Do people still play Dreamcast online?

[CAPSFAN]

I just got a Dreamcast again. It has been several years since I had one, just realized how much I missed it. Just out of curiosity, do people still play online with it? Mainly I am curious about the sports games like NFL 2k2, NBA 2k2. I used to play online with those before I got my XBOX and got onto LIVE. I found this site somehow on e-bay. I look forward to checking it out.

[lordnikon]

Yes people still play the Dreamcast Online. ;) Unfortunatly the 2K sports games are no longer online anymore. However there are a variety of other titles you can play online still, with great features and fun gameplay.

The top source for information on Dreamcast Online can be found here: http://dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com

It has everything you need to get up and running and find some players to play with.

[CAPSFAN]

Thanks for the info.

Also probably a dumb question here,lol, but I have cable now. I am assuming if I wanted to get online with that I would have to get the broadband adapter? Otherwise are there any free dial up providers that work with Dreamcast? Back when I played online with my Dremacast I went through 3-4 ISP's before I found one that worked for online gaming.

[lordnikon]

Thanks for the info.

Also probably a dumb question here,lol, but I have cable now. I am assuming if I wanted to get online with that I would have to get the broadband adapter? Otherwise are there any free dial up providers that work with Dreamcast? Back when I played online with my Dremacast I went through 3-4 ISP's before I found one that worked for online gaming.
Yes a BBA is needed for broadband. A cheap isp or free isp is the best option for dialup. Some cable/dsl providers offer free dialup with their broadband service.

At the Dreamcast section of OnlineConsoles there is a graphic on the front page that says "How to get online with your Dreamcast". Reading this, and parousing the Network Tech forum will help answer most if not all of your questions.

[Maxx]

The last time I tried to get online with my DC, most of the games were closed. The only one open was Quake III Arena and everyone was playing it with a computer, not DC. Everyone that I played that day thought it was so cool that you could still play it on DC.

[Hardcore]

You know, a third-party should start making BBAs. I want to play my DC online, but I can't afford a BBA. :(

[DreamTR]

Exactly how many games can you still play online besides Quake and PSO? I thought everything was closed.

[lordnikon]

Exactly how many games can you still play online besides Quake and PSO? I thought everything was closed.
http://dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com/phpBB2/content_gameslist.php

[bangtango]

http://dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com/phpBB2/content_gameslist.php

I've owned a Dreamcast since around 2000 but I never got online with it, so I have no stake in my next question. Figured I'd ask, though. Why can't you get online with the sports games? Someone must be able to figure out a way around it. It can't be a lack of interest, is it? (Oops......Don't answer that last one!).

[cessnaace]

I bought my Dreamcast on 9.09.99. I did buy a keyboard for it, but it's still in the box. I've never even opened it. I Have the VGA adapter too. Never used that either. I love my Dreamcast, although it's currently not in use. I could never keep ALL my different systems hooked up all at once, so it's sitting unused next to my 3DO in a spare bedroom along with my two boxed Commodore 64's, Genesis, Saturn, and PlayStation. The 32X? Closet. The 7800? Let's see, that's in a closet somewhere. Sega Master System? That's beside the Model 2 NES, and one of my SNES's in the master bedroom. The Intellivision? Under the bed. The Jaguar? Dead, but still in the house somewhere. Nomad? Back in it's original box. 2600? Closet. The V.Flash and Game Cube? Hooked up in the living room (the V.Flash is for the kids). My mind? Demented, as usual. LOL!

Oh, and the kids have my GBA. Somewhere.

[lordnikon]

I've owned a Dreamcast since around 2000 but I never got online with it, so I have no stake in my next question. Figured I'd ask, though. Why can't you get online with the sports games? Someone must be able to figure out a way around it. It can't be a lack of interest, is it? (Oops......Don't answer that last one!).
A person in my position has answered these types of questions a billion times, so I hope you don't take anything I say below personally.

Saying that "someone must be able to figure a way around it", is a dangerous assumption to make. I agree that there are many instances where someone makes something that many other people think is near impossible or awe inspiring. The Saturn USB link would be a good example of this.

Unfortunatly the people behind such endevours are not magicians, so not every time is it possible to overcome the odds and pull off the unthinkable.

To reverse engineer network software for any online game, one would need packet logs of the game being played online. Otherwise the programmer is coding blind, and guessing on each error return. It is pretty much impossible to get a game back online without packet logs from when the servers were still up. To make matters worse, not every online game uses the same network infastructure. Some just have a simple master list, which can be emulated fairly easily. Others have complex login and chat servers, with more data exchange between users.

It is definatly not out of lack of interest, but lack of available information and time constraints. At the time when the games were still online I was barely in a position tech-wise to handle this. I was still scheduling and playing games online during the summer of 2003. It wasn't until later that year, long after those games had gone offline, that I began a more serious assault on restoration and salvage. In-fact, in order to even log packets for the 2K sports games, one would have needed a PC-DC server setup at the time. Since those games were dialup compatible, the only way to log network packets was to route them through a modem on the PC and onto broadband.

There was a guide for this by Michael K Ter Louw, but it was incomplete and only effected PSO and surfing the net. Other games were not compatible. Myself and DreamcastTM did not come up with a better more complete guide until a year or two later:
http://dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com/phpBB2/guides_pcdcwin98.php

In addition to the technical hurdles, there is time. Time is a harsh mistress. Often times we have been running against the clock. I was still trying to get accurate packet logs of Worms World Party before it went down, but the PC-DC server wasn't picking them up properly. The game went offline before I was able to get anything at all.

Plus, the amount of sacrifice and time necessary to do this stuff is extreme. For a little under 4 years I was working on online console research and restoration, unemployed with very little incoming coming from freelance work.

I really wish I could turn back time and go log network packets for some of my favorite online games such as Outtrigger and Ooga Booga. However without the aid of a time machine this is impossible. Someone out there should make a time machine so I can do this. Shouldn't be too hard right? ;)

[GarrettCRW]

Shouldn't be too hard right? ;)

All you need to do is build a flux capacitor. ;)

[lordnikon]

All you need to do is build a flux capacitor. ;)

Great Scott! I think you're onto something! :)

[bangtango]

A person in my position has answered these types of questions a billion times, so I hope you don't take anything I say below personally.

Saying that "someone must be able to figure a way around it", is a dangerous assumption to make. I agree that there are many instances where someone makes something that many other people think is near impossible or awe inspiring. The Saturn USB link would be a good example of this.

Unfortunatly the people behind such endevours are not magicians, so not every time is it possible to overcome the odds and pull off the unthinkable.

To reverse engineer network software for any online game, one would need packet logs of the game being played online. Otherwise the programmer is coding blind, and guessing on each error return. It is pretty much impossible to get a game back online without packet logs from when the servers were still up. To make matters worse, not every online game uses the same network infastructure. Some just have a simple master list, which can be emulated fairly easily. Others have complex login and chat servers, with more data exchange between users.

It is definatly not out of lack of interest, but lack of available information and time constraints. At the time when the games were still online I was barely in a position tech-wise to handle this. I was still scheduling and playing games online during the summer of 2003. It wasn't until later that year, long after those games had gone offline, that I began a more serious assault on restoration and salvage. In-fact, in order to even log packets for the 2K sports games, one would have needed a PC-DC server setup at the time. Since those games were dialup compatible, the only way to log network packets was to route them through a modem on the PC and onto broadband.

There was a guide for this by Michael K Ter Louw, but it was incomplete and only effected PSO and surfing the net. Other games were not compatible. Myself and DreamcastTM did not come up with a better more complete guide until a year or two later:
http://dreamcast.onlineconsoles.com/phpBB2/guides_pcdcwin98.php

In addition to the technical hurdles, there is time. Time is a harsh mistress. Often times we have been running against the clock. I was still trying to get accurate packet logs of Worms World Party before it went down, but the PC-DC server wasn't picking them up properly. The game went offline before I was able to get anything at all.

Plus, the amount of sacrifice and time necessary to do this stuff is extreme. For a little under 4 years I was working on online console research and restoration, unemployed with very little incoming coming from freelance work.

I really wish I could turn back time and go log network packets for some of my favorite online games such as Outtrigger and Ooga Booga. However without the aid of a time machine this is impossible. Someone out there should make a time machine so I can do this. Shouldn't be too hard right? ;)

Well, that answer is good enough for me. Can't say it any better than that. A pity, since the 2K sports games are my favorite ones from the Dreamcast library and if I was ever to play anything online, it'd be those.