveling to a far off machine and bouncing back to Central Texas, or simply passing directly, from system to system, through my WAP.

Hmm, will have to research Hamachi. :?:

And, second, Windows seems to be upset with me for having excluded Hamachi from the protected network connections list.

For now, I'm gonna go back into the network settings and do a reset to make sure that M$ can rest easily tonight.

If anybody is better versed in the finer points of this Hamachi-bidness, I'll be more than happy to read your comments.

I do agree with mjhbuckeye that the process was less arduous than that indicated by the article at The Blitz.
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mjhbuckeye
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by mjhbuckeye »

I seem to recall from sports game play that much of the above can be avoided by simply clicking off defender and other firewall programs, temporarily of course, during game sessions on Hamachi.
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ivanmoe
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Re: Ever tried Hamachi?

Post by ivanmoe »

mjhbuckeye wrote: Sat Jul 30, 2022 3:53 pm I seem to recall from sports game play that much of the above can be avoided by simply clicking off defender and other firewall programs, temporarily of course, during game sessions on Hamachi.
Today I did some additional testing with a different client called "ZeroTier." It allowed me to avoid fix #2, so Windows seemed happier. I also found that W10 actually did fix #1 for both GC and the client app, after asking me if I wanted to allow them through the firewall (at different points in the process). The configuration process was a little confusing, because the web-UI struck me as somewhat cluttered. That said ZeroTier has a reputation for being faster and more robust than Hamachi. Another plus is that it can handle 32 connections, rather than five. Oh, and once a client (our caller) is plugged into the server (our host), users have access to the latter whenever its operator opens the program on his end. Still don't know how the setup will work for gamers in other cities, states or countries.
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