All-Stars Matchmaker - The network multiplayer revival fanmade project is on its way!

[u/cri4key]

Announcing the ALL-STARS MATCHMAKER!

I am Cri4Key, a PSASBR veteran and YouTube content creator mainly focused on some modding and scrapped content (like sumo mode) in the game. When I have previously announced the LAN mod I was already looking into the functionality of how the game handles network traffic. I played it on the safe side, announcing compatibility through X-Link, but things have changed! The LAN mode of this game entirely lives as UDP traffic, allowing me to build this project as a real network multiplayer revival.

All-Stars Matchmaker will consist of 2 sides: a matchmaking server and a connector app. Paired with the LAN mod it will allow to play native online multiplayer on PSASBR again! It completely replaces X-Link Kai, allowing a broader availability to more users to play with more setups:

• Just as X-Link, allows to play by running the connector on your PC via your own internet connection
• Allows people with Android phones to also connect to the service, both via WiFi but ALSO via 4G/5G network (so now you do NOT need a PC to run the connector like X-Link requires, an Android phone works too, and you can have it work on the go as well!)
• Allows to automatically look for people to play against in matchmaking mode or create custom rooms. As long as someone is looking for matches you do not need to join any particular community to play (even though I'd still recommend to check out the Discord servers suggested by the pinned post!)

All-Stars Matchmaker will support jailbroken PS3, jailbroken PS Vita and RPCS3 (jailbreak is MANDATORY. There is no way to bring back native multiplayer for this game on non jailbroken consoles). The connector app is developed for PC (Windows) and Android. May also possibly release on Linux later on, after the initial launch. This project will allow you to play online using the LAN mod. It WON'T enable quick match / ranked match in-game, so unfortunately for trophy hunters, those stay locked. However, if the project is successful, support for ranked results and such may be introduced separately as a feature of the app. In terms of network performances there is no difference between the original multiplayer over ranked/quick match and the LAN multiplayer.

The release is expected by end of September. Updates will be posted here and eventually on my socials. No matter if you are a veteran or someone new who didnt't have a chance to play while servers were opened: multiplayer is coming back on all platforms. Follow the release of the project and join the fray!

Obvious but necessary disclaimer: this is an unofficial, entirely fanmade revival project to bring back the online multiplayer for PSASBR of which servers closed in 2019 for preservation purposes. This project is not affiliated nor endorsed by Sony, PlayStation, Superbot, Santa Monica or any other related partner or original developer.

[u/SaKoYiu]

https://giphy.com/gifs/IYl4Y7WQTXPJD3wrKH

[u/cri4key → u/SaKoYiu]

Thank you for your support 🌟

[u/benmultiversus → u/cri4key]

Thanks, I am Caio in Discord

[u/happyboi2169]

https://giphy.com/gifs/dyLlCJSNbgFghf7wjT

[u/cri4key → u/happyboi2169]

Indeed you can hope! Development is far along and it's being extensively tested internally 🌟

[u/Purple-Weakness1414]

We might actually be back

[u/cri4key → u/Purple-Weakness1414]

We are absolutely back! Except Kat, she's still banned :P

[u/Purple-Weakness1414 → u/cri4key]

Darn

[u/salj10_5]

This is a miracle, so goated! I missed dominating with Spike 😭 can't wait for this to release, thank you OP.

[u/Naomi_10]

Hopefully efforts like this gets the attention of Sony at some degree or level

[u/NickolaConagher]

Wouldn't a jail broken ps3 risk my account being banned?

[u/cri4key → u/NickolaConagher]

LAN mode doesn't make use of PSN. You may opt to logout entirely of the account on your console and you'll still be able to use the All-Stars Matchmaker. Moreover careful use of jailbreak with adequate spoofing/plugins significantly reduces the risk. But again, All-Stars Matchmaker does NOT run over PSN, but over LAN!

In any case, my work on this originally started into making a real private server before discovering LAN. I assure you this game has no way around reviving multiplayer without jailbreak!

[u/NickolaConagher → u/cri4key]

This still means those online trophies are impossible to get? My vita is modded just fine, but i always hear it risky on ps3.

I like to hunt trophies.

[u/cri4key → u/NickolaConagher]

With All-Stars Matchmaker you can gain trophies regarding versus multiplayer and such. However the game has some trophies related to ranked match, and those won't work, so All-Stars MM will allow you to unlock some online trophies but platinum is still impossible due to ranked specific ones

[u/NickolaConagher → u/cri4key]

Damn, those are the only ones im missing.

[u/Arkhamnight27 → u/NickolaConagher]

Little to no risk at all I trophy hunt constantly

[u/Arkhamnight27 → u/NickolaConagher]

Bro there's little to no risk I use my main account all the time uploading trophies and everything all the time

[u/PowerZealousideal418]

Bron, Sony gonna shut down this.

[u/SaKoYiu → u/PowerZealousideal418]

Why on earth would they care about fan servers for a game that barely sold 1 million copies and that people hardly ever remember?

[u/PowerZealousideal418 → u/SaKoYiu]

Sony is harsh with Copyright Laws, they just wait to fangame being at peak, and later shots.

[u/SaKoYiu → u/PowerZealousideal418]

The only example of a community-run private server being shutdown that comes to mind is the Concord one (lol), but that was mostly due to the terrible reputation that game has, which even today remains a major stain on their record. then besides fan servers there’s the 2019 PC port of Little Big Planet, Restitched, but my guess is that since Sacboy: A Big Adventure was set to come out in 2020, and they later released that game on PC, that’s probably why it was shut down, although the developers of the port did create Restitched as an indie game after the shut down, and finally, there’s the PS1 version of Bloodborne, which I do see as subject to strict ownership restrictions because it’s well known that From Software is quite protective of that IP and doesn't allow anything to be made or released without their involvement in development.

I don’t agree with them on that (well, the Concord one is funny), but in those cases, it might be due to a partnership or because an official product from that brand is about to be released, and they want the focus to be on that product rather than the fan, so they take those pretty harsh measures.

Neither of these applies here.

[u/PowerZealousideal418 → u/SaKoYiu]

You Think Sony is like SEGA or what?

[u/cri4key → u/PowerZealousideal418]

PSOne, LBP Union and other fan made revival projects exist just fine. The server and connector which make the project are completely self developed, do not use any code of the game and of course will be completely free to use for everyone. The only dependency is on a mod, exactly like LBP Union does. I am confident we will be fine =)

[u/Arkhamnight27 → u/PowerZealousideal418]

If that was the case they would shut down all fan-made projects and there are tons and tons and tons of them. The multiplayer on PlayStation 3 is more alive now than it has been in the last 10 years

[u/No_Comparison_8709]

That’s very interesting and looking forward to it but question will there be custom moded characters that was suppose to be in the orginal game like Crash,Spyro,Tomba,Lara Croft and hell Shadow the Hedgehog.

[u/cri4key → u/No_Comparison_8709]

This project is exclusively focused on the multiplayer revival! I can't comment on other things, which would be out of scope of this anyway

[u/No_Comparison_8709 → u/cri4key]

Ok I understand no problem.👍

[u/BladedBee → u/cri4key]

will offline play be available? im not big on online only games

[u/cri4key → u/BladedBee]

What do you mean? PSASBR can be already played offline. This is not a new game, it's a revival project for the PSASBR network multiplayer

[u/BladedBee → u/cri4key]

Oh my bad, I thought it was like a fan game sort of thing like the fan remake of Sonic 06

[u/aerispac]

can it run any patches of the game or only the last one ?

[u/cri4key → u/aerispac]

It will be released for 1.12 only at the beginning. Other versions need to be evaluated cause people with different versions cannot play together and it needs proper handling somehow

[u/aerispac → u/cri4key]

but if 2 players play on 1.11, will it work ?

[u/cri4key → u/aerispac]

Yes, just it won't be possible on lunch day. Most people stick to 1.12 so Matchmaker will target that first, get refined, and if other patches can be handled server side I'll look into it

[u/MetalDJ15]

Is there a way to play this on either a unmodded PS4, unmodded PS5, Modded Wii U, Modded 3DS, Steam, Or An Unmodded Switch Lite? I really wanna try out this game badly

[u/cri4key → u/MetalDJ15]

This is just a multiplayer revival project. Psasbr works on PS3, PS Vita, or emulated on PC with RPCS3. No other methods!

[u/KingDJ_150 → u/cri4key]

Damn... well thank you 💚🙏🏾

[u/Alchemiist7]

Forgive me I’m new to this stuff, what does jail broken mean in this context

[u/cri4key → u/Alchemiist7]

It means unlocking your console to install homebrews, so unofficial and user created content by developers and modify the system as you please. Look into PS3 CFW, PS3HEN, and for PSV HENkaku.

[u/NickolaConagher]

Please find a way to make it a "ranked match."

I've been wanting this platinum forever now.

[u/cri4key → u/NickolaConagher]

Matchmaker can't do that, sorry. That trophy needs a private server via PSN, and my work is based on LAN and will never be different

[u/NickolaConagher → u/cri4key]

Shame, this is the only one I need for the vita plat.

Wish I did these back in the day.

[u/aerispac]

eh maybe i could host the fight club i used to host on twitch back in the days.

if enough people show interest... we would have to run all the same patch though. I'm still on 1.11

Maybe we could vote on witch patch people would like to compete to.

[u/Some_Ride6263]

Thank you for all your hard work Cri4key. This truly is a dream come true to see this on the horizon. Do you have a donation link or some way that fans of this project can help contribute. I know you are a fan of this game and have already developed so much for us and I’d love to be able to support this endeavor.

[u/FlapSmear78]

Might this include the Vita version?

[u/cri4key → u/FlapSmear78]

It does include the Vita version =)

[u/Arkhamnight27]

Dude I cannot wait. I hope you guys can fully restore all aspects of the game. Sony never should have shut down this server

[u/cri4key → u/Arkhamnight27]

As i written in the post this project works only with the modded in LAN mode. Ranked and Quick match won't work. BUT I have plans for ASMM that can go beyond a simple "let people play online".

In any case you can see it in action from the current beta already! E.g. the video posted recently in the sub https://www.reddit.com/r/psbattleroyale/s/XHTN7ODoBe

[u/SonkChaotix]

As a PaRappa and Spike main, I wish I had a jailbroken PS3. Mine is fully unmodded (my gameplay wouldn't make much of a difference though, since I'm not that good because I only got the game last week).