Yet another person unable to host games. Checked everything, need assistance

[RuleofThree]

I don't know what is going on. I recently moved to apartments, but at my old place, I was able to host games just fine. The moment I setup in my new apartment, I am unable to host games at all. I have checked all the usual suspects. I made sure my router is still forwarding port 1802

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I checked windows firewall just in case as well:

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And my network is a private one

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I am unsure if the network needs to be public or not. And even if it was, I can't find a way to change it to public.

I can connect to my own table through the network on a different computer if I use my internal IP address, but the moment I try to use the alias password, I immediately fail. I am on the internet on the computer trying to host the table.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Trenloe]

Please provide answers to the 7 questions at the bottom of the first post here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?47051-Fantasy-Grounds-Connections-Explained

[RuleofThree]

I may be boned, according to that, I suppose. I mean, most of those answers are provided in the screenshots.

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1. Your LAN IP Address 192.168.1.126
2. The first two sets (octects) of your WAN IP as displayed by Fantasy Grounds and as displayed by your Router 192.168
3. Whether you are using Wired or Wireless (and not both) The computer hosting the table (And the only one using FG at all, save for that one attempt at testing) is wired
4. Confirmation that you have set your Adapter in Network and Sharing Centre to Private As shown in port 1802(D).PNG, it is private
5. Confirmation of what AV you are running and whether you have set any exceptions Not running an AV
6. Post the results of the tracert 8.8.8.8 command (if you have security concerns you can remove this bit once its been responded to) Just posted it, according to the post, 'You are very unlikely to be able to setup Port Forwarding without assistance from your ISP - or at all.' As a paying member for 6+ year now..that really hurts the wallet...to not be able to use a program because I'm in an apartment.
7. Confirmation as to what you have setup in your Router if changes have been made Router is confirmed to have Port 1802 open.

[Trenloe]

Thanks for posting the tracert. Unfortunately, your new ISP is sharing public IPv4 addresses across many of their customers. This is becoming more and more common as there isn't enough to go round. But, this means that port forwarding won't work - as it needs to be forwarded on the public IP address, and you don't have a dedicated public IP address. This is not something that FG is responsible for, it was fine even 2-3 years ago, and not an issue at all when you first started using FG 6+ years ago. SmiteWorks recognise this is becoming more of an issue for people and FG Unity will help with this issue, but FG Classic probably won't have it's networking redesigned as that would be a big task.

There are ways around this though. Look at the options available here: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?43607-Port-Forward-Alternatives or ask your ISP who they can help you play peer-to-peer gaming on TCP port 1802. They may be able to do something, but it might cost you more money each month, so best to look at the options in the linked thread first.

[RuleofThree]

I did look into them. None of them are an option, as some seem sketchy (proprietary stuff and what not) Or require other people to set up the same equipment, or both. They just aren't options. In fact, reading your post, it might not have been an option in the first place, as a few of the players for a game I wanted to set up are from Germany - GM is in a European Country that is well advanced in IPv6 deployment - I don't know if Germany qualifies for that, but it seems like another potential hurdle.

Ahh well. I'm not trying to pin the blame on FG, just sucks that a good tool is unusable now.

[Trenloe]

I did look into them. None of them are an option, as some seem sketchy (proprietary stuff and what not) Or require other people to set up the same equipment, or both. They just aren't options.
Look at the PureVPN option. This doesn't require the players to do anything, they just connect as normal. A lot of FG users (me included) use this to host FG games when we can't do port forwarding - traveling, in hotels, at apartments, etc.. There's a monthly fee for it, but it can be pretty cheap if you look at a long subscription. They have a good 7 day money back policy, so if it isn't for you then you can get your money back. Note: you will need the dedicated IP address add on, only this add on, you don't need anything else.

[damned]

I did look into them. None of them are an option, as some seem sketchy (proprietary stuff and what not) Or require other people to set up the same equipment, or both. They just aren't options. In fact, reading your post, it might not have been an option in the first place, as a few of the players for a game I wanted to set up are from Germany - GM is in a European Country that is well advanced in IPv6 deployment - I don't know if Germany qualifies for that, but it seems like another potential hurdle.

Ahh well. I'm not trying to pin the blame on FG, just sucks that a good tool is unusable now.

90% of the software on your computer is proprietary...

[Arwarkr]

I did look into them. None of them are an option, as some seem sketchy (proprietary stuff and what not) Or require other people to set up the same equipment, or both. They just aren't options. In fact, reading your post, it might not have been an option in the first place, as a few of the players for a game I wanted to set up are from Germany - GM is in a European Country that is well advanced in IPv6 deployment - I don't know if Germany qualifies for that, but it seems like another potential hurdle.

I understand being wary of software like Hamachi, particularly when you're using it for free, but if trust and security are the main concern and a small subscription fee doesn't bother you, I concur with Trenloe - you should give a VPN solution a fair shake. PureVPN is also far from being your only option, and there are providers that either have configuration files for open-source clients, or offer their own clients which are open-sourced, if that alleviates some of your concerns. The setup required is minimal, and you'll find plenty of people willing to help you out either here or on Discord.

[Trenloe]

Be aware that not *every* VPN solution will work for Fantasy Grounds. A lot of VPNs don't provide unique public facing IP addresses and so we're back to the same issue that the OP had. For example, I used to use HMA a lot - but 2-3 years ago they started sharing public IP addresses and it would no longer work for GMing using Fantasy Grounds. The only one that has been tried and tested by a bunch of FG users is PureVPN with the dedicated IP address add on. Does this mean that PureVPN is the only one? No, it means that this is the VPN provider we *know* works for GMing with Fantasy Grounds.

[damned]

Arguments recommending VPNs for security always make me laugh.
Even PureVPN which is a pretty big player in that space is owned by a Hong Kong company.
Now while they have been audited in the past and certified log free there is nothing to stop that changing in the future.
Most VPN companies are very opaque and you have little knowledge or assurance as to what info they might be collecting or keeping about you and your activities.

Now Im not advocating that Hamachi is a better option in this regard.
They are a US based publicly traded company worth $4billion as at today.
Now being US has potential downsides too - they may be required to Log your activity to some extent.
But they are definitely less likely to a bad actor than a VPN service operated out of a foreign jurisdiction...

At least that is my opinion...

[Andraax]

If you want a secure VPN, use OpenVPN and build your own, which is what I do for security. :-)

I don't worry too much about security for my online games, however. I operate them outside of VPNs.

[Arwarkr]

Be aware that not *every* VPN solution will work for Fantasy Grounds. A lot of VPNs don't provide unique public facing IP addresses and so we're back to the same issue that the OP had. For example, I used to use HMA a lot - but 2-3 years ago they started sharing public IP addresses and it would no longer work for GMing using Fantasy Grounds. The only one that has been tried and tested by a bunch of FG users is PureVPN with the dedicated IP address add on. Does this mean that PureVPN is the only one? No, it means that this is the VPN provider we *know* works for GMing with Fantasy Grounds.

Yeah, sorry - I didn't meant to imply that *any* VPN will do. Big/well-known alternatives to PureVPN that do offer port forwarding (and which I've tested with FG) include PrivateInternetAccess and Mullvad, for example.


Arguments recommending VPNs for security always make me laugh.
Even PureVPN which is a pretty big player in that space is owned by a Hong Kong company.
Now while they have been audited in the past and certified log free there is nothing to stop that changing in the future.
Most VPN companies are very opaque and you have little knowledge or assurance as to what info they might be collecting or keeping about you and your activities.
I agree with this - in fact, that's why I used the word 'trust'. At the end of the day, you can't be certain whether your VPN provider adheres to their own ToS and privacy policies. VPN services overall are a pretty sketchy business, and plenty of 'known quantities' have failed their users in some way (take HMA, NordVPN for example). However, I honestly don't think I'd ever be online without a VPN in the US, simply because ISPs are legally allowed to monetize your metadata, and I'd trust certain VPN providers more than an ISP which I *know* violates my privacy to squeeze out an extra buck.


Now Im not advocating that Hamachi is a better option in this regard.
They are a US based publicly traded company worth $4billion as at today.
Now being US has potential downsides too - they may be required to Log your activity to some extent.
But they are definitely less likely to a bad actor than a VPN service operated out of a foreign jurisdiction...
At least that is my opinion...

I fail to see how foreign VPNs are inherently more likely to be a bad actor. EU countries as well as Switzerland have rather strong privacy and customer protection laws. Of course, if you're thinking about providers with unclear ownership structures, based in some banana republic, I'm inclined to agree.

For my use case, I want a VPN to a) shield me when I'm using hot spots/WiFi and b) help with stuff like hosting FG. I'm not shielding myself from government agencies, so the question of jurisdiction is a secondary consideration.
I simply expect my VPN to not aggregate and exploit/sell my (meta-)data. I trust Mullvad VPN (as an example of a very clear privacy policy) to provide that service much more so than I trust LogMeIn/Hamachi. This goes double since Hamachi is a freemium service; they're going to monetize my use of their product somehow, and I don't think their shareholders are content with the abstract possibility that I may end using the premium product some day.

And now you know my opinion :D Anyway, I'm quite glad FGU will put a lot of these port-forwarding issues to rest. Really seems to be the single biggest entry barrier/technical annoyance users are facing.

[RuleofThree]

So a friend set me up with openVPN, and I am using that to use his IP address. It works and all..I'm in on his VPN, but I am still unable to have anyone connect. Upon attempting it gives:

Script Error: [string ""]: 1 attempt to set a value for an invalid handler 'onLockChanged'

Fantasy Grounds uses TCP, but the openVPN evidently is going over udp. I assume this is the error? This is one of those VPN services that won't help the problem?

[Trenloe]

Script Error: [string ""]: 1 attempt to set a value for an invalid handler 'onLockChanged'
That error has nothing to do with a VPN, that is a ruleset error - more than likely the ruleset being used needs to be updated. For example, see this thread: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?53616-script-error-with-custom-skin

When do you get that error? When you start a campaign yourself, when you join another campaign?


So a friend set me up with openVPN, and I am using that to use his IP address. It works and all..I'm in on his VPN, but I am still unable to have anyone connect.
I'm confused what the setup is here. You're using OpenVPN to tunnel into your friend's network and use his IP address? And then you're trying to get people to connect to you?

[RuleofThree]

More or less, that is it, as I underestand it. I connect through openVPN to his public IP address, and attempt to hose the game through his IP, since his is one that doesn't have to jump through so many hoops to get an outside connection, as mine does. The OpenVPN serves has a public IP address

[Trenloe]

More or less, that is it, as I underestand it. I connect through openVPN to his public IP address, and attempt to hose the game through his IP, since his is one that doesn't have to jump through so many hoops to get an outside connection, as mine does. The OpenVPN serves has a public IP address
So has your friend setup port forwarding for TCP Port 1802 to go from their public IP address, through the VPN to your computer's IP address?

[RuleofThree]

Yes

[Trenloe]

Yes
This is not a usual setup, so I hope your friend really knows what they're doing (really, really, knows) and has set it up correctly. Has your friend has tested this? Can they reach TCP port 1802 on your computer, via the VPN, when you have FG open with a campaign waiting for players to connect?

And, before they setup this VPN and port forwarding through the VPN, could they could host a FG campaign OK? That is, we know that their setup (without a VPN) is known to work?

[RuleofThree]

Alright so attempting through my friends openVPN doesn't work. Either him hosting the game, or me hosting has all failed. So I have moved to your suggestion of pureVPN. Even there, I obtain failure, a tracert shows that I'm not hopping through so many private networks anymore. So Am I not setting this up right? Your post here https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20160-Using-a-VPN-Service-Provider-to-get-around-port-forwarding-issues suggests I don't even need the port forwarding add on, as 'This allows you to use FG without having to mess around with port forwarding and also where port forwarding is not possible.' Mode is selected to Internet Freedom, Network Type Automatic Multi Port activated.

Tracert:
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[Trenloe]

Your post here https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?20160-Using-a-VPN-Service-Provider-to-get-around-port-forwarding-issues suggests I don't even need the port forwarding add on, as 'This allows you to use FG without having to mess around with port forwarding and also where port forwarding is not possible.'
Correct, you don't need the port forwarding option, but you do need the dedicated IP address add on. Hence why I said in my recommendation earlier in this thread: "Note: you will need the dedicated IP address add on, only this add on, you don't need anything else."

And, note that the post you quote is 6 years old, there was not a port forwarding option in PureVPN then. So I'd recommend you take more up-to-date comments and recommendations into account - which, again, is why I specifically mentioned the one PureVPN add on you need in this very thread.

[RuleofThree]

You are right, I just assumed such information would be kept up to date for people to look over. Maybe it is, I just missed it..you've seen how successful my searches have been so far. Sorry. I will obtain the dedicated IP address and move forward from there. Thanks

[Trenloe]

Once you have a dedicated IP address add on for PureVPN, the steps to use it are:

1) With FG completely closed, start up PureVPN and connect to your dedicated IP address. You should have instructions from PureVPN on how to do this.
2) Once connected to PureVPN using your dedicated IP address, check that the PureVN network connection is being shown as private and not public.
3) Verify that PureVPN is showing your IP address as the one you expect - i.e. your specific dedicated IP address. Wait until PureVPN is showing this IP address. If it shows a different once then you probably haven't setup your dedicated IP settings correctly.
4) Start UP Fantasy Grounds. On the Load Campaign screen, in the Address Information section, click the "<<click to retrieve>>" field to show the external IP address. This should be your PureVPN dedicated IP address.
5) Run your FG connection test.