Why does it take so long to load into a server?

[TheGardenofEthan]

I don't know if anyone else has noticed this or had the same problem but whenever I try to go on to either my friends server or a public server it always takes FOREVER to load and I never get on. Please help

[little_me]

wild guess based on information given.

Case A: Friends server
Friend has not forwarded the server port in the router, no one besides him can join.

Case B: Public server
Said server IP is something like 5.xxx.xxx.xxx meaning hamachi, which would require you to have hamachi also to connect to it.

in both cases, game tries, tries and tries again until it all times out.
More and better solutions might be possible if more information is given out.

[TheGardenofEthan]

Thanks but my friend and I both have the same rouder, Thomson

[little_me]

so.. your friend brought his computer to your house? or lives right next door (if we assume wireless) otherwise it cannot be same router.

You see, from your router, all the data goes through phone lines or cable, depending which it uses to your service provider.
from there, it goes to either your friends router or the service provider your friend has and then to his router.

due to security reasons, connections that have not already established access through the router are blocked as "unwanted"
this is why the port forwarding part is important. you allow connections coming to certain port to pass through.

[TheGardenofEthan]

okay Thanks for the info youve been a great help

[Joshua]

well I can never get in to a game it takes like 20 minutes and when it has loaded it dosent respond

[Distruebix]

If you're joining via steam, somethimes it's blocked ( Don't know the auctual causes ), if you have been on the Connecting to [name] for longer than 5 minutes, I suggest you have your friend restart the server.