Age of Empires: Error: "Game stopped because it was out of sync!" or " You were dropped from the game because of a sync error." (194701)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Age of Empires
  • Microsoft Age of Empires Expansion: The Rise of Rome 1.0
  • Microsoft Age of Empires, Gold Edition
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings 2.0
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Expansion: The Conquerors
  • Microsoft Age of Empires II Gold Edition
This article was previously published under Q194701

SYMPTOMS

When you play a multiplayer game on one of the Microsoft Age of Empires games listed in the "Applies to" section of this article, you may receive one of the following error messages:
Game stopped because it was out of sync!
You were dropped from the game because of a sync error. Your network connection may have been lost.
Note This occurs when playing the multiplayer game types listed below.
  • IPX/SPX local Area Network
  • TCP/IP Local Area Network
  • Serial Connection
  • Modem to Modem Connection

CAUSE

This error message can occur if any of the following conditions is true:
  • The player is using a Trainer program.
  • The processor (CPU) installed in the computer is configured to use an incorrect clock speed (Overclocked).
  • A Realtek RTL 8029 network adapter is installed in your computer and the network adapter drivers are out of date.
  • You are connecting through a proxy server and the proxy settings in Internet Explorer are incorrect or set to use an Automatic Configuration Script.

RESOLUTION

The Player is using a Trainer Program

Do not use a trainer program while playing any of the games listed above.

More Information

A trainer program is a program that runs in the background that allows a player to have functionality that is not normally built into Age of Empires. While these programs are not necessarily cheats, they can still cause these synchronization errors because they tend to "piggyback" on the data packets. These programs are too numerous to list as they can be made by anyone that knows how to code.

It is important to note that these "trainer" programs, no matter what they are used for, are not supported or endorsed by Microsoft.

For more information about using Trainer programs in Age of Empires, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

250837 AOE: Age of Empires update is available

The Processor (CPU) Is Configured to Use an Incorrect Clock Speed (Overclocked)

Set the motherboard bus speed and multiplier to settings recommended by the manufacturer.

More Information

Often the Motherboard and processor can be pushed beyond its factory limitations. While in theory this sounds like a benefit, overclocking will severely limit the life of the processor. Overclocking a CPU can cause many strange anomalies since you are not only overclocking the processor but putting all of your devices at risk as well.

Overclocking can be undone either in the system BIOS or via a combination of jumper or dipswitches on the computer's Motherboard.

For more information about how to set up the processor for recommended use, please contact the Motherboard manufacturer or your OEM.

For information about how to contact the manufacturer of your hardware, click the appropriate article number in the following list to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

65416 Hardware and software vendor contact information, A-K

60781 Hardware and software vendor contact information, L-P

60782 Hardware and software vendor contact information, Q-Z

You are Using A Realtek RTL 8029 Network Adapter with an Outdated Driver

Download the Latest Driver for your network adapter.

To download the latest driver for your Realtek RTL 8029 network adapter, visit the following Realtek Web site:

http://www.realtek.com.tw

More Information

There is one version of this chipset that is incompatible with Windows XP. For more information, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx

This particular adapter is often an onboard Network Adapter.

There was a network incompatibility in this particular Network adapter's older drivers. Newer drivers usually fix this error.

Connecting Through a Proxy Server and the Proxy settings in Internet Explorer are Incorrect or Set to Use an Automatic Configuration Script

Contacy your Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the correct proxy settings.

If your ISP supports automatic proxy detection, set Internet Explorer to automatically detect proxy settings instead of running a configuration script.

To set Internet Explorer to automatically detect proxy settings:

Internet Explorer 5 or Later

  1. Open Internet Explorer, and then click Tools.
  2. Click Internet Options.
  3. On the Connection tab, click LAN Settings.
  4. Click to clear the Use Automatic Configuration Script check box.
  5. Select the Automatically Detect Settings check box.
  6. Click OK, click OK again, and then restart Internet Explorer.
For more information about how to play multiplayer games through a firewall or Proxy Server, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

895864 Ports that you must open in Windows Firewall to play or to host a multiplayer game in Age of Empires II

More Information

The appropriate ports and settings must be present on your ISP's end as well as your own (if you are using a firewall). It is important to note that many antivirus software installation packages also install their own version of a firewall and they are often set to their most restrictive settings. Please contact your firewall/antivirus program manufacturer for help configuring their software.

Sometimes a proxy client will configure your browser to use an automatic configuration script. This can interfere with the network traffic that a DirectX game requires and cause a sync error.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/14/2006
Keywords:kbnetwork kberrmsg kbHardware kbprb KB194701
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