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unmerged(2193)

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Mar 24, 2001
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Symptom:
A local friend and I tried to connect to play a multiplayer game of CK for the first time. Normally the game functions without incident for both of us in singleplayer mode. For many hours we troubled over why we couldn't connect using either the standard internet in-game function(tcp) or Valkrienet.

The game could not find the host. We cannot get our games to connect, as its just doesn't find the ip, or it does nothing after the attempt.

Details:
If he hosts a game, and I try to join him, it tries, but nothing happens. When he tries to connect he gets a "no game found at ip" error. We are both using version 104a, clean unmodded installs. Although he does have a firewall, he disabled it. I was not using one, nor either have any sort of router. We both have an ADSL connection with the same company. Both game versions are shelf versions, not POD.

Curious Observations:
Normally we use a live talk program during our multiplayer events. This program worked fine and had no trouble resolving our ip addresses. For test reasons the program ( Roger Wilco ) was disabled for the session.

Anyway I hope I can get some help or suggestions other than what I've already read with this as we both really enjoy the game and would like to play it together online. Find my system below, as for his, all I know is he's running Winxp, and his system unlike mine is only four months old. I must assume it is updated with latest drivers and OS updates like me.

.... its probably something simple that I've missed.

System Specs:
Win98SE -4.10.2222A: all critical updates including
.net framework, Directx 9c (4.09.0000.0904)
P4 2.0 ghz on a Asus P4B533 mboard.
384 - PC2100 RAM
120g Maxtor HDD - 45g free
10g Fujitsu HDD - 1.5g free (virtual page file 256m-1024m)
SB 5.1 live sound card. (drv/ v4.12 )
GeForce4 Ti 4200 128mb Video (drv/ v77.72 )
 
All MP related questions/Problems in the MP forum please and thank-you.
*Moved
 
Although he does have a firewall, he disabled it. I was not using one, nor either have any sort of router.
Click to expand...

Were you able to get into Vnet at all?

It is possible that you are missing the Windows 'do you want to let this program connect' dialog box. Try minimising your CK (after either hosting or trying to join) and see if you have such a box; for some reason, it doesn't pop up over a running CK.
 
Especially if you recently installed a patch or reinstalled. Mine asks me again if I want to allow it to connect to the internet if its 'changed.'
 
King of Men said:
Were you able to get into Vnet at all?

It is possible that you are missing the Windows 'do you want to let this program connect' dialog box. Try minimising your CK (after either hosting or trying to join) and see if you have such a box; for some reason, it doesn't pop up over a running CK.
Click to expand...

Yes, we could both log into Vnet no problem. He would make a game, and its information would appear in the right pane, including his ip number. I'd click on it and try to join, and nothing.

Well now thats interesting. I'll have to try minimizing CK next time and see. So your saying that when you attempt to join you will always see this Windows dialog box message?

In any case, I appreciate the feedback.
 
Not always. You can select the "always allow this program access" option. After that it won't ask you. Unless it has changed as mentioned before. Hopefully your problem is that simple.
 
Yeah. Or perhaps a user made mod, though I don't have much experice with that.

I generally don't, it usually stays above the program. But not always, so I'm not sure if CK will.
 
Hello, just wanted to say me and my roommate have the same problem. We try to connect either via local area netwerk or the online network and both don't work. I see his game on LAN, he doesn't see mine. He does see mine on the online network, but can't connect and the same goes for me when online. Anybody know what the problem could be?
 
I know the problem, don't know the solution though

I think I know what the problem is people:

the problem we're dealing with has to do with the latest Directx drivers. In the new directx 9.0c they have removed Directplay capabilities. The same capabilities Crusader Kings, Hearts of Iron II ... (and the list goes on) uses.

Got this from the site GameDev http://www.gamedev.net/community/forums/showfaq.asp?forum_id=10#q44

'DirectPlay


What is DirectPlay?
DirectPlay is a library of objects for networked games. It provides systems for transferring data between games, as well as objects for locating games on a network, and 'lobbying' (having players meet up in a chat-room style environment and then automatically launch your game from within it).


Where has DirectPlay gone?
DirectPlay is deprecated (it may be reincarnated later on the XNA platform). You can still use it, but Microsoft isn't updating it anymore.'

I think the ports we are available aren't the same as Crusader Kings wants to use, or something like it. I guess I'll be looking for an old Directx version.
 
It says "you can still use it"... can it be installed somehow regardless of having 9.0c? You see.. I've been having problems connecting to MP games.. I thought it might have something to do with my router.. but I guess this could be it as well.
 
Yeah, I've been looking for similar problems with other games and I've found examples of the same issue with a game that also uses directplay and it's Heroes of Might and Magic III. On a forum I found similar problems:

1) Seeing other players
2) trying to connect and it stalls
3) Nothing happens and you just can continue after a while.

Another thing that hinted me was that I found in the Crusader Kings 1.05 a technical comment stating that the game was now using internal Directplay instead of TCP/IP protocols. But the weird thing is I've used the old version of Crusader Kings and it doesn't work either. Well either my theory is wrong or computers are like women, unpredictable.

I'm willing to test my theory next week. Me and my roommate will reinstall our computers with home edition XP & directx 8.1 and no service packs (because service packs include updates of directplay). I'm really wondering whether it will work, but I will post on that next week. So I'll keep you guys posted. :)
 
Make sure the basics are done:

a) Make sure your Windows firewall allows traffic for CK.

b) If you are using a commercial software firewall (like F-Secure, Norton etc) that installs it "on top" of the Windows firewall, make sure it allows access from *and* to computers on the same LAN.

c) If you have an external router *with* firewall, make sure it allows traffic *both* ways.


If you are not sure how those are done, then turn off the software firewalls (either Windows own, or the commercial ones) and/or put the external router/firewall to DNZ to make sure it really is a firewall issue (I am pretty damn sure it is).


If those don't help, then there really is one thing to do: Re-install Crusader Kings to *both* computers, apply same patches to *both* computers. Perhaps one of you had at some point installed a mod on the vanilla CK, or changed one of the CK files somehow.
 
I have no constructive advice, but I rather doubt your theory of the DirectPlay being dropped. Deprecation doesn't mean it won't exist anymore; all the old calls are still there; it just means new programs shouldn't use it. Microsoft aren't so stupid as to release an 'update' that breaks a whole class of games!

Nevertheless, just to be scientific, why don't you install an older version of DirectX and see what happens?
 
@ king of men:

Thanks for your non-constructive advice ;). But what I do know is that gameports have been changed in the new version of directplay. It had something to do with security leaks in the old system. So I guess Microsoft in the interest of customer safety could have changed the Directplay system.

And thanks Jarko for your advice. I will make use of your basic approach.

Next monday will be the big day I guess. Hope to update you guys on tuesday.
 
only solution reinstall

Hey guys, my only advice to you guys is that you reinstall your computer. It was the only thing that helped for me. My guess is still that something concerning directplay was wrong. But I couldn't be quite sure.
 
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