# <img src="icon.png" width="40" align="center"> ageLANServer

**ageLANServer** is a LAN server emulator for the Age of Empires Definitive Edition games, developed by
[luskaner](https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer). It replaces the online services (accounts,
profiles and the lobby list) with a server running on your Unraid box, so you can play multiplayer over
your local network without an internet connection. The game on each PC connects to it with a launcher.

This template covers the original three games. It has no BattleServer; for Age of Empires IV or Age of
Mythology: Retold use [ageLANServer-BattleServer](../ageLANServer-BattleServer/README.md).

**Template:** [`templates/ageLANServer.xml`](../templates/ageLANServer.xml)  
**Image:** `ghcr.io/indyone/agelanserver`  
**Upstream:** [luskaner/ageLANServer](https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer)

## Supported games

- <img src="../images/games/aoe1.png" width="24"> Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
- <img src="../images/games/aoe2.png" width="24"> Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
- <img src="../images/games/aoe3.png" width="24"> Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition

## Configuring the Unraid template

### Settings

| Setting | Container path / variable | Default | Purpose |
|---------|---------------------------|---------|---------|
| Game | `GAMES` | `age2` | The game this container serves (see below). |
| Certificates Path | `/app/resources/certificates` | `/mnt/user/appdata/agelanserver/certificates` | SSL certificates, generated on first run. Keep it so they survive restarts. |
| Config Path | `/app/resources/config` | `/mnt/user/appdata/agelanserver/config` | Server configuration (see [config.toml](#configtoml)). |
| Logs Path | `/app/logs` | `/mnt/user/appdata/agelanserver/logs` | Log files. Add `--log` to Post Arguments for detailed logging. |

Each container runs **one game**. Set `GAMES` to one of:

| `GAMES` value | Game |
|---------------|------|
| `age1` | Age of Empires: Definitive Edition |
| `age2` (default) | Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition |
| `age3` | Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition |

The template uses **host** networking. Port `443` must be free on the host.

### config.toml

On the first start the config folder is filled with the per-game folders (do not delete them) and a
fully commented `config.toml.example`. Rename it to `config.toml`, edit it, and restart the container.

### Multiple games

Each container serves one game, so for several games run one container per game:

- With host networking only one container can use port `443`, so create an **ipvlan L2** network
  (Settings > Docker > Docker custom networks) and give each container its own LAN IP. ipvlan is
  preferred over macvlan because it does not need promiscuous mode.
- Use separate appdata folders for each container, for example `.../appdata/agelanserver-aoe2/...`.
- Name each container after its game: `agelanserver-aoe2`, `agelanserver-aoe3`, ...

## Playing the game

### Hosting a game

When you create a lobby:

- Choose **Use Local Lan Server** in the game's Server list.

### Connecting from your PC

Use the [launcher](https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer/tree/main/launcher) from the
[upstream releases](https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer/releases). In `resources/config.toml` set:

```toml
[Server]
Start = 'false'
Host = '<your server IP>'
```

Then run the game's start script (for example `start_age2.bat`) **as administrator**. The launcher
points the game at your server and undoes its changes when you quit.

## Troubleshooting

- **Multiplayer is greyed out.** The server's data is for the newest game build. Update the game
  (check it is the copy the launcher starts).
- **"Could not create game. Unknown error".** Choose **Use Local Lan Server** when creating the lobby.
- **The container keeps restarting.** Open the container's log. Port `443` must be free on the host.

## About the image

ageLANServer is developed by [luskaner](https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer). The Docker image comes
from my fork, [indyone/ageLANServer](https://github.com/indyone/ageLANServer):

- **Kept in sync with upstream.** A GitHub Actions workflow merges `luskaner/ageLANServer` into the fork
  every day, and every change to the source rebuilds the images and publishes them to the GitHub
  Container Registry.
- **The server itself is untouched.** The fork only adds files: a Docker setup under
  [`tools/server-docker-unified`](https://github.com/indyone/ageLANServer/tree/main/tools/server-docker-unified)
  and the build workflows.

What the fork adds so that it works well on Unraid:

- **One image instead of two.** Upstream's Docker setup runs the certificate generator and the server as
  separate containers. Here they are combined: the SSL certificates are generated on the first start and
  reused afterwards.
- **Volumes that work with Unraid shares.** Per-game config files and a commented `config.toml.example`
  are placed into the config folder on first run, so a bind-mounted appdata folder works from the start.
- **One game per container**, chosen with the `GAMES` variable, so several games never fight over port `443`
  or the UDP discovery port.
- **An optional BattleServer**, in the [ageLANServer-BattleServer](../ageLANServer-BattleServer/README.md)
  image, which runs the game's own `BattleServer.exe` under Wine next to the server.
- **The Unraid templates** in this repository.

## Support

- **Unraid setup** (this template, the Docker image, volumes, networking, installing on Unraid):
  [open an issue here](https://github.com/indyone/unraid-templates/issues).
- **The server software itself** (game behaviour, launcher, bugs, feature requests): supported by its
  original author, [luskaner/ageLANServer issues](https://github.com/luskaner/ageLANServer/issues).