Warframe + Port Forwarding Does Not Work

[Rydian]

When I start Warframe or do the network analyzation it tells me I have a strict NAT, and then tells me uPnP is disabled, not detected, or malfunctioning depending on my game and router settings.

A - "uPnP Disabled' - I have it off in the game.
B - "uPnP Not Detected" - I have my router's "Active Firewall" setting turned on.
C - "uPnP Malfunctioning" - I have my router's "Active Firewall" setting turned off.

 

This is causing me issues with getting into missions because there's some users I cannot join or be joined by (whereas other users I can run tons of missions with fine no matter who does the invite).  Warframe is the only game giving me this problem.  I regularly host Terraria and Minecraft sessions, just to name a few things I know I've successfully port-forwarded for.  In fact I just tested before making this thread, and Canyouseeme.org reports it can see those other game services when they're running... but I can start Warframe and host a session and it reports failure on ports 80, 443, 3960 and 3962.

The router I'm using is a ZyXel P-660HW-D1 v2.  No, it is not possible for me to change it out for another one.  It is a DSL gateway from the ISP with no WAN connection config available for me to copy over to another hardware setup.

Here's a page I saw about this game in particular pointing out the firewall setting change, which did nothing but slightly change Warframe's complaint message.
http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/ZyXEL/P-660HW-D1v2/Warframe.htm

Here's a screenshot of the router's current port forwarding list.



And here's the ipconfig screenshot showing that this computer is .16 (it's static).

 

Anybody have a clue what's up?

 

EDIT

 

I did a config reset on my router.  Not only do other things like Minecraft still work by simply port-forwarding them (as they should), but Terraria works when using uPnP.

 

Given that Warframe seems hung up on trying to use uPnP (when it's failing) and will not recognize that incoming connections are being forwarded to it while other things can, I've come to the conclusion that this is a Warframe bug and have sent in a request for it to be moved to the bug report section.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Rydian

[Rydian]

Did some more testing and updated the title and a bit of the first post.

 

uPnP is indeed a fickle beast, but even when I have it disabled Warframe should be able to host just from the ports being forwarded.

[Stormfinnare]

Hey Rydian!

 

I have had Strict Nat since open beta launch. I have tried everything

I can possibly think of to get rid of it, but it seems in my case that its

either my ISP or WF that is the issue.

 

Right now I am using DMZ mode so all traffic is completely open to my

computer, but still I get Strict Nat.

 

Ive also called my ISP, and they could not help in any way.

 

Ive learned to live with it. There are ways to get around it in game.

 

Finding someone with Open Nat that can host games for you and the one

you cant invite or cant invite you. This is the main way to work around the

issue. With this you can still trade, and play, with almost anyone.

 

After U13 however something has appened, and I have a very hard time

staying in the game at all, but that is a seperate issue from the topic at hand.

 

Regards,

Stomrfinnare

[Rydian]

Right now I am using DMZ mode so all traffic is completely open to my

computer, but still I get Strict Nat.

It seems like Warframe does the uPnP check, then if that fails for any reason it just stops everything else and declares the account unable to host for that session regardless of the actual capability to take incoming connections.

 

I wish DE would fix this bug already, but this issue is too easy to blame on the user or ISP so they've probably never even bothered to even look at it or do any testing on it.

(Just in case somebody from DE reads this.)

[Poxee]

I have exactly the same problem since the start of the beta, and no solution. 

Wrote a letter to the devs before, told them I have forwarded the ports and set everything as the guides said, but still had the problem. Got an answer redirecting me to a forum thread telling me to do the port forwarding which I've already done...

Is there any hope that one day they will fix this? Do they even bother?

[Rydian]

Well, they probably rely on uPnP or have some sort of directed subnet functioning in all their environments so they might not have ever actually needed to port forward and thus never found that Warframe's networking is bugged like this.

 

But yeah they need to pay attention to reports and test stuff instead of assuming the problem is on the user's end.

[skullhead51]

I have this exact same problem and it sucks because I can't trade with some people and can't join friends.

[ActualDruzy]

Haven't been able to join games since earlier today, but have been having the error and difficulties for a few days now.  Port forwarding through router and firewall do nothing, power cycle of router and modem didn't change anything.  Only warframe has been the problem, I'm starting to this the issues are very much so on their end.

[Rauxon]

I don't have uPnP, and have a linux router that is intentionally 'locked down'.

 

Updating that to do port forwarding has allowed this to work for me.  This includes 2 of us playing over the same ADSL, and we can each host for people that are behind 'strict NAT' that did not work before.  (The 2nd PC is on non-standard ports)

 

I'm not claiming that this is not the fault of DE (network code is definitely in need of work) - just that it's very easy to blame DE without digging into it further... :)

 

With respect to 'their end', this code is used to handle P2P gaming, so there is no 'their end' involved at that point... Unless I'm missing something

[DawnFalcon]

The problem is port forwarding / UNnP don't always "work well enough" for Warframe. (Let's not go into the why's and wherefore's)

Look up the instructions for your router to make it work with with XBox Live - this will involve telneting into the router and setting up ALG's. Instead of the ports it says in the XBL instructions, do this for the warframe ports.

(Note, if you're using putty, you can right click in the window to paste!)

Edited April 14, 2014 by DawnFalcon

[Rydian]

I don't have uPnP, and have a linux router that is intentionally 'locked down'.

 

Updating that to do port forwarding has allowed this to work for me.  This includes 2 of us playing over the same ADSL, and we can each host for people that are behind 'strict NAT' that did not work before.  (The 2nd PC is on non-standard ports)

 

I'm not claiming that this is not the fault of DE (network code is definitely in need of work) - just that it's very easy to blame DE without digging into it further... :)

 

With respect to 'their end', this code is used to handle P2P gaming, so there is no 'their end' involved at that point... Unless I'm missing something

 

You do know that bugs don't happen under every configuration, right?  That's part of what makes some bugs hard for the devs to find and is why it's important for people to report stuff.  My attitude issue here (trying to get attention, obviously) is not that DE didn't find the bug themselves (as it's understandable that uPnP takes out a lot of hassle in a new network), but that it seems tons of people have been telling them about this for over a year (I googled before posting and there's a LOT of talk about this on the forums already) but DE chalks it up to network config issues not allowing incoming connections.

 

I did look into it (including config shots and a reset and testing similar software in the first post) and Warframe is the only program with this issue.  I actually just hosted a multi-hour long Minecraft session on my computer today (running the server from here and giving them my WAN IP and everything) so my machine can obviously take incoming connections on specified ports when my router is set up to forward them to this machine's LAN IP.

 

DE's the one putting out the binary with the bug, so it's DE's end with the issue.  Doesn't have to be their end of a TCP connection when using the phrase "their end", you know. :P

[Rydian]

The problem is port forwarding / UNnP don't always "work well enough" for Warframe. (Let's not go into the why's and wherefore's)

Look up the instructions for your router to make it work with with XBox Live - this will involve telneting into the router and setting up ALG's. Instead of the ports it says in the XBL instructions, do this for the warframe ports.

(Note, if you're using putty, you can right click in the window to paste!)

 

Found one youtube video and checked it out.  Firewall disabled, bypass triangle route removed, WAN to LAN and LAN to WAN permitted, SIP/ALG disabled, max NAT sessions per user quadrupled, router and game restarted... no change.  Other services work, Warframe does not.

I could not find any mentions of telnetting in regards my router brand, let alone model (though telnet is a management option in the router's settings, I can't find any instructions on doing it for Live).

 

As a last-ditch resort I did something risky and set my PC as the DMZ.  I removed some port forwarding rules and then started up the Terraria server software (which gives me the option of using uPnP or not as part of the startup info) with uPnP disabled, and canyouseeme reported port 777 as being listened on (and the server software showed the connection attempt), but of course Warframe sees that it can't uPnP and just freaks out and refuses to let me host as usual despite the fact that I can obviously port forward and take incoming connections.

[Stormfinnare]

I completely feel your pain as I have gone through this exact

process you are describing on several occations.

 

I have a hard time giving up, so I still try sometimes as to make

sure I have not messed up an attempt, but now after all this time

since open beta lauch Ive just about exhausted my options.

 

I also dont have any issues with any other application I run, so

this is specific to WF alone. that is why I think that my ISP is not

to blame.

 

I even raged on the Strict Nat mega help thread at one time, but

I given up on DE in this specific regard. They are an awsome team

that works hard on the game, but I seem to recall them saying

something to the effect that as there are only about 7% that

experiences Strict Nat, they dont prioritize it.

 

Too bad really, as if it affects 7% out fo say 100k players, then

that is 7k players that have a hard time trading plat with other

players. Its their loss really. Not to mention the players that just

gives up and go to other games without a second thought.

 

Ah well, I love this game, and as long as i got some of my friends

online i can use the workaround, even if it is annoying.

 

Sorry for the rant!

 

Best Regards,

Stormfinnare

[Mazelicious]

I have the same problem. Port forwarded and enabled uPnP and everything but still suffering from STICT NAT and uPnP not enabled. You know, this could be solved just by getting dedicated servers to host our game.

 

Best Regards,

thislooks$&*&*#(%&sinceeveryonecanseemyname

[Centclip]

FeySunfire, not all ppl live in the same country, or did you not know that.

 

Some countrys have different traditions on things such as plesantrys, hollidays and whatnot, dont rage on something you dont understand.

 

Best Regards,

Centclip

Edited April 15, 2014 by Centclip

[Stormfinnare]

Best Regards,

thislooks$&*&*#(%&sinceeveryonecanseemyname

 

Well, I would certainly hope everyone on the forums can see my name, or some sort

of mass blindness would have occured, and that would be quite scary to be frank.

 

Regards,

Stormfinnare

[Salenstormwing]

This is all a DE issue and not an issue with YOUR PC settings. I've had my firewall turned off, and had it tell me the NAT was STRICT. Turn it back on, and it was fine (for a while).

 

13.0.4 broke something with the net code, 13.0.5 just made it even more annoying.

[CyrlanDGreat]

I wish they made us become there testers so that they can fix it asap, this strict nat is very frustrating since the beginning, 

[Rydian]

I've actually been having this issue for weeks, before update 13 (and update 13 didn't change anything regarding it).

 

It just took me a bit to see the detrimental connection effects because I didn't start trying to trade with other players at the start.

[Stormfinnare]

I've actually been having this issue for weeks, before update 13 (and update 13 didn't change anything regarding it).

 

It just took me a bit to see the detrimental connection effects because I didn't start trying to trade with other players at the start.

 

Yea, Most often this issue isnt an issue untill you start to host games for clan members and start

trading or looking for groups in Recruiting.

 

It still is annoying though to want to help clan members with missions when you simply cant invite

them whatever you do unless one who can invite Strict Natters are online who can assist.

 

When joining online games its not as noticable, except for the numerouse kicks from random

joiners, and the more common host migrations as the connections starts to interact.

 

Regards,

Stormfinnare

Edited April 16, 2014 by Stormfinnare

[Rydian]

Yeah the limited ability to trade with other players is by far the worst part of this problem.

[Rydian]

This is well off the first page, so I'm bumping this bug report since there's no response from DE yet.

[Rydian]

With every day that passes without these issues being solved, I wonder how long DE can keep pretending that Warframe is an MMO when it's becoming more and more obvious that it's just a matchmaking system and it just picks one of the players in the cell/squad and runs the server for that session from their machine.

 

At least I found one workaround to getting to trade with some people, which is getting somebody with uPnP working to host the dojo (that's right readers, the clan dojo is hosted on a clan member's computer, thought that might have been obvious before from host migrations in the dojo), and then the dojo hoster invites both players that need to trade.  It's sort of a time-consuming workaround trying to figure out which player is hosting the dojo to get them to do the invites, but it's better than no trading being done.

[Rydian]

Come on, really now?  People talk about a decoration being misaligned on a weapon and it gets a response, but something as serious as a player connectivity bug that's been around for ages doesn't get anything after over two weeks?

[Zephirenth]

I have this same problem when I play at home. But when I was connected to my college's campus, I had no problems whatsoever.

 

Tried manually opening ports on Windows Firewall, didn't work.

 

Tried manually opening ports on my Belkin router, didn't work.

 

It's getting frustrating, and the lack of input from DE on the problem has really started to piss me off.

 

Even if they don't know what's going on, a reply saying "We don't know what's causing it" would be nice. At the very least it would mean they're aware of the problem and trying to fix it.

 

Instead, we don't even know if they're aware or care.