How can I setup a dedicated LAN server with no Internet connection?

A bit of background and equipment being used:

several laptops (all the same type);
a Router;
ethernet cables and wifi;
no Internet.

What I have managed so far with the same setup: Unreal 2004 - multiple players, NO INTERNET, wifi and ethernet connections to the router. This works great.

Now trying this same setup with Team Fortress 2:

Today I spent a few hours trying to run TF2 using the same methodology but failed. Main laptop is running Steam offline. I start TF2 and create a new server. Then on second laptop using wifi and running Steam offline, I try to find my server and the game - but cannot find it.

There has been a lot of other things I have tried, but I don't want to list them because maybe I missed something. Any help would be appreciated.

NOTE: I cannot connect to the network at work, which is why there is no Internet. That cannot be changed.

team-fortress-2 hosting

Best Answer

I was able to setup and connect to a LAN game that did not show up in the server browser's LAN tab. The key was to enter the connection command directly into the developer console.

Find the local IP address on the server machine and write that down.
Start your host TF2 server.

On the client machines, enable the dev console in TF2:

Options> Keyboard> Advanced> [?]Enable Developer Console

Press ` (the backtick\~ key unless it's mapped to something else) to open the dev console and enter:
```
connect <IP Address>:27015
```
Replace <IP Address> with the server IP from step one.
Press [Enter] or click the "Submit" button and you should be connected.

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How do I start LAN without Internet?

Go into a world, open the Pause menu, and click Open to LAN. Then you can go to a server menu on another computer and it will show up in the LAN Worlds section.

Can Ark play offline LAN?

Yes, I can see and connect to the LAN server in Steam offline mode and even start playing, but within 3-4 minutes I get dropped with timeout connection to host error.

How do you get internet on a server?

To connect your PC to a server, follow these steps.

Open File Explorer and select This PC.

Select Map network drive in the toolbar.

Select the Drive drop-down menu and choose a letter to assign to the server.

Fill in the Folder field with the IP address or hostname of the server you want to access.

How To Fix LAN Wired Connected But No Internet Access in Windows 10 (Solved)

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Tranmautritam, Andre Moura, Brett Sayles, Designecologist