Livolution Beta Release FAQ

[Johno]

Hi everyone,

 

Here are the details about the Livolution Beta Release. There are multiple pieces of information in this FAQ which include instructions, limitations and know issues. All communications with the Livolution Service are secure. The only exception is the data being routed for the emulators, that data is left alone for performance reasons and the fact that the data doesn't contain sensitive information. Security is left up to either the emulator or game.

 

The MSI installer and files inside the installer are digitally signed!

 

If there are any issues or instructions aren't clear, please reply here so I can make the necessary changes. For feature requests, please reply here as well. Make sure to read the product page for Livolution to make sure the feature is not already on the list.

 

Instructions for Installation:

 

1. Ensure you have the Microsoft .NET Framework v4.7.2 installed as this is required!
2. Download the MSI from the downloads area (you can download without registering an account).
3. Run the installer using default options.
4. Once installation is finished, you may run the Livolution Client (you need to register an account on our site to login to the client, account creation is free).

 

Instructions for Usage:

 

1. Launch the Livolution Client.
2. Login using your account credentials (same credentials used to log into our web site).
3. Make sure the emulator port is set to the same number as your emulator
4. If you are creating a session, please type a name for the session (we recommend the name of the game you want to play), a description (we recommend a short sentence as to what you want to do e.g. trade a Pokèmon or battle and the emulator you are using), select the type of emulator (e.g. Gameboy etc.) and then select the maximum number of users (you count as 1, therefore the minimum number you can select is 2).
5. Click Create and your session will be created. At this point others will be able to find your session and join (they won't be able to join when the maximum number is reached).
6. If you want to find and join other sessions, type in your search criteria and click search. The search results are dynamic until you click stop search.
7. Right click the session you wish to join and click Join (if you try and join a session where current users is equal to the maximum users, you will not be able to connect).
8. If you created a session, anyone who joins will be listed and you may send messages.
9. If you joined a session, you will only see others who have joined. You can then send messages.
10. If you created a session, set your emulator to listen or server. If you joined a session, set your emulator to connect or client and set the host name or IP address to localhost then set the port as the same number as the emulator port.
11. Emulators should then be talking to each other.
12. If you created a session and you wish to kick a user that has joined the session out, select that user and right click and then select Boot User. Click yes when prompted and that user will be disconnected from your session.

 

Limitations:

 

1. Internet speed, you may find the emulator runs slow or doesn't work too well over slow connections (or connections with high latency).
2. BGB for Gameboy is the only emulator that has been used for testing, but due to the design of Livolution all emulators that support linking should work. We don't interfere (we route the data) with the emulator communication, however this does mean you need to use the same emulator as the user who created the session.
3. Livolution only currently supports emulators for consoles that use serial connections for linking (E.g. Gameboys etc.). Emulators for consoles that support IP connections for linking (E.g. PS2 etc.) will be supported at a later date (as we only route data, the emulator needs to be assigned a unique IP address inside Livolution and this feature does not currently exist).
4. The Livolution Client uses UPnP to dynamically open ports on your modem/router when you create a session. At the moment, there are no visual indicators (apart from log files).
5. The port mentioned for UPnP is always dynamically generated each time you create a session. In a future release you will be able to either set a port or leave it as a dynamic port.
6. Log Window always opens for the beta release. You can close the window but cannot re-open. Restart Livolution Client for the window to re-appear. This is by design and will change for the final release.
7. If your modem/router has UPnP disabled, you will either need to enable it or manually add the port to your modem/router once you have created the session.
8. If the Livolution service is restarted or the internet connection goes down (either at the client or server), you will need to either re-create your session (if you created the session) or re-connect to the session. This behaviour will change for service restarts in the final release.

 

Known Issues:

 

1. Client issue to do with limitation 8. When client is reconnected, UI may not reset. As a workaround, you will need to either cancel and create the session (if you created the session) or disconnect and join the session (if you joined the session). If you are searching, you will need to stop and start your search. As mentioned, these will be fixed in the final release.

 

I hope all this information helps as a start, we are very excited to have announced the beta release!