ReSkate Multiplayer: Lobbies and Playing With Friends

ReSkate multiplayer lets you skate skate. with friends in private sessions the base pre-alpha does not offer, with your mods and custom maps along for the ride. This guide explains the session types, how to get a lobby running in a couple of minutes, and the sync rules that keep group sessions from falling apart.

The three ways to play together

ReSkate gives a group three shapes of session, and the right one depends on how permanent you want it:

• Quick lobby: opened from the in-game Insert menu, hosted on your machine, ideal for tonight's session with friends. Zero setup.
• Private lobby with password: same hosting model, with a lock so only your crew gets in. Good for regular groups.
• Dedicated server: a separate process that keeps a session online without any player hosting it. That is the option for communities and always-on parks; the server guide covers setup on Windows and Linux.

For most people the quick lobby is the whole answer. Read the download guide first if ReSkate is not installed yet; everything below assumes the Insert menu works.

Starting a lobby and inviting friends

Hosting takes under a minute:

1. Launch skate. through the ReSkate launcher.
2. Press Insert to open the menu and create a lobby.
3. Set a password if you want it private.
4. Share the join address with your friends from the lobby screen.
5. Friends launch through their own ReSkate launcher, open the menu, and join with the address.

One rule saves the most headaches: everyone launches through the ReSkate launcher, every time. A player who starts skate. from the Steam shortcut is running the vanilla game, and their join attempts fail in ways that look like network trouble. If the Insert menu never appears at all, that is the same problem; see troubleshooting.

Keeping mods in sync across a session

Sessions run one shared reality, so everyone needs the same world pieces. Visual mods, like color grading, stay client-side and never conflict. Anything that changes the world, maps above all, has to match: same map, same version, same required scripts. Before a group session, spend two minutes syncing: pick the map list, everyone installs the current versions from the sources in the maps guide, and each player confirms the map loads solo. Then join.

A desync shows up as a joining skater stuck at a loading screen or a map swap that boots someone. That is a version mismatch, not a bug; fix it by aligning the mods, not by reinstalling anything.

Join errors and their actual causes

The three errors groups run into, in order of frequency:

1. Stuck joining: mod or map mismatch. Sync versions.
2. Cannot connect at all: host launched via Steam, a firewall blocked the port, or the host's ReSkate version predates the joiner's. Update both ends and check the firewall.
3. Kicked at map swap: a player lacks the map being loaded. Have them install it and rejoin.

Persistent connection trouble on dedicated servers usually traces back to the server running an older release than the clients; the updates page shows the current version so you can compare both ends.

FAQ

• Is ReSkate multiplayer free? Yes, lobbies and P2P sessions cost nothing.
• How many skaters fit in a session? Enough for a friend group in a lobby; dedicated servers raise the ceiling. Check your version's menu for the live limit.
• Why do friends get stuck joining? Usually mod version mismatch; sometimes a Steam-side launch.