Create client freeze

[Warpcore 0]

Hi all ,

I have a slight problem I'm hoping someone can help me out with.

The problem is OFP 1.30 freezes when I try to connect to a MP game. I get the "creating client" screen but then everything freezes. I can't even get out with ctrl-alt-del.

In single player games there are no problems whatsoever.

Yes I did read allmost every post in this forum and no there was no solution for this in any of them.

Other games will play MP with no problems.

Here is my system:

Pentium 3 900 Mhz

512Mb SDRAM

MSI Starforce 8817 Geforce2

Soundblaster Live!

Via based motherboard (don't know the exact make)

I did try the disable agp trick in the bios , didn't work

I also have the latest 4-in-1 drivers installed (also tried every other version I could lay my hands on).

I also emailed codemasters and all they could come up with is defrag your harddisk and try again..... so I did and it didn't work either.

Please can anybody help me here?

[Mister Frag 0]

First of all, make sure you have an active network connection when you try to do ANYTHING related to MP stuff. It won't let you create a server or client if it doesn't have a network connection.

Second, make sure that any firewall you may have is disabled, or allows OFP to access the Internet. The excellent ZoneAlarm has the annoying habit of popping up an alert/configuration dialog underneath the OFP window, giving the impression that the game has hung, which it hasn't.

Third, if you have Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) installed, disable or uninstall it.

Last but not least, run DXDIAG.EXE and go to the Network tab, and test your TCP/IP connection. If you can't establish a TCP/IP connection between two systems using DXDIAG, OFP also will not work, since it relies on DirectPlay to communicate.

[Warpcore 0]

Hi Mister Frag,

I have a working network connection (I can play other games online without problems)

I use Blackice Defender as a firewall (set to low) and I also tried with blackice off , but always with the same result.

I don't have Internet connection share (I think :-P) , at least I don't remember installing it.....

I ran DXDIAG and tested the TCP/IP and I could chat on the little chat window and I got reactions as well , so I got connected.

Any other ideas?

[Mister Frag 0]

Are all the DirectX ports (2300-2400), 6073, and 47624 open going in/out for UDP and TCP and being forwarded to the box running OFP?

[Warpcore 0]

Eeeh , I'm sorry , but I don't recall seeing any port numbers on the Directplay Test screen.

It was basiclt a gray screen with a chatbar on the bottom.

Could you please tell me how I can check this?

Thanks ;-)

[Jago 0]

Hi.

If you are running Win2K, make sure that Internet connection sharing is OFF. If you have enabled it then it will mess up your MP player game exactly the way you described.

Hope this will help... I had the same problem. Maybe the next patch will resolve this issue.

Bye.

[Warpcore 0]

Jago,

Thanks for the reply , but I'm running Win98SE.

Does that also have that option?

I never heard of it before I read about it on this forum.

As you guys found out , I'm no computer genius , I just want to shoot stuff :-P

[Mister Frag 0]

It's been a while since I used Windows 98, so I'm not sure that I have all of this entirely correct, but I think you go here:

Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Windows Setup -> Networking -> Internet Connection Sharing

If it is installed and you don't use it (i.e. you don't have more than one PC connected through your Internet connection), get rid of it by unchecking the checkbox next to it.

[Warpcore 0]

Hi MisterFrag,

You where spot on with the links , but I apparently don't have internet connection sharing installed.

So that can't be the problem in my case I guess.

Anymore ideas?

[Mister Frag 0]

The only thing I can think of is some configuration problem with Black Ice Defender, which I have no personal experience with. Everthing else sounds like it is working properly.

[Warpcore 0]

I also tried with Blackice turned off , so I'm not sure if that is the problem.

But thanks for the effort , I appreciate it.