How to Setup a LAN Party
Posted: August 10, 2000
Written by: Dan "Tweak Monkey" Kennedy

Introduction

What is a LAN party? Newbies may not know, but full-blown gamers should know that a LAN party is when a bunch of nerds people get together and play computer games using a local area network. LAN parties usually consist of junk food, several computers with network cards, and of course, plenty of games.

A LAN party really only needs to have two or more people, but speaking from experience; the more people, the better. I've been to a five person LAN party and it's somewhat boring. But when you're at a 20 person LAN party, even boring games are fun to play because the whole house (or whatever) is involved in the same gameplay. This guide will help you make sure everything is good for a successful LAN party and it will help you ensure that a LAN party keeps the LAN'ers happy and willing to come back.

LAN parties are great places to meet people... and then kick their asses at Counter-Strike.

Choosing a Location

Before you work out the details of your LAN party, make sure to find the perfect location. Consider the following questions (makes a handy checklist!):

-Accessibility: Is the house easy to find? Is it within reasonable driving distance of everyone's house? Is it easy to get computers in and out of? Is there adequate parking?

-Noise: Do other people live in the house? Are they going to be angry if people are playing games, yelling, and screaming at 4 in the morning (no matter how mellow the crowd is, LAN party always gets crazy at parts)? What about the neighbors? If the houses are close together, the neighbors might be rather angry. Also keep in mind, sometimes arguments and vulgar things are yelled out at LAN parties (well, good ones).

-Space and size: You're going to need PLENTY of room. Just think how much room your PC takes. Now realize you won't need to bring your speakers (more on that later) or your printer, scanner, etc. But still, a PC takes a lot of room and you'll need to have room for everyone's computers and somewhere to sit.

-Food source: An important item to consider is if there are restaurants or mini-marts (24 hour stores are optimal), etc. in the general area. Most likely, you'll make at least one food trip during the night. Ordering pizza also works pretty well. Make sure everyone chips in on the bill so you don't get screwed. :)

-Music: Adding music to the environment helps to keep things interesting, even during setup and those awkward moments. When things are silent, LAN-party goers get bored and possibly sleepy. If they're sleepy, they'll either crash at your place or they'll leave! Remember, a laptop can be used as an MP3 box, pumping it through speakers (hopefully other than those supplied with the laptop). If you don't have a notebook or an extra PC for MP3s, use a boom-box or home entertainment center, if available.

-Dedicated Server: If 8 or more people will be attending the LAN party, it is highly recommended that you bring a server for the games. Dedicated servers lead to less lag. Without a dedicated server, someone has to host the games on the PC they play on, which leads to poor performance.

-Power: This usually isn't a major consideration, but you never know. Make sure there are plenty of outlets in the room(s) you're going to use and definitely make sure that everyone brings a powerstrip.

-Ventilation/AC: Ventilation and/or air conditioning are critical in even mild climates. 10-20 computers + 10-20 people + lots of excitement = very hot environment. Crank the AC is available, or use fans, open windows, doors, etc. to clear out the hot air. Garages seem to be very good for this purpose if the weather permits. Garages are great locations anyway, because you can be twice as loud with half the consequences and if you make a mess it's rarely a problem!

The smart guys just put wheels on their cases so they don't have to carry the heavy ass things all over the place.

When to Have a LAN Party

Since it's impossible to fit everyone in at the right time, people will likely complain. So the goal is to schedule the LAN party to fit as many people's schedules as possible. We usually have our LAN parties on Fridays or Saturdays. They often start as late as 7 PM or 8 PM and we usually play games until about 4 AM or 5 AM. By then, the majority of us are tired and either stay there and sleep, or drive home (be careful if you're driving home at 3 to 4 AM!). Make sure it's okay with the owner(s) of the house if people crash overnight, because usually someone will.

Checklist for Guests

Now that you've got a good idea of your responsibilities as a host, make sure to give your guests a checklist of what to bring. Well you don't really have to GIVE them a list, but they should have a good idea of what to bring. Here's what they usually need:

-Hub or switch (as many as are needed). If you're using a 10BaseT network (the kind that looks like a big phone jack), make sure someone brings a hub or switch that can handle as many people as needed. You can combine hubs/switches with uplink ports or a crossover cable, too. A 10 mb/sec hub will work, but for all games to run without lag (especially with a lot of people on the network), a 100 mb/sec hub or switch is best. If you find yourself serving or attending LAN parties often, make the upgrade to a bigger hub or switch. Remember, hubs are just fine for games usually, but switches come in handy if everyone is transfering files over the network as well, which is likely.

Two 4-port hubs and an 8-port switch accomodate most of the LAN party goers here (in this picture only one of the hubs is connected). Laundry baskets are great for transporting cables, CDs, keyboards/mice etc. Backpacks work good, too.

-PC, equipped with a network card, that is functioning properly, and has a 3D card. If someone doesn't have an OS installed, hasn't built their PC yet, or is having major problems that would stop them from playing games, they're not going to have much fun. In fact, they'll probably spend most of the time just fixing up their PC. For this reason make sure all your guests have PCs that are ready to use! Also make sure the people bring their own network cable. "BYOPC"

-Monitor. This is obvious, but we added it for a reason. The biggest monitor size you'll probably want someone bringing to a LAN party is 19". Anything larger (21"+) is not only much harder to transport, but it takes way more room on a desk or table. If someone only has a 21" or larger monitor, try to find someone else that is going that can bring an extra monitor for them. Another option is TV-out, if an adequate TV is available.

-Headphones. There's enough noise at a LAN party without the games, so speakers aren't a practical option. Unless you've got speakers that are really weak, small and easy to transport, consider headphones instead. This also eliminates the problem where everyone can hear everyone else's games, which makes it hard to play.

-Mouse/Mousepad/Keyboard. Since you may be playing on the most awkward or small surfaces, a good mouse and mousepad are definitely key to having fun. We recommend a hard mouse surface like Ratpadz because they can be used in almost any environment and be put on weird surfaces. A good mouse may help you win some more games as you'll have better control, etc. Don't forget to bring a keyboard. :)
Speaking of keyboards and mice, it should be noted that wireless keyboards and mice are NOT recommended for LAN parties. The extra interference makes them very unresponsive and at times, impossible to use. If you've got a cordless desktop at home, buy a cheap mouse and keyboard for LAN parties if you attend them often.
-Powerstrip. If everyone brings their own powerstrip (a surge protector is recommended), there won't be problems finding outlets for everyone. We don't recommend daisy-chaining powerstrips together, but sometimes it's necessary.

-Money. Bring money in case you want to get snacks or food later in the night. $20 should be fine for the night, unless there is a cover charge for the LAN party.


Big LAN parties make a big mess. If you have to, put tape or tags on your
equipment so you're sure you get it all back when the LAN party is finished.

Favorite Games

This section is based on our own successes and personal interests, so your favorite games may vary. If you have any suggestions for this section, send 'em in.

Here are some of our favorite games for LAN parties, that work especially well in large groups:

-Unreal Tournament: Since UT has tons of options for multiplayer and various game modes, it is ideal for LAN parties. And if there aren't enough players, we add some bots. Generally, we play UT more than any other game at LAN parties.


Fear my mad UT skillz, biatch! Err...

-Quake3 Arena: Quake3 is very fast paced and it is fun to play. It is also one of the most played games at LAN parties world-wide right now.

-Motocross Madness 2: MCM2 was an instant hit at the LAN parties. Usually we'll play stunts or baja races, sometimes even supercross. This is highly recommended for a LAN party because there are various modes to keep the action going, and when the competition gets too intense, it's funny to crash and mess around. Also, stunt tag mode is really fun at LAN parties.

-Viper Racing: I don't know how it happened, but we almost always end up playing a couple races of Viper Racing at LAN parties. This is probably because the cars can take damage, so we have big wrecks and often times we act like idiots. :)

-Grand Theft Auto / 2: GTA and GTA2 are both usually fun. But there is a serious problem with lag. We have terrible pings even over the 100 mb/sec switch! Even if they're fun games, they get ignored usually.

-Half-Life: Do we really need to explain why Half-Life is a favorite? This game rules! Even though it's been around for a while now, it still keeps us busy and entertained. Deathmatch and teamplay are both really fun.

-Counter-Strike: CS, CS, CS! Although it's quite difficult for the newbies, this is by far one of the best games to play at a LAN party. Counterstrike is a great game because one group of people can play as terrorists and the other can play as counter-terrorists. Most games with teams prove to be interesting, and this one is no exception. It's especially cool to have teams in separate rooms so they can communicate easier. Don't forget the LAN party rule of thumb for CS: dead people can't talk!

-Strategy games: If you're looking for a game to pass the time, try a strategy game like Age of Empires, Starcraft, or Command and Conquer/Red Alert. These take a long time to play, but once you get into the game it's hard to quit.

-Star Wars -- X-Wing Alliance / X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter: Although I was never really into these games, I hear it's a blast to play these games over a LAN.

Setting it All Up

Setting up the LAN is probably the hardest part of the whole party. Usually there will be at least a couple PCs that refuse to function properly or respond to the network. Troubleshooting is covered later in the guide.

Before you start the setup process, clear out a big space and if needed, bring tables in the room. Plan where people will be sitting and where the PCs will go. Make sure to consider the outlets and the space needed for mousepads, keyboards, and monitors. PCs can sit on the ground.


Small room? Yeah, but that's okay. We can squeeze some PCs into there...

After setting up the table we realized only three monitors would fit with enough room to have keyboards and mice. No problem! We moved a couple end tables and the cat's thing on the floor was used to hold a mouse pad. Now we had five PCs ready to go with seats for everyone.


Oh yeah, a TV helps too. When you're between games or having a break,
it's nice to have something else to watch (in this case, Mad TV).

When everything is in place, plug in all the PCs as you normally would and set the network up. Plug everyone into the hub and check out Network Neighborhood. Make sure your IPs are all in the same range and you're on the same workgroup (for simplicity). To do this, right click Network Neighborhood and choose Properties. Go into TCP/IP -> (Network Card Name Here) by selecting it and choosing Properties. Subnet Mask should be 255.255.255.0 and the IP can be many different addresses, but we use 10.0.1.1 -.52. That is to say, the first PC for example should have 10.0.1.1, and other PCs should have 10.0.1.2, 10.0.1.3, and so on, as long as they're unique for each PC. Workgroup can be changed in the Identification tab in Network Neighborhood's properties.


Behold: the mighty 8-port Intel switch!

Troubleshooting

Your first couple of LAN parties may not be so successful, but don't worry, things will get better over time. Here are some solutions to the more common problems:

-Someone isn't showing up on the network or can't connect to games: This is usually easy to fix. Make sure their IP address is setup correctly and they are in the same workgroup (for simplicity!) as outlined earlier in the guide. If the IP is correct, make sure nobody else on the network has the same IP. If they're still having problems, go into Network Neighborhood and type the person's name that isn't showing up like this in the address bar: \\name. For example, you would type \\Tweak3D if the login name was Tweak3D. This should show if any devices are shared and/or if it was connected right. If that doesn't work, check to ensure that the cables are connected to both the hub/switch and the NIC (network interface card) in the PC. Make sure the right protocols are installed (you'll probably use TCP/IP and maybe IPX). Hit refresh a couple of times in Network Neighborhood, or wait a bit then hit refresh again. Sometimes it takes a while for PCs to recognize the others.

-Blue Screen of Death: Sometimes it happens, and it seems to happen more frequently at LAN parties. Usually this can be fixed by going into Windows Safe Mode (reboot, hit F5 after the BIOS information screen). Once in Safe Mode, right click My Computer, and choose Properties. Go to Device Manager and delete any hardware that shows up twice. Then reboot and it may have fixed some problems. Re-installing Windows may not be too far off.. :(


Mike is plagued by the evil Blue Screen of Death!

-Fatigue, illness, and/or death: Take breaks periodically (usually between games) to let your hands and head take a break. Too much gaming will make you tired, or sick, or maybe even kill you (after long periods of time, of course ;)). For best results, drink some water or something during breaks to wash all that junk food you've likely had.

Conclusion

Setting up a LAN party is a big job, but the work is well worth it! Remember to keep the games and atmosphere fresh and unique to keep your LAN party popular and enjoyable. If you have any suggestions, comments, or you'd like to share some LAN party stories, I'd like to hear them. Thanks for reading!

Want to return to the normal guide? Click here!

All Content Copyright ©Dan Kennedy; 1999