How do I host a LAN server, no port forwarding?

[AshDoesGames]

I have been researching this forever now, no luck. I have two computers, my internet sucks, and I cannot port forward. I want to know how to host LAN with both computers joining, and without port forwarding. I not good with networking, so all of this is new to me. please explain in detail as I probably will not know what to do if you don't. Thanks,

Ash

[margalus]

Use ARK Server Manager to run a dedicated server. It is very easy and has a nice gui interface to adjust settings.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?l=german&id=468312476

Just install ASM and then after starting it up hit the "upgrade" button. It will install the dedicated server program for you. After that the upgrade button works as it sounds and upgrades the server if there is a patch.

Then just start up the server and wait for it to fully start. Then join.

[AshDoesGames]

Thanks, margalus. I'll try that.

[Kryzzk]

When my kids want to join my game I just always open the game to network and have my kids right click my name in their steam friends list and click "Join in game" and they join right in. Port Forwarding is for Internet games and is rarely needed for Local Area Network games.

[tametheark]

Firewall ports 7777 and 27015. Make these UDP. Make sure you select local and specific. Look at my guide www.tametheark.com/hosting

Make sure your startup.bat and gameusersettings have these same ports. 7777 is game port and 27015 is query port

[sriggle]

As long as he's connecting to another computer within the same local network, then he doesn't need to worry about forwarding ports. No point in running a server through .bat files anymore either unless you just want the challenge of the higher learning curve. Just do as Margalus suggested. ASM makes it far more user friendly.

[Cellmember]

ASM Ark Server Manager as the margalus suggested, it is the best, it's got a lot of options and is very user friendly.

[AshDoesGames]

When i'm starting the server in ASM, it says: bind returned error [no name available].
Is this normal? Everything else pops up fine so far but if it's a problem please let me know.

[margalus]

Try it and see. I've never seen that error. Did you put in a server name?

[AshDoesGames]

Yeah, it didn't work, It's because I made ARK have an IP instead of letting it choose it. I did that, it's on, waiting for publication (Do I need that for LAN) right now I can't join it.

[=Sarsante=]

Originally posted by AshDoesGames:

Yeah, it didn't work, It's because I made ARK have an IP instead of letting it choose it. I did that, it's on, waiting for publication (Do I need that for LAN) right now I can't join it.

You can try add the local host ip in the steam where you wanna play.
Go to the pc runming de server, open cmd prompt, type ipconfig and hit enter. Its gonna show you a bunch of stuff, look for the local ip address. Usually something like 192.168.0.3, beware not use the gateway ip, thats your router.

Write down the ip and go to the pc where you want play, open steam, i think its under view it has servers. Click on that, select favorite tab, click on add and type the ip there. Open ark and use the filters to favorite, it might show up.

Edit: since you said you dont know anything about network, Im gonna try to explain to you how it works in a simplistic way and why you dont need port forwarding.

When you connect to internet you get an external ip from your internet provider, lets say its 200.200.200.200. So if another person or a game wants to connect to your pc, thats your address.

But locally your devices also get an ip, each device get an unique one. Your router have lets say 192.168.0.1, your pc 192.168.0.2, your phone connected to wifi 192.168.0.3 and go on.

Port forwarding is needed to play some games online because when the game server or other players try to connect to you, they'll use the ip 200.200.200.200 but how your router will know that request is to be send to your pc instead of your phone? Then you do port forward, like a connection on that port (port the game uses) is to be redirected to ip 192.168.0.2 thats your pc local address. Thats all port forwarding do.

In your case you dont need because you should use your local ip address, lets say server is running at pc 192.168.0.3, you connect direct to it, you dont use the 200.200.200.200 external ip.

I know you didnt ask for this answer, but Im bored at work :D

[AshDoesGames]

the server won't even show up on the computer running it

[garth033]

Originally posted by AshDoesGames:

the server won't even show up on the computer running it

Are you filtering for lan servers? Or just unofficial?

[Volrishan]

How to setup your own Ark Server using the Ark Server Manager Program
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPFqsk9mfsI

for my LAN server i replace the "my public ip" with my local ip address

[tametheark]

Add me on steam and I'll help you get it showing up.

[Charlie]

Originally posted by Yiconomics:

Firewall ports 7777 and 27015. Make these UDP. Make sure you select local and specific. Look at my guide www.tametheark.com/hosting

Make sure your startup.bat and gameusersettings have these same ports. 7777 is game port and 27015 is query port

You obviously didnt read his post.