How can I play the GTA Max Pack Multiplayer? (SOLVED)

[ThermalSmoke]

So I was bored and sitting there watching some old GTA 1 and London MP footage from 2008 or so and I asked myself, "I wonder if there is a way to play with others on the Max Pack version?" I didn't think it would work, so I booted up the Max Pack and went to options to run setup for GTA 1. I went to configure network game and choose Serial Link, I put 1 and ran GTA 1. And to my surprise, the main menu was different this time.

I previously played with just "Play" and "Options", now I had "Gather Network" and "Join Network", so I assume that multiplayer is possible but my question is HOW do you play multiplayer on the Max Pack? Does anyone know how to do it? Or am I going to find the answer by experimenting for a while?

Edited May 2, 2021 by ThermalMoon
Cracked the code

[jm-9]

On 2/18/2021 at 6:26 AM, ThermalMoon said:

So I was bored and sitting there watching some old GTA 1 and London MP footage from 2008 or so and I asked myself, "I wonder if there is a way to play with others on the Max Pack version?" I didn't think it would work, so I booted up the Max Pack and went to options to run setup for GTA 1. I went to configure network game and choose Serial Link, I put 1 and ran GTA 1. And to my surprise, the main menu was different this time.

I previously played with just "Play" and "Options", now I had "Gather Network" and "Join Network", so I assume that multiplayer is possible but my question is HOW do you play multiplayer on the Max Pack? Does anyone know how to do it? Or am I going to find the answer by experimenting for a while?

GTA Max Pack runs in Dosbox, which is a DOS emulator. GTA 1 supported four communication methods:

 

* Serial Link - this used a serial port, which was found on old PCs. DOS (I think) came with support for this.

* Modem - Using a modem with a phone line jack, you would connect your PC to another PC. One player would dial the other PC.

 

If players had a network card, the following protocols were supported:

* IPX/SPX - a now-outdated protocol common in the DOS and Windows 9x days

* TCP/IP - Used today to connect to the Internet (Windows version only)

 

Serial and modem support two players only. IPX/SPX and TCP/IP support two to four players.

 

DOS didn't come with support for a network card out of the box. In order to play multiplayer in this way, you would have to install drivers for the network card, and also install IPX/SPX. This is also true for Dosbox. It is possible, but it's not easy. Serial cable support is possibly supported in Dosbox. If you have a serial port or a USB-to-serial device you may be able to use this method. The DOS network type (serial, modem, IPX/SPX) is configured in K.exe, where you also configure the sound card and controls. Once you start the game, if the network type is successfully detected, the option Gather Game and Join Game will appear. The Windows version is different. These options always appear, and you have the choice of all four methods to connect with when you gather (create) or join a game.

 

The easiest way by far to play GTA 1 multiplayer is to connect two older PCs (XP or older) with a serial cable or a cross cable. If you use a cross cable, give each PC a static IP address in Network Settings (manually enter settings). Launch the Windows version on both PCs. On one PC choose Gather game. On the other choose Join game. Then choose either serial or TCP/IP. Enter the COM port the serial port uses if you chose that method. If you chose TCP/IP, enter the IP address of the other PC. Then you'll be able to play. It's worth noting that the messaging function (F1-F4) only works properly in the DOS version. I successfully played a multiplayer game last year in GTA: London 1961 using this method (I used TCP/IP). TCP/IP can also be used to play over the Internet, though these days both routers would need the relevant incoming and outgoing ports opened in the firewall.

Edited April 6, 2021 by jm-9

[ThermalSmoke]

27 minutes ago, jm-9 said:

you would have to install drivers for the network card, and also install the protocol of choice.

What about programs like LogMeIn Hamachi? It's almost like Lan, but you connect to one another using IP addresses made specifically for Hamachi. Would that be alright to use? If the multiplayer feature is there, then the answer is that multiplayer is supported. It would probably be Lan and not necessarily online, but programs like Hamachi can create a peer to peer connection through a program. I'm probably not the best person to explain Hamachi, since it looks like I'm just spouting gibberish but you get my point.

Also, any way to mark your answer as "best answer"? That might be important to those who want to play multiplayer in the future of this forum.

Edited February 19, 2021 by ThermalMoon
One more thing...

[jm-9]

On 2/19/2021 at 3:01 AM, ThermalMoon said:

What about programs like LogMeIn Hamachi? It's almost like Lan, but you connect to one another using IP addresses made specifically for Hamachi. Would that be alright to use? If the multiplayer feature is there, then the answer is that multiplayer is supported. It would probably be Lan and not necessarily online, but programs like Hamachi can create a peer to peer connection through a program. I'm probably not the best person to explain Hamachi, since it looks like I'm just spouting gibberish but you get my point.

Also, any way to mark your answer as "best answer"? That might be important to those who want to play multiplayer in the future of this forum.

No, that wouldn't make a difference. Whether LAN or over the Internet, you would still have to install the network card drivers and the protocol. Modern PCs use TCP/IP to connect to a LAN. Back in the 90s, IPX/SPX was also a commonly used protocol, but TCP/IP took over in the early 2000s. Unfortunately it can be difficult to get network cards to work in DOS. Even with the manufacturer's DOS drivers, I was unable to get DOS 7.1 (which Windows 98 runs on) to find my PCI network card. By contrast, Windows 98 found it, installed it and had everything ready to go without any input from me. It also had the TCP/IP protocol installed by default. Even as far back as Windows 3.1, it's always been far easier to get networking working in Windows than it is in DOS. That's why it's usually recommended to play multiplayer using the Windows version, even with the broken messaging function.

 

It even still works on today's PCs, well, some of them anyway. I, like many others, have a really slow frame rate and bad colours on half the screen in 16-bit colour, and a blank screen in 32-bit colour; however, I have heard also that many people have no problems playing GTA 1 on a modern PC, once they switch to 32-bit colour and at least 640x480 resolution (press F11 in-game to change these settings).

 

Despite my issues, I was able to connect my Windows 10 laptop to my Windows 98 Second Edition desktop with an ethernet cable. After I assigned static IP addresses to both network cards, I set London 1961 on Windows 98 to Gather Game, while I joined the game in Windows 10 (Windows 98 has way less security, so using that as the host was the preferable option). While initially I had no success, after I quit the game in Windows 10, I was asked if I wanted to open firewall ports for GTA 1. After saying yes, I tried again, and this time I was successfully able to connect and join the game on the Window 98 PC. I still got a blank screen in Windows 10, but the connection held, and I was able to explore the unique London 1961 multiplayer map based on Manchester. I'd love to play a proper multiplayer game sometime.

 

Edit: I have since been able to get IPX/SPX networking working in DOS. My problem was that the PnP Operating System option in my BIOS was set to Yes, preventing it from configuring PCI devices (such as my network card) properly. Once I set it to No it worked fine. After this, what you have to do is:

 

1. Find a packet driver for your card online and copy it to a folder. In DOS,

2. Download an IPX driver for your network card and copy it to a folder.

3. Download the file lsl.com and copy it to a folder.

4. Download the file ipxodi.com and copy it to a folder.

 

To enable IPX/SPX, you have to:

 

1. Initialise your network card using the packet driver using the exe or com file in the packet driver's folder.

2. Run lsl.com

3. Enable the network card's IPX/SPX driver by using the exe or com file in the IPX driver's folder.

4. Run ipxodi.com.

 

Now you can play GTA 1 online. I say GTA 1 because both London games always crashed for me with IPX/SPX enabled, and looking online others have had the same problem.

 

Note that this does not apply to running the game in a DOS window in Windows. All you have to do here is to go into Network in Control Panel and ensure that the IPX/SPX protocol is installed. Then you can play the DOS version over a network. Interestingly, the London games played fine for me this way over IPX/SPX.

 

For Dosbox, use this method to play a multiplayer game over IPX/SPX:

 

https://www.dosbox.com/wiki/Connectivity

Edited April 6, 2021 by jm-9

[ThermalSmoke]

Update to what would have been a dead topic with no answers, after a bit of testing and simple coding I got the Max Pack multiplayer to work. Now before I lay down the steps, which aren't too complicated, I haven't tested EVERYTHING. Low color, high color, and 3DFX on all 3 first gen GTA games have not been tested. So, I don't know if it works well or if its buggy as hell. But if you do find any weird oddities, I would be glad to hear them. I can't say I would know how to fix them, but I could try.

Okay, before I really get technical, we need to go over a few things you will need;

-Toshiba-3's GTA Max Pack: This one is obvious, but you will need a CLEAN and NEW copy of the Max Pack. If you have played through the entire campaign on all 3 games, I regret to inform you that all that saved data will have to be deleted. The good news is that once the multiplayer is setup you won't have to delete your progress again. But it's understandable for those who may be hesitating and feel that their hard work will be erased. But as of now there is no other way to keep your old, saved data. 

-Download WinPcap for Windows 10 Free (2021) (autotechint.com) (optional?): I'm honestly not sure if this is necessary or not for making the [Serial] portion of the multiplayer work, more on that [Serial] mode later, but it may help. You might have to test it yourself and tell me if it contributes to anything at all. For those worried it is easy to uninstall this program and as far as I've "used" it, it hasn't affected my PC in any negative way. But do let me know what programming issues you've run into while having it installed. For those wondering, no, it isn't required for [IPX]. Just [Serial] for LAN and [IPX] for online.

-3rd party virtual LAN program(s): I cannot link you to a 3rd party website, as I value my account on the GTAForums and wish not to be obliterated by the mods. You can just do a google search for program called "Hamachi" or something similar. But if the mods are cool with it, maybe I'll add the link to the website. Oh and one more thing, to make a some sort of gateway for LAN, assuming you're using Hamachi, then this might be useful too; 

Now that we got the tools ready, we can now get to the actual setup. This part shouldn't be too complicated, I'll try to phrase it as user friendly as I can, and if it's setup correctly you should be able to relive to those old GTA 1 and London memories or make new ones. One thing I haven't mentioned so far is how the Max Pack is just a glorified DOSBox. I took a peek into the coding and compared the Max Pack's coding to the DOSBox coding and found they were fairly similar, the Max Pack version being shorter and "easier" to understand. So, I'm going to split this into [Serial] and [IPX] as to not mix them up together and stumble onto one another. For those curious, [Serial] is LAN and only supports up to 2 players. IPX is over the internet and is up to 4 players.

Oh and heads up, I'm going to have faith that you placed the Max Pack into a folder and didn't just leave everything in the "downloads" or just didn't bother to unzip it.

 

[serial]

1. To start, open up the Max Pack folder and there should be a file called "Dosbox.conf". You're going to right click and head to "open with" and select notepad. (This step applies for [IPX] too).

2. Now that you have changed the file into a notepad document, you're going to double click and open it.

 

3. The contents inside may look scary to someone who has never coded before, but don't worry the process is simple. You're going to scroll down and look for the space between [joystick] and [dos]. Double space around that area.

4. In the middle of that double space, you're going to write the following (or copy and paste);

 

[Serial]
serial1=dummy
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled
 

4.5. Serial is just LAN, so it has 4 ports and has many options to use. Dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, and directserial. The one we are going to use is Nullmodem to make serial work. You can test the others if you feel like doing it. (More about this in the following post).

5. Now on "serial1=dummy", you are going to change "dummy" and swap it with "nullmodem". It should look like this; 

[Serial]
serial1=nullmodem
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled

And that's it, you are done setting up serial... sort of. So how do you actually pull off multiplayer? Let's start with host.

 

[Serial: Host Settings]

For host settings, you're going to write this (or copy and paste) into the code in [Serial];
 

[Serial]
serial1=nullmodem port=12345
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled

The numbers in the "port" are example numbers, but you may change it to what you please. After that, run the GTA: Max Pack executable file (.exe), go to the settings for GTA 1 or the London games, set your "network" as "serial", and choose the COM number. COM numbers are destination ports and range from 1 to 4, both players must choose the same COM number in order to properly connect and play. Select the game mode your desire. High color, low color, 3DFX, whatever. But make sure the client, which I will get to in a bit, also chooses that same version. Both players cannot play incompatible versions. For example, one of you can't play on 3DFX while the other plays on High color mode, It will not work.

Once you're in the main menu of your preferred GTA game, choose "Gather Network", select your character, pick the game mode, set the score, and then just wait for the client to join.

 

[Serial: Client Settings]

Now that I've explained the host settings, how does the client join? That process is also easy, it's just like the host settings, but with extra numbers. If the notepad for "Dosbox.conf" is still open, you're going to go back into serial and edit this in for client (or copy and paste);

[Serial]
serial1=nullmodem server:(ipv4 address) port=12345
serial2=dummy
serial3=disabled
serial4=disabled
 

And that's all there is to it. Run the GTA: Max Pack executable file (.exe), select the GTA game with the same color mode (or 3DFX), make sure both have the same COM number, choose "Join Network", and select your character. Assuming all the above worked correctly and you're using a 3rd party LAN software, you can now play TDM or race against your buddy.

 

[IPX]

IPX is less complicated than Serial, but still requires some port forwarding and a bit coding. But it's not complicated. So, here's how you're going to set IPX. Oh, and more thing before we get started. You will need to remove DOS4GW from the "GTADOS" folder inside the GTA: Max Pack, don't throw it in the trash, keep it somewhere else safe. It makes the IPX network in London 1969 and London 1961 unplayable and you won't get very far past the Rockstar intro screen. You can fix this by choosing the "serial" network or no network in the GTA options menu and the campaign plays fine, but no IPX multiplayer. Anyways, back to the steps.

1. To start, open up the GTA: Max Pack folder and there should be a file called "Dosbox.conf". You're going to right click and head to "open with" and select notepad. (This step applies for [Serial] too).

2. Now that you have changed the file into a notepad document, you're going to double click and open it.

3. Scroll down to till you reach the line between [dos] and [autoexec]. Double space in that middle area.

 

4. In the middle of the line write the following (or copy and paste);

[ipx]
ipx=true

 

Congratulations, you have enabled the online mode and can now play with people who are just as interested as you are in vintage games like these. But just like in serial, I'm sure you're asking yourself, "how do I host or join for IPX?" The steps are pretty simple for that question.

 

[IPX: Host Settings]

For host, head to [autoexec] and write below "c:" the following (or copy and paste);

IPXNET STARTSERVER 12345

The number above are the port numbers, you can always change this in the notepad. Run the GTA: Max Pack executable file (.exe), head into the menu of whichever GTA game you'd like, select "configure network game", choose "IPX network" as your network of choice, and the menu should give you the option to set your network socket. Make sure the network socket number matches the port number. When that's finished you can finally play the game. Pick the GTA of your choosing, select the color mode (or 3DFX), choose "Gather Network", select your character, game mode, and the number of points. Then all you have to do is wait for all the other players to join and begin the game. But make sure the client, which I will get to in a bit, also chooses that same version. Both players cannot play incompatible versions. For example, one of you can't play on 3DFX while the other plays on high color mode, it won't work.

 

[IPX: Client Settings]

If you're the client and want to join the game host, then the same steps above apply. Albeit with a bit more numbers. Just head to [autoexec] and right where "c:" is, you're going to write this below it (or copy and paste);

IPXNET CONNECT (ipv4 address) 12345

And that should be it. Now you can run the Max Pack executable file (.exe), then head to the menu of the GTA game of your choice and select "IPX Network" in the network options with the network socket matching the port number. Select "Join Network", choose your character, wait to connect, and chill in the lobby while the host takes their time to start the game. Do keep in mind, before even hosting or joining you must port forward in order to work, YouTube should help you there or you could use a 3rd party LAN software for an easier connection.

Hope this helped and feel free to reach out to me if you need help setting up. But I think with all the steps above, you should be able to play a classic game of GTA 1 or the London expansions and maybe even make new memories.

Edited April 26, 2022 by ThermalSmoke
Grammar correction + QOL improvements

[ThermalSmoke]

For those curious about Serial, here are the notes copied from the actual Dosbox.

[serial]
# serial1: set type of device connected to com port.
#          Can be disabled, dummy, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
#          Additional parameters must be in the same line in the form of
#          parameter:value. Parameter for all types is irq (optional).
#          for directserial: realport (required), rxdelay (optional).
#                           (realport:COM1 realport:ttyS0).
#          for modem: listenport (optional).
#          for nullmodem: server, rxdelay, txdelay, telnet, usedtr,
#                         transparent, port, inhsocket (all optional).
#          Example: serial1=modem listenport:5000
#          Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial2: see serial1
#          Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial3: see serial1
#          Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.
# serial4: see serial1
#          Possible values: dummy, disabled, modem, nullmodem, directserial.

 

Looks complicated, I know. That's why I'm going to go over the different modes and what each can do to the best of my understanding, hope this helps a bit.

Nullmodem: A Null modem is type of LAN device used in Dosbox, it's the most frequent and "easiest" way to get a 2 player game going. I've already explained, although simplified, how to get a multiplayer game running on the Max Pack. But as for the actual Dosbox, the process is less tedious, but some of the steps apply. Back on track, it should really be only used to get a Wi-Fi LAN game going, as it's almost impractical if you were to try use it on an actual PC to PC connection.

Modem: Just like the Null modem, it's a LAN device used in Dosbox. Albeit more complicated. Modem uses the same steps as null modem, but requires the usage of a phone to properly get it working. I have not gotten a GTA game to work on this, but this doesn't mean it's impossible. Just like null modem, both player must write the same "listenport" number to play and try to dial in game in order to connect. I'm not gonna try to get results testing this out, but if you feel ambitious then you can test it yourself. I'm not about to waste another few weeks trying to figure it out. (This section may be edited later if the facts do match the statistics).

Directserial: Literally Null modem, but it's requires an actual PC to PC LAN cable connection to work. So Hamachi or your 3rd party program (probably) won't work with this. I have not tested this out myself, but maybe you can get results if you and your friend have a weird taste for 2D topdown GTA 1 and the London games.

Dummy: Being honest, the dummy doesn't serve much purpose and might as well be disabled. It can act as an available connection... With no one. I honestly don't know what else I can expand upon this.

Disabled: This is self explanatory, but if I must explain it. This option won't work if you and a friend try to play on this setting, that's it.

Edited May 3, 2021 by ThermalMoon
Further clarification

[Lucas 444]

Srry for commenting on an old post but i'm interested on playing these old gems online with my friends and I have a few questions. For the IPX method, do i need to download anything like some sort of drivers or anything? Why can't I play Cannonballs on GTA L 1961? The Cannonball options appear blanked and are only readable with the low color version of the game (not going to use that version) and even with low res, if u select them, the game crashes. Is there a fix for that? Also srry for going off topic, but in singleplayer mode is there a fix for the cinematics on GTA L 1969 or do we still have to stick to 3dfx mode? Bc I play the normal mode since I have save states and in 3dfx u can't really save cus of the glide mode, so if there is a fix for that I would really appreciate if someone could tell me how to. Thanks

[ThermalSmoke]

On 4/23/2022 at 2:09 PM, Lucas 444 said:

Srry for commenting on an old post but i'm interested on playing these old gems online with my friends and I have a few questions. For the IPX method, do i need to download anything like some sort of drivers or anything? Why can't I play Cannonballs on GTA L 1961? The Cannonball options appear blanked and are only readable with the low color version of the game (not going to use that version) and even with low res, if u select them, the game crashes. Is there a fix for that? Also srry for going off topic, but in singleplayer mode is there a fix for the cinematics on GTA L 1969 or do we still have to stick to 3dfx mode? Bc I play the normal mode since I have save states and in 3dfx u can't really save cus of the glide mode, so if there is a fix for that I would really appreciate if someone could tell me how to. Thanks

Hey Lucas, fancy seeing a new post in this old, and possibly forgotten, topic of mine. Getting together with the squad to play some old school GTA 1 and London? Awesome, wish I could join but I'm mostly hibernating at the moment from GTA in general. I still occasionally search up the forum to see if anyone needs help with anything GTA 1 or London related, so I should be able to help with any endeavors you may be facing. I should let you know, anything technical may be out of my league since I don't much about coding. Makes me wish Toshiba-3 was here again, sadly he's gone under and won't be returning for lord knows how long. Perhaps not at all. Anyways, time to answer your questions.

 

Do you need any drivers or programs to make IPX work? No. I've tested these multiplayer games with a friend of mine, this is essentially TCP/IP before TCP/IP. I already explained that you have to open the "DOSBox.conf" file and apply the following above. (I'll fix some grammatical errors after this is posted). In the rare instance it doesn't work, you may have to install a program like Hamachi and play with friends using a virtual LAN driver. It's still IPX, you're just cheating to have a solid connection. To reiterate, it's a "maybe" case scenario but I'm certain the connection should work just fine.

 

GTA London 1961 has one and only one game mode, deathmatch. The low color version of GTA London 1961 shows other optional game modes but that's a glitch from the underdeveloped low color mode by Toshiba-3. Originally, GTA London 1961 came with a high color and 3DFX version of the game, but not with a low color mode. The low color mode of GTA London 1961 does have a working multiplayer and is lag free when playing online, but the tradeoff come in the form of an ugly looking color pallet. Otherwise, you're better off sticking with the high color and 3DFX version of GTA London 1961's multiplayer since they look better and play just fine, online or LAN.

 

The cinematics for GTA London 1969 in the GTA: Max Pack are sadly bugged and cannot be fixed, at least to my knowledge. So you're stuck playing on low color or 3DFX mode. There is ONE way to play in high color mode, but it requires downloading a separate version of GTA London 1969 and playing it in "Windows mode" rather than through "DOSBox mode". I've already explained how the Max Pack is a glorified DOSBox emulator, but simpler. The original PC releases of these games came with a Windows option that could be played on your windows computer; it was an alternative to DOS. In simpler terms, a high color mode without the other low color or 3DFX option. Downloading the Windows version from MyAbandonware , taking the Windows version from the folder titled "WINO/WINDO/WIN", and placing it into the Max Pack folder should get you all setup. Oh, and in case your computer can't support the resolution or state of the game you may need to need a program like DgVoodoo 2 just to run the game properly without lagging. The Windows version of these games even includes an actual TCP/IP connection, so no fiddling around there. All you have to put is your Ipv4 address to link to another player. I haven't tested that option though so I'll leave it up to others who may want to try it. The Windows version of GTA 1, London 1969, and London 1961 may sound good like a good option over the Max Pack but there's only one problem, The music is missing. The sound is completely intact and so is the rest of the game, but when you hijack a car there is no music playing over the radio. It makes the overworld feel a little more empty and awkward. This issue isn't completely unsolvable, you may need to ask @jm-9 for more details on how to fix that issue since they understand computers more than I do. Other than that, there isn't any other options I see fit.

 

Hope I answered your questions to the best of my ability. If there are any problems do let me know and I'll try to help as best as I can. Otherwise, have a fun with the game.

P.S. In my fourth paragraph I forgot that there's one benefit to playing GTA London 1961 on Windows. One of the missions is glitched and will send you back to the main menu in the DOS version, the mission involves using a TV Van. That issue isn't present in the Windows version if you're planning to play the single player campaign.

Edited April 26, 2022 by ThermalSmoke
Forgot to include something.

[Lucas 444]

Thank you, man. Really appreciate how nice you were to me. You absolutely cleared all my doubts. I really hope everyone on this forum would be as nice and polite as you are, brother. We should definitely ask 2 friends more and kick into the action 100%. DM me on the forum (if that's an option) or this topic for sure whenever you have time and want to play.

 

About the first paragraph, no matter how good the connection is, I will always stick to Hamachi if possible to have an excelent connection with no problems, since I'm sometimes an inpatient guy and I don't really want to deal with no problems, so I like reinforcing my online games with a 3rd party program like Hamachi.

 

Did GTA London 61 always had only one game mode? I thought the cannonballs were a thing with the new Manchester map. It's a shame we can't race on it. Would have been cool, although we can still "simulate" some kind of a race in deathmatch mode.

 

Yeah, the cinematics are actually not much of a deal. I asked that because of the save states, but I don't really care. I'll just stick to the 3dfx mode.

I actually played the Windows versions of the 3 games downloaded via MyAbandonware, and yeah the ambience does feel kinda absurd in some way, awkward, empty as you said, I don't know if there's a fix for that but I'm just gonna play the DOS version since for the Windows versions you also need an external program like VgVoodoo2 to make the game run decently.

 

I repeat, thanks again for your time and the patience you had with me. And well I hope you ever have time to play the game since you deserve it, you are a good man.

[MariaZing]

On 2/19/2021 at 3:35 AM, jm-9 said:

GTA Max Pack runs in Dosbox, which is a DOS emulator. GTA 1 supported four communication methods:

 

* Serial Link - this used a serial port, which was found on old PCs. DOS (I think) came with support for this.

* Modem - Using a modem with a phone line jack, you would connect your PC to another PC. One player would dial the other PC.

 

If players had a network card, the following protocols were supported:

* IPX/SPX - a now-outdated protocol common in the DOS and Windows 9x days

* TCP/IP - Used today to connect to the Internet (Windows version only)

 

Serial and modem support two players only. IPX/SPX and TCP/IP support two to four players.

 

DOS didn't come with support for a network card out of the box. In order to play multiplayer in this way, you would have to install drivers for the network card, and also install IPX/SPX. This is also true for Dosbox. It is possible, but it's not easy. Serial cable support is possibly supported in Dosbox. If you have a serial port or a USB-to-serial device you may be able to use this method. The DOS network type (serial, modem, IPX/SPX) is configured in K.exe, where you also configure the sound card and controls. Once you start the game, if the network type is successfully detected, the option Gather Game and Join Game will appear. The Windows version is different. These options always appear, and you have the choice of all four methods to connect with when you gather (create) or join a game.

 

The easiest way by far to play GTA 1 multiplayer is to connect two older PCs (XP or older) with a serial cable or a cross cable. If you use a cross cable, give each PC a static IP address in Network Settings (manually enter settings). Launch the Windows version on both PCs. On one PC choose Gather game. On the other choose Join game. Then choose either serial or TCP/IP. Enter the COM port the serial port uses if you chose that method. If you chose TCP/IP, enter the IP address of the other PC. Then you'll be able to play. It's worth noting that the messaging function (F1-F4) only works properly in the DOS version. I successfully played a multiplayer game last year in GTA: London 1961 using this method (I used TCP/IP). TCP/IP can also be used to play over the Internet, though these days both routers would need the relevant incoming and outgoing ports opened in the firewall.

Hi! I have followed this guide but I just come to the point where I can choose Gather or join network, choose which type to play and then I am stuck at a loading screen. What could I have missed? I have done the port forwarding in the router(does it have to be any specific ports? I used the ports I found in another tutorial for gta2 multiplayer), disabled uPnp and both tried with hamachi  and straight up with a static IP for the host pc. I am going INSANE  

 

What am I missing? I really really want to race with my son haha 

[jm-9]

22 hours ago, MariaZing said:

Hi! I have followed this guide but I just come to the point where I can choose Gather or join network, choose which type to play and then I am stuck at a loading screen. What could I have missed? I have done the port forwarding in the router(does it have to be any specific ports? I used the ports I found in another tutorial for gta2 multiplayer), disabled uPnp and both tried with hamachi  and straight up with a static IP for the host pc. I am going INSANE  

 

What am I missing? I really really want to race with my son haha 

It may not always be possible to play online using TCP/IP. First, only the Windows version supports it. Second, both of you need a fixed public IP address. See if you can find your public IP address (that is your router's IP address) in your router's settings. Then go to this website and compare the IPv4 to what your settings are.

 

The ports you need to open are listed here.

 

I have posted a more comprehensive guide on getting this working here.

 

If both of you are ever in the same location connected to the same router the process is much simpler. You don't need to worry about your public IP address or port forwarding. Just open command prompt, type in ipconfig and press enter, find your network adapter in the list and see its ipv4 address. Host a game, then the other player joins with that address. That's it.

Edited Friday at 01:43 PM by jm-9

[MariaZing]

On 6/1/2023 at 5:26 PM, jm-9 said:

It may not always be possible to play online using TCP/IP. First, only the Windows version supports it. Second, both of you need a fixed public IP address. See if you can find your public IP address (that is your router's IP address) in your router's settings. Then go to this website and compare the IPv4 to what your settings are.

 

The ports you need to open are listed here.

 

I have posted a more comprehensive guide on getting this working here.

 

If both of you are ever in the same location connected to the same router the process is much simpler. You don't need to worry about your public IP address or port forwarding. Just open command prompt, type in ipconfig and press enter, find your network adapter in the list and see its ipv4 address. Host a game, then the other player joins with that address. That's it.

We are inte the same house, he's 12  I have tried everything and I already did the port forwarding and all those things, I have tried both serial and IPX but same result, I get stuck on the loading screen that says "Status: Gathering" for the host ans "Status: Joining" for the client. We are playing the Max pack DOSbox version and I think we can only enter an IP in the windows version? Maybe we just need to get that one instead.. haha

 

[jm-9]

Yes, use the Ready2Play edition and choose TCP/IP. Both of you attempt to host a game first and then immediately exit the game when it says Status: Gathering, in case you get Windows Firewall warnings. In that case allow GTA 1 on both public and private networks.

 

Then find your IP address using the ipconfig method in my last post. The adapter you have to look for is your PC’s wireless adapter if you use Wi-Fi or its Ethernet adapter if you use a wired connection. You should also know that most routers change devices’ IP addresses every so often so if you can’t connect at some point after the first time you successfully connect just type ipconfig into the command prompt again to find the new IP address. Or you could assign a static IP to your PC in the router so that will always be the IP address of your PC.

 

After you’ve found the correct IP address, select the game type you want, and when it says Status: Gathering, your son joins the game using TCP/IP and enters your PC’s IP address when asked. He should find your game and join it. Then you’ll see that he’s joined on your PC and you can start the game.

 

The Max Pack version is the DOS version emulated. DOS games didn’t usually use TCP/IP for gaming, so it doesn’t support it. The other methods (serial, modem and IPX/SPX) aren’t supported on modern PCs and while you can use external software to be able to play using them, it’s much easier to just use TCP/IP on the Windows version.

 

if this doesn’t work it’s pretty much guaranteed to be Windows Firewall on one or both PCs that’s the issue, and that’ll be easy to solve.

 

Also, go back to your router (not your PC) and remove all port forwarding rules you created for this and enable UPnP. None of those are needed since you’ll be connecting on your local network instead of the Internet, and some applications rely on UPnP to connect to the Internet.

 

On 6/4/2023 at 5:19 PM, MariaZing said:

We are inte the same house, he's 12  I have tried everything and I already did the port forwarding and all those things, I have tried both serial and IPX but same result, I get stuck on the loading screen that says "Status: Gathering" for the host ans "Status: Joining" for the client. We are playing the Max pack DOSbox version and I think we can only enter an IP in the windows version? Maybe we just need to get that one instead.. haha

 

 

Edited 23 hours ago by jm-9

[jm-9]

This should work, hopefully.

Edited yesterday at 12:03 AM by jm-9