Introduction#
These days even launchers are getting complicated
From the earliest PCL2 to the current BakaXL, HMCL, and FSM3, they have all supported online multiplayer.
But the experience can be heaven and earth.
Among all the launchers I have used that support online multiplayer, BakaXL has the best experience. After all, it offers completely free relays, the ability to play with both legitimate and pirated versions, and friendly error messages.
That's why this article will demonstrate using BakaXL.
Why not?#
HMCL#
There are some issues with HMCL's online multiplayer feature, and it is currently unavailable. (Last updated: 2022/08/22)
PCL2#
Although PCL2 was the first launcher among the three to introduce online multiplayer, it can't hide the fact that it's outdated and still uses the old ioi.
Moreover, PCL2's online multiplayer latency is usually very high, to an unreasonable extent.
Steps#
Setting up BakaXL#
No need to say much, here is the download link.
After downloading, move it to a location you like (not the desktop) and double-click to run it.
On the first launch, BakaXL may prompt you to update to the latest version. At this point, you can click any button in the popup to proceed with the update.
After the update is complete, BakaXL will guide you through the setup process.
Just keep clicking "Next" until you reach the setup method step. Make sure to choose "Quick Setup" here, otherwise Java will not be enabled by default.
At this point, it is recommended to choose "Traditional" for the main screen display mode, but if you want a more personalized effect, you can choose "Standard".
Click "Next" to continue, and log in to your legitimate account. If you don't have a legitimate account, click "I haven't purchased Minecraft".
Note that if your computer's country and region settings are set to a region other than mainland China, you will need to log in to a legitimate account before creating an offline profile.
After setting up the Minecraft profile, the setup wizard is complete.
Next, click the "Home" button in the upper left corner to return to the start menu.
If you want to install a new version, click "Install Minecraft Core" at the bottom.
Let me restore my settings first (((
Registering a BakaXL Network Account#
Next, we need a BakaXL Network account.
After registration, open "BakaXL Settings" and navigate to "Account & Profiles". Click "Log in to an existing BakaXL account".
Enter the email and password used for registration, and click the login button.
Congratulations, you have completed 90% of the work!
Creating or Joining a Lobby#
Launch the version you want to play online, and after entering the map, pause the game. Find the "Open to LAN" button. You can keep all the settings as default, but if you want your friends to be able to use commands, you need to enable cheats.
After opening to LAN, you can return to BakaXL to create a lobby.
What? You think you need to manually enter the port number? No need, BakaXL will automatically detect the port, no need to set it up.
Click the "Realm/Online Lobby" tile in the start menu to navigate to the "Lobby" page. For most people, simply click the "Create Lobby" button. In my case, I can customize the lobby ID because I sponsored BakaXL.
After creating the lobby, open "Connect via Relay when Direct Connection Fails" on the lobby page. This way, even if your network environment is poor, it won't affect the online multiplayer. Note that this feature needs to be enabled by both parties to take effect.
Remember to enable "Automatically Accept Lobby Join Requests".
Speaking of network environment, you can see a "Local Network Environment" in the lobby, which determines the quality of your online multiplayer. The most important aspect is the "NAT Type".
NAT Type is usually influenced by various factors, such as whether you have a public IP, whether you support UPnP, etc. The best type is "Full Cone", which is suitable for lobby creators; the worst type is "Strict (Symmetric)", which often occurs in situations like campus networks. In such network environments, the success rate of online multiplayer will greatly decrease, but it can be mitigated by using UPnP/Relay/beating up the ISP. There is a mysterious person in the BakaXL user group who is proficient in optimizing NAT types, you can ask them for help.
The lobby members and the ways they successfully connect with you and the reasons for failure will be listed in the member list.
If you want to join a lobby, simply enter the lobby ID given to you on the lobby page.
For other
advanced tipshelp with BakaXL, you can refer to here. If BakaXLgoes wrongappears to have a bug, you can join the QQ group to ask for assistance.