Refusal to connect

[AlphaGremlin]

Okay, so I finally come to play some NC after being away for so long, download the patches and all... and I cannot connect! It just says "connecting to server" and sits there, then goes back to the logon screen with no error! There is nothing in any of the log files, but nothing happens :(
Only once did it start to connect, it got to "requesting server info" and then went back to the logon screen with "Failed to connect". My Network monitoring program says that it makes a valid connection, the Launcher works and all, but the client itself refuses to work. Why must you torment me like this!
Yeah, so WoW is looking really good to me at the moment :(
AlphaGremlin

[Capt. Rik]

That's strange dude, the only thing i can think of is the XP SP2 firewall blocking it? Have you tried allowing client.exe to run?

[AlphaGremlin]

I'm not running the XP Firewall, I'm using Kerio WinRoute, and it doesn't work with or without it active :( Everything else runs, just NC!
AlphaGremlin

[Nidhogg]

Have you tried running a tracert to the login server (62.140.29.50)? Also check that your local port isn't blocked.

N

[AlphaGremlin]

Tracing route to 62.140.29.50 over a maximum of 30 hops

1 * * * Request timed out.
2 147 ms 128 ms 128 ms vl106.sw02.mel.iprimus.net.au [192.168.96.18]
3 116 ms 117 ms 128 ms 203.134.50.14
4 288 ms 289 ms 278 ms p4-1.cr1-sjc.primustel.com [209.227.129.241]
5 287 ms 279 ms 279 ms p3-3.pr1.sjc.primustel.com [209.227.138.230]
6 298 ms 289 ms 289 ms POS2-0.GW4.SCL1.ALTER.NET [208.214.142.129]
7 287 ms 289 ms 289 ms 511.at-5-0-0.XR4.SCL1.ALTER.NET [152.63.53.142]
8 281 ms 407 ms 279 ms 0.so-1-0-0.XL2.SCL1.ALTER.NET [152.63.55.97]
9 950 ms 311 ms 300 ms 0.so-5-0-0.XL2.SCL2.ALTER.NET [152.63.57.42]
10 298 ms 278 ms 289 ms 0.so-5-1-0.BR1.SCL2.ALTER.NET [152.63.48.9]
11 351 ms 289 ms 289 ms 204.255.173.42
12 * 300 ms 311 ms so-1-2-0.bbr1.SanJose1.Level3.net [209.244.3.137]
13 391 ms * 373 ms so-0-1-0.bbr1.NewYork1.Level3.net [64.159.1.41]
14 434 ms 429 ms 429 ms 4.68.128.105
15 460 ms 439 ms 461 ms so-1-0-0.mp2.Hamburg1.Level3.net [4.68.128.30]
16 446 ms 440 ms 440 ms ge-4-1.hsa2.Hamburg1.Level3.net [195.122.140.164]
17 441 ms 450 ms 450 ms ge-2-0.edge1.ham1.de.inetbone.net [62.67.234.30]
18 865 ms 472 ms 773 ms 212.162.3.84
19 663 ms 469 ms 461 ms 62.140.29.50

Trace complete.

Like I said, according to Essential Net Tools, it connects properly to port 7000, but nothing is transmitted, with or without the firewall. ENT connects to port 7000 successfully on its own, and sends me a few bytes, so it doesn't appear that the firewall is blocking it.
Reinstall didn't help either :( I tried a reinstall of my video drivers and switched to DX7 incase it was some weird memory leak, no go. :confused:
AlphaGremlin

[Xeno LARD]

Try turning off the firewall and connecting. Try changing the local port aswell.

[Nidhogg]

Please email helpdesk@neocron.com to see if they can help.

N

[AlphaGremlin]

I'm not running the XP Firewall, I'm using Kerio WinRoute, and it doesn't work with or without it active :( Everything else runs, just NC!
AlphaGremlin
Changed the local port, didn't help, and obviously neither did turning off the firewall. Is this my system, is this Neocron, is it the server... what?!
AlphaGremlin

[Morganth]

Are you behind a router/gateway?

[AlphaGremlin]

I'm a dial-up modem connection, straight from my computer.
AlphaGremlin

[Bugs Gunny]

Just reinstall, it solved my neocron problems 80% of the time....
Won't recomend it for pvp skills though, hasn't helped me in the least bit :-)

[nobby]

lol make sure you havn't got the internal test server on.

[AlphaGremlin]

No, I'm not connecting to the test server and I've already said I reinstalled it. Still doesn't work :(
AlphaGremlin

[Nidhogg]

Did you email helpdesk as I advised yesterday?

N

[AlphaGremlin]

Yes, as soon as you suggested it. So far, no response.
I just tried to connect then, I got to "Requesting Server Info", where it then waited say 15 seconds and returned to the login window with no error.
AlphaGremlin

[nobby]

good :)

[AlphaGremlin]

Er... good? The client torments me with starting to connect, and then dies... I cannot play NeoCrack!
W...o...W... 8|
AlphaGremlin

[Nidhogg]

This may sound stupid but if a firewall is stopping you connecting, closing the firewall down and trying again sometimes doesn't fix it - you have to actually enable the application in the firewall and then it will run with either with the firewall on or off. This sounds like a firewall issue because what you're seeing is exactly what I get at work. Are you running full-screen? If so there's a chance that the firewall alert has come up behind the game window, so pressing ALT-TAB to get to it often helps. Also try running in Window mode. Have you examined all the Kerio logs and explicitly enabled client.exe for incoming and outgoing connections?

Other things that have caused connection problems in the past are too many applications in the system tray and, for some reason, the ATI system tray application running in the background.

There has to be a simple explanation to this.

N

[AlphaGremlin]

I hope it is something simple Nid, but I'm not a newbie to computers.
Kerio Firewall is not a per-application firewall, it's a per-port firewall. It has no alerts like that hellspawn known as NIS, and I have it set up to not restrict outgoing connections at all. It is logging all blocked packets, and gives nothing to do with the Neocron ports (just the usual Blaster scans).
I have tried running fullscreen and windowed, and neither works any better than the other.
First thing I disable when I install new drivers is the ATI system tray application. I'm using Catalyst 4.11 from ATI, no DNA drivers or anything modified.
Helpdesk just got back to me, suggesting it may be my ISP. I'll try a few other things, and see how it goes :(
AlphaGremlin

[AlphaGremlin]

This is as close as I get

Edit: Bah, so it has my IP in it. :p Helpdesk looks like they're sending my e-mails on to Thanatos and Danae, possibly Codi may get involved, since error.log is giving no information what-so-ever.
AlphaGremlin

[Spoon]

Why don't you try a different port range....

My Localport is 20999(noecron.ini) and the updater Localport is 21238(updater.ini).....

[AlphaGremlin]

Okay... well, I tried to connect this morning, still didn't work, same old problem. I tried a second time, after restarting the client... and it works now! :wtf: I can log in as normal. It's not a once-off, I can log out and change characters and everything! Nothing has changed, the firewall is still running and doing the same old things it used to be doing. No new programs running, or ones that aren't... :confused: I'm happy, but... what the hell! If the helpdesk guys fixed it, they didn't tell me about it!
AlphaGremlin

[Capt. Rik]

Yay!! you're not leaving :D

[Nidhogg]

Glad to hear it. Sounds like it's possible that someone at your ISP went "oops" and pressed a couple of buttons. ;)

N

[AlphaGremlin]

Yeah, well whatever it was, it's working now! The Helpdesk guys are going to keep looking into it though. NC should at least give me an error or something.
AlphaGremlin

[Akuji]

Yeah, well whatever it was, it's working now! The Helpdesk guys are going to keep looking into it though. NC should at least give me an error or something.
AlphaGremlin

Indeedily.

However since it randomly started working its likely an isp fuxup, like i said we'll keep looking into it just to be sure ;)

[Dirus]

Tracing route to 62.140.29.50 over a maximum of 30 hops

1 * * * Request timed out.
12 * 300 ms 311 ms so-1-2-0.bbr1.SanJose1.Level3.net [209.244.3.137]
13 391 ms * 373 ms so-0-1-0.bbr1.NewYork1.Level3.net [64.159.1.41]
To me it looks like the problem was right there. first hop was dead, and 12/13 were intermitant.

[Xeno LARD]

Yey, AG :D. Sorry I couldn't have been more help, but I'm glad you're back!