Multiplayer!
Well, „multi” is a slight overstatement, as the max supported number of players is 2.
The total max number of tribes present on map is 8 though, and there are many other curious options to spice up your game. Read on!
How to set up multiplayer?
I have never been able to set it up! All I can share is how to check it out in a „hot-seat” mode on one computer. In theory it should work with a Hamachi or Radmin software just fine.
Open up two instances of DosBox. Write in the hosting one:
serial1=nullmodem txdelay:0
And in the other one (that is client):
serial1=nullmodem server:YOUR IP txdelay:0
(127.0.0.1 is localhost, try this or your IP and see which works better for you.)
Open Jurassic War in each window, change multiplayer options to COM1 (for fastest performance check baud rate 57600 in com settings) and call yourself via NullModem.
Voilà ! You have access to 20 more maps with many options like number of opposing tribes, starting food, starting units and item spawning events! There is even an option for two players to have control over one tribe! Good luck!
Watch out for the lags and disconnects, especially on larger maps!
This guy has a way of setting it up properly.
Let’s break down the Multiplayer Game Control menu!
The menu tells you in big red letters if you are the HOST or SUB. HOST has more power here, and he can change stuff freely. SUB can change their tribe, and curiously, also the computer tribe, map and game mode.
Mode: OPPONENT
In this mode you play against each other. You can add computer-controlled tribes for that free-for-all flavor. They are not allied in any way.
Mode: COMPANY
In this mode you and the other player both control the same units, with the objective to wipe out the computer-controlled tribes. You can choose the tribes you control and the number of computer enemies. You can opt to control a single tribe and fight the other seven, or the other way around.
Divide the power however you like! Assign a tribe to each of you, make one of you the builder and the other the hunter, or let player one be the attacker and the second player work on the defense.
The only limit is yourself.
What’s in a Name?
Host: This is the name of the hosting player. It will appear when you write something in the lobby, and also during the game using Enter.
Sub: This is the name of the second player, or the client. It also appears when you cheat write something using Enter during single player campaigns. Now you know why.
Group select
(tribe numbers):
This is the place where you choose the tribe, or tribes you control. Yes, you can select multiple tribes! The units will spawn all together, unified under a single color.
The tribes are represented by ambiguous numbers. Here’s a quick list:
1 – Tyrano
2 – Canus
3 – Romek
4 – Masai
5 – Muspel
6 – Kumba
7 – Radumba
8 – Koaka
Start unit
(starting multiplayer units):
Starting units are pre-determined.
All tribes’ 5 starting units are a Sanctuary builder + 4 Commoners.
Even if you choose „0” as starting units number, you still get a Commoner.
20 starting units is the maximum amount.
Choosing more favors tribes with strong fresh units, mostly dinosaur tribes: Tyrano and Koaka. Muspel and Canus also benefit a lot from this. It also favors a rush strategy.
Kumba getting Warriors and the Masai getting Muscle-Men, while Koaka (and maybe Canus) not getting any Warriors is kind of off-putting, but well, it adds some diversity to the item crafting clans and sets a stronger division between magic and might.
1 – Tyrano:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Velociraptors
5 Dilophosauruses
5 Triceratopses
2– Canus:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Elves
5 Muscle-Men
5 Elves
3 – Romek:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Rangers
5 Warriors
5 Rangers
4 – Masai:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Warriors
5 Muscle-Men
5 Warriors
5 – Muspel:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Warlocks
5 Wizards
5 Warlocks
6 – Kumba:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Muscle-Men
5 Warriors
5 Muscle-Men
7 – Radumba:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Warriors
5 Muscle-Men
5 Warriors
8 – Koaka:
Sanctuary builder
4 Commoners
5 Rhamphos
5 Carnos
5 Rhamphos
FOOD
You can set it in range of 0-99999.
Food is visible from the start, even without a storage.
Remember to input at least a 1000, so you can afford one.
EVENT
Now this is where it gets interesting.
At off, the game plays like a normal, single-player game.
When you turn them on though, random legendary items keep appearing out of nowhere across the map, and they can turn the tide of battle in an instant.
If they are not, for example, the Bone Bracelet, that is.
But the Skull Stick can appear in an event!
Select Map
The multiplayer maps are crazy!
There are 20 maps for multiplayer, each can house up to eight tribes. Some have unique characteristics. Some have different items for crafting in armories, some spawn only a single Commoner for the AIs, some have the „all units and items” cheat active.
Use the arrows on the right to scroll through them.
Work in progress charting and examining them all!
1   End of Hell.   64×64
2   Dark into..   64×64
3   Jurassic land   64×64
4   Return fain..   64×64
5   T-REX’s eye   64×64
6   Seed of dark.   64×64
7   Sunshine..   64×64
8   Haven..      64×64
9   End of ice.   64×81
10   Haven & Earth   80×64
11   Broken legend   80×64
12   Jurassic plat   80×80
13   Angel of hope.   100×100
14   Mamaths      100×100
15   Slince island   100×100
16   Pradise      117×89
17   End of terror   128×128
18Â Â Â Never…Â Â Â 256×176
19   Wild day   256×176
20Â Â Â Legendary…Â Â Â 256×176
Map specifics:
1   End of Hell.   64×64
Concave borders. I recall this map had little to no lag.
2   Dark into..   64×64
Ax of Darkness and Sun Shield are hidden in north-westish middle region.
3   Jurassic land   64×64
A kind of an open map.
4   Return fain..   64×64
A kind of an open map.
5   T-REX’s eye   64×64
The rex has an Ax. The Stauri has an Ax and a Sun Shield.
6   Seed of dark.   64×64
–
7   Sunshine..   64×64
Ax of Darkness and Sun Shield in the middle. Another Ax in the Rex.
8   Haven..      64×64
–
9   End of ice.   64×81
Trex on a south-eastern island has an Ax and a Sun Shield.
10   Haven & Earth   80×64
–
11   Broken legend   80×64
There is an island in a volcano on the left.
12   Jurassic plat   80×80
Ax and Shield in a Rex in the middle. Or Stauri?
13   Angel of hope.   100×100
A map very much like the next ones.
14   Mamaths      100×100
The same map as the next one, but normal.
15   Slince island   100×100
The computer has a Sanctuary ONLY. The same map as the previous one.
16   Pradise      117×89
The craziest map. Everyone has everything, the „units” cheat code is ON.
It has a unique shape.
17   End of terror   128×128
Units ON, like last time. A volcano in the middle, and a cove in the north. The computer player starts with just a single commoner!
18Â Â Â Never…Â Â Â 256×176
A huge map, very weird, with many rivers.
19   Wild day   256×176
A huge map.
20Â Â Â Legendary…Â Â Â 256×176
A huge map. The computer player has legendaries.
The lobby
Write stuff here by clicking message! In our age of Discord, Twitch and other communicating services, this lobby isn’t as important.
Check if the other player is ready and click start to start the countdown!
Or you know, click cancel to go back to previous menu.
 How to crush your multiplayer enemies?
Battling the AI is pretty straightforward. It’s the human opponent that’s dangerous.
Check which tribe(s) did your opponent take and plan accordingly. Remember that you don’t automatically get your tribe’s Legendary Weapon.
The dinosaur tribes enjoy a renaissance in multiplayer. Strong Tyrano units you get for free at the start can be a big boon to early economy, while agile Koaka flyers let you scout instantly and snatch those sweet legendary event items – be aware!
Multiplayer game specifications:
The game difficulty in multiplayer is medium.
Only two cheats work in multiplayer. Bright and Dark. Both Host and Sub can use them, and they adjust the map for both players at once, so this cheat is more like a fog of war option you can choose before playing. But there are maps that have other cheats active, so pay attention which one you choose!