🎮 From Game Glitches to Internet Mastery: How Fixing "A Way Out" Led Me Down the DNS Rabbit Hole 🕵️‍♂️

Ever had a moment where a small tech issue unexpectedly unlocked a whole new plethora for learning?

That’s exactly what happened to me. One minute, I was just trying to troubleshoot a connection error while playing A Way Out, an adrenaline-packed co-op game by EA, and the next thing I knew—I was knee-deep in exploring how the internet’s nervous system (DNS) works. What started as a frustrating error message, “Cannot connect to EA servers,” ended up unlocking an entirely new realm of knowledge about DNS servers, public IPs, ISP routing, and how the internet stitches everything together behind the scenes.

Back in my college days, I was more focused on writing code than worrying about the underlying mechanics of the internet. Sure, I knew about DNS, IP addresses, and networking fundamentals—but I never really gave them much thought beyond what was needed to pass an exam. Little did I know, a simple gaming frustration would lead to one of the biggest "aha!" moments of my day. What I learned left me amazed—and I’m about to take you on that same journey. Buckle up! 🚀

🎮 The Problem: "Cannot Connect to EA Servers"

It all began when I launched A Way Out for a quick multiplayer session. Everything was fine—until I was hit with the dreaded error:

🛑 "Cannot connect to EA servers."

Like any gamer, I followed the basic troubleshooting steps:
✅ Restarted the game.
✅ Restarted my PC.
✅ Checked my internet.

But nothing worked. Frustration level: MAX.

That’s when I turned to YouTube tutorials and came across various fixes. Some suggested:

• Running ipconfig /flushdns

• Setting public DNS servers like Google’s 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4

At the time, I blindly followed the steps without fully understanding them. And guess what?

Nothing changed.

💡 The Game-Changer: A Simple Network Reset

I was about to give up when I decided to try one last thing—resetting all network settings and restarting my PC. To my surprise...🎉 Voila! Multiplayer was back. But that’s when the real curiosity kicked in.

Why did this work?
What had actually happened behind the scenes?

I was determined to uncover the truth. And that’s when I began asking myself a series of related questions that would eventually lead me to unlock a wealth of knowledge.

🛒 An Unexpected Tech Spiral: The Shopping Trip That Helped

Later that evening, I was out shopping with my mom. She was deep in her shopping spree, and I was... well, bored.

So, I started scrolling through Hashnode blogs on my phone.

I stumbled upon an article about Gradle, Maven, and npm—common build tools in software development. The blog mentioned something about Groovy and Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs).

That word—Domain—sparked a mental connection.

Wait... wasn’t I just dealing with something called Domain Name System (DNS)?

That’s when it clicked:
🔹 DNS is literally “Domain Name System.”
🔹 It’s why we can type ea.com instead of some long IP address.
🔹 And maybe... just maybe... I should finally understand what the hell just happened.

And just like that, my curiosity pulled me back into the world of networking. I had to dig deeper. 🚀

🌐 The 13 Questions That Led to Clarity

To get to the bottom of this, I started asking questions—lots of them.

Here’s a list of the exact 13 questions (or prompts) I asked ChatGPT (and myself) along the way:

1. What is DNS?

2. What is the use of ipconfig /flushdns?

3. Do you know anything about the game A Way Out? Why couldn’t I connect to EA servers?

4. I reset the network settings, and it worked. What could the problem have been?

5. What is the DNS of A Way Out game currently?

6. How can a public DNS connect me to the EA server?

7. Does using Google’s DNS mean configuring my PC to use a public DNS?

8. How do ISP DNS servers work in real-time? Can you explain with an example and diagram?

9. Can we say that our device’s DNS cache is similar to an ISP’s DNS server?

10. Is my ISP responsible for storing all the DNS mappings globally?

11. Does Google’s DNS server store all the IP mappings?

12. Where is all the DNS mapping of the internet stored?

13. What organizations manage and maintain this entire system?

Each question led me deeper and deeper into the mechanics of DNS. And with every answer, I felt like I was uncovering secrets that most people don’t even think about.

Let me share glimpses from the vast amount of information I received.

Q1: What is DNS?

DNS (Domain Name System) is like the phonebook of the internet.

When you type a URL like ea.com, DNS translates it into a numerical IP address—like 159.153.64.173—that computers can understand.

How DNS Works (Simplified):

1️⃣ You type ea.com into your browser.
2️⃣ Your system checks its local DNS cache for a saved IP.
3️⃣ If not found, it queries a DNS server.
4️⃣ The DNS server returns the correct IP address.
5️⃣ Your browser connects to that IP, and you’re in!

Q2: What is the use of ipconfig /flushdns?

When I ran ipconfig /flushdns, I was actually clearing my system’s local DNS cache.

This cache temporarily stores DNS lookups to speed up future requests. But if the cached record becomes stale or outdated—like if EA changed their server IP—your system might still try to use the wrong IP.

Flushing the DNS cache clears all previous entries and forces the system to query fresh DNS information.

Q3: Why couldn’t I connect to EA servers?

After some digging, I realized that EA’s servers had likely changed their IP addresses or updated their DNS records.

Since my system was still relying on a cached DNS record with the old IP, it was unable to connect.

Lesson learned: Even if a site or game changes its IP, cached DNS entries can still point to outdated locations.

Q4: I reset my network, and it worked. Why?

Resetting my network did more than just flush the DNS. It:

• Wiped all previous network configurations.

• Requested fresh IP and DNS settings from my ISP.

• Allowed my system to establish a new connection path.

In essence: Resetting the network not only refreshed the DNS but also corrected any lingering misconfigurations that could have been causing the issue.

Q5: What is the DNS of A Way Out game currently?

Interestingly, EA games like A Way Out rely on a set of distributed servers with dynamically changing IPs.

Their DNS records are handled by content delivery networks (CDNs) that optimize routing and reduce latency.

This explains why sometimes DNS changes don’t propagate immediately, leading to temporary connectivity issues.

Q6: How can a public DNS connect me to EA servers?

Most people use their ISP’s default DNS servers, but these can be:
❌ Slow
❌ Clogged with traffic
❌ Outdated

Public DNS servers—like Google DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4)—are faster, more reliable, and globally distributed.

By switching to Google’s DNS, it bypassed the ISP’s DNS servers and got a direct, faster route to EA’s servers.

Q7: Does using Google’s DNS mean configuring my PC to use a public DNS?

Absolutely. When you configure your PC to use Google’s DNS:

• Your DNS queries bypass your ISP’s DNS servers.

• Queries go directly to Google’s global DNS infrastructure, which tends to be faster and more up to date.

Q8: How do ISP DNS servers work in real time?

When you type a URL:
1️⃣ Your browser checks the local DNS cache.
2️⃣ If the record isn’t there, it asks the ISP’s DNS server.
3️⃣ The ISP checks its own cache.
4️⃣ If not found, it queries higher-level DNS servers until it gets the answer.
5️⃣ It returns the IP to your device.

Fun Fact: DNS resolution usually takes milliseconds—but even that slight delay can impact game performance.

Q9: Can we compare a device’s DNS cache to an ISP’s DNS server?

Kind of. But there’s a key difference:

• Local DNS cache stores results temporarily for your device.

• ISP DNS servers cache results for all their users and query upstream DNS servers when needed.

Think of it as:
🧠 Your device’s DNS cache = A personal notepad.
🏢 ISP’s DNS cache = A company-wide knowledge base.

Q10: Is my ISP responsible for storing all the DNS mappings globally?

Not quite. ISPs only cache DNS records to improve local performance.

But the actual DNS mapping for the entire internet is handled by a hierarchical system:

• Root DNS Servers

• TLD Servers

• Authoritative DNS Servers

ISPs query these higher-level servers when they don’t have cached records.

Q11: Does Google’s DNS server store all the IP mappings?

No, Google’s DNS servers don’t store all the world’s DNS mappings.

They act as resolvers, querying authoritative DNS servers and caching responses temporarily to serve future requests faster.

Think of Google’s DNS like an ultra-fast, globally distributed librarian who fetches and remembers answers quickly.

Q12: Where is all the DNS mapping of the entire internet stored?

DNS data isn’t stored in a single place. Instead, it’s hierarchical and distributed:

• Root DNS Servers (handle top-level domains like .com, .org)

• TLD Servers (handle domains like ea.com)

• Authoritative DNS Servers (store the actual IP mappings)

Q13: Who manages this massive system?

• ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) – Governs DNS and IP address allocation.

• IANA (Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) – Manages global IP address allocation.

• Regional Internet Registries (RIRs) – Allocate IPs regionally.

🚀 From Gaming to Global Networks: The Power of Curiosity

A simple gaming issue turned into an eye-opening journey into networking, DNS, and the backbone of the internet.

If there’s one thing I learned, it’s this:

Every problem is an opportunity to learn something new.

Next time a game won’t connect, don’t just get frustrated—get curious. Who knows? It might just lead you to your next big discovery. Sometimes, fixing a game can teach you how the world works. And that’s a lesson worth sharing. 😉

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💡 What’s your story? What’s the most unexpected way you’ve ever learned something new? Drop a comment below-I’d love to hear your stories!