hi monk,

first off apprecate all the help you are giving everyone here.
i have read and reread your guild and being i have little knowledge when it comes to network topics i did find it hard to understand but from what i have got i need to have it set to OPEN-NAT after going into my router settings (i have the NetGear WGT624v3)i see nothing in any settings about changing NAT restrictions, i just looked on there support website and from what i gather its not supported on that model.
I did a search on how to open-nat and near everything that came up with was for Xbox live.

incase it helps i have my modem connected to my router via ethernet cable and i have my wifes computer connected from the router via ethernet cable as well not sure if this makes any diffrence but just incase.

i have set up the portforwed in there options. and i also used the portforwarding program to set it up.
so assuming that is not the problem

apprecate any help in there matter thanks again

The reason searches about NAT-open/moderate/strict mostly hit on Xbox live is because that is how the Xbox control panel describes it. All of those (open/moderate/strict) are levels of NAT-filtering. NAT-filtering can be being performed by someone's ISP, by their router, or even their third-party firewall/security software.

My NAT explanation is to illustrate that even if ports/traffic are "forwarded" from your router to your PC, and those same ports/traffic are then "allowed" to access your PC (via enabling that in any software firewalls on the PC) the "return" communication to the other player can become ruined by NAT filtering.

Having said that, if your router doesn't allow you to modify the "level" of NAT-filtering it performs (many consumer-model routers do not and some hide it under another name like "gaming mode", one assumes that "gaming mode" will relax NAT-filtering to OPEN) then it most likely relaxes the NAT-filtering in tandem with the act of "forwarding" a port. What I mean is, if your router doesn't have specific NAT-related options it will most likely relax its NAT-filtering for the "forwarded" ports automaticaly, however to what level will be different from router to router.




Here's what you need to have done in order for everything to work:

1. go to the status page (on your router) and see what it says for internet/WAN IP address. If the address starts with 192.168.xxx.xxx then your internet cable/dsl modem is also functioning as a router and you're (what I described in my guide) in a double-NAT situation. If the address doesn't begin with what I just listed then verify that you've done step 2 and 3.

2. go into the router's "port forwarding" section. Make sure you've forwarded TCP ports 6112 and 6000 to the correct IP address for your computer system (ie. 192.168.xxx.xxx). You can find this address by going to the command prompt on your computer (start > run > cmd ) and typing "ipconfig" and hitting enter.

3. make sure you place exceptions for Sins in ALL of the security software you have. The Windows Firewall plays nice with Sins (I've hosted every game with the Windows Firewall turned on), but Windows Defender, MS Live Onecare and other programs do not. Some people I've helped have had to actually kill the windows processes (see my post #51) for details on which processes to kill before playing Sins.


If you're still having problems implementing my instructions, please contact me via xfire (the1monk) so that I can setup a time for you to meet me on my TeamSpeak server and I'll talk you through these instructions.

thanks,

the Monk

Well the game keep telling me that "most people wont be able to see your game". I done all the stuff and tested whether port forward correctly - I am net admin myself and know how to configure routers/ firewall, of course including my home one (linksys with ddwrt firmware). I can host CS:S game no problesm for example.

I don't suppose you read my post (#30) on page on of this thread?

the Monk

Ohh my bad. thanks for info!- I dont allow ping on wan side either that is why I got the message!

I have compiled a more SINS-specific guide from all of the information I've posted to this and various other threads regarding the correct networking setup for SINS-multiplayer.


Click the link below to download it:
WWW Link


the Monk

oh man...

i've been fighting ports and firewalls and xp services for hours due to Ironclad message "most people will not be able to join your game."

Thanks for the info oin ur link.

holy cow !

Man Monk, your not into MS Flight SImulator, are you? People over there have been dealing with these exact issues for years now. Several of the groups I've been in could definately have used someone like you.

Great job on these guides and your help here. I just got my system set up, but have not tried it yet to make sure it works. Hope I don't have to bother you with any problems. I am an IT student afterall, I should be able to get it figured out myself.

Just glad to help!    Feel free to contact me if you need anything.

aside:
Unfortunately my brother is the one into MS Flight Simulator (he's the one of us who's still a pilot - I used to fly helo's sometime back ) Before either of us actually flew anything for real, we used to invest hours at a time into Falcon 3.0!

the Monk

Just wanna praise the topic starter, great info on the whole connection issue.
@the_Monk, keep the good work up!

Since i've battled myself through many hours trying to fix connection problems with games, mostly rts, a while back i came over this website: http://66.134.89.225/~sic/nettest.html which seems to work great, at last in my favor. It doesn't help you in solving your issue, but it can tell you if things are working right or not.

the_Monk absolutely rocks! THANK YOU so much!

Question, "SOHO" routers, what does "SOHO" stand for? in your guide, "SOHO" routers are D-link, Netgear, Linksys, etc. But what do "SOHO" stand for really?

SOHO = small office / home office

In the future I will make an even better attempt at keeping geek-lingo out of my guides!   

@ Frogboy

No way, you guys rock! Such an AMAZING game, I will be (whenever I find the time..hehe) playing this game for a long time to come. Thank you!

Hey Monk, I'm one of the guys who chatted in your TS a week ago about the hosting problems. (Remember, I was with the guy who's ISP would stop him from hosting for no real reason). I'd just like to thank you for your help. It took some tinkering but I finally was able to host through the double nat setup I have going. All it took was for me to disable the firewall my modem had built into it so that the ports would be forwarded.

Thanks again man, now I can finally enjoy this great game!