You can start your own server from any Extended Deity Quest application. Simply open DQDB/Net from the menu, and then click Create Server. The server name field allows you to name the server (for registering online), and also loads options from {server_name}.xml in the directory where the application was extracted (loading default options if no such xml file exists). Once you create a server, it will open a window with output from the server. You can close this window, it will not stop the server, and clicking Create Server again will re-open the log. The only way to stop a running server is to close the application.
You can also download one of the following applications to run the server as a stand-alone:
Windows: DeityQuestServer_Windows.zip
Linux: DeityQuestServer_Linux.tar.gz
Max OS/X: DeityQuestServer_Mac.zip
All of these can be run from a terminal by entering ./server [server_name]. If the server name parameter is omitted, it loads server.xml by default. The server application will print to your terminal the same output as logged in DeityQuestExtended - I recommend opening it in a terminal as otherwise you may not see this output.
For LAN parties, if you can't access the internet or not every player has a DQDB/Net account, simply have them enter a desired username, and leave the password blank. As long as the verifyPlayers parameter is set to false, the server will still allow them to log in, although this also allows players to masquerade as others, so it is not recommended for public servers.
When the server starts, it should log "Server started: ip:port" - this is what players have to type into connect multiplayer when they want to log in. If the port is the default port, it only displays ip and players do not have to type the port to log in. If the ip shows 127.0.0.1, then the server is only running on your local computer, and no other computers (even LAN) will be able to connect - either you aren't connected to any network, or you need to set the host parameter (see below). If your server logs "Registered server name: name," then your server is publicly registered to DQDB and can be joined by entering the name instead of an ip address to the connect multiplayer window. It will also appear in the servers list. However, your server will not be registered unless DQDB can connect to it - meaning you have to properly port forward and have a direct IP address (this is also a requirement to allow people not in your LAN to connect to your server). The default port (for port forwarding) is 8472. If the default port is available, the server will always listen on that port, otherwise it will choose a random available port.
Once connected, players can chat in the lobby and challenge each other. Like in locations, their followers will not automatically heal after each battle unless they leave and re-enter the lobby - this allows players to host tournaments where they have to ration their active and reserve followers throughout battles. When challenging or being challenged by another player, you get to see their stats and active/reserve followers - it's up to players whether they wish to accept the challenge, and there is no handicap other than the fact that players cannot access any followers other than their active and reserve unless they leave the lobby and return (so you can see what they could possibly field). Both players will have a chance to swap their active and reserve followers after accepting a challenge before fighting. Players will gain experience for multiplayer battles, and they can game over if all their active/reserve followers die. Additionally, the game will autosave before entering and after leaving the lobby. If you don't wish your multiplayer battles to affect your game, simply save to your current progress to a non-autosave slot and load after finishing multiplayer battles.
Server Options (XML)
Above, {server_name}.xml was mentioned that can set server options. Below is a list of all currently accepted parameters:
<server> <name>Register Name</name> - the name to register your server as on DQDB. Defaults to server_name. <verifyPlayers>FALSE</verifyPlayers> - if false, players who did not specify a password will be able to connect, otherwise only registered DQDB players will be able to connect. Can be TRUE or FALSE. Defaults to TRUE on stand-alone servers, and FALSE in DeityQuestExtended. <publicServer>FALSE</publicServer> - whether to attempt to register the server with DQDB. Can be TRUE or FALSE. Defaults to TRUE. Set it to false if you don't want your server to be publicly listed. <host>192.168.1.1</host> - If the server is not listening on the right address (this can happen if you have multiple network connections or it happens on linux for some reason), this allows you to specify the ip address to listen on. <maxPlayers>128</maxPlayers> - The maximum number of players that the server can accept. The server may allow more players to connect, but it will allow at least this many to connect. Typically, you do not need to change this value. The default value is 640. </server>Note: If you want to run a server from the DeityQuestExtended app on Mac OS/X, you actually need to save the server options xml file inside the package! To do this, right click the app, click view package contents, then save in the Contents/MacOS folder.