Knowledge Base |
AC Connection loss troubleshooting guide.
Before beginning any connection troubleshooting, first check the forums for any scheduled downtimes (Note: all downtimes are listed in the "Eastern" timezone) or outages. If none are being reported then please review the steps and items detailed below: Asheron's Call uses a specific connection method that can encounter issues based on the network/networking hardware in use and the settings of your internet providers modem. To begin troubleshooting its connection you may need to verify the following items: AC connects using "loose" ("asymmetrical") packet routing on ports 9000 to 9013 using "encrypted UDP packets" (via UDP/TCP mode), this means that while communication out from the game client on your system might go out on port "X" the servers may be connecting back to your system on port "Y" and if inbound packets are being dropped because of lack of support for this connection method packet/connection loss can and does occur. First you will want to contact the manufacturer or provider of your model router (if your internet service provider supplied it you might need to contact them) and ensure that it supports this connection method and if not what steps can be taken to enable support for it. If it is not a supported connection method on your device or the device cannot be reconfigured to support it AC may not be able to maintain a connection or connect at all on it. Some specific routers and modems (varying models) that have been known to encounter issues with AC's connection method are listed below by manufacturer: Belkin In many instances with these types of devices, they just need to be reconfigured to accept/support "loose" routing which is a somewhat older connection method. You may also need to configure "Port Forwarding" on the router (or the router features of the modem if it is a combo device) to enable AC to be able to connect. There are many guides for this online including many for AC at www.portforward.com (Not a Turbine affiliate) that can walk you through configuring this (Note: some guides can be outdated and indicate ports 9000 to 9010 should be used, increase these ranges to 9000 to 9013 where applicable). The router manufacturer may have detailed steps on this as well at their website. We would also recommend reviewing the forums thread here as well as the knowledge base article here which can serve as good guides for the above items. Your modem may also need to be checked to determine if it is using "NAPT" mode to connect. Contact your internet provider regarding this and if they indicated that the modem is using NAPT mode ask them if it can be changed to use "NAT" mode instead and still allow you to connect to their network. The reason for this is NAPT mode uses the port a packet is sent on to know where to send it to, since the AC servers can communicate back to your system on a different port NAPT mode does not know where to forward these packets, they are dropped and you lose connection. If your provider does not support using the modem in NAT mode AC might not be able to maintain a good connection on your system. If you continue to experience issues please follow up with Turbine Technical Support.
Netgear
D-Link
Thomson
SpeedStream