NAT
NAT is a bane of any Demonware title. But in order to understand how to fix it you'll need some theory first.
How it works
Client A <> firewall <> NAT <> Internet <> NAT <> firewall <> You
Due to p2p nature of any Demonware title online you need to be able to connect to all clients in a session. Game itself will try to take care of NAT and firewall set up, but sometimes it fails, due to various reasons. Plus situation with NATs in general got worse in recent years, which negatively affects connectivity.
Nat traversal in game works according to the following table
| Open | Moderate | Strict | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Moderate | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Strict | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
So with a strict NAT you can only connect to other players with moderate or open NAT, but not to other players with strict NAT.
How to fix NAT
It should be noted that in 50% of cases situation with NAT can't be improved.
Mobile hotspots in 90% of cases will result in strict NAT that can't be fixed. In some other cases your ISP is to blame. If you understand what "forward UDP port to your PC/PS3" means - do exactly that.
Known UDP Ports:
- FOC/WFC/DoTM/RotDS: 7777
- All other other games: 3074
If you need some help with that:
- Figure out your PC/PS3 ip address in your local network. Usually it will be something like 192.168.0.XXX. Remember: Google is your friend.
- Google: %your router model name or brand% port forwarding
- Following the guide you have found forward UDP port to your PCs ip address.
How to fix firewall
Again, google
How to add rules to windows firewall
Or use this guide -
https://www.howtogeek.com/112564/how-to-create-advanced-firewall-rules-in-the-windows-firewall/
Just remember that on Action step of creating a new rule you want to Allow the connection , not Block it.
I did all of the above but my NAT is still strict/moderate, what do I do?
- In rare cases contacting your ISP can help you.
- You can get yourself a dedicated IP address, which should drastically improve your connection, but they usually costs extra.