LAN world question

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

My daughter and I created LAN world to play on together.  Later on, my son joined us too.  My daughter and I each have the world saved to our list of world and can play with or without everyone else.  However, my son can only join if me or my daughter are on first.  How can I get it set up where my son can join the world whenever he wants without one of us having to be on?  

[GazzaGarratt 11,066]

This sounds like he's not on the LAN correctly as a 'trusted' computer. The save is obviously a local save so I can only assume the system is thinking he is not seeing the LAN settings correctly.

 

I know this link is about businesses more so, but there could be some sub-setting stopping the connection. This has steps to double check if all 3 PCs are definitely on the same network:

 

How to Tell What Unknown Devices Are Connected to Your Router | Small Business - Chron.com

SMALLBUSINESS.CHRON.COM

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How to Tell What Unknown Devices Are Connected to Your Router. If a hacker or another unauthorized user connects to your home or business router, you can identify the unknown user by the Media Access...

 

If the LAN is connected then it might be then about the Minecraft world save. Did you create it before he was added to the LAN?

 

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

Yes, my daughter and I created it for the two of us.  Then, a few days later, my son wanted to join in.  He can join and it works fine, but he doesn't have the save file on his PC.  I added the save file at one point, but it's as if it was captured at that time period and saved, he can play on it, but it's not a live updated version on the server.  Not sure if I'm making sense.  

[Greboth 2,721]

I've not done a LAN world but knowing how it's done for other games, shared worlds on consoles and normal servers; As I understand it, a LAN world is effectively a single player world opened up for those on the same network to join and the person who set up the world initially, hosts it and acts like the server.  Which with a regular server, the server stores the world files, world state, player data etc. and with a few exceptions isn't downloaded to the individual players PC/device.  If that holds true for a LAN world, then whomever set up the LAN world would have the 'server' files and everyone simply connects to it.  This would mean then that the 'host' would have be online for the world to be online and for other players on the LAN to join.  Assuming that's correct though, if you set up the LAN world and your daughter joined it wouldn't make sense she can join when you're not on.

 

So let's set this out logically;

- You created a single player world which you opened up to LAN?  I presume this was done on your PC?

- Your daughter successfully joined your LAN world.  Is she using your PC or on her own PC or cross player compatible device?

- Your son then joined later but can only join if you or your daughter is online? Is he using your PC or on his own PC or cross play compatible device?

 

 

[BO7H B4RRELS 2,453]

I created a single player world and opened it up to LAN.  It was done on my PC.  

My daughter successfully joined the LAN world on her PC.  

Your last statement is correct.  He can only join if one of us are on first.  He is using his PC.  

 

Thanks for your help.  I'd love to figure this out.  

[NoobGamerz 0]

It sounds like you're dealing with a LAN world setup in Minecraft. In a typical LAN setup, players can only join if the host player (you or your daughter) is online and in the game. To allow your son to join the world even when neither you nor your daughter are online, you would need to set up a dedicated server.

Here's a simplified guide on how you might do this:

1. **Download the Server Software:** Visit the official Minecraft website and download the server software for the version of the game you're playing.

2. **Run the Server Software:** Run the downloaded server software. This will create a dedicated server that can be accessed by your family members even when you're not actively playing.

3. **Port Forwarding:** To allow others to connect to your server, you might need to set up port forwarding on your router. This involves configuring your router to forward incoming connections on a specific port (default is 25565) to your computer running the server.

4. **Server Configuration:** Open the server.properties file that the server software generates. You can customize various settings here, including the game mode, difficulty, and more.

5. **Share IP Address:** Once the server is up and running, your son will need the external IP address of your network to connect. You can find this by searching "What is my IP" on Google.

6. **Joining the Server:** Your son can now use the IP address to connect to the server directly, regardless of whether you or your daughter are online.

Remember that running a dedicated server might require some technical knowledge, and you need a reasonably powerful computer to host the server without causing performance issues. Also, ensure you follow any safety guidelines to protect the server from unauthorized access.

If this process seems too complex, there are also third-party services that offer Minecraft server hosting for a fee, which might be more user-friendly for those less familiar with server setup.

Edited August 10, 2023 by phil bottle
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