start up blues

Describe your experience with the latest version of FreeOrion to help us improve it.

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godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

start up blues

#1 Post by godel »

I am looking for a stand alone game.
So the first thing the game does is to try to connect to the internet.
I block it.
It will not be unblocked.
No option to unblock, likely because I used another app to block.
No option to not connect.
No way forward, so I will reinstall.
August 9 or there abouts build 2016

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EricF
Space Dragon
Posts: 357
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2016 10:12 am

Re: start up blues

#2 Post by EricF »

Yup, this is normal. The game uses a client-server model.
This has been a stupid and disturbing trend now for several years with computer games.
The game is not trying to access the Internet, but still, requiring you to open ports in your firewall just to play a game is stupid.
All it does is provide one more attack vector for script kiddies.
(of which there are far too many already)
Is this game safe? Who knows. Do the designers know for sure? You can bet they don't.

LGM-Doyle
Programmer
Posts: 219
Joined: Mon Feb 29, 2016 8:37 pm

Re: start up blues

#3 Post by LGM-Doyle »

godel and EricF, thanks for the comments.

freeorion does not need a connection to the internet. It needs a local port.

So configure your firewall to allow localhost <-> locahost connections and you will be fine.

freeorion will never see the internet and the internet will never see freeorion.

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#4 Post by godel »

Thanks!

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#5 Post by godel »

Could any of you describe how to fix what I have presumably done? Or supply a url?
Thanks in advance.

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MatGB
Creative Contributor
Posts: 3310
Joined: Fri Jun 28, 2013 11:45 pm

Re: start up blues

#6 Post by MatGB »

You will need to go into the settings of the app you used to block the connection, probably a Firewall, if you haven't deliberately installed something then Windows Firewall or Windows Defender.

without knowing what system and OS you're using any more information is hard to give, you basically need to whitelist FreeOrion and related processes, but how to do that will vary depending on what app you used/are using.
Mat Bowles

Any code or patches in anything posted here is released under the CC and GPL licences in use for the FO project.

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#7 Post by godel »

Win 7, maybe webroot secure, maybe windows protection.
I thought I saw a webroot symbol when I clicked, but can not remember for sure.
Thanks for the reply.

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#8 Post by godel »

what port or ports should I be looking for?
Waht should I be looking for?
What can block a program from those ports yet allow it to connect to the internet (orionforum still links)

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Vezzra
Release Manager, Design
Posts: 6095
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:56 pm
Location: Sol III

Re: start up blues

#9 Post by Vezzra »

EricF wrote:The game uses a client-server model.
This has been a stupid and disturbing trend now for several years with computer games.
The game is not trying to access the Internet, but still, requiring you to open ports in your firewall just to play a game is stupid.
Well, that is a consequence of the popular demand for multiplayer. Which requires several computers being connected, which requires a network (even if only a LAN). And no one, even the big players in the gaming industry which multi-million $ budgets implement two separate communication layers, one for multiplayer and a special one for single player on a single machine only which avoids the network layer completely.

Not to speak of a small open source project like FO which relies entirely on volunteers ;)

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Vezzra
Release Manager, Design
Posts: 6095
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:56 pm
Location: Sol III

Re: start up blues

#10 Post by Vezzra »

godel wrote:what port or ports should I be looking for?
Waht should I be looking for?
Multiplayer wiki page: http://freeorion.org/index.php/Multiplayer

Ports: http://freeorion.org/index.php/Multiplayer#Ports
What can block a program from those ports yet allow it to connect to the internet (orionforum still links)
Um, I don't quite understand. What exactly do you mean? Which software on your computer might block FO from using the ports it requires, yet still allows e.g. your web browser to access the internet?

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#11 Post by godel »

I might not have been asking the correct question.
The program can connect via the button that has the address of this forum to the computer.
That button is available before starting the game.
It can not start up.

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#12 Post by godel »

Thanks for the url to the port info.

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#13 Post by godel »

I just reset my router, power cycled then poked that button.
Just reset windows firewall. I got a message, different message, but tried to allow permission for everything.

Still no go.

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EricF
Space Dragon
Posts: 357
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2016 10:12 am

Re: start up blues

#14 Post by EricF »

Vezzra wrote:
EricF wrote:The game uses a client-server model.
This has been a stupid and disturbing trend now for several years with computer games.
The game is not trying to access the Internet, but still, requiring you to open ports in your firewall just to play a game is stupid.
Well, that is a consequence of the popular demand for multiplayer. Which requires several computers being connected, which requires a network (even if only a LAN). And no one, even the big players in the gaming industry which multi-million $ budgets implement two separate communication layers, one for multiplayer and a special one for single player on a single machine only which avoids the network layer completely.

Not to speak of a small open source project like FO which relies entirely on volunteers ;)
No excuse. I play a dozen multi player multi AI games and none of them require this model.
This is a bad habit that MUST be discouraged.
Your game is only secure because it is so rarely used.
If this model becomes commen then script kiddies will take notice.

godel
Space Dragon
Posts: 267
Joined: Tue Mar 24, 2015 12:58 am

Re: start up blues

#15 Post by godel »

I went back to a prior restore point and got a few minutes of the game before it died of not being able to connect.
I searched on the net for apps that would tell me which util was killing this.

Could you put in an option to change the ports?
Or change whatever identifier the util is looking for?
Just future stuff, I know.

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