Answer: Make sure port 17011 isn't forwarded to more than one IP

I'm someone who used to tell people playing on WormNET who asked why they can't host games to go to portforward.com, and now I can't host games after getting a new computer, even using portforward.com!

I followed every single step perfectly to the letter for my router (static IP, forwarded port 17011, you name it) and I have no software firewalls at all, yet the PFPortChecker says it isn't able to make a TCP connection with port 17011. I checked their help areas, and everything either blames an incorrect port forward or a software firewall, but neither of those two apply to my situation.

(By turning off the firewall in my in-browser router setup page I'm able to get PFPortChecker to give me a ping result, but still not an open port result. When that firewall is ON, it doesn't give me the ping either, but that's fine, as I'd only turn that off if it will give me the open port check as well.)

Anyone know what's going on?

Edit: I also can't seem to get the WormNAT2 plugin to work that I just found out about recently. I put the .dll in the WA directory and got an intro message about it when I open Worms, but no one seems able to join my hosted game anyway. I didn't read anything about them needing the .dll too or anything like that, so I'm not sure what the issue may be.

Anyone know what's going on?
Did you change your ISP? Due to the lack of IPv4 addresses some ISPs use NAT: they block you out and merge thousands of users under the same IP and your only option can be buying a dedicated address. Check if it's the case
host a game, minimize, and see what does canyouseeme.org tell you?

I put the .dll in the WA directory and got an intro message about it when I open Worms, but no one seems able to join my hosted game anyway.
only one dll? how about wkPackets.dll and borldnmm.dll? They are required, otherwise nothing will work. Also, silly question but I hope you don't password your own games :o

1) Without WormNAT2: Are you hosting a game, then minimising the game, then using the PFPortChecker? Are you sure windows firewall is definitely disabled? You don't have port 17011 forwarded to more than one IP? (Some routers allow this but it actually makes no sense at all if you know how it works so it's bound to be intermittent or completely nonfunctional)
2) wrt WormNAT2, only you need the module. You also need I think it's called wkPackets.dll in your WA folder. It should just work then - only for games hosted over WormNET, mind.

UPDATE: I'm pretty sure the problem was related to Muzer's advice:
"You don't have port 17011 forwarded to more than one IP? (Some routers allow this but it actually makes no sense at all if you know how it works so it's bound to be intermittent or completely nonfunctional)"

17011 was indeed forwarded to more than one IP--my past static addresses--and because I didn't know about this previously they were still there as such, so I deleted them all except for my current static IP and it now works!:D

This is so vital that I feel it may help a lot of people if it's made clearer in any applicable pages. Portforward.com doesn't mention it either.

For what it's worth, before I got to that part of the test, turning off Windows firewall actually made WormNAT2 work. That's what I did at first and what I was going to go with until I came across that part of Muzer's post. But now I have Windows Firewall back on, to be safe, but I'm also keeping the WormNAT2 dlls in place because for whatever reason hosting without it still didn't work, as little sense as that makes to me since WormNAT2 doesn't have to do with 17011 at all as far as I know? Maybe it does and I still need it, but the point is it works now, even with my Windows firewall back on for safety. By the way, I may have also been confused by Portfoward's use of the term 'software firewall.' I thought this meant programs like ESET antivirus, whereas that Windows firewall was considered more built-in than a 'software' firewall.

And for what it's worth, answers to the other questions:
No, I didn't change my ISP. Canyouseeme.org returned 17011 with "Error: I could not see your service" both when I'm not hosting and when I am, until I did Muzer's fix and now that works there too. Yes, I have all the needed .dll's, I could've said dll's instead of dll.

Thanks guys and Muzer!!:D:D:D

Hmm, it does sound like WormNAT2 isn't taking any effect - or it is but for whatever reason it didn't like your firewall. I would just as an experiment try getting rid of it (moving the DLLs out of the WA folder, or renaming wkWormNAT2.dll so it doesn't start with wk, will do the trick).