Battle.net Troubleshooting

Warcraft III Battle.net Game Model Notes

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne uses a peer-to-peer connection model for Battle.net games. In other words, Battle.net does not act as a server for Warcraft III games. Since games are hosted on a computer owned by another player in that particular game session, connection problems which occur in game are not affected by Battle.net conditions.


General Troubleshooting for Internet Connections

When two computers are connected and send information over the Internet, the information passes through many intermediate destinations before it reaches its target destination. Those intermediate destinations are computers and routers owned by Internet Service Providers (ISP), or they are computers and routers owned by Internet Backbone Providers (IBP). Most problems with Internet connections occur when ISP companies or IBP companies make changes or updates to equipment and software on their computers and routers.

To troubleshoot an Internet connection problem there are two invaluable tools which are available for most computer operating systems. These tools are the traceroute routine, and the ping routine. Traceroute is used to generate a physical and chronological map of the connection (called a route) as it passes through ISP and IBP computers and routers. Ping is used to find the time it takes for information to travel to a remote computer and back.

For the Mac OS 9 (a.k.a. Classic) operating system, you will first need to download and install a program to run the traceroute and ping routines. Two popular programs which provide these routines are "WhatRoute" and "MacTCP Watcher." Please note that we do not make either of these programs. However, these programs are available on most Internet download sites which carry Macintosh software.

The Mac OS X 10.1 operating system and more recent versions of Mac OS X, come with a program called Network Utility. This program can be used to run both a traceroute routine and a ping routine.


Port Mapping Information for Shared Internet Connections

Internet connection sharing devices, such as broadband routers and proxy servers which utilize "network address translation" technology, require special configuration for use with The Frozen Throne. Consult the documentation which came with your router or proxy server to find out how to enable and configure "Port Forwarding" features.

Step-by-step configuration information will vary based on the manufacturer of your router or proxy server. In general you need to do the following.

  1. Configure your router or proxy server to assign a static IP address to each computer on your local area network.


  2. Assign to each IP address you have created on the L.A.N. a single, unique port number between 1024 and 49151. Take care not to use the same port for more than one IP address on your L.A.N. and record for future reference what port you assign to each IP address.


  3. Set all the forwarded port numbers to pass only UDP and TCP packets. If you have a firewall set up you will need to repeat this step for the same ports on your firewall.

When you are ready to play The Frozen Throne, you will need to first find out what IP address your computer is set to use. Next you will need to set the "Game Port" option for The Frozen Throne to match the port number your router or proxy server is set to forward to your computer's IP address. To set the "Game Port" option, use the steps below.
  1. Find the application icon for The Frozen Throne on your hard drive and double-click it.


  2. When the "Main Menu" screen appears for The Frozen Throne, click once on the "Options" button.


  3. Click once on the "Gameplay" button.


  4. Click once on the "Game Port" text area and type in the port number which has been assigned to the IP address your computer is set to use.



Cable Modem Connection Notes

Most cable modems use a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to retrieve an IP address from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The DHCP system reserves (leases) the IP address for a certain amount of time, and then reserves another IP address after that. Unfortunately, when your ISP performs maintenance on their equipment, the IP address your cable modem has reserved may become invalid. When this happens, it is necessary to unplug the cable modem from its power source. Wait a minute. Then connect the power source to the cable modem again.


Dial-Up Connection Notes

Dial up connections to the Internet use a modem to connect your computer with a computer at your Internet Service Provider (ISP). The speed of your Internet connection can suffer when the computer at your ISP becomes overcrowded. Fortunately, most Internet service providers maintain more than one computer for dial up connections, and each one has its own phone number. If you experience a consistent slow down in your Internet connection, while you play a game or chat on Battle.net, contact your ISP and request an alternate, local phone number for your dial-up connection.


TCP/IP Configuration Notes for Macintosh Computers

In general, it is best to avoid the use of Internet programs such as instant messaging applications, web browsers, ftp clients etc. while a Battle.net chat session or a game of The Frozen Throne is in use. Using such programs will adversely affect the performance of The Frozen Throne. We recommend you quit as many running applications as you can before you start The Frozen Throne.

Setting Up peer-to-peer TCP/IP in Mac OS X:

Setting Up peer-to-peer TCP/IP Mac OS 9: