This should not be this hard - Playing via Internet

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

My brother and I want to play Rise of Nation T&P over the internet. But we
can't seem to connect. We used to just play without firewalls [back in late
2003 or so] but obviously that's suicide now. I use ZoneAlarm cheapskates
edition and the guy I'm going to beat uses Norton Firewall. We've set our
RoN programs to be able to access both the internet AND be used as a server.
We get stuck on the connecting screen [whoever is the joining party]. We
tried gamespy still no luck. The joiner can see the created game to
connect with but when the joiner tries to connect it still gets stuck at
connecting forever. Microsoft's faqs were not useful and neither was
Zonealarms.

Any ideas?

Reed

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

"Reed Cottingham" <rcottingham@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:StNge.16171$VH2.1935@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> My brother and I want to play Rise of Nation T&P over the internet. But
> we can't seem to connect. We used to just play without firewalls [back in
> late 2003 or so] but obviously that's suicide now. I use ZoneAlarm
> cheapskates edition and the guy I'm going to beat uses Norton Firewall.
> We've set our RoN programs to be able to access both the internet AND be
> used as a server. We get stuck on the connecting screen [whoever is the
> joining party]. We tried gamespy still no luck. The joiner can see the
> created game to connect with but when the joiner tries to connect it still
> gets stuck at connecting forever. Microsoft's faqs were not useful and
> neither was Zonealarms.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Reed
>

As far as I see it, Zone Alarm and Norton's Firewall are more intrusive than
a hacker might be, so I stay away from such programs. They make it seem as
if hackers are continually trying to compromise your computer, when in fact
probably nothing is going on at all. I use a router with its built-in
firewall, and that has served me just perfectly for years.

The best thing to do-- without the headaches of trying to configure these
software firewalls and their arcane configurations-- is to just disable them
and play on.

When you're finished playing, re-enable them. Personally, that's what I
would do. It's either that or spending hours upon hours trying to figure
these worthless software firewall programs.

This is just my own feeling on this issue. I'm sure I helped little; but
don't be fooled into thinking that every second of every freakin' day of
every year, someone is trying to hack your computer.

Alanb

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

On Thu, 12 May 2005 18:44:02 GMT, "Reed Cottingham"
<rcottingham@cfl.rr.com> wrote:

>My brother and I want to play Rise of Nation T&P over the internet. But we
>can't seem to connect. We used to just play without firewalls [back in late
>2003 or so] but obviously that's suicide now. I use ZoneAlarm cheapskates
>edition and the guy I'm going to beat uses Norton Firewall. We've set our
>RoN programs to be able to access both the internet AND be used as a server.
>We get stuck on the connecting screen [whoever is the joining party]. We
>tried gamespy still no luck. The joiner can see the created game to
>connect with but when the joiner tries to connect it still gets stuck at
>connecting forever. Microsoft's faqs were not useful and neither was
>Zonealarms.
>
>Any ideas?

Do you have a hardware firewall, like many routers have (for DSL or
Cable)?

If so, running without the software firewall active shouldn't be too
unsafe. If not, you can always try disabling the firewalls long
enough to see if it is the problem -- one at a time, as one may not be
interfering.

Both programs have configuration settings which permit specific
programs to access the net. Either one can block certain programs,
unless the right configuration is used for them (specifically, using
ports which aren't standard can cause problems).


--
*-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*
** Muskego WI Access Channel 14/25 <http://www.execpc.com/~jeffsj/mach7/>
*Starfire Design Studio* <http://www.starfiredesign.com/>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

In article <XZOdncxJbYf1Qh7fRVn-gw@comcast.com>, Alan Bernardo
<ifeelyourpain@ihatebush.net> writes
>
>"Reed Cottingham" <rcottingham@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
>news:StNge.16171$VH2.1935@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
>> My brother and I want to play Rise of Nation T&P over the internet. But
>> we can't seem to connect. We used to just play without firewalls [back in
>> late 2003 or so] but obviously that's suicide now. I use ZoneAlarm
>> cheapskates edition and the guy I'm going to beat uses Norton Firewall.
>> We've set our RoN programs to be able to access both the internet AND be
>> used as a server. We get stuck on the connecting screen [whoever is the
>> joining party]. We tried gamespy still no luck. The joiner can see the
>> created game to connect with but when the joiner tries to connect it still
>> gets stuck at connecting forever. Microsoft's faqs were not useful and
>> neither was Zonealarms.
>>
>> Any ideas?
>>
>> Reed
>>
>
>As far as I see it, Zone Alarm and Norton's Firewall are more intrusive than
>a hacker might be, so I stay away from such programs. They make it seem as
>if hackers are continually trying to compromise your computer, when in fact
>probably nothing is going on at all. I use a router with its built-in
>firewall, and that has served me just perfectly for years.
>
>The best thing to do-- without the headaches of trying to configure these
>software firewalls and their arcane configurations-- is to just disable them
>and play on.
>
>When you're finished playing, re-enable them. Personally, that's what I
>would do. It's either that or spending hours upon hours trying to figure
>these worthless software firewall programs.
>
>This is just my own feeling on this issue. I'm sure I helped little; but
>don't be fooled into thinking that every second of every freakin' day of
>every year, someone is trying to hack your computer.

Currently about once every 30 minutes - see
http://isc.sans.org/index.php?on=survivaltime
which has a professional interest in being accurate. It's been as low as
5 minutes, I believe.

However, the other thing to do is patch your computer, browser and so
forth as well as you can and have up to date anti-virus protection -
many of those attacks are going for the really low hanging fruit, and
the simplest measures will help.
--
Kevin Blackburn Kevin@fairbruk.demon.co.uk

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

Re: Difficulty in playing RoN over the old internet device....
>
> Do you have a hardware firewall, like many routers have (for DSL or
> Cable)?
>
> If so, running without the software firewall active shouldn't be too
> unsafe. If not, you can always try disabling the firewalls long
> enough to see if it is the problem -- one at a time, as one may not be
> interfering.
>
> Both programs have configuration settings which permit specific
> programs to access the net. Either one can block certain programs,
> unless the right configuration is used for them (specifically, using
> ports which aren't standard can cause problems).
>
>
> --
> *-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*

Jeffery,

Thanks for the reply. We both have hardware routers as well as firewalls.
I believe we have the permissions set on both ZA [me] and Norton Firewall
[brother] to play the game with the firewalls up, but honestly I don't know.
When you have to look at specific port availability to be able to play a
game [as said on the Microsoft site] on the internet, it just seems to me to
be too complicated for most people [ive been mucking about with coimputers
since my Apple II+].

What I don't understand is we can both play World of Warcraft online with no
problems. Out of the box, hit the ground running, etc. Obviously Blizzard
NEEDS this to work easily, or WoW dies quickly. But why does it need to be
so tough with other games?

Sorry for venting......

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

On Fri, 13 May 2005 23:17:20 GMT, "Reed Cottingham"
<rcottingham@cfl.rr.com> wrote:

>Re: Difficulty in playing RoN over the old internet device....
>>
>> Do you have a hardware firewall, like many routers have (for DSL or
>> Cable)?
>>
>> If so, running without the software firewall active shouldn't be too
>> unsafe. If not, you can always try disabling the firewalls long
>> enough to see if it is the problem -- one at a time, as one may not be
>> interfering.
>>
>> Both programs have configuration settings which permit specific
>> programs to access the net. Either one can block certain programs,
>> unless the right configuration is used for them (specifically, using
>> ports which aren't standard can cause problems).
>
>Thanks for the reply. We both have hardware routers as well as firewalls.
>I believe we have the permissions set on both ZA [me] and Norton Firewall
>[brother] to play the game with the firewalls up, but honestly I don't know.
>When you have to look at specific port availability to be able to play a
>game [as said on the Microsoft site] on the internet, it just seems to me to
>be too complicated for most people [ive been mucking about with coimputers
>since my Apple II+].

When it doesn't "just work," or autoconfigure to work around common
software firewalls, it is too hard for most players.

Software firewalls offer critical protection against software which
gets onto your computer. Trojans, worms, all sorts of things which
can send data out of the computer without your permission.

Hardware firewalls are great at blocking unwanted incoming traffic.
It won't touch stuff like some worms which come in on "safe" ports,
and exploit software vulnerabilities, but it takes care of the vast
majority of other things.

I like having both, as it adds security. But it probably isn't a
great risk to disable the software long enough to play a game, as long
as your system software security updates are done regularly.

>What I don't understand is we can both play World of Warcraft online with no
>problems. Out of the box, hit the ground running, etc. Obviously Blizzard
>NEEDS this to work easily, or WoW dies quickly. But why does it need to be
>so tough with other games?
>

It shouldn't be so tough with other games.
--
*-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*
** Muskego WI Access Channel 14/25 <http://www.execpc.com/~jeffsj/mach7/>
*Starfire Design Studio* <http://www.starfiredesign.com/>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

> Software firewalls offer critical protection against software which
> gets onto your computer. Trojans, worms, all sorts of things which
> can send data out of the computer without your permission.
>

This is not as bad as you might think. Fact is, I've never used a software
firewall, ever, and I've never, ever, gotten a virus or noticed any adverse
effects. I know-- my identity got stolen five times. If you think these
software firewall makers aren't exaggerating what is really happening in
order to bring fear to the consumer, then you've missed the boat.

> Hardware firewalls are great at blocking unwanted incoming traffic.
> It won't touch stuff like some worms which come in on "safe" ports,
> and exploit software vulnerabilities, but it takes care of the vast
> majority of other things.
>
> I like having both, as it adds security. But it probably isn't a
> great risk to disable the software long enough to play a game, as long
> as your system software security updates are done regularly.
>

That's over-kill, as far as I see it. It's a bit like buying hurricane
insurance for a house in Ohio.

Alanb

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

On Sat, 14 May 2005 20:05:01 -0400, "Alan Bernardo"
<ifeelyourpain@ihatebush.net> wrote:

>> Software firewalls offer critical protection against software which
>> gets onto your computer. Trojans, worms, all sorts of things which
>> can send data out of the computer without your permission.
>>
>
>This is not as bad as you might think. Fact is, I've never used a software
>firewall, ever, and I've never, ever, gotten a virus or noticed any adverse
>effects. I know-- my identity got stolen five times. If you think these
>software firewall makers aren't exaggerating what is really happening in
>order to bring fear to the consumer, then you've missed the boat.

The big risk is the user of the computer. The software firewall
offers protection against the user doing something which enables the
trojan to run -- such as downloading and running it, or clicking on an
unsolicited email attachment.

I've seen this many times on computers I've worked on for others.
I've never worried about it on mine unless the kids play foolishly
unsupervised (and even then, good AV software can kill a lot of that
before it gets to the firewall).

>> Hardware firewalls are great at blocking unwanted incoming traffic.
>> It won't touch stuff like some worms which come in on "safe" ports,
>> and exploit software vulnerabilities, but it takes care of the vast
>> majority of other things.
>>
>> I like having both, as it adds security. But it probably isn't a
>> great risk to disable the software long enough to play a game, as long
>> as your system software security updates are done regularly.
>>
>
>That's over-kill, as far as I see it. It's a bit like buying hurricane
>insurance for a house in Ohio.

Right, an updated system (so software backdoors are closed --
running WinXP SP2 should be fairly safe) and a hardware firewall
should be safe enough. It is really unlikely that you'll open any
trojans while doing this.


--
*-__Jeffery Jones__________| *Starfire* |____________________-*
** Muskego WI Access Channel 14/25 <http://www.execpc.com/~jeffsj/mach7/>
*Starfire Design Studio* <http://www.starfiredesign.com/>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)

"Reed Cottingham" <rcottingham@cfl.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4Aahe.20998$w15.18528@tornado.tampabay.rr.com...
> Thanks for the reply. We both have hardware routers as well as firewalls.
> I believe we have the permissions set on both ZA [me] and Norton Firewall
> [brother] to play the game with the firewalls up, but honestly I don't
know.
> When you have to look at specific port availability to be able to play a
> game [as said on the Microsoft site] on the internet, it just seems to me
to
> be too complicated for most people [ive been mucking about with coimputers
> since my Apple II+].

The router ultimately has control over what goes in and out. Enabling
incoming transmissions on your software firewall does nothing if the router
blocks them before they even get to your computer. You need to forward the
ports to your IP, in your router config.

> What I don't understand is we can both play World of Warcraft online with
no
> problems. Out of the box, hit the ground running, etc. Obviously
Blizzard
> NEEDS this to work easily, or WoW dies quickly. But why does it need to
be
> so tough with other games?

Because neither of you is the server in WoW. You initiate the connection to
the WoW server, which the router allows, and the transmission (response)
from the server is therefore solicited by you, so the router lets it
through. This works because the WoW server has its routers properly
configured! The same applies for web browsing, email, etc which I assume
works flawlessly, yes?

When you (or your friend) has to act as the server, then you need to be able
to listen on the relevant port (because the other person is trying to
initiate contact). This means receiving unsolicited transmissions, which the
router will block by default. You have to forward the port, which is
basically telling the router "I want to receive unsolicited transmissions"
on that port.

This applies for every game that doesn't have public servers (i.e. every
game that is not an MMO or an FPS), so it is actually a very common headache
and has little to do with RoN. It's just something you're going to have to
deal with if you expect to play anything other than WoW and Unreal
Tournament.