Assassin's Creed: Revelations - Orange NAT ???

[#1]

At the risk of getting more fed up with games not functioning properly on my connection and having to mess with setting upon setting to get nowhere:
For the time being this game is generally connecting better than the previous one, Brotherhood, in terms of the multiplayer aspect of both games - though it is not without it's problems. I note in Revelations that there is a basic notice of 'NAT' and it is orange. I understand, in the simplest of terms, this affects my ability to connect to games with other players and that an orange coloured NAT is not the best.
I have absolutely NO IDEA what 'NAT' is, means or does, and probably never will. What I'd like to know is:
Is there something I can do to make my 'NAT' in the game green and better facilitate matches?

[#2]

What modem and/or router are you using ?

[#3]

Hi Purleigh,
Sorry, I have this presumption being on PN that people know. Silly of me. It's the PN supplied TG582n. The FTTC router flashed with the ADSL2+ firmware.

[#4]

Does this link help ? - http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Technicolor/TG582n-O2_Technicolor/PS3_Assassi...
You could also try this method -
>

but using these ports - http://forums.ubi.com/showthread.php/663489-Which-Ports-do-I-need-to-forward-for-AC-Revelations-Foru...

[#5]

HI Purleigh, thanks. Yet again I haven't specified something I should have DOH. I run the PC version. Your last link, then, contains information on the ports I have forwarded. It's the first thing I did when I installed the game. Is that what this 'NAT' thing is about then? Basically what ports you forward.
I'm thinking it's just going to be the same case as with AC:B and for other gamers here with yet other games on PN - you forward your ports and the router just ignores whatever settings you choose (or the PN system just causes problems anyway). *sigh*

[#6]

NAT is process where by a router takes an external public IP address and works out how to send it to a private IP address within your network.  I.e. your router may be 84.56.43.72 which the internet can see, but your computer is on a 192.168.*.* address which the world can't see.  All of your gaming traffic being sent to that computer is addresses to your router, not your computer.  NAT handles working how to forward that traffic to your computer.
What the orange means is that some of the traffic being sent isn't being responded to by your computer.  This is usually because your router doesn't have the NAT rules set up right for it.
Try putting your computer in your routers DMZ for a test to see if it goes green.  In the DMZ all the traffic hitting the router is forwarded directly to your computer.

[#7]

You should check that the firewall on your PC isn't blocking those ports used by the game, as any 'dropped' gaming traffic by your firewall will look like a NAT failure.
You might also want to check whether your Plusnet "Broadband Firewall" is blocking anything that is needed by the game.

[#8]

Quote from: Kelly

NAT is process where by a router takes an external public IP address and works out how to send it to a private IP address within your network.  I.e. your router may be 84.56.43.72 which the internet can see, but your computer is on a 192.168.*.* address which the world can't see.  All of your gaming traffic being sent to that computer is addresses to your router, not your computer.  NAT handles working how to forward that traffic to your computer.

Ah! So that's what network address translation means. Now I understand. Thanks for that.

Quote

What the orange means is that some of the traffic being sent isn't being responded to by your computer.  This is usually because your router doesn't have the NAT rules set up right for it.

OK, this is clear to me and fits in with my thinking (for other game too, actually) - something is not set (or is being ignored).

Quote

Try putting your computer in your routers DMZ for a test to see if it goes green.  In the DMZ all the traffic hitting the router is forwarded directly to your computer.

Oh blimey. Well, I'll try it for a test, but from what I understand, that's probably not a good idea to have it permanently set. OK, so my understanding is flawed and limited, but I think putting something in the DMZ means basically opening up ALL of my ports and of course me no likey.

Quote from: purleigh

You should check that the firewall on your PC isn't blocking those ports used by the game, as any 'dropped' gaming traffic by your firewall will look like a NAT failure.

Reluctantly I don't run any firewall on my gaming OS, precisely to rule it out of the 'problems' equation. That is, software firewall.

Quote

You might also want to check whether your Plusnet "Broadband Firewall" is blocking anything that is needed by the game.

I don't have that enabled. What I think I will also test, however, is the router firewall, though I know that disabling it doesn't really disable it, apparently. It's worth a go anyway. Thanks for reminding me of something I'd forgotten about anyway.

[#9]

Quote from: Razer

Quote Try putting your computer in your routers DMZ for a test to see if it goes green.  In the DMZ all the traffic hitting the router is forwarded directly to your computer. Oh blimey. Well, I'll try it for a test, but from what I understand, that's probably not a good idea to have it permanently set. OK, so my understanding is flawed and limited, but I think putting something in the DMZ means basically opening up ALL of my ports and of course me no likey.

Yeah.  Pop it in there, run the test, take it out. 

[#10]

Did the test.
As you may recall I normally have ports forwarded and game mode enabled, along with ping responder (all only when I'm playing a game). I tested the dmz and it completely rendered multiplayer mode unavailable, strangely. I have a half recollection of someone else on forum experiencing the same thing with dmz ... my memory is just so bad. Anyway, I thought about possible conflicts (just me guessing based on some mention somewhere here on forum about that) so disabled port forwarding and game mode, leaving ping responder and dmz. I was able to access multiplayer once more, but the nat remains orange. This just really doesn't make any sense to me if dmz opens all ports. Just to check it wasn't something else I have observed this week I tried once more with ports forwarded and game mode re-enabled, and again the dmz rendered multiplayer mode completely unavailable.
All existent problems notwithstanding, the thing I've noticed this week and just wanted to check against is that both games have for the most part become multiplayer mode unavailable at the same times, regularly, like every 15 mins, or half an hour, or hour, whatever. It started just over that weekend that you tried testing ACB and then I installed this one because I got fed up with not being able to play ACB. This one ran ok, relatively, whilst ACB was offline, but now its occurring more often with both unavailable at the same time. I did the switching about to make sure the 'multiplayer mode unavailable' wasn't because of that latest phenomenon rather than the dmz thing.
What I don't know is if the 'unavailability' generally is my set-up, a PN thing, or Ubisoft deciding finally to [Censored] all over ACB & ACR players in a sly effort to try to push them into buying the fourth game in the series - which I wouldn't put past them. I know all of the punkbuster ip addresses have changed lately, some at least resolving to GoDaddy hosting. Pfft - particularly those IP addresses for which I DO get errors in my router log with ACR. So to my eyes it looks more and more like shift over to cheap and nasty host that can't handle the load of players and the cheap and nasty host falls over, regularly. This latest development just muddies the waters in regards to getting best connection with this game (or ACB).
Wall --> | <-- meet head -->   <--

[#11]

[#12]

Yes, that's it. There I am, look ^
I'm sort of hoping that if I keep hitting I might split my head enough to get at my brain ... and change it for a new one.

[#13]

Just don't get angry, otherwise you will turn into this - 

[#14]

lol too late.
When I get my new brain, I'm choosing one that has no interest in gaming.

[#15]

You could research what is a better router for gaming.
There was a list of routers with fully working NAT, on the Xbox Live support website a few months ago, but I couldn't find it when I briefly looked for that the other day.  
[update]
Just checked again and the document has been removed ! - http://forums.xbox.com/xbox_forums/xbox_support/f/9/p/437051/2188204.aspx