Command And Conquer Red Alert Multiplayer

[Hilda Bagnoli]

HelloI have this problem when playing RA2:YR using CNCNET: My game runs completely smoothly with no lag or any issues what so ever as long as I play Skirmish or CNCNET game with AI only. As soon as there is another live player in the game, the game gets laggy - any command is executed with around half a second (sometimes up to 1 second) delay and the game runs visibly slower. I have a decent-ish computer (Win10, 8gb ram, 8-core AMD processor, R9 290 graphics card) and I don't experience any issues even in newer games (Battlefront 2 runs smoothly, for example, and I don't mean the 2005 Battlefront 2 game). Also, I have a very decent internet connection - 250/150 fiber, ping when playing CSGO is around 20ms, for example. I have 2 computers at home (the second one a bit slower, but should still be enough for this game) and tried playing 1v1 on those 2 computers too, but it was the same, whether playing via LAN or CNCNET. So I reckon it must have something to do with some settings of some kind. And yes, I tried with Back Buffer on and off, it makes no difference on the slower computer and it makes the game unplayable on the faster computer, when I switch it on. And I tried different tunnel servers, still very little or no difference. Can anyone help me with the issue, please? Thank you in advance for your time and effort, I appreciate it very much.

I understand that, but is there a way to fix that, so we can play without such lag at least on LAN? As I said, my internet connection is very good and stable and i don't have such problems in other games, or even when streaming. I know I cannot help it, if the other player has a bad connection. But in this case, I have something wrong obviously, as it lags on LAN too. Or does every player experience 0.5-1 sec delays on every command in every multiplayer game? This is most visible when placing buildings, placing/cancelling build orders and deploying units (Desolators, GIs etc).

Any multiplayer has a bit of a delay. The lowest I see is around 40-50ms. If all players have a good internet connection, the delay is hardly noticeable. Although yes, there is a slight delay in any online game.

20-100ms is regular delay in most games, I have no problem with that. I would say even 200ms is fine in my level of play of RA2. I am talking about 500-1500ms here. I can really say "one Mississippi" between pressing the "D" key and my Desolator deploying, I tried it.

The minimum delay is 12 frames in the QM Ladder "Ranked Matches" and 21 frames for regular custom games. If your game is operating at 60fps then the 21 frames will be 350ms. Everyone experiences the exact same click delay in the game so there is no advantage to any player.

As I said, I have the same problem even when playing against a friend who is in the same room as me, connected to the same switch. Both computers can handle skirmish games with 7 AI and tons of units on map without even sweating, but when we try to play multiplayer (be it LAN or CnCNet), the delay gets horrible. It got me thinking - could it be something with my router settings?

I tried a ranked match, but I couldn't find one. I was in queue alone for like 30 minutes. Am I doing something wrong, or are there just no players at this time of day? I used the Ranked Match button in the main menu.

Thank you very much, every bit of help is much appreciated.

I searched the forums as well, of course. Most router issues were about people not being able to connect at all, which is not my case. One person seemed to have exactly the same problem as me, some guy gave him a .dll file to download and it fixed the problem for him, but it was a very old post, the download link didn't work and it was on some other (possibly competing) forum, iirc.

That fixes graphical rendering speed (efficiency) not network related problems though.

When playing on cncnet the client usually uses a ddraw.dll (ts_ddraw version).

You can always find the file yourself in the client's resources folder.

Was this ever solved? I'm having the same issue. Works fine in skirmish, but lags on multiplayer. I keep seeing some .dll file that you can place in your game folder, but it appears the link has expired.

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 contains two playable factions, the Soviets and the Allies, which both previously appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert. The single player campaign is structured in an alternate-ending mode as opposed to a progressive story mode. Like its predecessor, Red Alert 2 features a large amount of full motion video cutscenes between missions and during gameplay, with an ensemble cast including Ray Wise, Udo Kier, Kari Wuhrer, and Barry Corbin.

The main objective of the game is to defeat enemy commanders, played by AI or human opponents, by destroying their bases to the point of enemy capitulation. Players must also work to defend their own bases to maintain their ability to collect money and produce units, both of which are essential in achieving the main objective. Once all enemy commanders have been defeated, a winner is declared.

Every aspect of gameplay in the game is based on the collection of money. In the game, money can be collected by several means. The most common is using miner trucks to gather ore and/or gems and transport them to a refinery. A player can also gain a lasting income by capturing oil derricks (neutral buildings that are present in some maps). There also are two one-time sources of money for Allied and Soviet players, namely: collecting random crates which are present in the map and selling off buildings which are controlled by the player. Allied players have a third one-time source of money, which involves using a spy to steal an opposing player's money. The money is spent on constructing and repairing buildings and units. In both cases, players may start construction before having the full cost in one's reserves, as construction simply pauses if a player runs short of money.

Like previous Command & Conquer games, the two factions in Red Alert 2 have unique armies with their own strengths and weaknesses. To achieve victory, a player must play to their faction's strengths and exploit the other faction's weaknesses. The factions follow the same trend in the previous title.

Soviet vehicles tend to possess heavier firepower and/or being able to take more punishment compared to their Allied counterparts with examples such the Heavy Rhino Tank and its V3 Rocket Launchers. However, they are also more expensive to build and at times move more slowly, allowing Allied vehicles to out-maneuver and outnumber them. The basic Soviet infantry, on the other hand, the Conscript, though much inferior to the Allied G.I., are incredibly inexpensive and far faster to train making it easy to mass produce. The Soviet faction is also superior in the early game and in land wars because of their more powerful and advanced tanks, while the Allied faction is better in the late game with more advanced units, such as those used in naval warfare. In particular, the Soviets are better for early game rushes, which are very common in online games.[5]

Red Alert 2 contains three campaigns. Boot Camp, Allied, and Soviet. Each campaign is distinct in its own way. Boot Camp is simply a tutorial campaign consisting of two missions in which the player is introduced to the fundamentals of the game with the use of Allied forces. If played, Boot Camp leads into Allied Campaign chronologically. Allied and Soviet campaigns are the two main campaigns of the game, each consisting of twelve missions in which the player faces off against one or more computer-controlled opponents. In some missions, the objective is simply to defeat all opposing forces in the area; other missions have more specific objectives, such as capturing or destroying a particular enemy structure or defending a particular structure of the player's own from enemy attacks. While fundamentally different in story and units, both Campaigns are structured similarly. Both begin with the player operating a limited base or otherwise a Mobile Construction Unit to start from scratch plus a platoon of certain units, but in a few missions construction is not required.

Skirmish mode is essentially the free-for-all multiplayer mode played against computer-controlled opponents. The player chooses a map against as many players the map supports. The player can also change settings such as the number of starting units, the monetary levels at the beginning, game speeds and the availability of superweapons. There are no special objectives, just eliminate all enemies units and structures.

Red Alert 2 includes two different multi-player modes. One, LAN allows the player to play alongside friends and others without the use of an internet connection. The other, Online Play allows the player to play across the internet and against players from across the globe. LAN play allows for only Skirmish Mode that is available in single-player. Online play allows for tournaments, private games, public games, ladder ranking games and also contains a chat system. In 2005, control of online play for Red Alert 2 and a number of older C&C games was passed over from EA to XWIS, a community-run server. Multiplayer is still active through CnCNet.

3a8082e126