Multiplayer Direct Connection

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

Multiplayer Direct Connection

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Close Combat – The Bloody First >> Multiplayer Direct Connection

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/4/2019 4:33:40 PM

WillKnott

Posts: 48
Joined: 9/13/2010
Status: offline

I have 2 pc's on same network, 2 separate keys. I can connect multiplayer through the lobby. However, I don't see an direct connect options. I thought I saw a post that it was added in a patch.

quote:

v1.00.05 – 1st November 2019
 "Direct Connection" added to Multiplayer settings dialog when two players have established a
direct connection.

Post #: 1

RE: Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/4/2019 5:42:44 PM

SteveMcClaire

Posts: 4472
Joined: 11/19/2007
Status: offline

The host player needs to open TCP port 1944 for incoming connections through their firewall and/or router and make sure the incoming connection is being forwarded to the correct machine if using a router.

Since the direct connection is established by negotiating through the Slitherine lobby system you still need to do this even for two machines on the same local network, although once you have the connection established the two machines will be communicating through your router as usual.

If you have the port open and forwarded the game will make a direct connection automatically. When this happens you'll see "Direct Connection" on the game settings dialog after the client connects to the host.

Steve

(in reply to WillKnott)

Post #: 2

RE: Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/4/2019 7:10:07 PM

WillKnott

Posts: 48
Joined: 9/13/2010
Status: offline

I put wireshark on both ends. Firewalls off on both sides, not router or firewall between. Client/Host attempted both ways. addresses 192.168.98.104 and .126 respectively.

Wireshark shows not even a three way handshake to even try to connect. No traffic between them at all on any port. All the traffic during setup and gameplay go between 50.56.225.37. No hint of the message "Direct Connection".

Even if I had a routing or firewall issue, I would expect to see an 'attempted' connecton, but I dont even see that.

Im going to an opponents home in a few day. They use an LTE based internet that is laggy but works as we tried successfully to use it on the 2nd day of release on version 1.0.0. However, its a bandwidth limited connection and my opponent wants to mitigate the internet use, so I have been testing the setup. Im good with using the lobby for creating, but would like to know what I can try at this point.

(in reply to SteveMcClaire)

Post #: 3

RE: Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/5/2019 2:39:52 PM

SteveMcClaire

Posts: 4472
Joined: 11/19/2007
Status: offline

As I said, the initial handshake occurs through the lobby system. The lobby system uses the IP address the host has connected from, which will be your external / router IP. This is passed to the client and then the client tries to connect directly to that IP address.

So on the initial direct connection attempt it is Client --> internet --> lobby system --> router --> host. You should see a connection coming from the client machine to your router (I am assuming this is 50.56.225.37) on port 1944. If this connection fails / is refused then it falls back on using the lobby routing. So if you don't see 'direct connection' either the port is not open or it is not forwarded to your host machine.

Steve

(in reply to WillKnott)

Post #: 4

RE: Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/6/2019 6:34:30 AM

WillKnott

Posts: 48
Joined: 9/13/2010
Status: offline

that scenario might make sense if both client and host had different public ips and routers. However, most home users wont have this, they will come from the same public ip, but behind the firewall the host and client will usually exist on the same subnet. Routers and firewalls don't like to route inside addresses, to outside addresses and back inside again. I have spent many years in a datacenter troubleshooting these inside/outside/inside connections and it was always a complicated soulution to work around it never involved one device only by the end of it.

The host should send its own local ip to the lobby and the lobby passes this on to the client, who in turn then should try to contact the host's local ip "directly"...Sorry for the poor man's visio, it was best i could do at the time :)

I will make attempts to setup a scenario that works. I already use port forwarding to access devices remotely, I will monkey with this some to see if I can get that scenario to even happen.

again..capture on client and on host at both ends...no connections attempted to any ip on port 1944 or my public ip. I would see that leaving the clients network port during the 'attempt' whether it was setup on the router or not.

If I saw this connection being attempted, I could figure out a way to possibly work this out, however, if the client doesnt even send the connection out to 'try' to connect, no router config will ever make a difference.

Seems to me a simple suggestion...provide a box to pass the host's local ip (or desired ip) to the client via the lobby...then the client will know exactly what to attempt, if this fails or if the box is left empty, it can proxy the connection through the lobby as normal. I am cool with using the lobby to help setup the Direct connection, but the point is making the gameplay connection to bypass the internet entirely.

if the lobby is looking at the source ip from the packet it recieves, it will be the 'NAT'ed ip that the router translated in this scenario. Client and host will 'appear' to come from the same ip, which in this pic is my router's public ip.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by WillKnott -- 12/6/2019 7:15:30 AM >

(in reply to SteveMcClaire)

Post #: 5

RE: Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/6/2019 2:32:09 PM

SteveMcClaire

Posts: 4472
Joined: 11/19/2007
Status: offline

Thanks for the suggestion WillKnot. I will look into how the game and lobby might special-case the connection for machines on the same local network.

(in reply to WillKnott)

Post #: 6

RE: Multiplayer Direct Connection - 12/7/2019 7:51:49 AM

WillKnott

Posts: 48
Joined: 9/13/2010
Status: offline

its all good. was able to make connects via Lobby using LTE hotspots 38ms 30 down worked well enough. game speed a bit slow; however, modern laptops,without best graphics horsepower still playable. I simply reduced the fancy resolution and graphical improvements and just keeping basic shadowing helped smooth out control. considering the network connects of the legacy 2d series. That is an achievement in itself.

(in reply to SteveMcClaire)

Post #: 7