User FAQ
This is the section of the site devoted to user questions. Have a question? Any question? Send it in, and we will feature it here in the FAQ.Please email questions to: ofproject@onlineconsoles.com
vash32 writes:
Bomberman Online, it has a server configuration so can it be play online today if someone made a server for it?
Bomberman Online, it has a server configuration so can it be play online today if someone made a server for it?
Just because Bomberman Online (and Outtrigger) have manual server input options does not increase the possobility of them coming back online. Any game can be redirected to another location using a DNS server or by HEX editing a pirated version of the game to point to another server address.
Too many people see this option in BMO and Outtrigger and think that just because they 'can' point the game to another server address, that a server exists out there somewhere that allows you to take advantage of this feature and still play the game online.
The key thing is though, you actually need a server to connect to and there are no servers for these games. The official ones were shutdown, and no private servers exist. No private servers exist because no packet logs were obtained from these games before they went offline which makes restoring them almost impossible. Without detailed network packet logs of the games actually being played, we have no information on how to rebuild the servers.
-Ben Pekarek
Too many people see this option in BMO and Outtrigger and think that just because they 'can' point the game to another server address, that a server exists out there somewhere that allows you to take advantage of this feature and still play the game online.
The key thing is though, you actually need a server to connect to and there are no servers for these games. The official ones were shutdown, and no private servers exist. No private servers exist because no packet logs were obtained from these games before they went offline which makes restoring them almost impossible. Without detailed network packet logs of the games actually being played, we have no information on how to rebuild the servers.
-Ben Pekarek
Logan M. writes:
I know the tribes is now officially online for ever but that game does not require DNAS. This is one of the main obstacles in revive downed PS2 servers because if you can't do a DNAS authentication check then it won't let you access the server. I have thought of three ways to fix it.
1. Use some sort of codebreaker/ action replay/game-shark code to disable the DNAS check on a private server.
2. Somehow Delete all DNAS info on the disc*
3. Make some game save to tell the disc to disable it*
4. Have the server somehow bypass it.
* Means you need a modded PS2 or Softmod which I have done.
Number four is very unlikely due to the fact that DNAS is on the disc. I think 2 and 3 are the most likely possibility of getting it to work. In order to test it though you need a private server to connect to I think. Making the whole situation more difficult. I know that each game disc has a DNAS file. I am thinking that maybe deleting that file will do something but I very likely doubt it. I think that is the part that tells the DNAS server to check for the DNAS code on the disc.
I know the tribes is now officially online for ever but that game does not require DNAS. This is one of the main obstacles in revive downed PS2 servers because if you can't do a DNAS authentication check then it won't let you access the server. I have thought of three ways to fix it.
1. Use some sort of codebreaker/ action replay/game-shark code to disable the DNAS check on a private server.
2. Somehow Delete all DNAS info on the disc*
3. Make some game save to tell the disc to disable it*
4. Have the server somehow bypass it.
* Means you need a modded PS2 or Softmod which I have done.
Number four is very unlikely due to the fact that DNAS is on the disc. I think 2 and 3 are the most likely possibility of getting it to work. In order to test it though you need a private server to connect to I think. Making the whole situation more difficult. I know that each game disc has a DNAS file. I am thinking that maybe deleting that file will do something but I very likely doubt it. I think that is the part that tells the DNAS server to check for the DNAS code on the disc.
Hey Logan,
To properly bypass DNAS, one would have to write a new application to emulate the various functions of DNAS. The games which support it expect to package up the DNAS ID, encrypt it, and pass that off to Sony's DNAS server. There is nothing one can do to just "somehow make it go away". One of the biggest hurdles is that DNAS uses encryption, which poses an extra hurdle for anyone looking to salvage the online experience for any given game. Furthermore, each game uses DNAS in a different capacity. For instance, depending on the game, some will perform an extra security test to specifically confirm that it has gone through the DNAS process.
The process goes something like this:
So it doesn't just go through DNAS to first get online, but also reconfirms this with the game server itself, telling the game server that it successfully made it through DNAS.
As you can see, DNAS makes the entire situation far more complex. Instead of just programming a master list, we now have to deal with this middle man, DNAS, which arbitrates the connection process before the PS2 can even successfully connect to play online.
A programmer would have to already have extensive experience writing and emulating network software, and would have to be thirsting for a serious challenge to try and tackle writing a DNAS server.
-Ben Pekarek
To properly bypass DNAS, one would have to write a new application to emulate the various functions of DNAS. The games which support it expect to package up the DNAS ID, encrypt it, and pass that off to Sony's DNAS server. There is nothing one can do to just "somehow make it go away". One of the biggest hurdles is that DNAS uses encryption, which poses an extra hurdle for anyone looking to salvage the online experience for any given game. Furthermore, each game uses DNAS in a different capacity. For instance, depending on the game, some will perform an extra security test to specifically confirm that it has gone through the DNAS process.
The process goes something like this:
- Store a secret key in a DNAS-net download slot.
- PS2 client downloads secret key (HTTPS).
- PS2 client contacts the game server.
- Game Server sends a random message to PS2 client (Challenge)
- PS2 client computes cryptographic message digest/hash using the secret key, and sends the result to the server (Response).
- The Game Server computes message digest/hash using same secret key, and compares the results.
So it doesn't just go through DNAS to first get online, but also reconfirms this with the game server itself, telling the game server that it successfully made it through DNAS.
As you can see, DNAS makes the entire situation far more complex. Instead of just programming a master list, we now have to deal with this middle man, DNAS, which arbitrates the connection process before the PS2 can even successfully connect to play online.
A programmer would have to already have extensive experience writing and emulating network software, and would have to be thirsting for a serious challenge to try and tackle writing a DNAS server.
-Ben Pekarek
Luso_Dreamcaster writes:
hi guys. i wanted to know if there is anyway to bring back the old classic games servers online like Chu Chu Rocket and Worms World Party? I thought if they can port doom to the dreamcast with online mode maybe they could bring back this servers. just an idea...
hi guys. i wanted to know if there is anyway to bring back the old classic games servers online like Chu Chu Rocket and Worms World Party? I thought if they can port doom to the dreamcast with online mode maybe they could bring back this servers. just an idea...
Different games use different network technology, and they are often coded by different developers. Just because a certain game has its network functions restored does not necessarily mean that other games are as easy to repair, or that they can come back online at all.
In the examples you provided, Doom was a game where its source code was made publically available by id Software. This source code, coupled with the Dreamcast's homebrew options, allowed for it to be innitially ported to the Dreamcast in offline form. Then as programmers became more familiar with the Dreamcast's BBA, network functionality was implemented.
This situation is in stark contrast to both Chu Chu Rocket (an original game coded in Japan by Sonic Team) and Worms World Party (a port of the PC game, using the WindowsCE kit, by the Eurpoean developer Team17). We have no original Dreamcast logged network packets to work off of, nor do we have the source code for these games.
The best analogy I can make here, is to imagine taking down a Bear in the woods of Alaska with a large spear, but are then placed in the ocean to battle a Great White Shark with that same weapon. Odds are the Shark would run circles around you and you would get eaten alive. They are two entirely different situations, and would require different sets of tools to be successful.
The release of Doom with online for the Dreamcast has less to do with past online Dreamcast games, and much more to do with invoking network capabilities for other homebrew games or PC ports to the system. The game with the most potential for this is obviously 'Quake'. So my best advice is to keep your eyes peeled in the Dreamcast Homebrew/Emulation communites. As you might see some new projects spring up that have online functions.
-Ben Pekarek
In the examples you provided, Doom was a game where its source code was made publically available by id Software. This source code, coupled with the Dreamcast's homebrew options, allowed for it to be innitially ported to the Dreamcast in offline form. Then as programmers became more familiar with the Dreamcast's BBA, network functionality was implemented.
This situation is in stark contrast to both Chu Chu Rocket (an original game coded in Japan by Sonic Team) and Worms World Party (a port of the PC game, using the WindowsCE kit, by the Eurpoean developer Team17). We have no original Dreamcast logged network packets to work off of, nor do we have the source code for these games.
The best analogy I can make here, is to imagine taking down a Bear in the woods of Alaska with a large spear, but are then placed in the ocean to battle a Great White Shark with that same weapon. Odds are the Shark would run circles around you and you would get eaten alive. They are two entirely different situations, and would require different sets of tools to be successful.
The release of Doom with online for the Dreamcast has less to do with past online Dreamcast games, and much more to do with invoking network capabilities for other homebrew games or PC ports to the system. The game with the most potential for this is obviously 'Quake'. So my best advice is to keep your eyes peeled in the Dreamcast Homebrew/Emulation communites. As you might see some new projects spring up that have online functions.
-Ben Pekarek