Connection loss to server in local network on internet connection loss

[clockwork]

Basic Info:

Platform: Steam
Issue Type: Connection Issues
Game Mode: Online Private
Server Type: PvE
Map: Exiled Lands
Server Name: none (it is not available publicly and as such not listed / found in the server explorer)
Mods: none

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Bug Description:

Setup:

Dedicated server hosted on a machine in the local network.
The server is started and controlled via the Dedicated Server Launcher Tool.
Game is launched either on a different computer in the same network or directly on the server host machine for the purposes of this ticket.

Issue:

Whenever there is any kind of internet problem (e.g. Steam disconnects randomly every now and then) the game clients drop their connection to the server, with an error message saying it has no internet connection.
This happens infrequently, but daily, usually a couple of times over a span of a few hours, sometimes multiple times shortly one after another. Sometimes it won’t even let me use online play.

Running the game client and the server on the same machine yields exactly the same result, so it is not an issue with the local network.
Furthermore, running Steam in Offline Mode (to eliminate Steam API as a potential error source) disables the games online feature altogether.

Note:

The server is running just fine, no matter if there is a working internet connection or not. It also does not log anything that would indicate it kicked the client. So it seems to be purely a client issue.

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Bug Reproduction:

Start a server instance in the local network.
Run the game client in the same network (either on the same or a separate machine).
Connect to the server.
Cut the internet access (though obviously not the access to the local network if you’re testing with separate machines).
Observe the game disconnecting and not letting you reconnect until the internet connection is re-established.

[Xevyr]

That is because the game requires constant internet connection to the Funcom servers to function.
So while your local network is just fine, the internet connection loss it’s referring to is because your actual internet connection is intermittently having trouble establishing a route to said servers.

Why is that the case? Well in the past I am guessing for statistics user management (funcom id and whatnot) and the server lists so I was a bit unhappy with it as well… as I didn’t see enough justification for the game to force an active internet connection on the user when you could just direct connect to your local server… Now however the whole battle-pass / bazaar stuff functions through that. That’s how you’re able to get daily challenges and complete them… all of that is completely online via Funcom servers… even to the point where atm if your internet cuts out you can’t even equip your Battle Pass armor since that’s where it verifies your entitlement to it and not locally.

[clockwork]

Well I guessed as much.
If the game client can’t connect to the funcom or steam services and if those are required for the optional battlepass stuff, then only that specific aspect of the game should stop working. It is optional after all, not an integral part of the game without which it can’t function.
It definitely should not quit the game.

As such I do think this should be considered a bug.
It is disruptive and it ruins game play - I actually had to roll back twice now since it unfortunately happend in boss fights in these cases.

As a side-note: They could just save the newest battlepass related information for offline availability in a signed format locally. Problem solved, no need for non-stop connectivity. Since there’s nothing stopping anyone from cheating all the battlepass stuff (you get the rewards wether there’s VAC/BattleEye or not), the argument of eligibility verification goes out the window, imho.

[Mayra]

Greetings Exile,

Thank you for reaching out. Please feel free to join the Admins united Discord server where you can find troubleshooting and other Admins that might help you with this matter:

Join the Admins United: Conan Discord Server!

We hope this helps!

[clockwork]

Greetings Mayra,

thanks for your response. I have asked on the discord if anyone knows a workaround/solution for this behavior. However, I am not too hopeful that anyone there can actually help me. It seems to be exclusively a client side issue after all.

[clockwork]

As I feared, the people on that Discord server were not able to help me, it is not a server config issue, it is a game issue. Because it has a detrimental effect on my gaming experience I petition that this design choice should be reconsidered.

[croozi]

This is happening on my G-Portal hosted server exactly as you described and they can’t figure it our either. This didn’t happen before FC patch 3.0

[marelooke]

It’s always-online-DRM. Game used to function just fine without it in the past.

[clockwork]

I can’t find any media article regarding CE piracy other than the one incident in 2017 when Funcom accidentally released a build without any anti-piracy at all. Makes me wonder what prompted them to suddendly opt into an always online model, when it isn’t the industries standard way of handling DRM for games that allow private hosting.