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Warp Pipe Project - GameCube Online

Posted by simoniker on from the console-hack-du-jour dept.

chadlnx writes "The Warp Pipe Project, an open source project to bring LAN-based GameCube games online, recently released a specification detailing how GameCubes communicate over a network. The Warp Pipe Project is aggressively seeking out developers who would be interested in this project through its SourceForge project page."

14 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. crap by SirSlud · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Its exactly what nintendo wants (network without having to risk dollars to in), but being Nintendo, I can't imagine them being friendly to this group.

    --
    "Old man yells at systemd"
    1. Re:crap by ergonal · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Doesn't MSN Messenger use UPnP to directly connect to people? (ie. to transfer files, etc)

    2. Re:crap by arivanov · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You cannot route it period. It is multicast. 239.x.x.x. If it had a TTL of more then 1 you could pass it across a hop with multicast routing configured.

      This leaves two alternatives:

      1. Mangle packets and alter TTL and have a working multicast network (Yeah... in my dreams).

      2. Bridge.

      Option 2 should just work (TM).

      --
      Baker's Law: Misery no longer loves company. Nowadays it insists on it
      http://www.sigsegv.cx/
    3. Re:crap by ZorinLynx · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Didn't a company once create software called "Kali" (or similar) that did this, but with IPX packets?

      Back in the early-to-mid-90's, nearly all online games used IPX for multiplayer (it was popular on corporate LANs at the time, apparently), so this Kali software would basically create IPX tunnels over the Internet, with a central registry, and even a chat system, so people could get together and play IPX-only games like Doom and Descent over the net.

      I remember using it for a while; it was damn clever. I suppose the same thing can be done to emulate Layer 2 networks across the net. (not necessarily tunnels, but star-topology.. with one of the machines acting like a "switch" and the others as end-stations on that "switch") It'd be interesting to see what an implementation of this would look like.

      Hell, maybe Kali actually DID emulate layer 2 networks, and let IPX packets travel over this emulated network. Anyone have insider-info on how Kali worked?

  2. Cool logo! by jared_hanson · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Man, that is a cool logo: the eternet plug as the hole in a Mario pipe. More open source projects need good designers to come up with eye catching logos like this. This may get modded off-topic, but oh well, I've got karma to burn. I went to the site and said, "Damn, that is cool." Anyone else agree?

    --
    -- Fighting mediocrity one bad post at a time.
  3. Hope it doesnt turn out like... by amishgeek · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Hope it doesnt turn out like Loki... The open source community can sure do a lot for the Console gaming industry. But if I buy a game cube, will this be around to produce games worthy of playing?

  4. Re:Gamer's Internet Tunnel by chadlnx · · Score: 3, Interesting

    We tried this application, but as you can tell from the specification it does not work. A series of limitations are imposed by the fact that all the UPNP packets have a TTL value of one. Therefore cannot be tunneled. Also, keep in mind that all the UPNP packets have internal IP address information in them and need to be either translated or there needs to be a work around when it comes to authenticating over UPNP.

  5. But... by binarytoaster · · Score: 4, Interesting

    which games on the GCN are LAN-only as of now? It's a great idea, but the only game that comes to mind is PSO, and that *has* to be online. So could someone fill me in on which games are LAN-only? I remember reading in EGM about one that could support 16-player mode with the LAN, but that's about it..

  6. Gamespy doing this too by MaverickUW · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm not sure if people realized, but quite a while ago, Gamespy and Nintendo reached a development agreement. The idea was that Nintendo would give gamespy full access to how the LAN play on gamecube worked with the network architecture information, and in return, Gamespy would create a tunnel code and set up their own servers to arrage games (much like they do for everything else and Halo) for gamers to find eachother over the net and play online over broadband connections.

    See, that's what bugs me when everyone says that Nintendo doesn't have an online strategy. At least with Nintendo's strategy of giving gamespy the information in return for creating the software (though technically unsupported) is very smart. Online gaming ability, only ever costing the consumer $35 out of pocket specifically (for the broadband adaptor) where as the consumer never has to pay the cost of developing online cost for a game, a monthly service charge to access a game, and no yearly charge to have online features.

    If this turns out to be very popular and used by millions of gamecube owners, then Nintendo will put in the effort to do something of their own. Nintendo isn't stupid, and knows that just throwing money at a fad won't help anything. If they see through the gamespy system, or one like the one done by small groups, then Nintendo will have more incentive to put the effort in to give people the Nintendo Experience in an online format.

  7. LAN v. Online by Osty · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I didn't see any mention of how they plan to reconcile development assumptions between LAN games (relatively secure environment, lag-free) and online games. From what I gather, this is not an officially supported project, and few (no?) developers will be writing games with this particularly in mind. Instead, they seem to to be planning to rely on developers writing LAN-capable games, and then tunneling those over the net like what's been done with XBox LAN-capable games. However, because they games will be designed with LAN play in mind, they most likely won't properly handle lagging connections or untrusted clients.


    I'm skeptical, and on the fence. On the one hand, I'd love to be able to play the new Mario Kart online, but on the other I don't think this will provide a satisfying online experience. And given the lack of Gamecube titles, I may find myself Cube-less within a year. Ah for the good old days of the NES, when you could rely on third parties to write awesome games for a Nintendo platform. <removes rose-colored glasses>

    1. Re:LAN v. Online by unclethursday · · Score: 2, Interesting
      However, because they games will be designed with LAN play in mind, they most likely won't properly handle lagging connections or untrusted clients.

      Same with XBconnect. But people use it 'cause it's free, and you can't play Halo over Live.

      And given the lack of Gamecube titles, I may find myself Cube-less within a year.

      YMMV, I say the same thing about the Xbox. I currently have 8 GC games on reserve, all of which are scheduled to hit in the next 6 months. That's more titles than I even own for my Xbox, and I've had my Xbox since last September. Add in the GBA games for my GBPlayer, and there is no lack of games for the GC, now.

      This will also put my GC over my PS2 for most games owned in this generation. I can only see myself buying FFX-2 and Tony Hawk's Underground on the PS2 in the near future.

      The only title I know I'm getting for my Xbox in the foreseeable future is Halo 2. I may just sell my Xbox and get another one when Halo 2 comes out. It gathers a lot of dust sitting there waiting for good games to come out on it. And before anyone asks: sim/street/realistic racing games, sports games (except for NHL games), and PC-style RPGs (all of these are genre's prevelant on the Xbox) do not interest me in the least, and I can only take so many FPS games at a time.

      Thursdæ

  8. Re:Nintendo haxors getting in on it. by AvantLegion · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I'm looking forward to this, but let's be real, it's not going to even come close to Xbox Live.

    Nintendo needs to remove their head from the sand and actually do something with online gaming themselves.

    Online Mario Kart? Online F-Zero? I'd sign up in a heartbeat.

  9. Betamax by yerricde · · Score: 5, Interesting

    gamers don't want to sacrifice their smooth 60 fps framerates

    Most LAN games don't update themselves every frame; instead, they predict what happens in one frame based on the velocities of the avatars. A racing game such as F-Zero, Mario Kart, or possibly Kirby's Air Ride (which I've been following since it was supposed to be an early N64 title but got back-burnered in favor of Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards) can probably use much stronger prediction than some twitch game like Super Smash Bros. Melee.

    We're not evil like Microsoft, so as long as they aren't pirating stuff, we won't really care.

    So why did Nintendo sue the flash cart makers even when the devices had a substantial non-infringing use?

    I'm not very sure you really work for Nintendo.


    My GBA tech demos, if you're hiring game programmers and are willing to relocate me from Indiana
    --
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  10. Sorry, you're ENTIRELY wrong. by Viewsonic · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Sega sold the most titles of 2002 on the GameCube system. Yes, even more than the PS2 where they release the most titles. Capcom as well. In fact most 3rd parties sell very decently on the Gamecube, moreso than the horrid XBox sales they've been seeing.

    Also, worldwide, Gamecube is outselling XBox by a tiny margin again. XBox sales have dropped off as they dont have any decent titles to keep the love going. Ever take a look at Japanese sales?