Server not visible in list - SOLVED (firewall rules)

bo1210

bo1210

Registered
Wit's end has been reached. I cannot for the life of me figure out why any rF2 server I start is not visible by external clients or myself with the loopback adapter installed and running. This problem began some time in December, not sure of the exact date. Not ruling out a Windows update, but why are PCs with every update installed (up to today) able to host and mine not?

- Running the current rF2 build of 1117.
- The correct ports are forwarded. 54297 TCP + UDP, 64297 TCP, 64298 UDP, and 64299 UDP.
- The router is an Asus RT-N300 with the latest firmware.
- The hosting PC is hardwired (ethernet) into the router.
- rFactor 2 is allowed through Windows Defender (and yes, I have tried it with the firewall turned off).
- A call to my internet provider revealed a sufficient signal and no restrictions whatsoever placed on hosting.
- My VPN is ALWAYS turned OFF before any hosting begins.

Thanks to all whom respond in advance.
 
Have you searched this forum?
There are more threads about that problem, but because there are so many possible reasons, you will have to read a lot, i fear. :)
 
Couple of things to check;
Check that the IP address of the hosting computer has not changed...on host computer run cmd prompt and type ipconfig /all and check the ipv4 address.
If host computer has wireless capability, make sure it is turned off.(having it on will result in different IP address to the Ethernet address)
 
Having the same issue after updating to V1.1117 (also in December) using @MarkMods as hosting. I have tried everything, even using their console settings, I cannot get a server to show up in the matchmaker. I asked them to run the runtimes etc etc etc and they did but nothing has worked. Their technical support has been little help.
 
bo1210 said:
Thanks, @Goanna, already done that.
Click to expand...
Grasping at straws now....check that there are not any extra dedi processes running via task manager. One other thing you could try is changing the ports to;
TCP 27013
TCP&UDP 53397
UDP 27014 & 27015
change port forwarding and on your game machine see if the server shows up in the LAN tab for you. (I’m assuming your host machine is on your local network?)
 
And if you still can not see it in any list, (LAN or WAN), you can use the direct link in a shortcut of the launcher to join the server, with that you start the launcher, which still should work.
Use this (adapt the port if you don't use the default one) as target entry in the shortcut:
"[Your Steam path]\steamapps\common\rFactor 2\Launcher\Launch rFactor.exe" +multiplayer +connect="127.0.0.1:64297"
And if you use a password:
"[Steam path]\steamapps\common\rFactor 2\Launcher\Launch rFactor.exe" +multiplayer +connect="127.0.0.1:64297" +password xxcxx​
 
Thanks @Goanna and @Bernd. Goanna, no extra dedi processes are running, and my host machine is the machine I race on, using the MS loopback adapter. Bernd, great suggestions, but I never had to perform those functions before it stopped working. Makes me wonder why S397 isn't making those suggestions known. I will try those, but it just seems like a bleak future for rF2. When I bought the title, there were over 600 servers active on any given night. Tonight? A Saturday night, and just days after updates to R3E and ACC? 359.
 
bo1210 said:
I will try those, but it just seems like a bleak future for rF2. When I bought the title, there were over 600 servers active on any given night. Tonight? A Saturday night, and just days after updates to R3E and ACC? 359.
Click to expand...

Before you get too down, consider these:

1. There's always been hundreds of servers running (I'd say I generally remember 350-450 at any time, I'll grant there could have been more at times) but once you sort by players it was always down to the tens, and you know a good half of those (servers) were purely AI anyway. So not a whole heap going on at any point, no real change there.

2. The future of rF2 lies in the future. If other games keep taking up the slack and rF2 flounders, then rF2 will be less active and might continue to dwindle. But if rF2 is fixed up in various ways and made more engaging for the casual players (rather than dedicated league players only), plus hosting is made easier (again, in the future, not how it is right at this moment) I'm sure it'll bounce back.

This particular issue is either something gone wrong with the game itself, which means it's a month or two based on your own results and will likely be fixed fairly soon (as it will affect a number of people), or it's something on your end that has changed. It sounds like you've taken good steps to rule the latter out, but you never know - strange things happen at times.
 
"..no real change there..." o_O

"...if rF2 is fixed up in various way and made more engaging for the casual players..." Biggest IF I've ever seen. Good luck with that. Probably not happening, because most of it should have happened by now.
 
I'm just curious about the purpose of the MS loopback adapter as the quick search I did mentioned it is used as a testing tool for a virtual network environment where network access is not available or if there are conflicts with a network adapter or with a network adapter driver.
Plus does that have any connection with NAT loopback mentioned earlier.
 
I had a dedi server set up using Steam CMD and I could join the server on that pc without any, known to me, MS loopback adaptor.
You don't mention if you use Steam CMD.
 
bo1210 said:
"..no real change there..." o_O

"...if rF2 is fixed up in various way and made more engaging for the casual players..." Biggest IF I've ever seen. Good luck with that. Probably not happening, because most of it should have happened by now.
Click to expand...

An if is an if. Can't rule it out. Anyway, the competition structure that's WIP will do a lot for the casual player, so can't even say there aren't plans - for the future. I don't see a finish line, so just because it's not already here doesn't mean we're doomed.
 
Try to go on your Multiplayer.json and change those parameters to this value if not already...
"Pause At Start Of Session":false,
"Pause At Start Of Session#":"Whether to pause a dedicated server at the start of a session",
"Pause While Zero Players":false,
"Pause While Zero Players#":"Whether to pause a dedicated server (and stay in practice session) if no human players are present",
 
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