There are quite a few games out there that offer multiplayer servers that you can actually host yourself. Sure there are a couple of really good ones like Battlefield 3 that require you go with an EA approved rent-a-server vendor, but there are also several good ones that you can enjoy playing with friends on a LAN or opening up to your friends in other parts of the world. When you set up these servers to play with other friends you’ll need to ensure that you’ve gone into your router and forwarded the correct ports to your machine and make sure to give them the correct IP address to connect to. You’ll find help with forwarding ports at PortForward.com and can find your IP address at WhatIsMyIP.com.

Setting up and hosting your own Minecraft server is a breeze. Simply head to Minecraft.net and click on the downloads link on the right. For the simplest setup you’ll want to grab the Minecraft_Server.exe. Once you double-click it you’re up and running. If you’re running the server on the same PC that you’ll be playing on you can simply point the Multiplayer menu in Minecraft to 127.0.0.1 and enjoy! If you want friends to be able to connect to you, head to the PortForward.com guides and make sure you forward port 25565 to the PC hosting the server. You can set various settings in the configuration file such as turning monsters on and off, limiting the number of players, and even whitelist the server so only friends of yours can play.

Are you a big fan of Terraria but have only played on other people’s servers or in single-player? Why not try to set up your own and invite some friends to play with you? Setting it up is probably even easier than setting up a Minecraft server. Go to Terraria.org and scroll to the very bottom and download the Dedicated Server Software. If you’re playing on the same machine as the server, simply connect to “127.0.0.1″ as the server’s address. If you’re inviting friends to play with you, head to PortForward’s guides and find out how to forward the default Terraria port 7777 to your server. There’s also a configuration file that allows you to set a password for the server and a message displayed to people when they log in as well as a bunch of other options.

Setting up a TF2 server is a tad more difficult than setting up a Minecraft or Terraria server – but it’s not “hard” by any means – especially after reading how to set up the next one in our list. First off you’ll want to download the HLDSTOOLUPDATE from Steam and put it in a folder. Once you have downloaded the tool, run the installer and install to a permanent location, like C:\HLServer. Create a new file in Notepad and call it something like “Update.bat” and put this in the file:

C:\HLServer\hldsupdatetool -command update -game tf -dir C:\HLServer

That’s of course assuming you installed it to C:\HLServer. If you installed it somewhere else, modify that line accordingly. It might take a while to download because it’s well over a gig in size so don’t worry if this takes 30 minutes or more. Open Notepad and create a file called server.cfg and put it in the C:\HLServer\orangebox\tf\cfg folder. Make sure to name it .cfg and not .txt! Here’s an example of a Config file, so copy/paste and change what you want. Here’s a complete list of all the possible commands (and another).

To start the server, create a new .bat file like you did with the Update.bat and call it something like “StartServer.bat” and put this in the file:

C:\HLserver\orangebox\srcds.exe -console -game tf -hostport 27015 +maxplayers 24 +map ctf_2fort

This will start the server on port 27015 with a maximum on 24 players. There are some more in depth guides out there and this is a simplified version that should get you going quickly.

This one is much more complicated as you have to download the files and compile them yourself. It’s also in the very early stages of development so expect there to be plenty of bugs and plenty of missing (not yet implemented) features. Here’s a very detailed guide on setting it up and getting it running. I’m not going to try and water it down and simplify it because, you really need to follow the guide step-by-step to ensure everything’s working properly. You’re basically pulling the source from SWGANH’s Github and setting up the database. You’ll need to grab yourself a copy of the game as well and since it’s no longer being sold there is only one option if you don’t still have your original disks. For more info on the SWGANH project or if you’re having difficulty setting up your server, head over to their website.

This one’s a bit easier than the SWGANH emulator but can be really complicated if you want. Luckily there are some stand-alone precompiled versions out there for you to choose from. There are also several versions out there to choose from and if you want one that’s just like what Blizzard has out right now working just like Blizzard’s you’re going to be disappointed and I suggest you simply pay your $15 a month to play on their servers.

Disclaimer: I will also note that Blizzard doesn’t take too kindly to these servers and if you expect to have hundreds of people playing on yours and taking paypal donations etc then expect a cease & desist letter from them or even possibly a lawsuit. So if you’re going to do this, don’t publicize it and keep it to yourself and your friends. It’s a little different than the Star Wars Galaxies emulator because that game is no longer available and you can’t pay to play the game no matter how much money you have.

Probably one of the most complete and up to date servers would be Jeutie’s Blizzlike Repack. It has most of the features you might remember from the Wrath of the Lich King expansion pack and is fairly easy to set up. To set it up you’ll want to download the repack, download the DBC, download the maps and grab the vmaps. You’ll put the dbc files into the “DBC” folder, map files into the “maps” folder and the vmaps into the “vmaps” folder.

Almost done! Double click the MySQL.bat file in the _Server folder, double click the Apache.bat file in the _Server folder and double click the Authserver.exe and Worldserver.exe and you’ll be ready to play. After that you’ll open your WoW folder and go to the Data\enUS\ folder and edit the “realmlist.wtf” file to say this:

set realmlist 127.0.0.1

If you want others to join you you’ll have to open the database with something like HeidiSQL or Navicat and open the Auth database and edit the Realmlist table to reflect your external IP address. After you save and close it you’ll have to forward the proper ports to your server: 80, 3724, and 8085. Leave the Auth config and Worldserver config pointing to 127.0.0.1. Your friends will simply visit your external IP address to create an account and they’ll change their realmlist.wtf folder to be your server’s IP address and they’ll be able to play with you. Here’s another guide by Jeutie on making it visible to your friends.

I can’t stress this enough: this is a very gray area… Blizzard really isn’t a fan of having alternate options other than their servers to play their game on – so use this guide at your own risk. I didn’t make the server and I’m not savvy enough to be able to troubleshoot your issues – you’ll have to use the faithful Google for that.

Minecraft has just landed for 1600 points on the Xbox Marketplace. If you’re a big Minecraft fan you’ll want to scoop it up. It’s the same content as version 1.6.6 so that means there are no pistons, but Jeb has stated that 1.7.3 will be released sometime this summer for no charge.

Due out in June, Close Quarters is the first of the upcoming DLC for Battlefield 3 and will focus on infantry in tight close-combat maps.

Partrick Bach Executive Producer at DICE said that with this batch of DLC they want the player to feel the world crashing down around you, putting the player into intimate settings where the destructive power of the Frostbite 2 engine can really be shown off. This means loads of explosions and building destruction – sweet! It will be much more fast-paced and frantic than the larger maps.

Here’s a short preview video

Yesterday there was some pretty big stir on the internet about some news of an upcoming MMO based on the world of Skyrim.

“Players will discover an entirely new chapter of Elder Scrolls history in this ambitious world, set a millennium before the events of Skyrim as the daedric prince Molag Bal tries to pull all of Tamriel into his demonic realm.”

Sounds awesome right? We won’t make any quick judgements before we see gameplay footage or get to play the game for ourselves, but it does sound like a good idea. Rumor is that it’ll be hot-key based and in third-person as opposed to Skyrim’s first-person (and that rumor is supported by the screenshots). We’ll of course wait to see which of these rumors are true before we decide if that’s a good thing or not. One thing is for sure though, it will be based on the same game engine as Star Wars The Old Republic.

Here are a few screenshots that came from FZ.se

Update:

First trailer has been released… a whole lot of nothing, really and of course it’s Bethesda we’re talking about so they’re going to have some EPIC CGI trailers to which gameplay won’t live up to… still they’re entertaining at the least.

Not a fan of Diablo and want an unproductive weekend like all these other beta-testing guys? Fear not! Tera Online is also having their open beta this weekend. Tera is hosting an open beta event this weekend, April 20-23, 2012, in anticipation for its launch on May 1. Head over the the official Tera website to get started!

During the beta, you’ll be able to jump in to Tera for free and get an early taste of the game’s prologue and a chance to figure out just what the “true action combat” is all about. Beta testers will be able to progress their characters all the way up to level 32, and if you pre-order the game you’ll get to keep your character once the game officially launches.

So if you’re not excited enough about the possibility of playing the Guild Wars 2 Beta next weekend, get ready to reserve this weekend as well. Anyone with a valid Battle.net ID is eligible to play the Diablo III Open Beta this weekend. It starts at noon Pacific time so that gives you approximately 4 hours to stock up on energy drinks, pizza and bugles chips.

All you need to do is:

• Log in or create a Battle.net account at http://www.battle.net
• Create your BattleTag™, which is required to play Diablo III
• Download the game client, install, and play between 12:01 p.m. PDT April 20 and 10:00 a.m. PDT April 23

You won’t have access to the Blizzard beta forums but we’ll be setting up a new Diablo III section in our forums today for discussion about the beta and upcoming D3 news. If you have any issues, post them in our forums or check the known issues list.

Here are some more tips:

Some tips for the beta:

• Turn on Elective Mode in the Gameplay options. This lets you personalize your equipped skills more
• Turn on Advanced tooltips for your skills under Gameplay options.
• Rings only drop from the skeletons before you fight the beta-boss. There’s a vendor in the second area of New Tristram that has a tab for rings.
• There are no amulets in the beta
• Crafting is good but make sure you pay attention to the level requirements of the item. You are able to craft gear in the beta that you can never equip due to the level cap.

We’re about a month away from the actual release so if you don’t feel like downloading and installing the beta and would rather save your time for the full game release, check out MrCarrier’s Twitch.tv channel as he’s likely to be streaming it.

If you prepurchased Guild Wars 2 – get ready to load up the beta and give it a try next weekend (April 27-29). Customers who have pre-purchased the game will receive an e-mail next week with instructions on how to download the client and participate in the Beta. This is a public event, which means that you’re not bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) so be sure to watch MrCarrier stream the game on his Twitch.TV channel.

You’ll create your own personalized Charr, Human, or Norn character and pick from our eight powerful professions. Your choice of race is vital to your personal story, and it determines in which of the huge starting areas you begin as well. A noble human mesmer will have a radically different game experience than a charr engineer in the service of the Iron Legion. Fortunately, you can roll more than one character and sample each starting area for yourself!

Worlds Collide – If you want your PvP on an epic scale, look no further than World vs. World, where three teams comprising hundreds of players wage open war across four vast maps. You’ll lay siege to castles, raid supply camps, build devastating weaponry, ambush your foes, and leap into truly massive PvP battles—all for the glory of the server. We’re warning you: WvW is so addictive that you may spend the entire Beta Weekend Event there!

PvP For You and Me – After you’ve gotten your feet wet, put your newfound skills to the test in Guild Wars 2 PvP, where small teams battle for points on a variety of challenging, compact maps. We adjust the level of PvP combatants so that all players are on equal footing. If you’ve got a competitive streak or you like playing first-person shooters online, you owe it to yourself to try out Guild Wars 2 PvP!

I Love L.A. – They’ll be opening the metropolis of Lion’s Arch to beta players as well. Wander the streets of this cosmopolitan trade hub, chat with traders and travelers from every corner of Tyria, hop through one of the many asura gates to points beyond, or discover the famed diving platform at Diverse Ledges. Lion’s Arch is a city like no other!

If you can’t make it, don’t worry it won’t be the only beta weekend before the game’s release. If you didn’t pre order the game and want to check it out and see what it’s all about, watch MrCarrier stream it on his Twitch.TV channel April 27-29.

Back in 1988 I was a freshman at a small liberal arts college called Pomona.  Roughly 98% of all pomona students live on campus and I was no different, getting placed with a small group of incoming students on the third floor of Smiley Hall, which has the distinction of being the oldest college dormitory west of the Mississippi.  Or so we were told.  If you had had to use the plumbing you would believe it.  But that’s a different story.

One of the kids down the hall had an Atari ST.  It was an amazing machine for the time, specifically an amazing machine for games.  It had built in graphics and sound hardware years before this became standard on IBM machines.  He had a lot of great games and I overstayed my welcome in his room numerous nights playing Oids and Roller Ball, and lots of other games.

But the one that really made my eyes light up was a dungeon crawling RPG called “Dungeon Master”.  It was a grid based dungeon maze, not unlike earlier games like Wizardry and Bard’s Tale, but the graphics and sound were really cutting edge, and rather than be turn based it was played in real time, giving it a bit of an action game feel.  The dungeon was chalk full of clever puzzles, horrible monsters, and fiendish traps.

There were several nights where I kept playing in this guys room long after he and his roommate had gone to sleep.   Not sure how he put up with me.

Well, apparently I wasn’t the only one who loved this game, because Finnish game developer Almost Human has gone and created a game with nearly identical mechanics to the one I loved more than 20 years ago.  The graphics are completely updated, and the story and dungeon are completely new, but the game is just the way I remember it.

And the puzzles, traps, and monsters are all there.  For around $15.

Here’s the website: grimrock.net

Force Strategy playing for an hour:

If you like these sort of games, pick this one up.  I’m having an amazing time.

I just finished decking my desk out with a third monitor and wanted a good resource for tri-screen eyefinity wallpapers. After not having much luck I decided I’d make my own. I found a few wallpapers that I really liked and made them into tri-screen wallpapers and made some of my own from scratch. I didn’t put any water marks on them because I hate watermarked wallpapers (even though sometimes it helps me figure out where I got it so I can look for some more). If you enjoy any of these please leave some feedback and let me know. If they’re somewhat popular I’ll probably make a few more. There’s 15 to start off with – enjoy!

Just a friendly reminder: All links claiming to have Cube World’s beta for download are scams. The game hasn’t been released in any way shape or form into the wild yet. Wollay even claims on his blog that anything claiming to be a beta is a scam.

I decided to try some digging to see how many are out there claiming to have the beta for download. There are several Youtube videos that claim to have the beta in the description but all the links are to downloads requiring a purchase or survey first (obvious scam is obvious). They don’t show ratings and comments are approval only so there’s definitely not going to be any negative comments about it being a scam allowed. There are a few random blogspots out there that do the same. I tried reporting them all and flagging them as malicious, but they’re just going to crop up again somewhere else.

Just a reminder: If you really want a beta, follow Wollay on Twitter or his Blogspot and keep an eye here because we’ll be letting you know when a Beta really does get released.