Asheron's Call and Internet Connection Sharing

[PinkPanther 0]

Hello Everyone,

 

Here is my situation – I hope some networking guru out there can find a solution.

 

I have a 5 Computer network; all machines are running Windows XP Professional, all use static IP addresses. I use the Internet Connection Sharing that is built-into Windows XP. I really, really like this method of ICS, because the speed at which the other machines access the Internet is amazing. I have already tried Wingate (version 4.52) and uninstalled it after about 6 hours of poor performance.

 

The problem with Windows XP is that only one machine on the network can play Asheron’s Call reliably. The minute that a second (let alone a third) machine runs Asheron’s Call, all sorts of issues begin; the most common is that one or all the machines will get instantaneously booted from the game. Please note that if only one machine is playing Asheron’s Call, there are NO problems at all. According to Microsoft, there are 3 “solutions” ….

 

1. Set the game to derive the port from the IP address; I honestly don’t know why this is listed as a solution, considering this is the default setting in the game – thus, this solution really says, “change nothing” which is rather illogical considering there is a problem to begin with.

 

2. Set each computer to use a specific port. This solution has the disclaimer that this setting often fails to take under Windows 2000 and XP. I have tried this setting, and the problems persist. Sometimes we can play the game for a while without trouble, but certain actions almost always will lead to one or more machines being booted from the game. Such actions include entering a housing settlement where another player from my network already awaits.

 

3. Play on different worlds. Well, if you are an Asheron’s Call player, then you can probably see why this is not a viable solution for a family trying to play a game together. The whole point is for us to share the same world.

 

All 3 of these “solutions” have failed, although solution number 2 allows us to play the game with about 60-70% stability, meaning we stay connected.

 

Now, what I am hoping (and I know this is probably just wishful thinking) is that someone out there has found a fourth solution, one that actually works.

 

As I mentioned, WinGate is simply not an option for me. I have used it before and I gave the latest version a try, and although it does solve my Asheron’s Call problem, it reduces the performance of the network too much, and we do use the network for business as well, so this is not an acceptable trade off. I also really dislike Wingate for other reason - their solutions to problems are always things that need to be repeated on a regular basis, which I think is ridiculous.

 

I would be more than willing to give another product a try; my main concern is that it needs to be ULTRA fast at routing the other machines, much like XP does now.

 

Well, that is all I can think of writing to provide as much useful information as possible. I will try to answer any questions in a prompt manner.

 

Thanks for taking the time to read this rather long post …..

[adamvjackson 0]

It always amazes me how polite you are in your posts... I try to be nice, but... Ok.. here's my opinion / $.02: How about a hardware router? They can be had for under $100, generally. That would add NAT which should solve your problems. Sounds like there may be some data collisions on the port that the game uses.

[PinkPanther 0]

Thanks for the reply, Adam. I had not considered a hardware router, mostly because I know so little about them, I don’t know if they will work with my setup to my ISP.

 

I am on a wireless connection to my ISP, using a Cisco antenna on the roof of the house which is then connected to one of the computers on my network. That computer has 2 NICs, one is a standard 3com Ethernet card and the other is the Cisco wireless card.

 

Would a hardware router be able to take over the job of connecting to my ISP wirelessly? Or am I just totally confused as to how that would work?

 

Thanks again

[adamvjackson 0]

Generally, yes. Depending on how the authentication takes place, you may have to set up the router with a static IP, a hostname, etc. They're really quite easy to set up, for example, the incoming wired connection would plug into the WAN port of the router, and depending on the router's features, you would either have to add a hub/switch or if one is built into the router (most are) then you'd just connect the individual computers into the router. You could then, if you wanted, remove the second nic from the ICS XP computer. Here's a few links you can check out, that may provide a better, or more understandable explaination:

 

http://www.practicallynetworked.com

http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/index.php

[PinkPanther 0]

Just following up for anyone who may benefti from the information.

 

I did look into a hardware solution, as suggested here, and after speaking with my ISP, we discovered that eventhough this would indeed solve my problem, it would be rather costly, since I would also need to purchase a bridge to take the place of the PCI card that currently connects to my ISP.

 

So, a friend at my ISP recommended that I try WinRoute - I downloaded the trial version, and after configuring the port-mapping I am happy to announce that our Asheron's Call problems are gone

 

Winroute costs 150 for a 5 user license, and the trial is fully functional for 30 days.