Hey there guys, while the new client brings a lot of new features, there are some technical issues that may occur while using the new framework. This guide is designed to give you the run-down on how to get up and running with the new SFO client.
We will begin with the installation process, which should be fairly straight forward.
INSTALLING SFO
Download the latest Windows SFO installer from the official Downloads section to get started.
Double click the installer file, you will be prompted to allow the installation to run.
You will be greeted by the welcome screen below. Click next.
After clicking next you will see a screen that provides some fairly important information. Please take the time to read this and then hit next.
You should now see an option for where you would like SFO installed. We highly recommend that you leave it as is to ensure that there are no problems. Just click next.
Now you will be asked to confirm the installation information and click start to begin the install.
Finally, you should see the end installation screen. Here you will just click exit, completing the installation.
RUNNING SFO FOR THE FIRST TIME
Upon running SFO for the first time, assuming you do not already have the correct version of Shockwave installed on your system, SFO will prompt you to allow it to fix your shockwave.
Once you have clicked yes, you will see a popup window providing information about what you need to do when the installation of Shockwave has finished. Click OK.
Finally, a message is displayed saying that Shockwave 10 has successfully installed. Click Finish.
As mentioned during the shockwave fix, re-launch SFO once the installation of Shockwave has finished.
Provided there were no complications caused by an anti-virus or missing “.NET 4.5 Framework”, you will be prompted to allow SFO to communicate with the server.
Check mark “Don’t Ask Again (Allow Any Future Access by Any Movie).
You should be greeted by the news section of SFO. Click Okay.
Now I bet you’re excited to log in and enter the DWX server and take advantage of the new UPNP automatic hosting feature we added! However, you need to slow down. We must first make sure that things are in working order for you to enjoy this feature.
First, we must click options on the menu.
Then select the network tab.
Now open the command prompt by the Start button or Windows key on your keyboard and type cmd, then press enter.
Once in the command prompt window, please type in ipconfig and hit enter.
You will be looking for the IPV4 address; there may be multiple different adapters displayed.
You are looking for your current adapter you connecting with for example with wifi we might see something like Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection.
In my case, that is what we are looking for. So then we look at the IPV4 address in that section and compare it to our LOCAL IP in SFO.
After confirming that your LOCAL IP is correct, double-check that your PUBLIC IP is displayed properly in SFO’s Network tab. You can compare the PUBLIC IP in Network to your own by visiting this helpful link. At the top, you should see your PUBLIC IP.
Next, make sure that your port number is 1626, and you have both “I am behind a firewall or proxy” and “old connection mode no green ping” UNCHECKED in SFO’s Network tab.
After we have confirmed that these are all correct, we should double check our control settings to make sure they are right, and then return to the main menu. Click Multiplayer -> Host Game and wait for people to join. If no one connects within a reasonable amount of time, and there were actual players in the chat server, you may need to do some troubleshooting.
AT&T UVERSE
If you are someone who has AT&T UVERSE as a provider and you are renting your modem/router from the ISP, then you will find that you do not have support for UPNP. Please skip to the FINAL FIX section of TROUBLESHOOTING.
TROUBLESHOOTING
If you are not able to host, the first thing you should do is check your router to make sure that UPNP is enabled. Some routers might have it disabled, and for a few it does not exist at all. If you find that you do not have UPNP, fear not there is a solution for you as well, it will just require a little more work. Finally, and regrettably, if you are one of the members that have an ISP that only provides IPV6 addresses, then you will not be able to host in SFO.
Where can you find UPNP? Most commonly you will locate the UPNP settings underneath “advanced” settings in your router or under the firewall settings. In the case of my Netgear Nighthawk R7000, we can see that my UPNP setting is located in Advanced -> Advanced Setup -> UPnP is check marked for enabled.
If UPNP was disabled in your router and you had to enable it, please restart SFO and try hosting again. If you are still unable to host a game it may be a conflict with the adapter information.
Well, how would I know if it is an adapter issue?
Are you using multiple adapters on your computer? If you are, then there is a good chance that SFO is not pulling the correct LOCAL IP for the adapter that you are currently using for your internet.
If you are experiencing an issue where SFO is not picking the right LOCAL IP for your adapter, then please do the following.
Click START -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet Sharing -> Network and Sharing Center, on the side menu you will see a text link that says “Change adapter settings”. Click it.
Here you should see a list of all the different adapters that are used on your computer. Let’s hope you don’t have as many as me. Anyway, let’s say you are using Wi-Fi and trying to host a game yet it is not working. If your Local Area Connection and Wireless Network Connections are listed, there is a good chance that SFO is obtaining the wrong LOCAL IP. Right click the adapter that you are not using and disable it.
FINAL FIX
Restart SFO and see if you can host. If at this point you are still not able to host then it is safe to say your computer is having an issue with UPNP, which is rare but not impossible.
For people that are not able to use UPNP, please follow these specific directions, as they will allow you to have the same experience as everyone else.
In your router under advanced settings or firewall, you will find an option to port forward. We are going to port forward a range for both TCP and UDP. The range is 1626 – 1628 this will enable both GREEN PING and allow you to be all set for future updates.
Once again, restart SFO and try to host a game. You should find that you are now able to host.
ALTERNATE SFO
Now, what if you are not able to get the new version of SFO working for some strange reason and you feel you have tried everything? Simply download the legacy version of SFO and run it in compatibility mode for Windows 98/Windows ME, and follow the same steps for the FINAL FIX section. You will now be able to host and experience GREEN PING as the host of a game.
GAME VINDICATOR
Now that you have SFO working you may have noticed some players have different graphics and more moves. Well, this is where our anti-cheat software “Game Vindicator” comes into play.
Please visit the official Downloads section again, and click the option to download Game Vindicator.
Double click the Game Vindicator installation file you just downloaded.
The first window that is displayed is a welcome screen to get started with installing Game Vindicator. Click next.
You should now see a screen providing a license agreement. Read the license, then select “I accept the terms of the license agreement”, and click next.
Now you should see the “Select Type” screen. Choose “Complete” and then click next.
You are now ready to install Game Vindicator. Click Install.
You have now completed the installation of Game Vindicator. Click finish.
If you look at your desktop, you will see there is a new desktop shortcut called Game Vindicator. Double click the shortcut.
After launching SFO in the main menu, you will see the Game Vindicator logo confirming that you are now running Game Vindicator.
TROUBLESHOOTING GAME VINDICATOR
If you are getting the “Winners need Faster Computers” error, then you will need to change the priority of Game Vindicator because it is losing detection of SFO.
Open your task manager by pressing ctrl+alt+del and selecting task manager.
Now depending on your operating system, you will either go to the processes tab or details tab. Look for Game Vindicator in the list of applications running on your computer.
Right-click Game Vindicator and choose “set priority” -> high, close out the task manager and restart SFO.
We hope that this guide has been helpful for you, and if you are still experiencing issues, please do not hesitate to stop by the forum and ask for help.