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Playing Online

Once you are Set up and connected to the server, here are some things to know about using the server and playing.

Logging into the game

If you are logged into the forum from the same network as your PS2/emulator, the game will auto-sign you in and present you with the option to log in without entering any details. Note that this only works with one player per network and additional players will have to log in manually. If you cannot get auto-login to work, see Fixing Auto-login Problems. Otherwise, the option to enter your username and password manually will always be available.

Choosing or changing your in-game names (HN)

When you first connect, you will have the option to set your in-game name - this would look same as below, but all blank. These names can be changed at any time and carry across both games. If you need to edit the name, simply press O on the name and press D-PAD DOWN to select the EDIT button, and edit the name.

Using half-width text for your username

If you haven't patched your ISO for half-width characters, your text input will be full-width. This means each character of your username will take up 2 spaces, including roman alphabet characters, restricting your user name length to a shorter number of characters. The latest translation patch includes the half-width patch, so if you have applied it, press L2 to switch between half-width and full-width characters.

Half-width	Full-width

File 1: East Town vs. West Town

EAST TOWN was a fairly little used area on the original servers that quick-matched players together and automatically started a game. Due to the sparse use, we did not capture detailed packets from this function. Instead, select WEST TOWN for full functionality: browsing currently open games, chatting in the lobby, creating games.

The Turbo Warning:

Users entering File 1 and File 2 will see the welcome message that warns in redred not to use turbo. "Turbo" refers to either

• Disabling the framelimiter
• Activating the "Turbo Adjust" function in PCSX2, generally by pressing Tab.

Both of these have the same effect: to run the game in a much higher framerate. Doing this causes enemies to behave erratically and more quickly, can increase lag, cause desyncs, and more issues for anyone in the game. Accidental enabling for a brief time is not an issue as long as the user catches the error. But engaging turbo for any reason, including to get a leg up on loading times ahead of other users, will result in a ban. Do not do it online.

Creating and joining games

• To create a game, simply select any empty slot in the game list, and select the scenario and any accompanying settings. The game will start when you select START GAME or the timer runs out.
• Joining games and viewing the difficulty and rules

Choosing a game slot with room for additional players to join will bring up a screen with current players and their selected characters. In File 1, only one character may choose a general type: i.e. only one person can play as Kevin or any of the NPCs that are "Kevin types." For more info, see Character Statistics. File 2 is similar in that players cannot choose the exact same character, but players more than one player may choose to play as a "type."

Press R1 at this screen in order to bring up all of the game rules, including the difficulty:

• Both joining and hosting: the pre-game lobby

Select MEMBER DATA to check out stats for any player that's joined the game. Cycle through players by pressing L1/R1 and cycle through the stats categories by pressing L2/R2.

Room master: understanding whose "screen" is the authoritative screen for monster location and status

In any particular room of the game, including boss areas, the game will designate one player, generally the player that entered the room first, to be the "room master." The location and status of the monsters are exactly where they are on the room master's screen - meaning that:

• The monsters will not lag on the room master's screen; and
• for the non-room master players, because of lag between the room master and the other players, a monster could be in a much different location or in the midst of a different animation than it appears.

The room master can sometimes change for reasons including if the room master leaves the room, disconnects or becomes a zombie. Players need to take into account that the experience is different depending on whether they are the room master as a monster could be much closer to them, or in a completely different location than they appear. The room master should take into account that the other players may not realize that a monster is either farther away or much closer to them.

Preventing players from joining games you host

You can restrict who can join your hosted games. The restrictions do not apply to games you are not hosting.

1. Log into the forum
2. Click GamePrefs at the top
   
3. Choose whether and how you would like to restrict games. The selection is noted by dark blue.
   
   • Anyone: the default, any player can join
   • Friends: only players in your Friendlist may join
   • Non Banned: Anyone can join except players in your Banlist
   In order to add players to the Friendlist or Banlist, you need to know their ID, which is a six digit ID that is generally randomly assigned. There are to ways to get the ID:
   • The post-game results screen will show each user, their character, and their ID; or
   • Check "Last 10 Played Games" for either File 1 or File 1 in the GamePrefs page, which will show each player HN, which is their obsrv username, and their ID.
   

Checking your stats

Log into the forum and click GamePrefs on top, and click "Personal Game Statistics" for File 1 or File 2.

Your stats are sent to the server when you connect as well as when you end a game. The stats displayed here are whatever was sent to the server last, meaning that if you switch memory card files or between console and emulator without transferring the memory card save, the stats will change.

Unlocking levels to host

If you are not using the pre-configured memory card with all unlocks, you will notice that if you try to host a game online, your options will be limited. In order to host a scenario, you must:

• Beat the scenario, either online or offline. Although you may not create games for levels that you have not yet beaten, you may join someone else's game, and when you beat that level, you may thereafter create online games for that level.
• If you beat a scenario offline, you will be able to host that scenario online. The next sequential level will be available to play offline, but you will not be able to host it online until you have beaten it.

Freezing

File 1 can be prone to freezing in Hellfire scenario when ad-libbing in certain areas of the map. In File 2 this can sometimes, but not often, occur in Desperate Times during the final battle. Generally either 1 person remains unaffected while any other players freeze, or all players freeze. This likely occurs more often with emulators than on original PS2 hardware but can affect all methods of playing. Original writeup on this from Silent Hell: