I'm sick of wasting my time with games that disband when someone leaves!

There's a simple solution to this "game breaking problem." It's called the SAVE function. Save the game, (as far as I know anyone can save) then when the host leaves you can just reload the save, have the other players rejoin and continue.

Psst. It can. Wait 30 seconds.

Sins can find hosts but only if they've set up their router correctly and you wait up to 30 seconds. We have new network technology coming for version 1.1 which will avoid the need for users to have to setup their routers so it will be fixed in 99.99% of cases when that is released. In the meantime I recommend reloading the most recent autosave or only playing with hosts who won't leave.

There are plenty of people on, its just that none of them bother to learn how to set up their systems to host -- or can't, for various reasons.

Yeah, I myself got frustrated with this, so I fixed my router. It took, oh 15 minutes with this walkthrough by the_monk (kudos to him, he rocks).
The_Monks fantabulous guide to the mysteries of the Internet
Now, its always someone else's problem as, as long as I'm there, I can host. But, as someone who will host games, I wont stay online doing nothing just so other people who haven't set up their routers can play - don't shift the blame.
(especially if you're the one who's just destroyed my homeworld.)

Yeah its a big problem. I wish they would fix multiplayer and also allow another faster level or two of play beyond the fast setting...

I'd like to see a fix so that if you end up leaving a game involuntarily (minidump, computer crash) you can rejoin the game and regain control of your empire.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons why thats completely not doable. Closest you can get is resume from the last save game.

I'll have to take your word for it.

Sorry it took so long for me to reply, I have been away. Carbon016, I have waited far longer than 30 seconds each time, and it still disbands.

I have attempted to setup my router, and though all the settings are correct, I cannot host, even if I set my IP as the DMZ. Don't understand why, but it just won't work.

Blair, if a patch could be made to do as you suggest, it would be the best improvement possible on this game, as it is otherwise awesome!

Thanks.

I would advise anyone not to follow Monk's guide. It actually advises you to open ports, then disable your firewall. Sheer madness. Why anyone would recommend turning off your firewall and state that "all" consumer level firewalls are "marketing crap" is beyond me. Advising anyone to use Windows Firewall is also a sin of the gravest nature to anyone in the industry. Further, UPnP has nothing to do with Sins and in no way affects it, therefore disabling it will serve no purpose. Wow - I can't believe he actually believes what he says in this thing! Even the title of this document is wrong. Sad.

Actually this is completely doable - Civilization has been doing it in MP for years. When you leave the AI takes over for you, and you can jump back in at any time. You can even password protect your "player" so no one else can jump in when you leave. Why everyone doesn't do this is beyond me, but it is possible!

Umm..a router will protect against most intrusions. Run ZoneAlarm or firewall of choice behind one with default settings and have it log events.

I haven't ran a software firewall for 4+ years.

@ sc456a

1. Open ports only matter if something is actually "listening" on the other side of the NAT device (your router)

2. I said, "disable any HARDWARE firewall on your ROUTER" (this is above and beyond the benefits of NAT which in itself is what is protecting your PC). SPI-type (stateful packet inspection) firewalls on SOHO model routers are little more than marketing crap (that is fact my friend). The puny 100Mhz processor and 16MB RAM on "consumer-model routers" isn't likely to be able to "STATEFULLY INSPECT EVERY PACKET IN AND OUTBOUND" for valid traffic state. SPI-type firewalls being run on Dual-Core systems with 4GB's of RAM are a completely different story!

3. The Windows Firewall is simple, effective (if properly configured) and costs very little "network overhead". I stand by my words "If you're going to run a software firewall, a simple, properly configured Windows Firewall is best. What's better than simply allowing or dis-allowing traffic in/out?

4. It is suggested both in the FAQ and in the manual to use UPnP for the multiplayer in SINS. Since UPnP actually is exploitable (if you would like, I can write you a guide on how that's done sometime   ) AND it rarely actually works as it should, my suggestion is to disable it. Period.


Networking is actually very simple, really. Too bad so few "truly" understand it!

the Monk

Sorry for the double-post, the forum dumped on me when I wanted to add something




@ sc456a

1. Open ports only matter if something is actually "listening" on the other side of the NAT device (your router)

2. I said, "disable any HARDWARE firewall on your ROUTER" (this is above and beyond the benefits of NAT which in itself is what is protecting your PC). SPI-type (stateful packet inspection) firewalls on SOHO model routers are little more than marketing crap (that is fact my friend). The puny 100Mhz processor and 16MB RAM on "consumer-model routers" isn't likely to be able to "STATEFULLY INSPECT EVERY PACKET IN AND OUTBOUND" for valid traffic state. SPI-type firewalls being run on Dual-Core systems with 4GB's of RAM are a completely different story!

FYI
Most people with an SPI-type firewall on their routers DO in fact have to disable them to host SINS games right now. Patch 1.1 may change that...

3. The Windows Firewall is simple, effective (if properly configured) and costs very little "network overhead". I stand by my words "If you're going to run a software firewall, a simple, properly configured Windows Firewall is best. What's better than simply allowing or dis-allowing traffic in/out?

4. It is suggested both in the FAQ and in the manual to use UPnP for the multiplayer in SINS. Since UPnP actually is exploitable (if you would like, I can write you a guide on how that's done sometime ) AND it rarely actually works as it should, my suggestion is to disable it. Period.


Networking is actually very simple, really. Too bad so few "truly" understand it!

the Monk

the_monk:

OK, I don't want to completely hijack this thread, but I feel like you are actually doing the community harm with your advice. I'm sure you don't intend to since you really seem to believe what you are saying is true, but I feel like the record should be set straight for those who don't know any better:

1) NAT doesn't protect anything. It simply translates the internal connection to the external port on the firewall/router and vice versa. Using NAT without a firewall is not any more secure than plugging your device directly into your broadband connection. The act of translating network traffic does not filter it or protect the internal devices, at all.

2) Stateful packet inspection is included in most modern hardware firewalls, such as the popular Linksys WRT54G. This device and those like it protects millions of users every day without issue. It may not have the dedicated hardware resources of a Dual-Core PC, but who the hell runs a dedicated firewall app on a dual-core PC? You don't need anywhere near those specs unless you're running a heavily taxed 45MB+ connection with some kind of QoS filtering.

3) Windows Firewall is a joke. Seriously, read that article. It is vulnerable to code exploits, runs unsecurely and doesn't even scan outgoing packets at all. How you can actually recommend using it blows my mind.

4) Quite right, the people who develop Sins actually recommend you enable UPnP - yet you decide they are wrong and it should be disabled. You base this recommendation not on any evidence that disabling UPnP resolves an issue, but on your opinion that most people don't need it. Sorry, but you're just wrong to even make this assumption, and you should never advise someone to disable a feature if it doesn't have to be.

5) Most gamers should actually use a hardware firewall so they don't have to run a software firewall on their machines. This will help their games run better because that many more system resources are freed up for the game. This is just common sense and advising gamers to do otherwise is shameful.


I won't comment any further on this here, as it really isn't on topic at all. I just wanted people to know that, while you may be trying to help them, you're advice is not based in logic or fact and will actually put them at risk rather than help them play Sins.

Hi there...

I agree it is annoying at times, but the Devs are fixing the problem in v1.1 as mentioned above and they've done a great job on the rest of the game so I doubt you wasted your money. I've found that joining a clan or an organized group of people has helped to avert the problems faced with 'strangers' crashing out or whatever. The group can then wait for you or reload with little effort, and you quickly learn what the problem is in such cases e.g. whose pc is acting up or whatever.

So until v1.1 why not find a clan that suits you and makes some friends, play with them and reload when necessary

Not ideal in all instances, but certainly less painful

Be well.

I actually hope the Monk responds to this, because it seems to me that he's quite aware of what he's talking about. As in, this is an interesting argument, and since both of you appear intelligent I'd like to see it resolved
Also, if you're going to advise gamers to disregard Monk's advice, then why not do so on a separate thread? What you're doing is unfair to him, because you can criticize what he says as much as you want, but then say that, since you're "hijacking the thread", you won't respond any further. It's a bit like saying "talk to the hand".



I guess I'm not part of that "most", then.



If a dedicated firewall app is something like Norton (I'm not too sure about these things), then I do. McAfee on a dual-core computer.
Of course, I'm by no means an authority. I'm just answering your (admittedly rhetorical) question.

this should be shorten to 15 sec.


Plus it doesnt work all the time

Sibilante:
You make two excellent points:

1- I will make a thread giving advice on correcting network issues and how to properly setup your firewall for Sins (and other games).

2- The last quoted comment was somewhat rhetorical, but I included the word "dedicated" for a reason. If you're going to dedicate such a powerful machine for a firewall then you are completely wasting that machine.

Thanks for your input:) Look for my new thread soon! I'll link to it here when posted.

Here is my post regarding setting up your firewall for Sins:

https://forums.sinsofasolarempire.com/307644