Weeell... I own the original Game and I've never played it in Multiplayer myself, but I know that ever since 2004, Microsoft stopped hosting the Online Servers for the Game [the Online Stuff was provided by Microsofts "MSN Gaming Zone" until then]. That means: The Game was designed to connect to a central Server online - which doesn't exist anymore nowadays. There's nothing that GoG can do about that.
The only Way to play it in Multiplayer today is...
Either playing it with Friends within the same Network [actual "LAN", Local Area Network], wich means... physically, at your House, with the same Cables. Everyone coming over like the old Days. Probably configuring everyones Firewalls and the Router to allow the PCs to communicate directly and the Game to work. If you never did any of this, you probably never even played an actual "LAN" Game before.
Or instead, you can play by the Use of one of the many Tools you can chose from today to emulate such a LAN as a Virtual Local Area Network over the Internet. Those "VLANS" enable you to play Games in your PCs presumably 'local' Network, which by the Help of those Programs and the Internet is extended to your Friends PCs. It's like stretching that physical Cable all over the Internet, to their PCs, virtually. The Programs install themselves like a Network Card and register as a local Network Connection, which is what the Game is looking for when selecting LAN. *Waves Hand* "This is exactly the Network you're looking for, Game."
So, I'm pretty sure that's what GameRanger does essentially, just like Hamachi to name another Example: It creates a Virtual Network via VPN Tunnel to emulate a LAN. If you needed to use GameRanger, I guess you never really played an actual LAN Game yet anyways, because you wouldn't need any Tool or Internet Connectivity to play the Game via actual LAN. If your Friends aren't at your Location, that's the only Way to go, as far as I'm aware.
TL;DR:
- Playing the Game with Friends via online after 2004? You need such a Tool.
- Playing the Game with Friends at your House? No Need for such a Tool, nor the Internet.
> Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
Post edited February 03, 2015 by BlackSun