Not being asked to choose a side?

I have a friend that is trying to play some Combat Commander with me. When I join someone else game, it always asks me what side I want to be. When someone joins my game it asks them what side they want to be, except this friend. When he joins it never asks him what side to be. If he gets in the game, syncs then chooses a side, it changes my side as well.

Just in the last 5 minutes it actually started asking him which side to be, but whenever he choose a side it changes me to that side as well. We have restarted both clients, both machines etc. Doesn’t seem to be fixing anything and again only seems to be affecting him joining my game. It is keeping us from playing though.

Thanks!

Player 3 made a room for us to try. My friend joined this game, sync, he was soviets, player 3 was Germans. Everything was fine. I join the game, it doesn’t ask me which side. I see I am Soviets though. Player 3 chooses observer now so I can choose Germans. I make myself Germans, my friend is now German as well.

No we aren’t on the same network or even the same state, but somehow we seem “synced”?

Yo and your friend must be using the same Password in the VASSAL personal preferences. Sides are allocated based on the password.