Almost impossible to join skirmish games due to seeming BKM lobby bug

[winterflaw]

I in the last few days installed Steam, COH and BKM on Steam.

I've today been trying to join Skirmish games.

I almost cannot do so, and it seems to be a bug.

When I join a skirmish game, after about 10 to 15 seconds, the host leaves.

This happens again and again and again and again.

If I then look in the lobby, the game I was in *is still there* - same map, same host.

It looks to me like my game thinks the host has left when he has not.

It is almost impossible to join a game.

I chatted with another player who claimed the problem was with BKM only (normal Steam COH is fine) and has been like this for all the time he's been playing, which he said was one to two years.

[Jalis]

Well usually nobody dare to answer such post, mainly, I presume to avoid to be cruel. I will take the role to answer you.

When you downloaded Steam bk description was ; Blitzkrieg mod is a modification for Company of Heroes which focuses on PvP experience.

However correct sentence would have been something like ; Focus ONLY on PVP experience.

Skirmishers can play bk if they want, but have to accept the mod like it is and without any hope to see any support for something else than PVP. You cant hope either any care from devs for skirmish games since they are themselves specialized on PVP only.

It is like that since 2013/2014.

[kwok]

I don’t think that’s the answer he was looking for nor a relevant statement.
The “focus on PvP experience” is in the context of balancing the gameplay of the mod. This sounds like network connectivity issues.

Winterflaw, Did you check your firewall settings?

[MarKr]

Well usually nobody dare to answer such post, mainly, I presume to avoid to be cruel.

Not really, it is more the thing that I don't know what could cause it, so I wouldn't say that writing "I don't know how to help you" is more beneficial to him than not writing anything at all.

Also, he is the only one complaining about this, that logically means that it is something on his side and it could be hundred of things. I would presume he already tried to reinstall the mod, so I did not suggest that. But from there it can be connectivity (as kwok said) so I would check firewall settings and also anti-virus settings because sometimes nati-viruses can block communications in a similar way as firewall, then it could be that the host has some modified version of the mod but in such case it would more likely desync short after starting the game rather than kick him out of lobby...

[Jalis]

Here it is said Voch work fine but BK dont.

As far as I know firewall and antivirus dont make the difference between reliCOH.exe and reliCoh.exe -mod blitzkrieg.

Otherwise, yes I cant presume it is not the answer poster was looking for, but it is a relevant statement.

Anyway, I just underlined an open secret ; There is no space at bk for skirmisher (except those who ask nothing)

[MarKr]

Here it is said Voch work fine but BK dont.

So? There have been cases when mods did not work correctly because there was a collision between two mods, while the vCoH worked fine. He does not say if he does or does not have other mods installed so it could be it too.

As for "no room for skirmishers" - only in case the skirmishers request changes that would mess up the PvP balance, that is what it means that "BK is PvP focused". You may say that we don't improve AI, true. But I don't know about AI programming so I cannot do it but if you look through the patchlogs, you'll see that if someone offered us "AI tweaks" we used them.

[Jalis]

Here it is said Voch work fine but BK dont.

So?

So it can hardly be a network problem. You disconnect the quoted sentence from the following one here.

There is no room for skirmishers is simply a truth nobody want to say here. I m even about sure pvp community would turn angry if you start to spend your precious time for something else than their needs.

[MarKr]

So it can hardly be a network problem.

You said that "vCoH works fine but BK not" so it seemed like you mean "if vCoH works, it must be BK problem" and I just said that if vCoH works, it does not necessarily need to be problem of BK - several times people reported problems in BK when they had other mods installed and vCoH worked fine. So my point was that it is possible that the mod is OK but something else is interfering.

There is no room for skirmishers is simply a truth nobody want to say here.

If stuff is balanced in PvP, it would be in skirmish too, but then it is about AI programing - how much it cheats in resources, how well it can use and combine and move units etc. If people ask for making changes to make the mod look like in 4.6.x.x where Axis were absurdly OP so that you could compstomp easily, then yes, those requests are ignored. But if you know about AI programing and want to spend dozens of hours making improvements and then provide the reworked AI for BK, then there is no reason not to use it. But as I said - I don't know anything about programing AI so I cannot do it.

[Jalis]

For what I know a large part of skirmisher community dont look for improved AI (but claim the inverse of course)

Most would more likely play the 4.6.xx with op axis, + remove all cap to become even more OP (+ new units, including useless one, and actual bk improvements).
If AI become more performant, it is always possible to play at normal difficulty instead of expert but a lot need to play at the highest difficulty setting in order the have the illusion they achieved something. You have also people looking for balance and a bit of challenge of course. However pvp and skirmish have basically antagonist needs. PVP need to be locked everywhere to avoid cheat and game abuse, and expand of skirmish which look for as many freedom and option possible.

the sentence you quoted was more an answer to Kwok suspecting a network problem.

Here it is said Voch work fine but BK dont.

As far as I know firewall and antivirus dont make the difference between reliCOH.exe and reliCoh.exe -mod blitzkrieg

But it is always possible the primary diagnostic is wrong, misleading us in the process.

And yes you are right there is room for skirmisher … but if - if -if and if

[MarKr]

You made it sound like "BK mod does not give a shit about PvE players" and that is not entirely true. If the PvE players are these:

Most would more likely play the 4.6.xx with op axis, + remove all cap to become even more OP (+ new units, including useless one, and actual bk improvements).

Then it is simply not gonna happen. Turning one side intentionally OP is something that we cannot do and yes, it is because of "PvP focus of the mod". However if there are players who desire to play in teams against AI and can play with the balance made for PvP then they can/could also enjoy the game and with the changes we've made, AI improvements that were implemented etc. I think that more overall balance is better even for PvE players simply because they can play as both Allies and Axis instead of always playing Axis simply because winning is then easier. Ofcourse if a player is Axis fanboy, then I understand that getting a BK version where sides are more even is not desireable, in that case tough luck, find another mod or search the net for older versions.

However the reson why there was no response from me here is still the same - I don't know what could cause it, and for the same reason there would be no response from me even if winterflaw said that he was trying to join PvP game. If the player plays PvP or PvE doesn't matter here - if I don't know the answer or don't think I can help, there is no reason to reply.

[winterflaw]

Skirmishers can play bk if they want, but have to accept the mod like it is and without any hope to see any support for something else than PVP. You cant hope either any care from devs for skirmish games since they are themselves specialized on PVP only.

I may be wrong, I've not tested, but I would expect this problem to occur for both skirmish and multiplayer games. It seems superficially at least to be a problem with the lobby.

Winterflaw, Did you check your firewall settings?

No firewalls, either on the router or the laptop.

I can play games, and sometimes the fault seems not to manifest, and I can host games.

It *could* be a port forwarding issue...

Also, he is the only one complaining about this

The chap I spoke to on-line had the same problem.

I would have though if it were common people reading this thread would have encountered it as well.

Here it is said Voch work fine but BK dont.

So? There have been cases when mods did not work correctly because there was a collision between two mods, while the vCoH worked fine. He does not say if he does or does not have other mods installed so it could be it too.

No other mods, fresh Steam install.

The one thing which *is* unusual (and it is unusual) is that I am running under WINE on Linux.

However, before we all think this must be the problem, remember that the chap I discussed this with on-line also had the same problem. It could be he also is using WINE (I did not ask) but it is not very likely at all.

However if there are players who desire to play in teams against AI and can play with the balance made for PvP then they can/could also enjoy the game and with the changes we've made, AI improvements that were implemented etc.

This is how I play.

I do not understand the view that there is a problem with skirmish.

If multiplayer is correct, then skirmish is correct, except for AI, which is the only difference.

AI is hard, and I think there are limits on what can be done because it is at least in part built into the game?

I have been thinking for a while what is needed is an open source clone of this game, where anything can be done.

EDIT by MarKr: 5 consecutive posts merged into one

[Panzerblitz1]

Question, do you have europe at war mod into ur coh as well? A lot of reports point that mod who use a lot of our work jamming bk when both are installed, i still have no idea why.

[MarKr]

@Pblitz: I think he answered it already

No other mods, fresh Steam install.

Yes i know, but not all mods are jamming bk, only EaW it seems, surely because the mod has copy/paste files from us.

[Mr. FeministDonut]

I have lobby bug too, but its a bit other type of it.
Anytime I create lobby, change map - AI are spawning in enemy team, making my lobby also invisible for other players