Rebel Squadrons

Kaillera

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, citizens of the Earth played Super Nintendo, NES, and Nintendo 64. Now in the modern era, these console systems and others are able to be played on current computers, and multiplayer over the Internet to boot. The Rebel Squadrons contributes to this by hosting an online console gaming server using a program called Kaillera. This page will guide you through setting up your computer to enter the retro age of gaming.

Step 1: Install emulator

The console system you'll be playing, such as a Super Nintendo, is emulated on a computer by a program written for that purpose (hence "emulator"). You will need a console emulator that supports Kaillera. If you are playing against other RSers, install the exact versions listed below, for compatibility reasons.

System Emulator Version
Super Nintendo Snes9k 0.09z
Nintendo (NES) JNes 1.0.2
Nintendo 64 1964 1.1
MAME (Arcade) Mame32k 0.67

After you've downloaded, unzipped, and installed the emulator, you will want to edit the settings, especially the controls. Thes are usually found under Input. Either a keyboard or a USB controller will work with all of the above emulators. Gamepads work particularly well.

(Note: If you're interested in further Kaillera-enabled emulators, see Emulinker Emulators and Wikipedia.)

Step 2: Find ROMs

Games used with emulators are called ROMs, since these files were copied from the ROM image of the cartridge. Game publishers have let ROMs slip into the realm of abandonware, so they are widely available on the Internet. If you're curious, you can read about the legal status of ROMs on Wikipedia. To find ROMs, we recommend CoolRom.com or ROM-World.com, two established sites that have worked well for us. Others are easily accessible via a Google search. Be careful to use the exact same version of the ROM image as the people with whom you're playing. Also of note: when playing multiplayer, Snes9K and JNes can only use unzipped ROMs.

Once you have acquired some ROMs, we recommend that you play normally (offline) first to get used to the emulator and how gameplay works.

Step 3: Update Kaillera

The emulator you have downloaded comes with a file named kailleraclient.dll. Replace this with the following file (backup the original if you wish). This will standardize your Kaillera and ensure that you can connect to the RS server.

Download: kailleraclient.dll

Step 4: Connect to RS Kaillera server

Open the emulator and find Kaillera in the menu options. In Snes9K, for example, it's located at File > Play Kaillera Game. When Kaillera is open, you will see a server list:

Kaillera Servers

At the bottom, enter your username and connection type. If you have broadband, use "Excellent". All players should use the same connection type, to reduce lag.

Next, click on Enter IP... in the bottom right, and type rebelsquadrons.org:27888. Now you've connected and are ready to play!

Step 5 (optional): Use TeamSpeak 3 to chat during games

Download and install TeamSpeak 3 if you want to be able to voice chat while playing (microphone required). The RS has its own TeamSpeak server, which you should use. The server name is rebelsquadrons.org and the password is rs. You can use the existing channels or create your own if you prefer. If you prefer not to use voice chat, Kaillera provides a game chat room.

Step 6 (optional): Install 3+ player Kaillera client

The default kailleraclient.dll file only allows you to host 2-player games. To get around this, you will need an extra program, SupraclientCPPE v0.85.2. This comes with many more options, including setting your own number of max users. Now you can play 4-player NBA Jam! Keep in mind that lag increases with the number of computers involved.

To install, replace kailleraclient.dll with the one in the .zip file you downloaded. You'll need to repeat for each emulator that uses Kaillera. Your new Kaillera client should look like this.

It seems as if SupraclientCPPE has disappeared from the 'net, and we cannot find any reliable source for future downloads.

Additional guides

Official RS activities may call for taking screenshots, using others' saved games, and more. See the guides below for instructions.

Questions?

The Rebel Squadrons Kaillera server is a project of the Operations Office and Internet Office. If you have questions, please contact Admiral Licah Fox. Hope to see you on the server!