BF2 - "There is a problem with your connection" (?)

Sparky1234 · 18 Jan 2007 at 13:26

Hey there everybody. Just got BF2, and oh my - what a game. I have having a little connection problem with it though, and would appreciate any advice with the issue. Sporadically during online play, I get what I guess could be described as a lag spike - the game semi locks for a second or three and I get a "There is a problem with your connection" message on the screen. Its quite annoying, it seems to happen a lot when I am a sniper, with someone in my crosshairs, or when I am flying a helicopter (finding myself upside down when the problem resolves itself). It does seem to happen at intervals of anywhere around a few minutes, and occasionally, it ends up kicking me from the server.

Any ideas as to what could be causing the problem?

I play though a wireless network, running on a D-Link wireless cable router. Could it be at all connected to this? Do I need to setup any port forwarding or such?

The game is not patched yet (downloading as we speak) - is this something that is addressed in the patch?

Could it be something really silly like the Windows firewall, or a setting in the game?

I am playing it on an AMD Barton @ 11*200, with 1gb of pc3200 at tight timings and a stock 6800gt. Settings are 1280-1024 with medium detail levels. Am I asking too much from my machine?

Thanks in advance for any help or advice.

4T5 · 18 Jan 2007 at 13:31

Hard to say but try this.
Drop your rez and reduce some settings. Try it and see if it's ok.
BF2 does like 2 gig of ram but back in the day i ran it well on 1 gig and a 9800xt so there is no reason you shouldn't be able to.
Is there HD activity during this problem as page filing is frequent on higher settings and with just 1 gig of ram.

Steve09 · 18 Jan 2007 at 13:43

Nothing wrong with your set up mate.
Its your Wireless Internet.
Me and a couple of my friends (on Wireless Internet) get
"There is a problem with your connection"
I and many others have came to the conclusion that it is low signal strength.
When I got it the 1st time, it happened like 10 times in a night.
Simply went down stairs, moved the coat away from the routers antennas, and move the antennas a bit. My signal strength went from low, to very good

Now I have had that message 5 times max, and thats only when my parents/brother accidentally move the routers antennas.

Macabre · 18 Jan 2007 at 13:49

That error isn't to do with just a wireless connection. I get it sometimes not much though since they patched it.

The Running Man · 18 Jan 2007 at 14:04

yea i get this prob 1x or 2x per night for 1 hour of BF2 o 50K server. thats on Cable wired via Lynksis router with open source firmware, 17ms ping..

to say it funks me off is an understatement. 1GB ram:/

BloodWolf · 18 Jan 2007 at 14:08

I sometimes randomly get it, and sometimes it takes a few times to connect to a server due to a "timeout"

I'm not behind any firewall (only XP)

experience · 18 Jan 2007 at 14:43

One of the main reasons for BF2 crashing to desktop is due to Punk Buster.

Remedies...

first of all if you have more than one network connection ie two or more ethernet ports and you only actually use one or if you dont' use any but they're enabled even though you use a USB modem etc then you have to disable all unused network connections from the control panel. This is because Punk Buster monitors all connections even if they are simply enabled and not connected. When it stumbles across what is effectively a dead end it crashes.

Secondly update your version of Punk Buster as this is reported to address this problem

Go here....

http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=updatepb.php

Also, there are spare connections on your M/B, go into your bios and disable them.

"Hard to say but try this.
Drop your rez and reduce some settings. Try it and see if it's ok.
BF2 does like 2 gig of ram but back in the day i ran it well on 1 gig and a 9800xt so there is no reason you shouldn't be able to.
Is there HD activity during this problem as page filing is frequent on higher settings and with just 1 gig of ram."

Why would this affect his connection to a server?

booyaka · 18 Jan 2007 at 14:59

to op - who is your broadband provider?

I was having a similar problem with PRMM (BF2 mod) and other online games and it was due to Tiscali's rubbish connection (throttling speeds and none-connection to xfire etc).

Change to new provider 6 weeks ago and not had a single connection problem since.

t31os · 18 Jan 2007 at 15:02

BF2 has always done that, for everyone i know who has plus myself, though a lot of the time its only brief and it doesnt drop me from the server.

Its just a goddamn bugged game, and i get it less now with the latest patch, but its still there, i'm on NTL 4mb.

No extra network adaptors.

Some servers are worse then others for me, so i stick to UK servers and i get it far less.

I doubt its specific to you, because i'm yet to hear of anyone who hasnt got this connection problem at one point or another. So anyone here never had it?....

Tical · 18 Jan 2007 at 15:06

Maybe slight unrelated, but i'm having the odd disconnect with BF2142 also, with the same error, same as you. Doesn't happen a lot though.

t31os · 18 Jan 2007 at 15:10

Tical said:
Maybe slight unrelated, but i'm having the odd disconnect with BF2142 also, with the same error, same as you. Doesn't happen a lot though.

Yep same here, and with buddies playing it, though its not anywhere near as bad as BF2.

Seems EA are still failing to learn from mistakes as usual.

Hellsmk2 · 18 Jan 2007 at 15:43

It's already beensaid, but I'll add it too: It's your wireless connection.

I have a wireless network but I still connect with wires as it is far better for gaming. Wireless gaming is pants.

t31os · 19 Jan 2007 at 10:55

Hellsmk2 said:
It's already beensaid, but I'll add it too: It's your wireless connection.

I have a wireless network but I still connect with wires as it is far better for gaming. Wireless gaming is pants.

I was gonna post back to disagree, but nope, you're damn right, every gamer i know plus myself, all wired, only people i know on wireless don't game.

Not to say we're totally right though, i'm sure there's ways to get very good connectivity from wireless.

markyb · 19 Jan 2007 at 13:05

More than likely your Wireless connection as everyone has said.

Although I used to get the same problem on a wired 2mb connection.

Try turning off 'Voice over IP' in the BF2142 options, Probably in the Audio section. Since ive turned this off Ive had no problems. Also mentioned in another thread which helped someone.

WillyNelson · 19 Jan 2007 at 13:11

Yup, it's a wireless problem, though possibly with your router. I get the same thing and it's almost impossible to play BF2 over my wireless connection. If I wire into the router (a Belkin) I get the same problem but if I wire straight into the cable box (ntl) its all ok.

I haven't been able to find a solution to it yet :confused:

Sparky1234 · 19 Jan 2007 at 13:23

Thanks very much for the comprehensive replies. Working under the assumption that it is due to my wireless network (patches, updates and graphic settings didn’t help), is there anything I can do, aside from running cat5 cables, to solve, or even just improve the matter? Any settings I can change on the router, port forwarding, DMZ settings or something like that?

t31os · 19 Jan 2007 at 14:43

Might be worth just running a cable straight in just to test. If it doesnt improve, then you'd be wasting your time.....

At least you'll be sure if its that or not.

Hellsmk2 · 19 Jan 2007 at 15:05

Sparky said:
Thanks very much for the comprehensive replies. Working under the assumption that it is due to my wireless network (patches, updates and graphic settings didn’t help), is there anything I can do, aside from running cat5 cables, to solve, or even just improve the matter? Any settings I can change on the router, port forwarding, DMZ settings or something like that?

I tried for days to get it running better and there was absolutely no way I could find to set up the connection that worked even a little bit.

I'd suggest having a cable that you use when you want to game and just use the wireless when you're not gaming if the cable is a problem.

Sparky1234 · 19 Jan 2007 at 16:11

I might very well try running a cable straight from the router, and then trying straight from the modem. I am slightly worried that it could be caused both by the fact that its a wireless network, but that I am connecting though a gateway.