My friends and I have, for some time, been trying to set up a weekly game on the internet. The problem we've run into is as follows. Player A can only connect when Player B is not in the game. Player B can only connect when Player A is not in the game. Player C and D can connect as normal, no matter who is in the game. We've been working on this for a while, we've tried port forwarding, Hamachi, everything to no avail. I've looked through the forms can can't seem to find a similar problem. Any ideas?

Thanks for any help!

Forgot to mention, we're running the basic version with the latest patches.

Hot Issues

FIREWALLS, ROUTERS, PROXY USERS!
Check your firewalls, routers and/or proxies :p

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 :rolleyes:

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:
Windows XP Firewall
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)

Working Around the Firewall / Proxy
If you are behind a firewall/proxy and are able to change its settings
the following TCP ports open may look like : (functions)
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)
6500 (Query Port)

Disabling the firewall / proxy will not open the necessary ports. It will simply shut down the firewall/proxy and leave the ports closed :mischief:

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 the game :mad:

Special notes to Windows XP users:
Windows XP has a built-in firewall. If you are using 3rd party firewalls/proxies with Windows XP, you will have to consult both the firewall/proxy developer and Microsoft to determine their compatibility with one another. You will 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.

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

Do not recommend disabling your firewall. Disabling it will not make it open up the ports it has already closed. Instead, you need to configure it :crazyeye:

"giving permission" can be accomplised quickly by following these steps:

To do this: Click on Start > Settings > Control Panel > Windows Firewall. From the Windows Firewall Menu, click on the Exceptions tab, then click on the Add Ports button :goodjob: