"Lobby" is HORRIBLE!

[Ozymandias2]

Entirely consumerist. I purchased a product in a series I've enjoyed playing H2H for 15 years; H2H is advertised as a feature; surely you can fill in the rest ... ?

[PipFromSlitherine]

I'm not sure what you mean. While the ingame lobby isn't as fully featured as we might have wanted it to be, once it hands off the connection will automatically be direct connection if the ports are set up correctly. So you can still play h2h. Just not via a 3rd party lobby system.

Cheers

Pip

[Ozymandias2]

ORIGINAL: PipFromSlitherine

I'm not sure what you mean. While the ingame lobby isn't as fully featured as we might have wanted it to be, once it hands off the connection will automatically be direct connection if the ports are set up correctly. So you can still play h2h. Just not via a 3rd party lobby system.

Cheers

Pip

Precisely ... ? The host opening the requisite port solved all gameplay problems, which IMHO is all that really matters. I'm not interested in a 3rd party connection system; just in being able to enjoy the game [:)]

Cheers,
Oz

[Hetser]

Error message when trying to enter the lobby, for the last week at least.

Also, I cannot see the lobby postings for players seeking opponents, also about a week.

I have a chairman of a compsci department who might help, how would we proceed?

Cheers!

[Stwa]

ORIGINAL: Ozymandias2
Entirely consumerist. I purchased a product in a series I've enjoyed playing H2H for 15 years; H2H is advertised as a feature; surely you can fill in the rest ... ?

Not really. I too have been playing since 1999. And I gave up H2H ions ago for a variety of reasons all of them apart from the connection method.

So, I am hoping (for your sake) that something works, and you can go on with your weekly games.

But I wouldn't be shocked to find out that there are other advertised features that may need some work as well. Features that all users could benefit from, not just a tiny percentage of H2H users.

[RD_Knights_X]

Hetzer,

I haven't seen that PanzerBiltz box top design in an age! Wow, that brings back memories...administering H2H play/moves using snail mail (between players in the US and Europe no less. Thank god CC came along!!

[Ozymandias2]

I feel as though I'm beating the proverbial dead horse here.

After following PipFromSlitherine's advice about opening ports & whatnot, all seemed well for a very short time.

Now my H2H pal & I are torn between keeping up our weekly game or (figuratively) slitting our throats.

Of course, the "simple" process of logging into the Lobby system remains - for whatever reason(s) - a nightmare. Fine and worth enduring, but we are back to experience - in supposed P2P mode - incredibly long wait times for data synchronization. And both of our machines are reasonably fast performing all other Internet functions.

Much worse, we play the Grand Campaign with each battle timed for 15 minutes. Due to freezes, we are lucky if we get in two (2) fifteen minute battles during the 1-1/2 hour time slot we set aside for what used to be fun.

The only possibly significant difference is that he's running Windows 8.1 whereas I am running Windows 7. So: are we really, truly running P2P or is some thread of code still winding its serpentine way through the Lobby?

Anybody else in the same boat?

Any ideas how to address this? PLEASE, especially as it's evident that the Lobby isn't going away anytime soon.


Thanks As Ever,
Oz

[SteveMcClaire]

If it says "Direct Connection" on the multi-player screen above the scenario settings, you are connected directly to your opponent. If it says "Lobby Connection" you are going through the lobby.

Had things been working well for the last two weeks (Your post of Feb. 28 seems to say things are fine at that time using the direct connection)?

Steve

[Ozymandias2]

Indeed, matters improved for a week or so and then nose-dived. I'm utterly perplexed. Ports and firewall are open, overall Internet performance fine, but the synch and freeze problems are back - Gremlins?

Would posting a saved game help?

[PipFromSlitherine]

Can you say definitively whether the "Direct Connection" message is showing or not. Thanks!

Cheers

Pip

[Ozymandias2]

Okay, after a serious round of testing -

1. My friend generally hosts.
2. It generally takes 3-5 minutes for my "Match Making Forum" box to populate (he never has this issue.)
3. Even with appropriate port open etc., if he send me a join-game invite before said box populates, we wind up playing via the lobby with all attendant, reported problems; "Lobby Connection" is displayed.
4. If we wait (get a coffee; dash off an email or 2) for my "Match Making Forum" box to populate, then we wind up with a "Direct Connection" and play is just fine.
5. Hypothesis: random "fast" population of "Match Making Forum" box caused the favorable results ca. 2/28.

- Any ideas? (BTW, from a programming POV, I understand having the dashboard fully populating before full functionality is enabled - but, still ...)

Cheers,
Oz

[PipFromSlitherine]

OK - so the issue isn't the connection when played directly, but that (for some reason) the forum list takes an age to populate for your machine, and the game does not connect directly unless it has completed the download?

Cheers

Pip

[Ozymandias2]

Correct, and most vexing.


Cheers,
Oz

[PipFromSlitherine]

Can you give us some details of the connection you are on, ISP etc.

Cheers

Pip

[SteveMcClaire]

That is very helpful information, thanks Ozymandias2. Will discuss with PipFromSlitherine.

Steve

[Ozymandias2]

ORIGINAL: Steve McClaire

Hi Ozymandias2,

Sorry to hear that the lobby system is not working for you.

What you're describing sounds like lost data and the games getting out of sync (I.e. one person's game is waiting for data the other has sent, but was never received).

Can you tell me a bit about your system? What version of Windows are you using? What sort of internet connection do you have? Anti-virus / security / firewall software?

Do you and your opponent both have the 1.01 update? tm.asp?m=3288748

When you says 'Connecting to the lobby either crawls or freezes', do you mean logging in to the lobby itself, or connecting to your opponent once you're in the lobby?

Have you tried establishing a direct connection with your opponent? You can do this by having the host open port 1944 for incoming connections. If you do this the lobby server is out of the picture once you and your opponent connect to each other on the lobby screen. The game is then functioning basically the same as it has in past versions.

Thanks,

Steve

AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

Opening Port 1944 worked for one night! This evening, we're back to horror show performance; just out of desperation opened port on both ends - AND WOUND UP CONNECTING THROUGH THE LOBBY WHETHER ONE OR BOTH OF US HAS IT OPENED!

Bizarrely, my friend has far less delays even simply entering the lobby.

For anti-malware, I'm running Malwarebytes & have made exceptions for the executable. Microsoft Security Client (Process: "MsMpEng") is also running.

Anymore thoughts ... PLEASE!

(Oh, yeah, and somehow my "Ozymandias2" ID disappeared."


Cringing Whenever I Hear The Word "Lobby,"
Oz

[rmdesantis]

Ozy and I are the ones playing - and he is completely correct. Direct Connection happens very rarely (even with port 1944 open on my router. Please realize that both of us have had extensive systems backgrounds both on Wall Street and in corporate America, so we're reasonably capable of working through technical issues.

We wind up spending quite a bit of time trying to figure out if there are certain conditions that need to be met (apart from the open port) in order to establish a direct connection (because the lobby system is so incredibly bad). Ultimately, we give up and try to play.

Let me describe how the play goes - we each log into the lobby system. This takes about 60 or so seconds for the connection to come through (Ozy will tell me on the phone he's on the lobby, but I don't see him appear for some time). I, as host, click 'host' and then we wait another 60-120 seconds while the program does whatever it does. When we get a direct connection, that typically pops up within 30 seconds. Lobby connection will take closer to 120 seconds (we have timed it).

After selecting the scenario, I get on the strategic screen (we are playing a campaign) within a few seconds. Ozy will wait 2-3 minutes while the program sends whatever data to him. Once we both are on the strat screen, we proceed and the next and the program takes 2-3 minutes to transfer data. After choosing forces, we wait another 2-3 minutes (again, we've timed all these pauses) for the data exchange to take place.

As host, I can set up easily, but Ozy will fight a long lag while dragging/dropping. Note - I have had Ozy host a few times and I can say that I experience the same drag/drop issue (click on a unit, try to drag but nothing happens for a few seconds, then it will move, then it drops in the wrong place, etc). Very frustrating, but we learn that this is part of the 'overhead' that we have in playing this game.

The battles typically run okay - no issues with orders or any other aspect of the game. There are times, of course, where the game freezes entirely (about 1 time in 3). What we do to make sure we don't have to start this whole process again is that the person who is not hosting will call for a truce early in the battle, and if there is a freeze, typically we find the hosting PC - although frozen - can accept the truce and the game result is saved on the host computer.

As you can see, we spend a lot of time treating and dealing with the symptoms of a poorly executing product. We live on opposite sides of the country so this is a time when we get to enjoy each others' company, even for a short while, but much of the time is spent in a frustration, which you can sense from Ozy's posts here.

Mike

[PipFromSlitherine]

I'm not sure how you can have variability with the direct connection, where it works for one day and then stops. Either the ports are open or they are not. Have you guys played prior CC incarnations in MP without issue? The port settings are identical AFAIK.

It sounds like there are a multitude of issues going on - ports failing to work, 5 minute downloads for a few HTTP calls.

If you could both post your ISP and the type of router you are using that would be very helpful.

Cheers

Pip

[PipFromSlitherine]

ORIGINAL: Ozymandias2

ORIGINAL: Steve McClaire

Hi Ozymandias2,

Sorry to hear that the lobby system is not working for you.

What you're describing sounds like lost data and the games getting out of sync (I.e. one person's game is waiting for data the other has sent, but was never received).

Can you tell me a bit about your system? What version of Windows are you using? What sort of internet connection do you have? Anti-virus / security / firewall software?

Do you and your opponent both have the 1.01 update? tm.asp?m=3288748

When you says 'Connecting to the lobby either crawls or freezes', do you mean logging in to the lobby itself, or connecting to your opponent once you're in the lobby?

Have you tried establishing a direct connection with your opponent? You can do this by having the host open port 1944 for incoming connections. If you do this the lobby server is out of the picture once you and your opponent connect to each other on the lobby screen. The game is then functioning basically the same as it has in past versions.

Thanks,

Steve

AAAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!

Opening Port 1944 worked for one night! This evening, we're back to horror show performance; just out of desperation opened port on both ends - AND WOUND UP CONNECTING THROUGH THE LOBBY WHETHER ONE OR BOTH OF US HAS IT OPENED!

Bizarrely, my friend has far less delays even simply entering the lobby.

For anti-malware, I'm running Malwarebytes & have made exceptions for the executable. Microsoft Security Client (Process: "MsMpEng") is also running.

Anymore thoughts ... PLEASE!

(Oh, yeah, and somehow my "Ozymandias2" ID disappeared."


Cringing Whenever I Hear The Word "Lobby,"
Oz

Both Malwarebytes and MSC are anti-virus programs and are unlikely to interfere. Do you have any software firewalls running (e.g. Windows Firewall, Zonealarm, Norton Internet Security, etc).

Cheers

Pip

[Ozymandias2]

My ISP is Time Warner Cable. D/L speed 12-13 Mbps; upload 5-6 Mbps.

Ubee router; Netgear wifi.

And we've been playing H2H since 1999.

As an aside, as an ex-programmer, I'd be curious to know how the Lobby "hands off" a handshake it's controlling (seriously: just curiosity.)


-Oz