Unofficial Civ4 GameSpy Multiplayer Firewall/Router Port Forwarding Guide

[wc3promet]

Unofficial Civ4 GameSpy Multiplayer Firewall/Router Port Forwarding Guide

Tired of the Infinite looping of "Contacting/Connecting Host/Peer" messages on GameSpy?

I make it quick, here's the list of the ports (both TCP and UDP) that you need to open/forward on your Router and Firewall:

* 6667 (IRC)
* 2033 (Civ4)
* 2056 (Civ4)
* 47624 (Directplay)
* 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)
* 6500 (Query Port)
* 6515 (Dplay UDP)
* 2300-2400 (DirectPlay - UDP)

References and Thanks:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=35588
http://www.gamespyarcade.com/helpers/workshop/routers/
http://www.gamespyarcade.com/support/firewalls.shtml

EDIT: Updated Again

[cythochrome]

got a quick question here, I got the free zone alarm version. If I say permit whenever it asks me about civ4 am I OK? Does doing this opens all the correct ports?

Also when I get the "'contacting peer" problem is it my fault or the peer fault? I can connect to certain games but there is quite a lot of games I can't join.

Thanks

edit: I don't have a router

[wc3promet]

Originally Posted by cythochrome

got a quick question here, I got the free zone alarm version. If I say permit whenever it asks me about civ4 am I OK? Does doing this opens all the correct ports?

Also when I get the "'contacting peer" problem is it my fault or the peer fault? I can connect to certain games but there is quite a lot of games I can't join.

Thanks

edit: I don't have a router

Permit only allows the application to access the Internet. Opening Ports requires a more indepth approach and more tinkering of options.

Sad to say, I have no clue of what version of ZoneAlarm you're using, so I can't give any advice here. In addition, ZoneAlarm 5.0 and above 6.0 versions cause serious stability issues with your system, ie clashing with Copy protected CDs and etc.

"Contacting Peer" infinite loop means that some other player has a misconfigured firewall/router.

"Contacting Host" infinite loop means that the host has a misconfigured firewall/router.

If you successfully join a game and no one joins it afterwards, then perhaps it's your firewall/router that's causing the problem

[Jass]

I use a router and I also have the free zone alarm version. I have hosted games and have joined games succesfully. My router has the Upnp feature, so it can be auto-configured if the software uses it correctly. I wonder if civ4 uses the Upnp features. I didn't open any ports myself, so it must be. I put zonealarm on 'medium' firewall settings. I never had any problems with zonealarm, I don't know why you'd say that.

There are still some issues though. Frequent CTD, even though my machine is way above specs. I think multiplayer will only really have a chance to take off once the bugs are out. The worst I've had happen to me was when a player left in a game I was hosting, and nobody got the 'vote to continue' screen except me: the game was stuck.

edit:
* 3783 (Voice Chat Port)

I didn't know there was voicechat support?!

[wc3promet]

Originally Posted by Jass

I use a router and I also have the free zone alarm version. I have hosted games and have joined games succesfully. My router has the Upnp feature, so it can be auto-configured if the software uses it correctly. I wonder if civ4 uses the Upnp features. I didn't open any ports myself, so it must be. I put zonealarm on 'medium' firewall settings. I never had any problems with zonealarm, I don't know why you'd say that.

There are still some issues though. Frequent CTD, even though my machine is way above specs. I think multiplayer will only really have a chance to take off once the bugs are out. The worst I've had happen to me was when a player left in a game I was hosting, and nobody got the 'vote to continue' screen except me: the game was stuck.

edit:
* 3783 (Voice Chat Port)

I didn't know there was voicechat support?!

Can the moderators sticky this?

[CanuckSoldier]

Just wondering exactly were you found a reference that states CIV uses port 2033? CIV only uses one port, 2056 by default, and all the other ports are used by the GS lobby to support it's functions.

CS

[wc3promet]

Originally Posted by CanuckSoldier

Just wondering exactly were you found a reference that states CIV uses port 2033? CIV only uses one port, 2056 by default, and all the other ports are used by the GS lobby to support it's functions.

CS

Actually it was some helpful poster who meddle around with his router, ip tables and logs, and discovered Port 2033 as one of the ports that CIV4 uses. His post is somewhere in the Multiplayer Section or Tech Support section.

[Likes_Civing]

boy this totally blows.

I have all those ports open and gamespy via the game won't login, to either access my current account or create a new one, what a joke. I can't figure it out.

[marshalljames]

if your game is not on the windows firewall exception list you will never connect.

[Likes_Civing]

I have disabled the windows firewall, and opened all those ports on my router.

I would love to get this going soon.

[Firegiver]

I opened all these ports on my router and still not seems to work. Before i installed the new patch i almost never had this problem

[Belaflek]

I tossed my system in the DMZ and no love

[MALIX]

How can i learn my local ip adress?

[CanuckSoldier]

Well if your not connected to a router typing ipconfig in the run dialog box in WinXP(winipcfg in Win98/ME) or just visit www.whatismyip.com

CS

[Cythro]

You can learn your IP address by doing:
Run -> command -> type "ipconfig" and it will display your ip info

[Phyr_Negator]

That's :):):):):):):):). All ports opened, and still "Contacting peer/host". Firaxis just spend all their money to make neat visuals and singleplayer...

[meranwe]

The same for me.. i want to plaaay. Someone do something please!!

[K1ckEM]

same here...

maybe the ports changed since 1.52? HAS ANYONE A SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM???

would be great... thx!

[Vladdrac]

Ive had a lot better success now that I opened the ports.

I beleive that the problems lies in not us that have our proper ports open, but the other people that don't. My guess if there is one peer that we can't talk to, we won't be able to get into the game.

I played a direct IP game earlier, he was not able to log into my host until I took out my router. So is there any more ports we need to open? It seems that there must be, or he would have been able to join without me disconnecting the router

[CanuckSoldier]

DirectIP requires that port 2056 be completely open on all players machines.

CS