BlazeRush relies on players themselves to host online games. So, hosting a public game is a noble thing to do, especially, if you want to see more people playing BlazeRush online. Unfortunately, whether your game is visible in the server list depends on Steam matchmaking and your network setup. Anyway, here are some tips, that I hope should help you connect to other people online. Also, we just released a Dedicated Server App, that allows you to host online parties without the need to play the game yourself.

I want to play online with my friends.

You can join a friend's party, even if it's not visible in the list. There is a ‘Join Game’ item in a drop-down menu in your friends list, and a green button on the profile page. You can also send invites while hosting.

Games from the same subnetwork should be always visible in the list.

I want to join someone else’s party.

Proceed to ‘Party’ -> ‘Find Games" -> ‘Show List’ to look for available games. One thing to consider while picking a server is the ping indicator shown in the final column of the list. The following is true for any game as fast and chaotic as BlazeRush: the better your ping, the better your experience. For a smooth game, the host should be closer to you geographically, and playing across the ocean with another part of the world is not a very good idea.

I'm hosting a game, but other people can't see it in the list.

This means, that Steam matchmaking can't see you through your network environment (your router). Here is a few things to try:

1) If possible, try connecting your PC straight to the network cable, bypassing your router. If that doesn't work, blame your Internet provider. If it does, that means, that you very likely can fix it with your router setting.

2) UPnP. Go to your router settings, and check if UPnP is enabled. UPnP allows the game to automatically open the ports needed for Steam matchmaking. But doing it automatically may not work every time. So if you want to take on hosting more seriously, consider setting up port forwarding.

3) Port Forwarding. If you’re not familiar with it, here is a website, with illustrated instructions for most router models: {LINK REMOVED}http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/routerindex.htm
You need to forward the following ports:
UDP 8766
UDP 14001
UDP 27015-27030

Do I necessarily need a private IP address to host?

No.



BlazeRush Dedicated server is now available for download in TOOLS section of your Steam library. A dedicated server is a small separate headless application that allows you to host a game. It's free, and available to everyone, so you can run it on a separate account.

Configuring the dedicated server is done through cfg file. Right-click on BlazeRush Dedicated Server in tools list, select ‘Properties’ in drop-down menu, go to ‘Local files’ tab and press ‘Browse local files…’. This opens the server installation folder. Go to ‘data’ folder and open server.cfg with a text editor (Notepad). The settings are pretty much the same as party settings seen in the game. You can also specify your server name.

Can I run a Dedicated server and a game on the same PC?

After launching the server, you can launch the game from steam folder, but you can't connect to your dedicated server, as it runs under the same account.