Firaxis: Will PtW be playable behind a NAT router? / in-game match-making

[aebrahim]

A question for Firaxis people:

Will Civ3: PtW be playable if one or more people are behind a NAT router (such as a Windows ICS client, or something behind a hardware router) and do not have a routable IP? I will always have a routable IP, but at least one or more of the people I want to play with will not.

Will this setup be compatible with PtW, or will it require a routable IP from all players? I hope it doesn't, or it will disappoint a lot of avid gamers.

Please let us all know.

[Lucilla]

Exactly my problem.
Thanks for posting that question

[Franses]

Same question here. Several of my family members will play CIVIII MP and we would like to play at the same time using ICS. Will that be possible?

[Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS]

We're using gamespy for internet games, so it's whatever they require. My incomplete understanding is that you cannot host a game behind network address translation, but you can join. I'd check out a few other gamespy simultaneous launch games just to be sure.

Jeff

[MarkG]

gamespy? news alert!!!

[Solver]

I knew it 4 hours before you Markos!

Uhmm, Jeff, I don't think so, but I hope so. I got NAT at the moment, and have HUGE problems playing any games. If Civ 3 is playable behind NAT, though, great!

[MarkG]

and how did you know it solver?

[Solver]

PM Markos .

[Jeffrey Morris FIRAXIS]

Oh and just to be clear, there will be an in-game interface for match-making in addition to the Gamespy Arcade (a much cheaper way to get rid of those ads).

Jeff

[Solver]

Thats good news Jeff, too . If only GameSpy is OK with it.

Curious - can we still play without it? I guess yes, but who knows...

[aebrahim]

I will of course not be on the same LAN segment as those behind NAT, so I will not have directly routable IPs to them.

Does anyone else have experience with this setup+Gamespy? Any comments?

[aebrahim]

Will Civ3 really use only Gamespy Arcade, or will it work with GameSpy 3D as well? I remember paying for GameSpy 3D a few years back to use with Quake, and they promised me lifetime updates.

I'm kinda pissed off that they made something else that did the same thing, called it GameSpy Arcade, and made that their flagship product so that I'd have to pay again to use that. That kinda behaviour is underhanded. I doubt I'm going to pay to register GameSpy Arcade, because they'll probably pull the same thing all over again.

So, whats the word on this? Will it work with GameSpy 3D as well?

[alva]

no!!! no gamespy no!!!!

i hate gamespy, yuk
will the allseeingeye work for this asswell???

last time couple of times i used gamespy i allways had problems

[Franses]

Thanks to Jeff again for providing an answer so quickly.

Unfortunately I have no idea whether this means we can play the game from a machine that uses ICS to get to the Internet. I understand Jeff does not know either . Does anyone else know?

[Franses]

Gamespy provides the following information:

Firewalls

GameSpy Arcade is 100% reliant on your Internet connection being fully functional. The same holds true for any games that you want to play online against other people. Firewalls and proxy servers are designed to block your Internet connection in order to minimize the chances that your computer will be accessed (or hacked!) by "unwanted visitors," but they also have the unfortunate side-effect of disabling a many of the things you might want to do online - like play games, for instance - since these activities depend on your PC making an unimpeded connection to other computers. Therefore, if you're using a firewall or proxy, Arcade will not function properly nor will you be able to download and install all of the files that you need in order to use the software to play games online.

Connecting to different places online requires access through "ports" in your PC's Internet connection, and firewalls and proxies will close certain ports for your protection. This is not always necessary, but you as the firewall/proxy owner are the only one who can open those ports. We can't do it for you - but we can give you some tips on how to configure your firewall / proxy to allow Arcade to work properly.

Unfortunately, in most cases, firewalls/proxies cannot simply be disabled in order to allow you to use Arcade and your game. Disabling the firewall / proxy won't open the necessary ports. It will simply shut down the firewall/proxy and leave the ports closed. Also, many factors may conflict with your firewall; Internet Connection Sharing, the use of more than one firewall, or your operating system may all cause conflicts that keep you from enjoying Arcade. To work around these issues, you will have to consult the manufacturer of your firewall/proxy.

What is a firewall or proxy?
Firewalls and proxies are software programs or pieces of hardware designed to protect your computer and/or network from Internet intruders. Some of these are:
Norton Internet Security
Tiny Personal Firewall
Zonealarm
Sygate (proxy)
Wingate (proxy)
Internet Connection Sharing aka ICS - provided by Windows 98SE and higher (proxy)
Linksys Routers (hardware firewall)
D-Link Routers (hardware firewall)
Cisco Routers (hardware firewall)
University Internet connections - Universities usually protect their networks with firewalls. In most cases these cannot be opened by you the user. You'll have to consult a technician at your University to see if a workaround is possible.

Working Around the Firewall / Proxy
If you are behind a firewall/proxy and are able to change its settings, Arcade needs the following TCP ports open in order to function:
6667 (IRC)
3783 (Voice Chat Port)
27900 (Master Server UDP Heartbeat)
28900 (Master Server List Request)
29900 (GP Connection Manager)
29901 (GP Search Manager)
13139 (Custom UDP Pings)
6515 (Dplay UDP)
More ports might also be necessary in order to run certain games. Remember, these are the ports that are recommended. It does not mean that your particular firewall will be easy to configure. Please consult your firewall/proxy manufacturer for detailed instructions. In reality, getting Arcade to work on certain restrictive networks may even be a little harder than opening these ports. DirectPlay games in all likelihood will not launch properly at all.

Special note to WindowsXP users: WindowsXP has a built-in firewall. If you are using 3rd party firewalls/proxies with WindowsXP, you will have to consult both the firewall/proxy developer and Microsoft to determine their compatibility with one another. You'll also need to speak to your game's developer in order to determine the game's compatibility with WindowsXP, its firewall and your 3rd party firewall/proxy.

Also, many broadband service providers are reporting an incompatibility between WindowsXP and some high-speed modems. Please consult your Internet Service Provider to ensure your WindowsXP compatibility with their modem and software.

This does provide hope if PTW does not require anything else.