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Just a quick guide on how to play OMF2097 online with using DosBox's buildt in IPX tunneling software.

• Download DosBox
  • Install DosBox
  • Open DosBox Config
  • Enable IPX
• Start Dosbox
  • Host machine: ipxnet startserver [UDP port]
  • Client machine: ipxnet connect <ip address> [UDP port]
  • You need the IP address
  • Machines should now be connected
• Locate and start OMF2097 with omf.exe
  • Choose network play
  • IPX play
  • You should now be in NetArena
  • Write in a name
  • When you see another player challenge him
  • play

The person that Challenges gets to decide certain game settings, notable Rehit Mode, Hyper Mode, and a few other things from the advanced options. The game should show a key that you can press to change these before starting a match.

The general “standard” for this is:

• Default settings
• Enable Rehit mode
• Enable Hyper mode

I'll add the hidden keys later on, when I remember them.

The person that host the server can't be behind a NAT since that will make it impossible for clients to detect and connect to it.

If you have direct access to your router you can usually change the NAT settings to let a specific computer get past it. Do note that NAT is considered a security system, and you should at least read up on it before doing this. Not all routers will let you bypass the NAT.

OMF2097 does not have native TCP/IP support, which is why we have to use this method to play online. It has IPX networking, IPX was a common network protocol for LAN (Local Area Network) back in the stone age… I mean the early 90s. This is meant for direct connections between two or more computers, and expects there to be no lag or latency at all between the computers.

DosBox has a IPX tunneling software built in, which links together two (or more) computers over TCP/IP and “bridging” the IPX between this “tunnel”. It works, but has some noticeable drawbacks, It is even slower than the slowest speed setting in single player. The reason for this is “packet loss” over internet since we're dealing with longer distances than a 2-5 meter network cable, so every time a packet fails to be received the protocol will request that packet to be sent again until it is received and receipted, this can take a few milliseconds or sometimes even close to a second. Thus the game “holds back” until it gets all the info it wants.

The advantage of this is that unlike many other games OMF2097 will never “warp” or “correct” something that someone has done, what happens on the screen is correct at all times. The disadvantage is that it is slow as heck.

• Controls also react slower or more sluggish than you're used to. This is fully possible to overcome with a little practise, you just need to practise on doing all moves much more slowly, double the time or more than you're used to. This especially effects most special moves like Jaguar Leap/Cannon.

• The game moves so much slower that it is much easier to see and react to moves. Magnifico coined this as “One Must Fall: Chess Edition” and it is pretty accurate. You can see attacks and have time to block or avoid almost anything thrown against you. It is very easy to counter someone, and very hard to break past their blocks or defenses.

Here is a video recording me playing against MageKing17, that shows a lot of these issues:

• Link to Youtube