Stick Fight: The Game: Fix For Multiplayer Networking Issues

I’m creating this guide to share with others a fairly simple workaround to allow you and your friends to play together if you are running into network-related issues. This guide will fix the “could not connect to host, please check firewall” error when trying to join friends via Steam.

The general problem is usually that somebody has a restrictive firewall which prevents Stick Fight from connecting to your friends computers. Normally your OS firewall (Ex: Windows firewall) is not the problem, but rather its your network’s firewall that is blocking the connections. Other things like whether you’re using IPv6 or not can have an effect.

The solution is to create a small VPN that everyone who wants to play connects to. You and your three friends can connect to this VPN and then everyone’s computer will see each other without any fuss, and Stick Fight will then just work without issue because it now thinks all of you are on a LAN together, which you kind of are.

If none of that made any sense, that’s okay. The setup is very simple and I’ll explain all of the steps and what you need to do.

This is not the only way to get your Stick Fight lobby working, but I’d argue it’s probably the easiest and fastest especially for those with not a lot of know-how when it comes to networking.

• Everyone must install the ZeroTier One client (explained in part 2).
• Everyone must have administrative access in order to install the client.
• Only one person needs to sign up for a ZeroTier account and manage the network. Nobody else needs an account.

• ZeroTier will try to establish a direct connection between clients (your computers) without the use of a server. This improves latency, but sometimes direct connections are not possible. In cases where direct connections aren’t possible, the connection will be relayed through a server hosted by ZeroTier. Relayed connections are fairly stable but they do incur a latency penalty which may be noticeable.
• By default, a ZeroTier network is configured to allow all traffic between clients freely. This is required for Stick Fight because it uses random UDP ports, so there isn’t a way of predicting which traffic to allow. The downside to this is that all clients are exposed to each other, so it is of upmost importance that everyone has their firewalls configured properly (see side note below) in case one of your friends has an infected computer that may try to infect others over the network.

You may sometimes see the suggestion to “disable your Windows firewall.” Even the developer of Stick Fight has suggested this.

YOU SHOULD NEVER DISABLE YOUR WINDOWS FIREWALL AND DOING SO IS NEVER THE CORRECT NOR NECESSARY SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM.

Disabling Windows Firewall to fix a network issue is like losing the key to your front door and deciding to remove the entire front door to your home instead of just, you know, replacing the lock. Do not remove the front door to your home, and do not disable the Windows firewall.

Check your firewall right now and make sure it’s enabled. Seriously, do it now. Do not continue until you’ve checked it’s turned on. Enabling the firewall on its own is often not enough to ensure security, but it’s better than nothing, and the extra steps one should take are beyond the scope of this guide, so I implore you to read/watch information related to properly configuring your Windows firewall.

(To be added)

Step 1: Create a ZeroTier Account
Visit ZeroTier’s website and click the Sign Up button at the top-right of the page. Follow all of the necessary steps to create an account.
https://www.zerotier.com/

Step 2: Create a ZeroTier Network
Once you’ve finished signing up, you should be sent to your Networks page. All you should see is a blank white page with an orange Create A Network button in the center. Click this button.

After clicking, you should now see a network with a randomly generated name. Click this network to open its settings.

At the top of the page, you will see the Network ID. Just below, you will see a section titled Members which currently has a large yellow warning box explaining that no devices are currently connected to the network. Take note of this section for part 2 when we join the network.

Step 1: Download ZeroTier One
ZeroTier requires a lightweight background service to run in order to connect you to your network. Downloads for ZeroTier One can be found on their downloads page. The setup is extremely simple.
ZeroTier Downloads Page[www.zerotier.com]
For Windows and macOS users, ZeroTier One also installs a separate program, ZeroTier UI, which allows you to use a menu instead of having to use the command line. This guide will continue assuming you are on Windows.

Step 2: Open ZeroTier UI and Join New Network…
ZeroTier will show as a tray icon (little icons at the far right end of your taskbar) after you finish installation. Clicking on this icon will open the ZeroTier menu. From this menu, click the Join New Network… option. This will open a small dialogue box asking for a Network ID.

Your Network ID, as explained in Part 1, is at the top of the page we opened. Copy this Network ID and paste it into the text box of the ZeroTier dialogue box, then click the Join button.

Step 3: Authorize New Network Members
By default, ZeroTier will ignore new devices that join your ZeroTier network unless you allow them from the webpage we have open. In just a moment, you should see your device show up in the Members list with a no-entry emoji next to it, denoting it as an unauthorized device. Select your device with the checkbox along the left side and then click the Authorize button. The emoji should then switch to a green check emoji. Your device is now authorized and should connect to the network within the next few seconds.

Step 4: Verify Network Connection
The best way to check your connection is to use the ZeroTier menu. When you now click the ZeroTier icon in your tray, you should see your network’s name listed. If you only see the network ID and not the name, then you either have not authorized your device or simply need to wait (shouldn’t take longer than two minutes from authorizing on the website).

Regardless of what is shows, hovering over the network will open a second menu with information. In this menu, there is a Status line. This should say OK. If it says REQUESTING_CONFIGURATION then it’s attempting to connect. This should change to OK within two minutes of device authorization. If you see ACCESS_DENIED then check to ensure you allowed the device on the website.

Assuming you were able to connect to your own network and your Status shows OK in the ZeroTier UI menu, you are ready to go!

Have your friends follow the same steps of installing the ZeroTier client and adding your network via the Network ID. Authorize them as they join through the website and you’re all set.
Your friends do not need ZeroTier accounts! All they need is the client software and your Network ID!