Playing Head-to-Head with NetMeeting

Last updated: May 3, 2001

NOTE: This note was inspired by an article written by Diamond Mind customer Steve Kilburn who granted us permission to use material from that article here. We have updated this page since then, so any errors or omissions are our responsibility. Please send us email if you have any questions or suggestions regarding this article.

DMB does not currently have a built-in option for head-to-head play over the Internet. However, using a free product from Microsoft called NetMeeting, you can set up head-to-head games with any other gamer who has NetMeeting and Internet access.

Downloading and installing NetMeeting

If you do not already have NetMeeting installed on your computer, you can download version 3.01 from the Microsoft Web site. (This link could be broken at any time if Microsoft makes a change to their downloads page, so please let us know if it doesn't work for you.) Once downloaded, use the NetMeeting Wizard to install it.

Connecting with your opponent

The first step in playing a game is arranging for a time to 'meet'. You can use email, instant messaging, or any other technique you like to find an opponent and agree on a time.

One of the players, the 'host', starts the Diamond Mind Baseball game. The other player is the 'guest'. For NetMeeting play, it is not necessary for both players to own the DMB game. The 'host' is the one who runs the program, and the guest is sharing the program. If both players have DMB installed, it doesn't matter which player serves as the host.

Both players need to have NetMeeting installed, and both must start the NetMeeting program in order to establish a connection and share the DMB game. Establishing that connection is like making a phone call, except you need the other person's IP address instead of their phone number.

NetMeeting provides an easy way to find your IP address. With the NetMeeting window open, select Help from the main menu, then select About Windows NetMeeting. When the About window pops up, you'll see your IP address at the bottom. An IP address is a series of four numbers separated by periods. (If you see more than one IP address on that window, use the first one.)

NOTE: If you use a dial-up connection to the Internet, you'll probably find that your IP address is different each time you access the Internet, so don't assume this number will always be the same. If you're connecting to the Internet at work or through a cable modem or DSL connection, your IP address may be the same all the time.

Suppose your opponent will be calling you to set up the connection. You must provide your IP address to your opponent by sending an email or instant message. Your opponent then enters your IP address into the small black box directly left of the yellow telephone on the NetMeeting window, then clicks on the yellow telephone to make the call. You will see a popup window asking if you want to accept the call. When you say Yes, a bell will sound, and your name and your opponent's name will be displayed to indicate that you are connected.

Firewalls

Most companies (and some individuals) have firewalls installed on their computer or on their network to block certain types of Internet traffic. In that case, it may not be possible for your opponent to call you via NetMeeting, but you should still be able to initiate the call and play the game.

To date, nobody has contacted us to say that they've had trouble using NetMeeting because of a firewall, so we mention this as a heads-up rather than a known problem. For that reason, and because we're not experts on all of the different types of firewalls that are in use, we don't have any tips to offer you in the event that a firewall interferes with your attempts to play via NetMeeting.

Playing the game

At this point, the host selects the Share command from the Tools menu in NetMeeting. Select the DMB game (it will appear in the list only if you previously started the game). Then select “allow control” and make sure that the box for “Automatically accept requests for control” on the bottom half of the “Sharing window” is checked. Then select “close.”

The guest will then see the DMB screen appear on their screen. It might take a while for the entire screen to appear.

In order for the guest player to make a selection, he must take “control” of the program. To do this, one must double-click on the mouse. The host will know the guest has control when the mouse pointer has the person’s initials on it. The guest will know that he has control when the mouse pointer changes from a circle with a line through it into an arrow.

Once the guest player gains “control,” he can use his keyboard to make strategy selections so that his opponent will not see the selections. For keyboard actions, the host player does not need to gain control; all he needs to do is make his choices when it is his turn. The host does need to gain control, by clicking the mouse once, to use the mouse for any reason, such as to make substitutions.

Unfortunately, the guest needs to request control every time it is his turn to make a selection of any kind, mouse or keyboard. (This was not necessary with version 7, but NetMeeting behaves differently with Windows applications than it does with DOS programs.) It may take a few innings to get a rhythm going, but once that develops it goes pretty smoothly.

There is also an option to open a chat room in NM to discuss things periodically. Some customers report that it is more convenient to use this option than to use Instant Messaging to communicate with your opponent while playing.

Conclusion

We'll end with a comment from Steve Kilburn that sums up the pros and cons of the NetMeeting option quite well:

"It seems to be quite a bit slower with version 8 than it was with version 7, but still acceptable in my opinion. So even though this is not the ideal solution it is a good, inexpensive (free!) way to play head-to-head with other DMB gamers on the Internet, until a better alternative becomes available."

Please let us know if you have any tips to offer customers who wish to play via NetMeeting. We'll update this note from time to time to share those ideas.