confusing error message: Battlefield control: master server communication failed

[dpriskorn]

Issue Summary

Unable to focus on gameplay because of message being repeated every second

DESCRIPTION
The error message keeps coming after starting the game every second.

Reproduction

STEPS TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE

1. tried upnp enabled on router and both clients

2. created multiplayer game

3. at once the error message starts appearing and beeping every second
   

4. tried https://www.reddit.com/r/openra/comments/9ey6m9/openra_direct_ip_problems/ forward tcp 1234 to the ip of the game host

5. created a multiplayer game

6. at once the error message starts appearing and beeping every second

Expected behavior

EXPECTED BEHAVIOR
either:

• error that tells me what is wrong and what to do about it
  or
• ability to turn of this kind of status updates which does not seem to matter and just disturbs gameplay

Screenshots / Screen recordings / Replays

$ openra-ra
Platform is Linux
Engine version is release-20210321
Using SDL 2 with OpenGL (Modern) renderer
Desktop resolution: 1366x768
No custom resolution provided, using desktop resolution
Using resolution: 1366x768
Using window scale 1.00
OpenGL renderer: NVA8
OpenGL version: 3.3 (Core Profile) Mesa 22.2.3
Using default sound device
Internal mods:
d2k: Dune 2000 (release-20210321)
ra: Red Alert (release-20210321)
modcontent: Mod Content Manager (release-20210321)
cnc: Tiberian Dawn (release-20210321)
External mods:
ra-release-20210321: Red Alert (release-20210321)
Loading mod: ra
Getting the external IP from NAT device failed: Data at the root level is invalid. Line 1, position 1.
System.Net.Sockets.SocketOptionName 0x17 is not supported at IP level
Platform is Linux
Engine version is release-20210321
AL lib: FreeContext: (0x55b4345b42f0) Deleting 32 Source(s)
$ Using SDL 2 with OpenGL (Modern) renderer
Desktop resolution: 1366x768
Using resolution: 1024x768
Using window scale 1.00
OpenGL renderer: NVA8
OpenGL version: 3.3 (Core Profile) Mesa 22.2.3
Using default sound device
Internal mods:
d2k: Dune 2000 (release-20210321)
ra: Red Alert (release-20210321)
modcontent: Mod Content Manager (release-20210321)
cnc: Tiberian Dawn (release-20210321)
External mods:
ra-release-20210321: Red Alert (release-20210321)
Loading mod: ra
Getting the external IP from NAT device failed: Data at the root level is invalid. Line 1, position 1.
System.Net.Sockets.SocketOptionName 0x17 is not supported at IP level
Platform is Linux
Engine version is release-20210321
AL lib: FreeContext: (0x556c5c616110) Deleting 32 Source(s)
Using SDL 2 with OpenGL (Modern) renderer
Desktop resolution: 1366x768
Using resolution: 1024x768
Using window scale 1.00
OpenGL renderer: NVA8
OpenGL version: 3.3 (Core Profile) Mesa 22.2.3
Using default sound device
Internal mods:
d2k: Dune 2000 (release-20210321)
ra: Red Alert (release-20210321)
modcontent: Mod Content Manager (release-20210321)
cnc: Tiberian Dawn (release-20210321)
External mods:
ra-release-20210321: Red Alert (release-20210321)
Loading mod: ra
System.Net.Sockets.SocketOptionName 0x17 is not supported at IP level
System.Net.Sockets.SocketOptionName 0x17 is not supported at IP level
System.Net.Sockets.SocketOptionName 0x17 is not supported at IP level

[abcdefg30]

There was a master server outage earlier this day. Does the problem still persist?

Regardless we shouldn't log this during gameplay.

[dpriskorn]

Oh, This is appearing on a private LAN with no internet connection.

[dpriskorn]

Is there any way to turn of the master server thing? E.g. Start with --no-master-server or somerhing?

[dragunoff]

Is there any way to turn of the master server thing? E.g. Start with --no-master-server or somerhing?

Glancing at the code it looks like if the game is not advertised online then master server communication should not be going on. Do you have this checkbox on or off?

[dragunoff]

I was able to reproduce the bug:

1. Turn off internet connection
2. Start OpenRA
3. Create a multiplayer server with "Advertise Online" turned ON

I doesn't happen if "Advertise Online" is OFF so I think printing the message is the correct behavior 🤔

[dpriskorn]

Oh, that indeed sounds like sound logic to me. In that case I would like a more clear error message. E.g. "Publish online was selected at game creation. Cannot publish the game on the internet because we cannot reach the game list server, trying again in one second."

[Leo512bit]

How about this message?

Master server communication failed. Failed to advertise online.

Also maybe don't have this message pop up in battle?

[dpriskorn]

Also maybe don't have this message pop up in battle?

If they can't join during the battle anyway that sounds great

[Mailaender]

There was a master server outage earlier this day.

I created https://status.openhv.net/ which also checks the master server.

[anvilvapre]

Related source lines.

OpenRA/OpenRA.Mods.Common/ServerTraits/MasterServerPinger.cs

Lines 89 to 90 in c82be17

	if (server.Settings.AdvertiseOnline)
	UpdateMasterServer(server, gs.ToPOSTData(false));

OpenRA/OpenRA.Mods.Common/ServerTraits/MasterServerPinger.cs

Lines 187 to 192 in c82be17

	catch (Exception ex)
	{
	Log.Write("server", ex.ToString());
	lock (masterServerMessages)
	masterServerMessages.Enqueue(Error);
	}