Please Note - We meet to play Outpost 2 at our IRC chat room, so please come there first. Using Hamachi is just a way which enables people to play who can't play using the standard internet method. If you can play over the internet, please do, as playing through Hamachi will add lag to your games and should only be used by people who must use it and the people they play with. You should communicate with other players over IRC.

Using this program will connect you to a virtual private network on the Internet. To Outpost 2, it will appear as if you are on the same LAN, but in reality you are connected through the Internet.

You must have access to an account with administrative privileges, and you must be running Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, or Vista to install Hamachi.

Step 1 : Download the setup program for Windows from this page* , and start it from an account with administrative privileges.
_{*Ensure that you have checked the 'Terms and Conditions' box before attempting to download the setup program.}

Step 2 : Click Next and go through the installation as usual. When you get to a screen titled "Security" check the box labeled "Disable vulnerable Windows services over Hamachi". (As Hamachi is a virtual LAN program, services such as printer and file sharing will be available to other users in Hamachi by default if this box is not checked, thus creating possible security problems for you -- users could potentially access your files and printers).

Step 3 : Continue to click Next, and Hamachi will be installed. Please note that it will install a new network adapter named Hamachi, and this adapter will be visible when you go to the Windows network settings.

On the last page, uncheck the checkbox labeled "Launch Hamachi". In some cases, a reboot might be required to finish installation. Press Finish and the installer will exit.

Step 4 : Make sure you are still logged into an account with administrative access. In Windows XP (and probably all other versions except Vista as well), click on the Start menu at the lower left corner of the screen. Go to Control Panel, and then go to Network Connections. A list of network adapters should appear.

In Windows Vista, open the Start menu, right click the "My Network" shortcut. A menu will open. Select "Properties" from this menu. The Network and Sharing Center should open. In this window, click "Manage network connections" from the sidebar on the left side of the window. A list of network adapters should appear.

Step 5 : Select the "Advanced" menu in the menu bar, and select "Advanced Settings" from the menu (Windows Vista users may need to press the Alt key on the keyboard for the menu bar to appear):

Step 6 : The Advanced Settings window appears. On the Adapters and Bindings tab, there will be a list labeled "Connections". Use the buttons to the right of the list to move Hamachi to the very top of the list. (This must be done to allow Hamachi to be selected first when OP2 establishes a network connection; otherwise, OP2 will not be able to use Hamachi to create and play games).

Click OK, and close the Network Connections window.

Step 7 : Start Hamachi by going to the Start Menu and finding it under the program group "Hamachi". When Hamachi starts, a box like the following will appear, usually along with another box labeled "Quick Setup". Follow the instructions in the Quick Setup box to establish your nickname. Once the Quick Setup is completed, follow the directions below (which are mostly a recap of the directions given by the Quick Setup):

If the power button in the lower left corner is not green (connected), click as indicated in the above picture to "power on". This will start up the Hamachi network core and connect you to the Hamachi mediation servers which allow you to join the virtual LAN network on Hamachi.

Step 8 : Click the "Networking" icon as shown and then click "Join existing network" as shown below:

Step 9 : In the dialog that pops up, enter opu.net for the Network Name, and opu for the Password (all lower case). Click Join to join our virtual network for playing Outpost 2 over Hamachi.

Step 10 : If you see a display similar to the following, you are now part of our network, and you can initiate games with other users who are also on the network. Read on to find out how to use Outpost 2 with Hamachi.

Hosting / Creating a Game -- Once Hamachi is running, and you are connected to our network, start Outpost 2, click Multiplayer on the main menu, and click TCP/IP. Click Create and specify the game settings you want as you would usually.

Joining a Game -- Start Outpost 2, and click Multiplayer on the main menu. Next, click TCP/IP, and then Join to join a network game. After entering your username, you will be presented with a Find Session box like the following:

Enter the virtual IP of your opponent into the textbox provided. (You can obtain the virtual IP of a player by right-clicking their name in Hamachi and selecting "Copy address" from the menu. The virtual IP is a set of 4 numbers separated by periods, with the first number always being 5).

You might be able to use the Network option to broadcast for games as if you were playing over a LAN, but your mileage may very. (Many users have reported that this has stopped working reliably in recent versions of Hamachi).

Step 11 : Play your game as usual. When you are done playing, exit Outpost 2 and return to Hamachi. You now need to leave the network before you exit the Hamachi program to free up your spot on the user list for other players (as there is a maximum of 16 users in one Hamachi network at any one time). Simply exiting the Hamachi program does NOT cause you to leave the network, and your spot on the list is not freed up. You are simply marked as 'offline' until the Hamachi program is started again.

Right click the network title near the top of the window (opu.net). A couple of options will pop up. Select "Leave network" to remove yourself from the Hamachi network and free up your spot for another user.

NOTE : Users who fail to leave the network when exiting Hamachi will be booted from the network and may be permanently barred (auto-booted) from the network if they habitually forget! Please take the time to leave the network before closing Hamachi.

Backup Networks

If, when you try to join the Hamachi network, you receive an error such as "This network is full", there are 2 other backup networks you can use.

Backup #1: opu.net_1

Backup #2: opu.net_2

The password for both networks is opu. Please note: all people who wish to participate in a single game of OP2 *MUST* be on the same network in order to communicate. (In other words, if you are in opu.net and your opponent is in opu.net_1 instead of opu.net, you must join opu.net_1 in order to play with your opponent).

If you do encounter a full network, please let us know on IRC so that we can kick users who are not playing a game from the network(s).

Remember to use IRC when you are playing OP2, to let others know that you intend to play a game. If you are having connection problems when using Hamachi, talk about it on IRC -- we are here to help!