I don’t often get time to play games any more but when I do a quick multiplayer game of Age of Empires 2: The Conquerors is still one of my favourites. Each time I come to play at least one of the computers in the house has been reinstalled and requires AOE to be setup on it again.
The problem I always come across, and one that many others seem to have come across, is that the computers can’t find the game. None of them have firewalls activated and they are all able to communicate with each other for other tasks
The trick is in the connection type when setting up and joining the game. It seems like a really odd choice but select “IPX Connection for Direct Play“. The most obvious choice would be a “TCP/IP Local Area Network” connection but no games are ever found.
To use the IPX protocol you may have to set it up in the network settings for your LAN connection. This can be done in a few simple steps:
- Go to the “Control Panel”.
- Double-click on “Network connections”.
- Right click on your LAN Connection and choose Properties.
- In the list of protocols, choose Add.
- Click Microsoft, and then click IPX/SPX Compatible Protocol
- Click ok to add the protocol
- You may need to restart
If I remember correctly this was also a problem for Age Of Empires 2 without the Conquerors expansion as well. Its always best to double check firewall settings as well because they seem have a habit of blocking things you’ve already asked them not to.
October 27th, 2007 at 6:06 am
Wow this helped a lot, THANKS!
January 15th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Thank you! This was excellent post.
I’ve been trying to figure this out for a few days, but now I can finally play some AOE.
January 16th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
This was an outstanding contribution. loads of guff all over the web with TCP-this and Port-that, and of course Microsoft still cling to the IPX protocol buried in the bowels of every Windows they ever released. This worked straight away. Thank you so much.
January 21st, 2008 at 9:04 pm
Still doesn’t seem to be working… I want to know if we are to use the IPX connection or the Local Lan Connection…
Thanks
February 20th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Thank you! this helped a lot I can finally play some AOE
March 4th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I’m using a laptop with XP and a desktop with ME. linked by a wireless LAN, and i’ve tried a cable. I’ve tried hosting on both computers about 50 times and have tried IPX/LAN/TCP. I can see the game on the other computer using LAN or TCP but I cannot join it. Except for one time when it randomly let me join it (both computers trying TCP on wireless LAN).
Neither computer can find the other when using IPX.
As per some other post on a forum, I disabled “internet gateway”. The game worked great using the LAN setting, and I could play on my LAN - however, I could not use the internet (which is more important than AOE) and had to reinstall a bunch of software to get the internet to work again.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Thank you.
March 4th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Oh, I also installed an LLTD responder as someone mentioned it might help.
April 1st, 2008 at 6:44 pm
I have the IPX/SPX protocol on my list of protocols, but AOE2 Isn;t Picking it up, It only has the 4 Usual ones.. =’[
Can anyone help?
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:06 pm
with no firewalls on and all ports open and with all protocols you mentioned adding working perfectly on both sides (my friend and I) AOE just doesnt seem to want us to play multiplayer… any suggestions?
June 30th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
i got 2 pcs and on the one i can see the game but then cant join. on the other i jus cant see it. any suggestions? i done the stuff above on both pcs and restarted both.