BYOC Question

[afattouh98]

Hi @Chase Douglas.

 

Question for BYOC: how does the LAN caching servers work? First time going to LTX and bringing my computer with me. Do we need to have games pre-installed on our machines? Please provide further information. First time PC builder and gamer

[Livin]

On 1/7/2023 at 1:32 PM, afattouh98 said:

Hi @Chase Douglas.

 

Question for BYOC: how does the LAN caching servers work? First time going to LTX and bringing my computer with me. Do we need to have games pre-installed on our machines? Please provide further information. First time PC builder and gamer

LAN cache servers are done using DNS, so as long as you're plugging in and set to obtain network info automatically (DHCP) then it will take care of the rest for you.  If the cache server has the game you're requesting already it will start serving the download to you locally.  If it doesn't it will either forward you to the provider server (Steam, Origin, Battle.net, etc.) and/or download it to the cache and pass it on.  The key is having your DNS set to whatever is being handed out on the network, so if you have it set manually to something like Google DNS or Cloudflare, you won't get the game cache benefit.

If what I mentioned above is beyond your technical expertise, leave everything on "automatic" and the network/servers will do all the work for you

[afattouh98]

7 hours ago, Livin said:

LAN cache servers are done using DNS, so as long as you're plugging in and set to obtain network info automatically (DHCP) then it will take care of the rest for you.  If the cache server has the game you're requesting already it will start serving the download to you locally.  If it doesn't it will either forward you to the provider server (Steam, Origin, Battle.net, etc.) and/or download it to the cache and pass it on.  The key is having your DNS set to whatever is being handed out on the network, so if you have it set manually to something like Google DNS or Cloudflare, you won't get the game cache benefit.

If what I mentioned above is beyond your technical expertise, leave everything on "automatic" and the network/servers will do all the work for you

Thanks for the technical reply. What I meant to say is: is LTT essentially providing copies of games they own to LAN attendees, for the duration of the Whale LAN?

[Applefreak]

1 hour ago, afattouh98 said:

Thanks for the technical reply. What I meant to say is: is LTT essentially providing copies of games they own to LAN attendees, for the duration of the Whale LAN?

Yes, unless they have a special agreement in place, the games you can cache would have to have been purchased on the account that shares the files over the network. Some Lan-Party centers act as Steam resellers and can provide most of the library of popular games offline but that requires special permission and and many TB of storage.

[afattouh98]

Just now, Applefreak said:

Yes, unless they have a special agreement in place, the games you can cache would have to have been purchased on the account that shares the files over the network. Some Lan-Party centers act as Steam resellers and can provide most of the library of popular games offline but that requires special permission and and many TB of storage.

So they are giving us access to games? Still confused lol. Newbie...

[Applefreak]

5 minutes ago, afattouh98 said:

So they are giving us access to games? Still confused lol. Newbie...

No, you will have to own the games but you will be able to download them off their server instead of over the internet.

[afattouh98]

9 minutes ago, Applefreak said:

No, you will have to own the games but you will be able to download them off their server instead of over the internet.

Ohhh ok. Thanks for the clarification. Appreciate it. 

[Livin]

2 hours ago, afattouh98 said:

Thanks for the technical reply. What I meant to say is: is LTT essentially providing copies of games they own to LAN attendees, for the duration of the Whale LAN?

As @Applefreakalready mentioned, barring some sort of special agreement you will have to own the games being played.  With the last LAN's schedule there was an emphasis on free to play and cheaper/classic games.  If you wanted to put aside $25 - $50 for a games budget that may not be a bad idea, but even without that you should still be able to have a great time.

[Chase Douglas]

On 1/7/2023 at 1:32 PM, afattouh98 said:

Hi @Chase Douglas.

 

Question for BYOC: how does the LAN caching servers work? First time going to LTX and bringing my computer with me. Do we need to have games pre-installed on our machines? Please provide further information. First time PC builder and gamer

LAN cache should help download speeds if you find that you need to download a game on steam or other popular launcher. You will need to own the games in question as a LAN Cache server does not grant you access to any games that you don't already own.

 

We'll put out a LAN schedule before the expo starts, It is definitely recommended that you download the games you do own from our schedule and maybe keep an eye out for a sale on anything that interests you leading up to the LAN or as mentioned have a budget available if you find yourself needing to buy a game during the LAN.

 

The goal is to get everyone playing something (ideally the same game) across different lobbies, with that in mind officially scheduled games/tournaments/challenges will mostly focus on games that lend themselves well to a LAN environment:

• Games that are free-to-play or inexpensive to begin with.
• Older or eSports titles that do not require high end hardware to run.
• Easy LAN/Multiplayer features, typically games that don't require an online connection to join/host lobbies.