Directq MP problems

[nitro/adminofdeath]

I just downloaded the new Driectq

Its going all great until i want to connect to a server.
I type connect bigfoot.quake1.net:26000 and it says connection accepted but i just stare at the console . It is as if im not connected. I dont see any death messages pop up either. I downloaded and installed all the DirectQ Prerequisites so it has nothing to do with that i dont think. I also unblocked it in my firewall and still no luck.

Shame really i really wanted to try this client online. I dont have this problem with anyother client which is odd.

Hope you can help

King regards
NITRO

[MH]

That's really bizarre; as if the NAT fix has disappeared. I know that Monster has it working OK. Maybe check the value of cl_natfix (it should be 1)?

Update: I've just connected OK using the very same as you tried. Really odd.

[nitro/adminofdeath]

Yup tryed all that and still nothing

sigh

[Baker]

You should try some other servers including especially quake.ihoc.net

1. Can you connect to quake.shmack.net?
2. Can you connect to quake.ihoc.net?

Quake.ihoc.net is SERVER-SIDE fixed for NAT. If you cannot connect there, there is some other problem.

Also, what is your result for trying to connect to quake.shmack.net? Unlike ProQuake and Qrack which actually use a ProQuake protocol when connected to a ProQuake server, DirectQ may boot you from the server automatically if you don't have the map whereas with ProQuake and Qrack clients you are silently allowed to remain connected to chat. The bigfoot server is often running a custom map, shmack never is.

This information will help MH and myself seeing what your problem is. This might not be the NAT problem that it looks like.

[nitro/adminofdeath]

Well when i connect to quake.ihoc.net i connect fine. Should have tryed other servers before hand really :S

however when i connect to shmack i get the same problem with bigfoot. i guess its a NAT fix problem. is their anyway to fix this?

[Baker]

Well when i connect to quake.ihoc.net i connect fine. Should have tryed other servers before hand really :S

however when i connect to shmack i get the same problem with bigfoot. i guess its a NAT fix problem. is their anyway to fix this?

Well, the problem is the NAT issue for sure with the above information.

Trying typing ping or status in the console at bigfoot and see what happens. That often forces through to complete the connection.

Assuming cl_natfix is 1 in the console then DirectQ should be using the elementary NAT fix. But maybe in some circumstances that isn't enough

[ProQuake and Qrack and JoeQuake have a ton of stuff labelled NAT-fix in them, but I isolated a single NAT-fix that worked for me that was one line of code which is what DirectQ has as I understand it. Maybe there are weird circumstances where that just isn't enough.]

[MH]

Baker's last theory sounds like it for certain. I can connect to bigfoot but I'm not NATted at the moment, so it looks as though there is something else needed for this.

All in all there's something positive come out of this, which is that we've identified that more is needed for the full NAT fix. Next step is to figure out what that "more" is (and share it with the community, of course!)

update - the plot, she thickens.

I've just connected from a NATted VM OK with DirectQ, and as a test, have confirmed that it hangs at "connection accepted" for a non-NAT-fixed client.

I'm still convinced that it's a NAT issue, but I'm also thinking that there may be some more subtle interactions with other network devices and/or software going on.

[nitro/adminofdeath]

Trying typing ping or status in the console at bigfoot and see what happens. That often forces through to complete the connection.

@baker Well i did that and nothing happened at all just stared console again

[Baker]

I expected that (but was hoping otherwise).

Well, for a short term fix you can forward ALL UDP traffic in your router to your local ip address (192.168.x.x) at port 26000 and everything will work fine for DirectQ. Even glquake can connect if you do that.

The Wii port of Quake absorbed my one line NAT-fix and Gunter who used to run the FvF servers can't connect anywhere except IHOC still. So apparently there is a second type of NAT problem.

The only solution for DirectQ would be to absorb the rest of the ProQuake network code. Which is quite a bit of work, actually.

[MH]

I've found a possible candidate. @Nitro - I'm going to make sure that nothing else gets fucked up here, then I'll PM you a link for a test build. Stay tuned.

[nitro/adminofdeath]

Ok thnx for info baker

Ok ill keep checking pm mh thnx alot

[MH]

You should have it now.

[nitro/adminofdeath]

Still no joy sadly

[Baker]

I'll just add: the full ProQuake netcode is compatible with all mods. It is some work to add, but you get things like rcon, pq_password and such in addition to the NAT fix.

MH, it is worth considering. There is no downside. You just ignore everything involving pq_cheatfree and the security dll.

JoeQuake -- which is the standard SDA speed run engine -- has had ProQuake netcode for 7 years -- and that community is more conservative in gameplay changes than even Func_Msgboard. They consider anything non-authentic to be a hack because speed runs must be for the original game as it was intended to be played.

[MH]

I've considered it before but the major downside for me is that the amount of work to add it to DirectQ is substantially higher than any other engine. It needs to be made C++ happy, my cvar system is completely different, cmds are completely different, pretty much anything that interacts with other code elsewhere in the engine is completely different.

A massive bummer I'm afraid.

I've some timeout coming up soon so I may bite the bullet.