"Could not connect to Ultima Online..."
1. You will receive this message when the game is unable to correctly connect to the login server. It is possible that the login server itself could be down, you may not be correctly connected to your ISP, you may not have a 32-bit connection (check with your ISP), or there could be problems in the path that your data is taking through the Internet. Try using a web browser to see if you are able to view web pages.
Scroll down to the UOTrace section on this page for more information on trouble shooting connection problems.
2. You can also receive the above error when there is a problem with the game installation. Uninstall,runScandisk(Start>Programs>Accessories>System Tools), reboot and then reinstall.
Stuck at "Verifying Account..." or "Entering Britannia..."
1. (Server may be down) - If you are having a problem getting past the "Verifying Account" screen, then the servers may be down, or busy. Let the screen sit there for a while, and you should get in. If it does not work after a few minutes, the connection may be unstable, run a trace route.
2. (Network card installed) - Are you using a modem, but are also hooked up to a network or have a network card installed? The only solution is to remove TCP/IP bindings from any network adapter except the dial-up adapter.
3. (Using LAN with modem for Net connection) - If you connect to the Internet through a network which uses a modem as its Internet connection (proxy server), you will need to put the modem in your own machine and connect to the Internet with that. Make sure to remove any TCP/IP bindings from the net card.
4. (Using SLIRP, or other such SLIP emulation) - UO will currently only run through a regular, 32-bit TCP/IP or SLIP connection. Utilities that emulate this through a UNIX shell will not work with UO. There is a UNIX client out there but we do not support it.
Behind a firewall or proxy server?
These ports are all outgoing TCP/IP ports on owo.com.
5000-5010 Game
7775-7777 Login
8888 Patch
8800-8900 UO Messenger
9999 Patch
7875 UOMonitor
Port 7875 is not used by the game, but by UOMonitor, which many of our players use to monitor server status.
Using WinProxy?
In order to connect from behind WinProxy, a 3rd party utility, called Sockscap, must be used. It uses the Socks protocol through WinProxy to get the connection out. You can download it for free at www.socks.nec.com; make sure that you download the Sockscap32 version 1.03 version, because there is a new beta version that does not work.
After installing Sockscap, run it, click on "File" then "Setup". For "Server" enter in the IP address of the proxy computer, and for "Port" enter 1080 (the port Sockscap uses in WinProxy). Under "Protocol" check "Socks 5" and under "Name Resolution" check "Attempt local then remote", then click "OK".
The last thing you need to do is create a link to the Ultima Online executable file. In the main window of Sockscap click on "New...", this will open a window to enter in the path to the executable. If you click on "Browse" in this new window you can search for the Ultima Online executable. Once you find it, double-click on it and all the necessary information will be entered into the Sockscap window, then you can click "OK". This puts an icon for this program into the main Sockscap window.
At this point all you need to do is click on the new icon in Sockscap for Ultima Online and then click on "Run Socksified!" in the bottom right of Sockscap. This will start the program and port all the connections out through WinProxy.
One thing you need to make sure of is that Socks protocol MUST be checked in WinProxy.
Do you get a dialogue box asking you to connect to AT&T Worldnet, yet you are already connected to the Internet and don't even use AT&T?
To correct this problem, double-click the AT&T shortcut, click on "Options", then uncheck the first two options and the last one (Turn off "Automatically disconnect ", "Automatically connect when using internet program", and "Automatically load Netscape"). Now, open "Control Panel" then "Add/Remove programs" select AT&T Worldnet and click "Remove" follow the prompts until it is removed. If you no longer have the AT&T desktop shortcut, you will need to reinstall the AT&T software, make the above changes, and then uninstall.
AOL and Parental Controls
If you have the Parental Control option enabled, you will not be able to connect to Ultima. If the screen name is set up for anything less than a mature rating you will get the message about being unable to connect to any of our servers.
To correct this problem, connect to AOL:
1. Enter the KEYWORDS "Parental Control".
2. Now click on the "Fine tune with custom controls" button.
3. Click on the "WEB" button.
4. Click on the "Report a Site" button.
5. Click on "Remove Site" so that there is a dot in the circle.
6. Enter the following IP Addresses (one at a time) in the "Site Name" window and click on the "SEND" button.
These are the IP addresses that you will need to enter.
159.153.226.41,7775
159.153.226.41,7776
159.153.226.43,7775
159.153.226.43,7776
216.140.133.181
216.140.133.174
216.141.8.210
216.141.8.151
209.143.193.43
209.143.193.36
209.143.193.9
206.251.7.234
206.251.7.246
206.251.7.240
212.36.142.210
212.36.142.220
203.139.106.220
203.139.106.237
203.139.106.230
203.139.106.210
206.251.7.227
Netscape and Parental Controls
If you are trying to use NETSCAPE with AOL and are using Web Controls' child approved access, you will be unable to connect to UO. You will need to follow the directions listed below.
Web Controls allows parents to restrict your children's' access to the World Wide Web.
The "Access Only Teen Approved Sites" control allows children to access only Web sites that have been deemed age-appropriate for kids 12-16 by Microsystems, Inc.
This Parental Controls feature was designed for parents whose children use the integrated AOL browser. If you take advantage of the "Access only Kid or Teen Approved Sites" feature and want your kids to use Netscape, you will have to make the following changes to Netscape's settings. These procedures assume that you've already downloaded and installed Netscape.
1. While logged onto AOL, open the Netscape browser.
2. From the "Options" menu, select "Network Preferences".
3. Click the "Proxies" tab.
4. Select "Manual Proxy Configuration", then click the "View" button.
5. In the HTTP Proxy field, type in the following address: ie3.proxy.aol.com
6. To the right of the HTTP Proxy field, in the Port box, type in 80.
7. Click OK.
UOTRACE
UOtrace will allow you to find out exactly where any problems in your Internet connection may be occurring. You can download it from here.
1.It is in self-extracting form and will unzip to C:\windows\temp. You can then put it in whatever folder you choose.
2.Double-click on the extracted "uotrace.exe" to run it.
3.Click "Options" then "Advanced".
4.Choose the server you wish to trace to from the drop-down list.
5.Click on the "Trace Route" button. A succession of host names will begin to appear in the main window. These are the computers your data passes through on its way to the UO Server. Once the function is complete, a message that says "Traceroute successful" will appear in the lower left corner of the window. If you get a message saying "Maximum number of hops exceeded" click on "Options" then "Settings", change the max hops to a higher number and re-trace.
6.To the left of each host name there is a shield icon. These should be green, indicating no problems.
7.Select "Poll". This tells the program to send packets of data through the route to the final host. As the data is being sent, look at the "pkts r/s" column. Let it send about 40 packets then select "Stop Poll".
UO server names:
Login.owo.com (login server)
Compassion.owo.com (patch server)
All others are the name of the server with the .owo.com extension (ex. Lakesuperior.owo.com).
How to interpret the results:
Host names/servers - These are the individual computers that make up the Internet. The connection you make to the UO server may travel through 15-25 individual hosts before reaching it. Problems suffered by these hosts can cause poor game performance. The shield icons next to the host names give a graphical display of quality, green indicating a good connection and as it worsens, the colors pass through various shades of yellow, red, gray, and finally, black.
Ping Average - Ultima Online uses the TCP/IP protocol that sends data in the form of packets. A ping time is the amount of time it takes for a packet of data to be sent from your computer to a host server. If you are getting pings that are higher than 200ms then you will notice a bit of latency in the game. If the ping for a particular host is too high (above 225ms) it usually signifies that the host you are testing is either receiving more traffic than it can effectively handle, or is having some type of technical issue. A high ping will cause your client to not be able to communicate fast enough with the server for the game to maintain fluid motion. This will result in your character's movements appearing jerky and you will notice that the players and monsters around you seem to be able to move much faster than you can. This is due to the fact that the other players are most likely taking a different route to the server and are not being affected by the problem. If you consistently notice high ping times, contact your ISP and discuss the problem with them. Be sure to have a list of the problem hosts or to actually be running UOtrace while you are speaking with them. There will be some routers that your data will pass through that are independent companies and your ISP may not have any influence over them. In this case you can use the nifty "Who is?" feature of UOtrace, simply right-click on a host name, select "Who is?" and you will be given information about that hop, usually including an email address and telephone numbers which you can use to contact them yourself.
% Loss - This is the percentage of packets that are being lost. In other words, you are sending information to or through that host and the host is either not receiving the data or is not able to return it to you. Any packet loss is a sign of some type of problem. These problems could be caused by hardware issues at the host server, bottlenecking (too many users communicating through that host), telephone line noise, and other causes. Most packet loss issues are generally resolved quickly by the hosts (a matter of minutes), although some may take several days to resolve. If you consistently notice packet loss, you should contact your provider to discuss possible solutions. You may also consider trying a different ISP.
Client Side Performance
Sometimes the cause of the slowdown may be located on your computer (the client). The quality of your hardware components plays a factor in achieving optimal performance. This means that the various devices that make up your computer can affect how well your computer runs the Ultima Online application. You may be able to determine if this is the case by using a friend's computer, if one is available. Try to connect to your current ISP via their computer, and see if you notice any difference. Obviously, try to create similar conditions. Make sure your friend lives in the same town or city and that you are calling the same POP (Point of Presence) phone number you would normally dial and that the connection speed is the same. If the other system is running the game faster, try to find out what may be different. Remember to not give out your account information or password to anyone. Although Ultima Online: The Second Age's minimum requirements are for a Pentium-166 with 32MB of RAM and a 2 meg video card, this kind of system may experience some slow down simply due to overall computer performance (how 'fast' the individual components are and how well they communicate with each other). The more RAM you have, the better the game will perform. A good video card can improve the game's performance as well. Although a 2MB video card is sufficient, a good 4 or 8MB video card will improve performance. Also, make sure you have the most recent drivers for your sound and video card, and that they are DirectX compatible.
You should also shut down any active background tasks before starting Ultima Online. If you bought your PC from a company such as Gateway, Dell, Hewlett Packard, or other big name distributor, then there is most likely a plethora of pre-installed software that runs at start up. To check what is running, press the ctrl-alt-delete keys at the same time, this will bring up the 'Close Program' window. Shut down everything except for Explorer and Systray, then connect to the Internet and run the game. It is also imperative that you perform regular housekeeping by periodically defragmenting and scandisking your hard drive(s) and making sure that you have the most up to date anti-virus .dat files.
Adjusting your modem settings
If you happen to be using a modem, there are some adjustments you can make which will improve data transfer stability.
Right-click "My Computer" and select "Properties", then "Device Manager". Find the "Modem" line and double-click on it, then double-click the line that appears underneath. You should now be in "Modem Properties". Click the "Modem" tab and set the "Max Connect" to 48.8 or 38.4 (try get as close to one of these two settings as possible without going below 28.8). Click the "Connection" tab and then "Advanced", disable "Compress Data" and "Error Control". Click "OK" on everything until you return to the Desktop. If you were connected while making these changes, you will need to disconnect and reconnect for the changes to take effect.
General Performance Issues
If you are using Win95 there is a utility available that can aid in increasing the quality of your Internet connection. Download http://www.mjs.u-net.com/mtuspeed410.exe, or go to www.download.com and search for "mtuspeed". Run the program. Select "Optimum Settings" then "Update Registry". This application decreases the Windows95 default packet size of 1500 bytes down to 576 bytes, this makes it easier for packets to travel to the host server.
TweakDUN
There is a utility available that allows manual adjustment of the size of the MTU (maximum transfer unit), changing this value can have a significant
impact on your connection. Go to www.download.com and search for "tweakdun". If you are using a standard modem,
set the MaxMTU to 576, if you have a
high speed connection (cable, dsl, etc.), select "Custom" and enter 1553, then click "OK".
Check your network settings
Open "Control Panel" and "Click "Network". On the 'Configuration" tab you should see a list of installed network components. If you have a regular ISP and you are using the Windows 95 or 98 TCP/IP connection to the Internet, and you are not on a LAN you should have only three items showing on that list.
Client for Microsoft Networks
Dial-Up Adapter
TCP/IP
If you have AOL installed, you will also see "AOL Adapter".
If you have Microsoft Personal Web Server, that will be there too.
Write down any changes you make so that you can reverse them if necessary. These
protocols can be added back to the list as easily as they are removed.
Highlight TCP/IP, Click "Properties",
Click the DNS Configuration tab.
Click the box that says: "Disable DNS"
Click the "WINS Configuration" tab
Click "Disable WINS Resolution
Click "OK"
Send us a traceroute
If you still have connection problems after making the recommended changes, then we would like you to send us a trace route. Open UOTrace, click 'Options', make sure 'Advanced' is selected. Then click 'Options' and then 'Settings' and make sure that the 'Skip first hop of Traceroute' box is unchecked (it is checked by default). Then select the server you wish to trace from the pull down menu. Now, click 'Trace Route'.
Once the trace has completed you will see a confirmation in the lower left corner of the window. Click the 'Poll' button and let it send 50-100 packets, click 'Stop Poll', then 'Edit' and 'Copy'. Now, open Notepad (Start>Programs>Acessories), right-click in the blank space and choose 'Paste'.
Save the file, attach it to an email, make a note of the date and time of the trace and send it to us at uotrace@owo.com. Please remember to type in the date and time that you took the trace. This information is very important.
