Ready to give up - have readnearly every subject on the matter

[Indigo64]

BASIC INFO
Server OS: Windows Server 2008 R2
Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ (2.4 GHz Dual Core)
Ram: 4 GB
Game(s): Left 4 Dead 2 Dedicated Server
Start Up Command:
Which one? I've tried:

G:\L4D2S\HLServer\left4dead2\srcds.exe -game left4dead2 -autoupdate +ip my.ip.addy.here +map c1m1_hotel -port 1337 -maxplayers 8

G:\L4D2S\HLServer\left4dead2\srcds.exe

G:\L4D2S\HLServer\left4dead2\srcds.exe -game left4dead2 -autoupdate +ip my.ip.addy.here

Admin Mods: None.


I am utterly and completely at my wits end. I absolutely cannot make this work. This is by far, the most uncooperative server client I have ever had the displeasure of trying to set up. I'm sorry for being harsh, I'm sure it's a great program, but I've been trying to get it working for a week solid, I'm frustrated, fed up, and I want to throw a knife through your website. I'm just so pissed off.

I've followed directions. I've read so many walkthroughs that my eyes hurt. IT IS NOT WORKING.

I have a working copy of L4D2 installed via SRCDS, and it runs fine - I can access it maybe 25% of the time from my LAN, but I can NEVER get it to work over the internet, which is where it matters most.

I'm RDP'd into the server right now as I type this, and I can start the server and stop it, reconfigure it, change any setting that I want to - the damn thing never works. I also cannot ever get L4D2 on my laptop here to connect. Currently I am sitting on a bed, at another house - physically 2+ miles away from where my server box is.

I don't even know if the server.cfg file is correct anymore, so just tell me what I should use at a minimum and we'll try that from scratch. I also tried running it without a cfg file, no difference.

The files are up to date.

I also know that the ports are forwarded correctly because I use the same method to set up ports as I did to set up the other services on the same box (RDP, Web port 80, etc). I have tried to do the default port, going with a range of 27015-27025, hell, I even tried 1337-1340. It didn't make a difference. (and yes, I DID test them)

I'm completely ready to give up. I realize this thing is supposed to be pretty powerful, but if it doesn't work, even for someone that's used to setting up dedicated game servers, then just what the hell IS the problem?

[loopyman]

Use -ip instead of +ip...

It may or may not help...
Also make sure you add exceptions to windows firewall, either add ports or allow srcds.exe through.

[Indigo64]

(01-06-2010, 10:11 PM)loopyman Wrote:  Use -ip instead of +ip...

It may or may not help...
Also make sure you add exceptions to windows firewall, either add ports or allow srcds.exe through.

Yeah, tried both. I don't use Windows Firewall on the box for many reasons - one such is for things like this.

I'm starting to suspect my pfsense box isn't forwarding ports as it should, but that's only because port forward tests online have been saying mixed things.

It's just so frustrating that there are so many variables to this thing - I like having choices, but sometimes it would be nice if there was just one authoritative way to guide my setup by. I have no problem configuring things exactly as necessary through cfg files and so forth. I just need to know they'll work.

[realchamp]

I run on Windows Server 2008 R2 with a pretty simulair processor and I run 4 l4d2 servers.

Have you disabled Windows Firewall? I run on port 27015, default config and port range from 1 to 50000TCP/UDP.

I can access my port 80, 21 and 3389(including server) at no problems.

[Indigo64]

See above.

Windows Firewall is NOT enabled. I disable it for reasons precisely attributed to this issue.

I HAVE verified that I can connect to the server when I host locally - LAN based is no problem. But I want to be able to play on it via LAN AND have a friend or two (one of which is now stationed in Japan) to be able to access it. This isn't happening so far. I'm guessing that it would support a hybrid connection set up like this, but I could be wrong...

[loopyman]

What IP address are you trying to use to connect, and what IP address is your friend outside your network using to connect?

[Mooga]

Can you please give us a screen shot of all your port forwarding.
Also, use this line:

Code:

G:\L4D2S\HLServer\left4dead2\srcds.exe -game left4dead2 +map c1m1_hotel -port 27015

[Indigo64]

I'm pretty much convinced this is an issue with my pfsense box now. I have other ports forwarded in it just fine, however when I try to forward the port 27015-27025 in pfsense, it registers ok, but any time I try a port scan online, now it's not working.

In my case last night, I was trying to connect from the same provider (the IP address between my house and the location I was at was identical except for the last octet.) we both use Qwest so it was as close as I was gonna get.

I don't know what to do about it - I'll probably have to rebuild the pfsense box (or reboot it when work is done here).

If you have any experience with pfsense, any ideas would be helpful.

[Spartanfrog]

You are giving out your external IP right?

[Indigo64]

(01-07-2010, 01:12 PM)Spartanfrog Wrote:  You are giving out your external IP right?

Yeah, the client when launched is showing the correct external IP - and if I don't specify it, will latch on to the hamachi client I have running on the box. But if I specify it in the shortcut, it works fine in that regard.

[Beaverbeliever]

If I were you, I would completely get rid of Hamachi, because that is known to cause server connection issues.