1. INTRODUCTION

KiGB supports the Game Link Cable using tcp sockets. This feature enables
2 players to play games that feature a two-player mode on a tcp-enabled
network, which is the most common type of network. Cascading to support
4 players is not supported.


2. PLEASE NOTE BEFORE START

As KiGB actually emulates the Game Link Cable, a lot of network traffic will
be generated during game play. You need both a non-busy network and fast CPUs
for fast game play. Be warned: your network may jam.

PIII or above CPUs for both PCs are recommended. See the section "TESTING
RESULTS" below.


3. GETTING START

To start, one PC must be acted as a host and the other as a client. Select
"Link->I am Host" in the main menu for the host PC. The window title will
indicate you as host and the IP address will be enclosed in square brackets.
If you are in full screen mode, a line of text will be displayed at the
top of the screen, instead. The current connection status is enclosed in
parenthesis which should be "listening". Then, the client PC can then select
"Link->Link to Host" to connect to the host. A dialog box will appear
requesting for the name or the IP address of the host. Enter it and press the
OK button. If the connection is successfully made, both window titles will
have the connection status shown as "connected". The game of the client will
be reset. You are now ready to play.

WinXP users: Due to the different font size, the connetion status may not
be displayed in full in 1x1 and 2x2 windowed mode.

During the connection, all function keys and the main menu are all disabled.
The exception is the Esc key. To disconnect, press it once. You can see the
updated network connection status at the window title bar. If you are the
host (client), the client (host) will see a message indicating the
disconnection. All function keys and the main menu will be resumed normal.

After disconnected, the host will still listen for client connections.
Select "Link->I am Host" once more to resume to the normal status. Some games
will behave strangely after disconnected. You may need to reset the game
before continue.

If KiGB hangs (may happen when you change the Sync Speed - see below for
details), press the 3 keys "Alt+Ctrl+End" together to quit.


4. WHAT IF I DO NOT HAVE A NETWORK?

You can start 2 instances of KiGB and follow the steps in the section
"GETTING START" to make them connected. Enter "127.0.0.1" as the host
IP address when ask. However, you should note the following behaviours
and limitations:

- You cannot control both instances at the same time. One must be run in
  background so that no input can be taken.
- Playing the same game:
    * There is no need to make another copy of the game. One copy will do.
    * If the game supports battery save, you need to have another copy of
      the save; otherwise, the save will be overwritten by the other (You
      may want to do this on purpose so that you can duplicate items for
      example.) To do this, copy kigb.exe and the save to other directory.
      Set up the SAVE_PATH in the kigb.cfg for the new copy.
- It is extremely slow. May need a P4 to run in full speed. Try set to 1x1
  screen size and set frame skip to 2 for both instances. Try set the
  Sync Speed to Half or Quarter (see below for details on Sync Speed).
  Linux users: The speed is even worse in Linux. Don't try it unless you get
  a P4.
- You cannot do this in Windows XP. It seems a problem of Allegro - the game
  library KiGB employed.


5. WHAT IS SYNC SPEED?

The Sync Speed is the internal speed used by KiGB to synchronize the Game
Link Cable. It supports 3 speed: Normal, Half and Quarter. The default is
Normal. Setting it to Half and Quarter will speed up the connections (Quarter
being the fastest). However, it may make the connection failed and may make
KiGB hang. Change it only when you find the speed is slow.

To change it, right-click and then select "Link->Sync Speed". You have to
be the host and change it before the connection to make it effective.


6. CAN I PLAY OVER INTERNET?

Yes. The speed is unacceptable slow even in a broadband connection
(10 Mbps both upload and download with the same ISP). You can try but it is
not recommended.


7. TESTING RESULTS

    The testing environment
    -----------------------

    PC 1             PC 2
    -----------      -----------
    PIII 550MHz      PIII 500MHz
    128 MB RAM       64 MB RAM
    Windows Me       Windows Me

    Network: 10 Mbps Ethernet (no other network tracffic during tests)


    Results
    -------

    Game Name                          Type  Status
    =================================  ====  ================================
    Tetris                              GB   OK
    Mario & Yoshi                       GB   OK
    Battle Arena Toshiden               GB   OK
    Double Yakuman 2                    GB   OK
    Penguin Wars                        GB   OK
    Dr. Mario                           GB   OK
    Battle Ship                         GB   OK
    Pro Mahjong Kiwame GB               GB   OK
    Pocket Mahjong                      GB   OK
    Nada Asatarou no Powerful Mahjong   GB   OK
    Dodge Ball                          GB   OK
    Asteriod                            GB   OK
    Monopoly                            GB   OK
    Atomic Punk                         GB   OK
    Battle City                         GB   OK (1)
    Popeye 2                            GB   OK (1)
    Battle Bull                         GB   OK (1)
    Go Go Tank                          GB   OK (1)
    Doraemon Kart                       GB   OK (1) Hung during game play
    Popeye                              GB   OK (2) [*]
    Tetris DX                           GBC  OK
    Columns                             GBC  OK
    Pocket Color Mahjong                GBC  OK
    Bomberman Quest                     GBC  OK
    Battle Ship                         GBC  OK (1)
    Pokemon Crystal                     GBC  OK (1)
    Mahjong Quest                       GBC  OK (1)
    Magical Drops                       GBC  OK (2)
    Bust-A-Move Millennium              GBC  OK (2)
    Pocket Puyo Sun                     GBC  OK (2) [*]
    Doraemon Kart 2                     GBC  OK (2) [*]
    Metal Gear Solid                    GBC  OK (2)

    (1) The game play was a little bit slow. For a PIII 550MHz PC, set to
        full screen mode.
    (2) The game play was extremely slow. A very fast network (might be 100
        Mbps) and fast CPUs (P4?) might help.

    [*] The game play can be sped up and may get to the normal speed by
        setting the Sync Speed to half or quarter. You may also need to set
        to full screen mode with frame skip set to 1 or 2. Useful for slow
        PCs and/or network connection.
