Ports you must open in Windows Firewall to play or host Age of Empires III multiplayer (2023)

INTRODUCTION

This article describes the ports that you must open in Microsoft Windows Firewall to play or host the Microsoft Age of Empires III multiplayer game. Additionally, this article describes the benefits of enabling a UPnP architecture that supports peer-to-peer Plug and Play functionality for network devices.

This article also lists the port addresses that should be opened on computers that do not have Windows Firewall but instead use a proxy server, router, Network Address Translation (NAT), or Internet connection sharing.

More information

Windows Firewall in Microsoft Windows XP

Windows Firewall, formerly known as Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), is a protective boundary that monitors and restricts information that travels between your computer and the network or between your computer and the Internet. This provides a line of defense against someone who might try to access your computer from outside the Windows Firewall without your permission.

When you use Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), you do not need to manually create port exceptions in Windows Firewall. Instead, you can create exceptions for the program itself. In this case, when a program tries to access a port, Windows Firewall allows access to that port.

To create exceptions for a program in Windows XP, follow these steps.

Note Do not open a connection for a program you do not recognize.

ClickBeginning, clickRun, type wscui.cpl, and then clickAlright.
ClickVatrozid for Windows.
Click onexceptionstab, clickadd programand then clicklook for.
Find the Age of Empires III executable file, and then click on it.Open. By default, the Age of Empires III executable is installed to the following location:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires III\Age3.exe
Find the automatic patch for Age of Empires III, then click on itOpen. By default, the automatic patch for Age of Empires III is installed in the following location:

C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Age of Empires III\Autopatcher.exe
ClickAlright.
ClickAlrightto close the Windows Firewall dialog.

For more information about Windows Firewall settings, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

875357Troubleshoot Windows Firewall settings in Windows XP Service Pack 2

Windows Firewall in Windows Vista

To resolve this issue, follow the steps in the appropriate section.

The computer is connected to the Internet.

See the "Allow a program to communicate through Windows Firewall" topic on the following Windows online help and support website:

The computer is not connected to the Internet

See the "Allow programs to communicate through Windows Firewall" topic in Windows Help and Support on your computer's hard drive by following these steps:

ClickBeginningand then clickhelp and support.
tuAsk for helpbox or inFind help onlinein the box, type Allow the program to communicate through Windows Firewall, and then clickAsk for help.
In the list of topics, clickAllow the program to communicate through Windows Firewall.
Click on the link that best describes the problem you are experiencing.
Follow the suggestions to resolve the problem you encountered.

UPnP architecture

With the addition of Device Plug and Play capabilities to the operating system, it has become much easier to install, configure, and add peripherals to your computer. UPnP extends this simplicity to include the entire network by enabling discovery and control of networked devices and services, such as network printers, Internet gateways, and consumer electronics. UPnP is more than just an extension of the Plug and Play peripheral model. UPnP is designed to support configuration-free networks and automatic detection for various categories of devices from many vendors. With UPnP, a device can do the following:

Join the network dynamically
Get an IP address
Device capabilities transfer
Automatically learns about the presence and capabilities of other devices

The devices can then communicate with each other. This allows peer-to-peer networking with UPnP.

To enable UPnP on Windows XP, follow these steps:

ClickBeginningand then clickcontrol Panel.
ClickAdd or remove programsand then clickAdd or remove Windows components.
tuComponentslist, click to selectnetwork servicescheck box, and then clickdetails.
tunetwork servicesclick to select dialogInternet gateway device discovery and control clientbox.
click to selectUPnP user interfacecheck box, and then clickAlright.
ClickFollowingand then clickfinish it.

To enable UPnP in Windows Vista, follow the instructions in the following Windows how-to and help article.

To resolve this issue, follow the steps in the appropriate section.

The computer is connected to the Internet.

See the "Using Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control" topic on the following Windows Help and Support Web site:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/

The computer is not connected to the Internet

See the "Using Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control" topic in Windows Help and Support on your computer's hard drive by following these steps:

ClickBeginningand then clickhelp and support.
tuAsk for helpbox or inFind help onlinetype Uso de Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control, and then clickAsk for help.
In the list of topics, clickKorištenje Internet Gateway Device detection and control.
Click on the link that best describes the problem you are experiencing.
Follow the suggestions to resolve the problem you encountered.

For more information about UPnP, visit the following Microsoft website:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb457049.aspxNote You may need to enable UPnP on any external router hardware you may have as part of your network. To ensure that your network hardware supports UPnP and for instructions on how to enable UPnP, see the documentation that came with your network hardware.

For more information about the UPnP architecture, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

821371Mogućnosti Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control Client i Universal Plug and Play

886257How Windows Firewall Affects the UPnP Framework in Windows XP Service Pack 2

Port lists for Age of Empires III

If you are not using Windows Firewall, you can still open the ports used by the game when you set up the network.

To check if these ports are open or to open them, contact your network administrator or Internet Service Provider (ISP). If you are a network administrator, consult the documentation that came with your network software to determine how to open these ports.

The following list explains the game port configuration specifications:

Port forwarding must be enabled on TCP port 80.
Port forwarding must be enabled on TCP port 2300.
Port forwarding must be enabled on UDP ports ranging from 2300 to 2310 from your router to the computer hosting the game.

Manual port forwarding

If you are using online port forwarding and want to manually configure the game, you must first download and then install the latest version of Age of Empires III. To do this, clickhelp and toolson the main game screen, then clickupdate the game. Alternatively, visit the following Microsoft website:

http://www.agecommunity.com/gameUpdates.aspxThen configure the game based on how you want the game to connect to the network. To do this, set the override port and override address in the game settings.

abort connection

Override Port will allow you to specify the port to use instead of relying on UPnP or the in-game port discovery process. This port is useful when you have multiple computers behind the same NAT and want to use port forwarding. To use port override, follow these steps:

Otvorite mapu My Documents\My Games\Age of Empires 3\Startup.
If the user.cfg file is not there, create it. To do this, clickArchive, clickNovi, clicktext documentand then type user.cfg.
When prompted to change the file name extension, clickY.
Right-click on the file, then selectTo open with.
tuTo open withdialog box, clickLaptopand then clickAlright.
Type a new line: OverridePort=[the port number you specify]. For example, type OverridePort="2301"
OfArchivemenu clickSave.
OfArchivemenu clickSalida.
Configure your router to forward the port you specified to the IP address of the computer you are using.

override address

Override Address will allow you to specify an external IP address to use instead of relying on the address returned by the game's address server or on the LAN, the internal IP address used by the game. To use an overridden address, follow these steps:

Open the user.cfg file again.
Type a new line: OverrideAddress=[The IP address you provide]. For example, type OverrideAddress="72.3.199.57".
OfArchivemenu clickSave.
OfArchivemenu clickSalida.

Note To determine your external IP address, visit one of the following third-party websites:

http://www.whatismyip.com

http://www.knowmyip.com

http://www.formyip.comMicrosoft provides third-party contact information to help you find technical support. These contact details are subject to change without notice. Microsoft does not guarantee the accuracy of this third-party contact information.