Okay, weird. I can get the dedicated server to run, but it always runs the same map. I presume this is not happening with yours?

I guess tomorrow, I will do a full reinstall to 1.12.2 from scratch and see if that helps.

I can see in the server log people trying to connect, but they don't fully connect. However, when I connect from my PC to the server it works a treat. More digging to be done on the issue I guess. Will start with a clean install and go from there.

Kurtz, do you use a batch file for each "campaign" or one big one with them all in it? I use one big one, wondering if that makes a difference somehow... Might try editing that as well.

I use separate bat files for each campaign mate as my server is not 24/7 like yours. So theres no automated rotation at my end.

Well I have reinstalled the Game on my server, patched it up, and get the same issues. The dedicated server starts but it always starts the same "sword in the sand" yemen campaign. and while I can connect to in from my PC, no one else in the "outside" world can. connect to it.

Kurzt, when you start in Dedicated mode, can you start different campaigns? Does it always start the "Sword in the Sand" campaign?

Perhaps you could post an example of your single batch files, so I could test one here and see if that is the issue?

Or could you even post the dedicated section of your eech.ini for me to check against mine?

Your right about that, Sword in the Sand only for me to. Ive been fiddling around for last hour with no joy.

I imagine my command lines are the same as yours apart from my folder structure as I previously edited my server file names to lower case with no spaces.

Sample: cohokum /fs:0 /pitod:1700 dedicated:1 game_type:2 gunship_type:0 path:..\common\maps\map18 directory:camp01 filename:Puerto_Rico.chc

Note- pitod never really worked though at my end.

_Each_ option in command line shound start from dash or slash, not only the first one.

Is this something new, as ive been using command lines in that format without issue for over two years?

Yes, it's something new. http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2746408/Re_EECH_1_12_1_released.html#Post2746408

Great! Thanks for that Firebird.

I have just changed the dedicate.bat file to have / in front of each option and it fires up just like it should.

I can connect to it internally, and will confirm that someone can get to it from the real world as soon as someone does.

Thanks again.

OK i just tried it for you AMRAAM

1st attempt - Campaign "Green" retrieved server info OK, but hung at connecting screen and timed out.

2nd attempt - New pilot name, Campaign "Green", hung at retrieving server info.

Might be a long shot and im sure your aware of this, but is "Directplayhelper" clear through your software firewall?

Cheers.

Weird though. Got to love EECH Multiplayer

Nothing has changed on the network, but just to be sure I double checked everything, and its all correct. The only thing that has changed is the version of the EECH software. I have even confirmed that with the server up the relevant ports are reporting as open using shields up. (and that they are closed when the server is not up).

I have confirmed that I can log on locally to the server. However, it does seem to "hang" when I try to connect (to go from Green server to having the MOTD* and the option to Proceed) . When I first click "ok" it seems to take a while to connect. Perhaps something has changed in there, and the additional time is causing the drop out?

Also, I did have a "long" MOTD* which I have just now, shortened, in case it broke some sort of unknown rule.


*Message of the Day (incase you were wondering what I was talking about. :))

Hmmm... now I am getting the same message, when it tries to launch the game, as I was earlier when I hard coded the map path varible into eech.ini file. That it is looking in the map6 folder for the path of the map. Weird.

Well I seem to have got it working, sort of. I have the dedicate.bat loading the games, and going to the next theater when it ends/crashes, but players are unable to connect. I have seen people trying to connect but with no joy.

I have set up the server to run in "game" mode at the moment and would be curious to see if anyone can connect to it now. Of course I can no longer tell if people have been trying since there is no log to view when not in dedicated mode. So if someone could try and then let me know that would be grand. At least if it works in game mode, well, it might give some clue as to what is going on.

Kurtz, have you managed to get anyone to connect to your server running in dedicated mode? (Aside from people on the LAN, as that seems to work fine.)

Well, after running in Game mode for 24 hours I can see several attempts by people to connect to the server, and none of them were successful. The only connections that work are those made from inside my Network (Ie. Either of the other 2 PCs I have here).

It is like there is something being blocked at the firewall. Is it possible Firebird, that there was a change in the ports that are needed to be opened? or something like that, that is causing the lack of multiplayer connection success?

Is anyone else out there, running a server (dedicated or not) and having success with people connecting to it when they are not on the LAN?

For now, I have restored my server back to 1.12.0. So at least it should go back to allowing people to connect to that. [As a note, it seems that version 1.12.2 is not compatible with the 1.12.0 server. So you will need to roll back if you want to connect. Perhaps that is a clue to what is up with the connection?]

Sorry to be so difficult. If there is any more information I can provide to help out in anyway, go ahead and ask, I would love to get to the bottom of this.

I have not seen a change in ports.
But I changed some code transferring some data over network. But again, I don't think it would influence only internet game vs lan one.

Well it seems that by going back to 1.12.0 that connections are re-established.

I am trying to arrange for another computer to use for my testing, one that is not on my network at home. That I can use to test connection issues in my own time.

Could it be possible, that it is only sending reply network packets to local IP addresses? So it is "ignoring" Internet requests, and only talking to Local Connections. (Based on the IP addess of the incoming packets?)

I guess you could try setting up a Hamachi server, post the details and see if internet connection works. If it does then I guess a bug has been introduced that only coders can fix.

Is there a way to roll the game back to a previous version without doing a complete re-install, so I can try to connect to the online server? Just curious, thanks!

Rename your existing cohokum.exe, then download and install the older version over what you have. If you want to go back to the newer version then just rename it back to cohokum.exe (or it may even work to run it with another name if you want to keep both exes).

Well I have tried Hamachi, and VPN and normal connections, and I can not get any "Internet" connection to work with 1.12.1 or 1.12.2. It definitely seems that what ever changes happened at 1.12.1 have done something to the way that the server replies (or does not reply) to network requests.

No matter what "external" connection I try and make, it gets as far as connecting and then just counts up forever.

I have rolled the server back to 1.12.0 until those who are smarter than me can work out what has changed to stop multiplayer connections from working. If there is anything else I can check, test, or otherwise help with, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hmm... It means either bugs have been added in code since 1.12.0 or my build environment contains problems. Or both
I've built 1.12.0 version in my build environment. http://rapidshare.com/files/265962792/COHOKUM_1120_FIREBIRD.rar.html
Could you please check if it works for internet connections?
It it works I will search for changes in code, otherwise I will look for problems in my build environment.

Thank you.