LAN party without experience

[nicholaswillems]

Hello there,

Pease tell me if this is posted in the wrong subforum, I wasn't sure wether to post it in 'gaming' or 'networking'.

So hey there, this summer I'm probably gonna try out to host a small LAN party, most likely with a total of 5-6 people, so nothing big. The problem is that I have no experience in hosting those server things etc.

So to start I'd like to bring up another problem, where to place the computers. The room where the router is (which runs off the dsl line thing I think, no idea how everything is called) is already filled with a tv, a few computers, external hard drives etc. so I don't know where I'd have to plug in all the computers without risking a power problem. How to I set this up the best?

So the 'bigger' problem now. I have yet to make a list of games but some that will most certainly be played are Minecraft, CS:GO, civ 5, etc. In the past I have hosted a 2 man simple minecraft server but locally on the same computer where I game on, but that was just by following some step-by-step guide without any real managing/knowledge.

But how does it work with a LAN and will I need a dedicated server computer? I think I do have a 8-port switch laying around somewhere (I heard that's needed, no idea what it is) etc and I have a budget of around $100 or so, if I'd need to buy anything special.

So I think it's quite obviois that I don't know anything about it and that's why I'm calling for help here

Thanks

[Prodigydeadeye]

You can just open up your single player world to LAN and your friends can join if they are on the same internet connection. No need for a dedicated computer. That is really the only question you asked. Make sure the room has proper cooling/air circulation, or it will get hot pretty quick. Make sure to have snacks and drinks. Have fun, good luck.

[nicholaswillems]

You can just open up your single player world to LAN and your friends can join if they are on the same internet connection. No need for a dedicated computer. That is really the only question you asked. Make sure the room has proper cooling/air circulation, or it will get hot pretty quick. Make sure to have snacks and drinks. Have fun, good luck.

I know that's the case for Minecraft but it's not like that for other games like cs:go, right?

[Prodigydeadeye]

I know that's the case for Minecraft but it's not like that for other games like cs:go, right?

...You invite your friends to play with you through steam. Have you even played these games before? Go to the Play tab in CSGO, go to play with friends option. You can adjust settings from there. Pretty straight forward. Basically same process with CIV5.

[Kenifyable]

Everything should be fine.

An 8-port switch should do the work for 5-6 people.

In this case the 8-port network switch's job is to give a wired connection to the 5-6 people that you are hosting the LAN-event for. Just plug in an ethernet cable from your router/modem to get access to the WAN (Wide Area Network, the internet) ([to watch pr0n all night  ]) and plug in everyone elses computer to the switch as well for LAN (Local Area Network) connectivity.

Another option is that you can obviously go wireless on 3 or 4 of the guys and connect the rest directly to the 4 or 6-port switch on the back of your router/modem.

Third option would be going fully wireless, but you would have to get a wireless 802.11n or 802.11ac router to get a smooth LAN experience over Wi-Fi for 6 people.

You shouldn't worry much about LAN-hosting. A lot of games includes a LAN-hosting option in-game.

But if you're gonna host online, you should take a look at some tutorials and do some real research. Security is a must when hosting games these days...

 

And BTW: Remember to make a deal with snacks & drinks! You don't wanna end up broke after the LAN-event.

 

PS: I would also not recommend stacking power extension cords. Maybe a stack of two or maaaaaaaaaaayybe three, but nothing more.

I've seen a lot of them go up in flames because of overheated cords.

Like this:

 

GLHF! :lol:

Oh, I think I forgot something... take a break once in a while. It's kinda boring not socializing @ a LAN-event.

[AMICLG]

But how does it work with a LAN and will I need a dedicated server computer? I think I do have a 8-port switch laying around somewhere (I heard that's needed, no idea what it is) etc and I have a budget of around $100 or so, if I'd need to buy anything special.

 

That switch needs to be plugged into the router via the uplink port as you need DHCP but other than that nothing else is needed.