Spring RTS Engine

Just installed spring .74B3 from the full installer, but the lobby gives me this:

[18:06:52] Connecting to taspringmaster.clan-sy.com ...
[18:06:52] Connection established to taspringmaster.clan-sy.com
[18:07:22] Timeout assumed. Disconnecting ...
[18:07:22] Connection to server closed!

I have added all the ports to the windows firewall (UDP, right? TCP didnt work either) and put every spring program I can find on the exceptions list. No joy.

I checked back a few pages, and saw L0223R mention Tiscali (http://spring.clan-sy.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=8762). Other online games (EVE-online and World Of Fedexcraft) were having trouble a while ago because tiscali was blocking certain ports because of p2p. The thread died, and I havent been able to find/search any solutions.

Any other tiscali users having problems?
Or what have I missed? this is driving me insane.

EDIT: I had removed the previous spring version and deleted the folder before installing.
EDIT: resetting registry data does not work

YET ANOTHER EDIT:

Tried connecting after 10pm, which is when tiscali stops blocking various ports, but still cant connect. I had hoped I could at least play Spring after 10pm, but it seems not.

enable debug mode (ctrl+shift+f6) and tell if it receives anything from the server at all?

again with debug mode....

[19:38:18] Connecting to taspringmaster.clan-sy.com ...
[19:38:19] Connection established to taspringmaster.clan-sy.com
[19:38:29] Client: "PING"
[19:38:30] Client: "PING"
[19:38:31] Client: "PING"
[19:38:32] Client: "PING"
[19:38:33] Client: "PING"
[19:38:34] Client: "PING"
[19:38:35] Client: "PING"
[19:38:36] Client: "PING"
[19:38:37] Client: "PING"
[19:38:38] Client: "PING"
[19:38:39] Client: "PING"
[19:38:40] Client: "PING"
[19:38:41] Client: "PING"
[19:38:42] Client: "PING"
[19:38:43] Client: "PING"
[19:38:44] Client: "PING"
[19:38:45] Client: "PING"
[19:38:46] Client: "PING"
[19:38:47] Client: "PING"
[19:38:48] Client: "PING"
[19:38:49] Client: "PING"
[19:38:49] Timeout assumed. Disconnecting ...
[19:38:49] Connection to server closed!

It seems i can get on before 16:30 and if I get into a game by then it wont disconnect, though i usually get a message about half way through the game saying "L0223R disconnected from lobby (timeout assumed)" or similar.

Btw. i can now get on Xfire all the time, before it used to stop around 7pm

yeah, same here:

[18:10:44] Connecting to taspringmaster.clan-sy.com ...
[18:10:45] Connection established to taspringmaster.clan-sy.com
[18:11:02] Client: "PING"
[18:11:03] Client: "PING"
[18:11:04] Client: "PING"
[18:11:05] Client: "PING"
[18:11:06] Client: "PING"
[18:11:07] Client: "PING"
[18:11:08] Client: "PING"
[18:11:09] Client: "PING"
[18:11:10] Client: "PING"
[18:11:11] Client: "PING"
[18:11:12] Client: "PING"
[18:11:13] Client: "PING"
[18:11:14] Client: "PING"
[18:11:15] Client: "PING"
[18:11:15] Timeout assumed. Disconnecting ...
[18:11:15] Connection to server closed!

I am able to connect outside of, roughly, 4.30 till 11.30pm.

So it is probably tiscali related, and they arent going to change anything for something like Spring.

Is there any way we can get around this? changing ports in settings does nothing of course.

I don't know if you've noticed, but Xfire used to have the same problem until they updated it a month or so ago. The inverse is true with spring. i think it stoped working round about when they released 0.74b1

Spring now seems a lot more sensitive to this than xfire used to be.
Xfire used to stop working dead on 7pm, but now spring wont work after 4:30
NOTE: its only the Lobby which stops

I wonder what exactly got changed in spring to make this happen?

Nothing did, it's your ISP's problem. Judging from wikipedia:

Although Tiscali offers unlimited broadband packages, the company has been known to "cap" individual usage. Tiscali customers must comply with a Fair Usage Policy, which is intended to reduce the bandwidth required by the hosts. As a result, users who frequently use peer to peer or take up a considerable amount of bandwidth by downloading large files are often warned about their excessive usage and, if it continues, may have their usage "capped" during peak times (usually between 6pm and 11pm depending on which regional company provides the service).

Hmm, I've been getting this since yesterday. But then I also have a bizzare error where I can't download via opera. And only on this computer !! It's not the cable because I've just checked that. The other PC's in the house seem to work fine, gah I don't get it.

Ok the opera error's 'gone away (!?) ' but the lobbys still timing out....

It appears to not be my pc as I've just tried running TAS client on another computer on the network with the ame result. Is there any way to check if my ISP's (freedom 2 surf) doing something funny?

Tiscali say they will warn you before they limit your usage, yet I've never received any such message from them. I think they just apply this limit to everyone.

My isp insist that they don't cap, and I've just phoned their technical help section who recomended that it might be my router.

I'm going to try a reset of the router, and then try borrowing a new one but in addition would whoever's in charge of the current server be able to tell me an alternate port to try?

Does this also happen with AFLobby/Unity? If so it may be that your system configuration is at fault. Another lobby may also give a different answer which could shed more light.

Good idea, I'll try it out tomorrow.