Online Gaming Problems

[Locohoco]

Hi,

I have had O2 broadband (8mb) for about 2 weeks now, and I'm having a few problems with online gaming.

The major problem is on Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth. I can log-on the game and view the games, and successfully chat, but as soon as the game tries to start and begins connecting to the others in the room I get the dreaded firewall error. I've tried port forwarding which strangely lets me connect and play the first game I try, but then stops working afterward. Even then, when I get in the game the lag is consistently much worse than on my previous ISP/router. I'm at a loss as to why this would happen. Could it be to do with the security settings on the O2 box?

Any help would be fantastic. I'm connecting wirelessly to the router due to the location of my PC, but this never caused an issue with my previous setup. The only software firewall I'm using is Windows Firewall.

Any advice you can offer would be fantastic!

Cheers

[Saturday]

Originally Posted by Locohoco

as soon as the game tries to start and begins connecting to the others in the room I get the dreaded firewall error.

Can you be more specific, what firewall error exactly - you say you're only using the Windows firewall - is this a LOR error message?

Could you also list the port forwarding rules you've set up in case that has a bearing? Chances are it doesn't though as you say you can play one game then it fails.

Lag is an inevitable problem when using wireless for gaming. I'm surprised you didn't have that problem with your other ISP/router. If possible you should bite the bullet and run an ethernet cable or spend £50 or so on powerline adaptors (e.g. Homeplug) if running wires just isn't possible.

Wireless performance can sometimes be improved by experimenting with router position and wireless channel but it just won't compare to wired for gaming.

[Locohoco]

Sorry for the delay in replying - work and all that

The error is a game specific one, when I get home I'll copy the text and post it here. I think it says something about the NAT not being set up correctly.

I got the port forwarding settings from here: Port Forwarding for the Thomson/Alcatel SpeedTouch 585.

I understand that using wireless will result in some lag, but on my old ISP/router it was bearable and most times barely noticeable. Now it's a lot worse. When this game first came out I was running it on 512kb adsl and there was less lag then than there is now!

I am definitely thinking about getting some of those plugs after xmas, but for now I think the game should work fine as it is, if it weren't for the router. Bit disappointed as it's been one of my favourite past-times over the last few years

[Saturday]

If you had no problems before then maybe the easiest thing to do would be to use your old router instead of the O2 Box. O2 won't have a problem with that (they just won't support someone else's router) and you'll find a guide to the settings you need here at O2user in the tutorial section.

If you prefer to persevere with the O2 Box then I'm happy to try and help you troubleshoot.

[Steeley_96]

Hello there,

I'm new to this forum so first of all hi

I have the very same problem with Command & Conquer Generals & Zero Hour. With the O2 box I can use the web and all that stuff, log into the game. However, I cannot connect to any match I try to play in. It's annoying as I wouldn't mind using the O2 box but because of this problem I use my Belkin which has no problem at all? I am connected to tyhe router by ethernet not wireless so I have no idea why the O2 box cannot let me play the games my Belkin has no problem with.

[Saturday]

Hi - I don't think you're alone in having problems of this sort with the O2 box

Are you trying to host a game or join one? Usually, port forwarding is needed for hosting only but I don't know whether that is so for C&C. Also UPnP will usually handle things for you obviating the need for manually setting port forwarding up.

Have you tried to set up port forwarding at all? According to portforward.com you need TCP 80,3783,6500,6515,6667,13139,27900,28900,28910,299 00,29901,29920 and UDP 4321,27900 which is a huge list!

Instructions on how to set up port forward details for the O2 box (Thomson 585) can be found here. It's not the v7, which is the specific O2 model, but it should do. The simple version is:

• Toolbox
• Choose a task
• Create a new game or application
• Fill out the port information
• Assign a game or application to your chosen local network device
• Find the program in the list
• Find the PC you want it to apply to
• Add

HTH but I wonder whether this is really something other than a port forwarding issue

[Steeley_96]

Thanks. I've tried port forwarding on the O2 box an it didn't help (for hosting or joining a game). I have a feeling that there is something lacking in the way the O2 box performs. My Belkin router works like a dream with no port forwarding whatsoever. It's a shame because I wouldn't mind using the O2 box. In saying that though I'm very pleased with the performance of O2's BB product (despite the DNS issues), and their CS is excellent.

[Saturday]

Originally Posted by Steeley_96

I have a feeling that there is something lacking in the way the O2 box performs.

Yes, you could be right. I've seen a few problems reported on other forums but it's not a problem that affects everyone. I suspect it is something simple but not obvious.

I don't use the O2 Box myself but when I have some spare time I'll reconnect it and have a play. If I can work out what might be wrong I'll let you know.

[madmicky109]

i never had any probs with xbox but i didnt play the games listed just Battlefield bad company , i just used the settings in the o2 box to port it and it was ok (was wired connection tho), the only prob i encountered was getting things to work like watching movies ect through the media center this i solved with a nice prog called TVersity does every thing even converts on the fly and plays almost everything without the need to convert it to wmp or dvd just drag and drop your files and away you go just install with default settings and has the option to stream media so if the media center dosnt work for you properly try this prog. oh and its free http://tversity.com/download/ ok been looking around and ive just fond this dont know if its true or not....? I spoke with technical support from EA and they said there is only a few hundred spots available for sign on/playable on the server. That means only a couple hundred people can play at a time you see 800+ but those are in the lobby not “ actually” playing online.... could have something to do with it ???

[Steeley_96]

Originally Posted by Saturday

I don't use the O2 Box myself but when I have some spare time I'll reconnect it and have a play. If I can work out what might be wrong I'll let you know.

Cheers, I appreciate that. It will be interesting to see if/what you find anything.