# Switching players in multiplayer

**URL:** <https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [June 14, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969 "2019-06-14T18:00:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KnightsofFriendship](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.stonehearth.net/knightsoffriendship/32/35247_2.png) [@KnightsofFriendship](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/u/KnightsofFriendship)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 6:00pm UTC](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969/1 "2019-06-14T18:00:08Z")

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Alright, so my buddy and I started a multiplayer game in stonehearth and we enjoyed it a lot.

one problem though: my buddy is the game’s host and I am a client, but he plays on a laptop and I play on a high-end desktop pc.

We both got around 12hearthlings (24 in total) and the game starts lagging already, the hearthlings doesn’t do any tasks when they really should.

Now, is there any way that I am the game’s host and my buddy the client? We tried sending the save-game and I can host it, but then I’ll play his town and he starts he new one whenever he joins. I tried some changes in the server metadata but it didn’t workout well.

Can anyone help? haha, we don’t want to start over… 🙂

Thanks!

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**Author:** ![paulthegreat](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.stonehearth.net/paulthegreat/32/62395_2.png) [@paulthegreat](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/u/paulthegreat)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 6:23pm UTC](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969/2 "2019-06-14T18:23:11Z")

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You can try creating a new game, have your friend join, save the game, and then you can see their Steam ID in that savegame’s `server_metadata.json` file.

What you have in your original game’s metadata file is your friend as the host with player\_id `player_1` and then you as player\_id `steam_1` with your Steam ID as the client id. What you want is to change that (in order to maintain each of you playing your original kingdom) so that `host` has player\_id `steam_1` and your friend has player\_id `player_1` with client\_id (in both places) being their Steam ID instead of yours.

_However_, there may be places in the game that assume the player with player\_id `player_1` is the host, so it might be safer to just switch towns and play as each other by simply replacing your Steam ID in the metadata file with his.

(Completely untested, no idea if this works.)

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**Author:** ![KnightsofFriendship](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.stonehearth.net/knightsoffriendship/32/35247_2.png) [@KnightsofFriendship](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/u/KnightsofFriendship)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969/4 "2019-06-14T18:27:48Z")

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> [@paulthegreat](#):
>
> _However_ , there may be places in the game that assume the player with player\_id `player_1` is the host, so it might be safer to just switch towns and play as each other by simply replacing your Steam ID in the metadata file with his.

I tried this indeed, my friend played my kingdom and I played his. But he couldn’t command my hearthlings and he didn’t have any inventory.

Going to test your theory right now, I’ll report back to you! 😃

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**Author:** ![KnightsofFriendship](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.stonehearth.net/knightsoffriendship/32/35247_2.png) [@KnightsofFriendship](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/u/KnightsofFriendship)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 6:38pm UTC](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969/5 "2019-06-14T18:38:21Z")

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> [@paulthegreat](#):
>
> What you have in your original game’s metadata file is your friend as the host with player\_id `player_1` and then you as player\_id `steam_1` with your Steam ID as the client id. What you want is to change that (in order to maintain each of you playing your original kingdom) so that `host` has player\_id `steam_1` and your friend has player\_id `player_1` with client\_id (in both places) being their Steam ID instead of yours.

Okay, so I did this, the save is there in the load-menu, but when I click ‘Load Game’ nothing happens. Like: nothing. No loading screens or whatever.

I did load another game and now the savefiles are gone in the menu. (it is still in the folder though)

This is "what my server metadata looks like:

```
{
	"clients" : {
		"host" : {
			"player_id" : "steam_1",
			"client_id" : "host",
			"provider" : "host"
		},
		"76561198047267617" : {
			"player_id" : "player_1",
			"client_id" : "76561198047267617",
			"provider" : "steam"
		}
	},

```

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**Author:** ![paulthegreat](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex022/user_avatar/discourse.stonehearth.net/paulthegreat/32/62395_2.png) [@paulthegreat](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/u/paulthegreat)\
**Post date:** [June 14, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://discourse.stonehearth.net/t/switching-players-in-multiplayer/39969/6 "2019-06-14T19:06:03Z")

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Oh well, that’s all I got, sorry.