Multiple users - same games same router

[Consi la Brit]

Hello everyone.

 

Since I found no answer in the interwebs and this forum yet I hope to find an answer now.

Here a description of our situation:

1. ISP modem in bridge mode (Because we need more than one public IP) Connect Box for UPC - cbn ch7465lg-lc

2. TL-WDR4300

3. Zy-Xel GS 108 B Switch. Why a switch? Because we have to! No direct connections to the router possible due to long distance.

4. PC's

We are 3 guys in the same flat and want to play the same games at the same time every now and then. For example ArmA 3 Battlefield series, CoD series, Rainbow Six Siege etc.

The problem is that often we can't join the same lobby/server or after some minutes at least one person gets kicked or times out.

I know this is probably because of the ports. I already made static IP's for each pc, changed the userports in the game properties, but it's a whole bunch of really annoying work to to that stuff for every game.

I usually used the fuction "virtual server" on the router to forward the ports. But there also is a function called "port trigger" which, as far as I understood, makes an own connection with a user when a certain port is triggered. Which means no problems while gaming even with no forwarded ports or custom userports of the games.

Sadly our router only has 20 slots available for this function and it does not support the amount of games we used to play together since some games already need several slots.

 

Now my real questions about this are:

- Can anyone explain me how networking works to understand what's really needed and what's not?

- Do I do unnessecarry things in my setup?

- Do I just need an other router? Are there routers with more than 20 slots to trigger ports to make life easier?

- Is there just no other solution than the annoying port forwarding?

- And last but not least: Why the hell isn't it possible with the current state of technology to play a game with 2 or more players at the same time without any problems?

 

I really hope I'll find some answers in here or at least some helpfull tips to get slightly in the direction of what I could do to make the situation better.

 

Greez Consi

[jj9987]

Out of curiosity, why do you need multiple public IPs? Most games should allow multiple players from same IP fine (and NAT will help also if needed).

At this moment, it seems a bit overcomplicated setup there.

[schizznick]

Typically when your device makes a connection to a game server it chooses a random port above 1024 as a source port and connects to a specific port on the servers end. This allows multiple clients to connect to the same server behind a NAT translation. However, some Game Servers/Clients don't follow this and use specific ports which would prevent this from working correctly. Also if you are double NATing using 2 routers, or if your ISP is also NATing you will have issues depending on how the network stack in the game/program is designed. I have had 8 people behind one IP all on the same game server with no issues. I have also had 2 people on a different game with tons of issues. 

 

As a possible solution make sure your router has UPNP and remove any static port forwards. This will allow the clients to work with the router and forward ports that are needed. 

 

Good Luck!

[Consi la Brit]

22 hours ago, jj9987 said:

Out of curiosity, why do you need multiple public IPs? Most games should allow multiple players from same IP fine (and NAT will help also if needed).

At this moment, it seems a bit overcomplicated setup there.

Servers running on own IP's. We don't want them in our home network.
 

3 hours ago, schizznick said:

Typically when your device makes a connection to a game server it chooses a random port above 1024 as a source port and connects to a specific port on the servers end. This allows multiple clients to connect to the same server behind a NAT translation. However, some Game Servers/Clients don't follow this and use specific ports which would prevent this from working correctly. Also if you are double NATing using 2 routers, or if your ISP is also NATing you will have issues depending on how the network stack in the game/program is designed. I have had 8 people behind one IP all on the same game server with no issues. I have also had 2 people on a different game with tons of issues. 

 

As a possible solution make sure your router has UPNP and remove any static port forwards. This will allow the clients to work with the router and forward ports that are needed. 

 

Good Luck!

So you say it's actually the game developers doing some unoptimised netcoding which makes the technology failing and not working as it would be able to? (If that makes any sense in english)