Questions and Answers (QA) - luskaner/aoe2DELanServer GitHub Wiki
General
Q: Does the server communicates with the internet?
A: No.
Q: Does the launcher communicates with the internet?
A: The only outbound connection is to cdn.ageofempires.com to check if the official server is on maintenance as it will make the game refuse to connect to the local server (the launcher will work regardless if there is no internet at all).
Q: Does the server store any data?
A: No, the server is completely stateless regarding its operations (all is saved in the working memory), nothing is stored on disk about the user, except for the basic request logs if enabled (disabled by default).
Q: Does the launcher modify any game files?
A: No.
Q: Can using the launcher/server get me banned?
A: If using the original binaries according to our ToU, it should'nt, but there are no guarantees.
Q: My antivirus detect some of the executables as virus, why?
A: There are no viruses, some antivirus can falsely detect some files as virus, likely due to being programmed in the Go language. You may use VirusTotal to check with multiple antivirus and see that the vast majority of Antiviruses do not flag it as a virus. If you are still not convinced, as this is an open-source project, you may review the code and build it yourself.
Q: What do all the binaries in server/launcher archives do?
A: Look for the respective README.md files:
Q: What do you mean with a "custom launcher"?
A: A Steam emulator like Goldberg that enables you to play without having connectivity to the Steam server. This might not be sufficient to play without internet as the game has additional checks in place.
Q: Can you provide the so-called "custom launcher" to run the game without requiring the internet?
A: No, legal copyright laws don't allow me to do that as it also bypasses the need to have bought the game (and its DLC's) not just the offline requirement.
Q: Which are the compatible versions regarding the server and launcher?
Versions below v1.2 (1.0 to 1.1) require the same minor version for both the launcher and server. Versions at or above v1.2 for both launcher and server work with any combination of versions.
Note: using an older and/or mismatching version is not supported nor recommended.
macOS
Q: Why is there no MacOS version of the launcher?
A: Steam Play/Proton which is needed to run AoE2:DE is not available since macOS Catalina (v10.15) - which is the project's minimum version due to using Go 1.22 (the oldest supported version) and Steam no longer officially supports older versions than that. However, it might be possible to run the game through Wine (9.17+) or any software based off it like Crossover, Porting Kit... without downgrading the compiler's or Steam client's version (PR's are welcome ;).
Other
Q: Why is there no Xbox console version of the launcher?
A: The Xbox console is a locked down system which does not allow any of system/folder configurations changed required by the launcher. The minimum being resolving the aoe-api.worldsedgelink.com host to the LAN server (which could be worked around by using a local and custom DNS server), and installing a CA certificate which is not possible at all.