How to get a host list over LAN

Unity Engine
1

I would like my game to be able to obtain a list of active hosts over a LAN connection (not via the internet). A good example of this is in Halo: Combat Evolved, where a player can search for a list of Halo games that are currently being hosted over your local area network. You can then click on the game you want to join. I’d like to be able to do this on the Android platform. I don’t require functionality between operating systems (i.e. android to iphone, iphone to PC, etc.), android to android is just fine.

The biggest problem I’m having is obtaining the list of local hosts. I’ve used Unity Master Server before, and I’m aware that I can get a list of hosts online, and I’m pretty sure, using this method, I can determine which of these IP’s are local and which aren’t. However, I would like to make my LAN connection lobby functional without the use of a connection to the internet. I’ve searched around and found that there are ways to do this by having my Unity app communicate to another java app that gets the host list for it, but I’m unable to find any good tutorials on this. Could somebody please explain, in detail, how I get a list of active hosts over a local area connection, not via an internet connection, that will work on the android platform?

2

download the master server from the werbsite, compile it and run it on your lan.

3

So that’s it? follow those simple steps, and when the programs run, they will find the master server on the LAN? You’re saying there’s a discovery mechanism to snoop out the master server somewhere on the LAN, making it work like Halo etc?

I don’t mind having players run another program, but it’s another thing to require them to be all saavy and enter IPs. If that’s the case they can do all that without a master server.

4

No, you need to make the client pull the list from the server.

Players don’t have to run another program, I have no idea where you got that from.
You run the MServer on a public dedicated server and you can use it for all your games.

5

I would recommend looking into UDP broadcasting BS-er. It would allow each of your games to shout out to everyone on the same local network as you that you are indeed hosting a game.