Multiplayer gaming offers the ultimate adrenaline rush to
those who are tired of beating lifeless computer-generated enemies. The growth in the
popularity of Internet gaming can be gauged from the fact that Microsoft’s
"Internet gaming zone" alone has some 1.1 million registered users. There are
tons of servers offering hundreds of games of every genre to avid gamers.
You need to subscribe to a multiplayer gaming service
online to play across the Internet. Here’s an overview of some of the popular servers
on the Net for multiplayer gaming.
This program started from the famous iFrag DOOM (from the
makers of Kali) patch that allowed you to play DOOM over the Net. But when Descent came
out, iFrag had to be modified. Instead, the authors decided to write an IPX emulator, a
program that would fool your computer into thinking that the TCP/IP protocol that you use
to access the Net is actually a LAN using the standard IPX protocol. Thus was born Kali.
Incidentally it’s named after the Indian goddess of
death and destruction. The shareware version allows you only 15 minutes of game-play. To
get the full version (downloadable from www. kanli.net) you need to pay a registration
amount of $20, that gives you unlimited time, access to over 50 games and no restrictions.
All in all, Kali has more games and users than any other gaming service, and offers good
value for money, though some work needs to be done on the usability and the interface.
What makes Mplayer stand out is that it’s free. This
site is excellent for gamers who are new to the concept of Internet gaming and want some
experience. Mplayer is thoroughly slick and professional in its presentation. You get to
create your own personality by selecting a logo or a picture to represent yourself to
others.
Mplayer also offers chat rooms where gamers can get
together and chalk out strategies and game plays. A downer at present is that Mplayer
offers only 10 games, whereas Kali is compatible to all IPX-compliant titles. But, they do
have some of the popular tiles such as Quake, Diablo, and Warcraft 2.
Microsoft has got it all figured out as far as online
multiplayer gaming is considered, and this shows in this neat, well organized, and
informative site. With a massive user base (like most other MS products) and a knock out
selection of games (including Spades, Age of Empires, Monstor Truck Madness, etc), the
Zone is a happening destination for online gaming. It offers free online registration and
features regular gaming news and events. The site was designed for IE and doesn’t
work all that well with Netscape.
Snappy graphics, a slick interface, and some pretty
multimedia snippets makes this site visually appealing. The games aren’t bad either.
This site specializes in word and board games. The—"You don’t know Jack and
Acrophobia" variety of games.