To use a VNC client requires no ports opened.
Bittorrent is a bit of an odd ball as everyone is a server.
I know not of Far Cry. I however checked Ubisoft's FAQ on the issue which claims you need ports to run the client.
http://ubisoft.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/ubisoft.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=9411&p_created=1080241017&p_sid=fcRXJpHi&p_accessibility=0&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PWRmbHQmcF9ncmlkc29ydD0mcF9yb3dfY250PTUmcF9wcm9kcz04OCwxMDg2JnBfY2F0cz0wJnBfcHY9Mi4xMDg2JnBfY3Y9JnBfc2VhcmNoX3R5cGU9YW5zd2Vycy5zZWFyY2hfbmwmcF9wYWdlPTEmcF9zZWFyY2hfdGV4dD1wb3J0&p_li=&p_topview=1
It also mentions that the ports are usually opened up by the OS, sounds like they implement UPnP on the game itself to me.
And if I am not mistaken you do not need to have UPnP enabled in Windows to enable software to open up ports with it, at least if I was writing the software I would just send the requests regardless of whether the computer is seen as a active UPnP host or not.
Is UPnP disabled in your router as well as Windows?
yes upnp is definitely disabled in the router and windows. I have never liked upnp.
i see you are from dlink so i'd like to ask you this. is the dir-655 meant to allow all traffic / packets that are initiated by the local machine to get out to the net (of course i understand that once this initial request has been made the router will allow the returning packets through). is it behaving as its meant to when it allows far cry access to the net on these ports without me having to open them first??? if you could give me a definitive answer on this it would be helpful.
my previous experience of routers is that on non standard ports, even if the connection is initiated on the local machine, the router stops them getting to the net until you open the ports.
Just in case it is of interest, here is a list pasted from internet sessions while far cry multiplayer is running (these are all correct far cry ports).
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 70.86.93.4:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 195.4.105.4:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.60.213.6:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 89.132.48.7:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 205.189.26.10:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.236.101.12:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 213.91.167.14:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 75.126.113.17:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 75.126.113.18:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 75.126.113.18:49011 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 75.126.113.19:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 62.104.19.20:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 75.126.113.20:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 75.126.113.21:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 189.13.143.21:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.14.221.21:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 91.96.91.23:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 62.104.164.25:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 70.168.137.27:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.233.233.27:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.233.233.27:49002 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 195.4.106.30:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 82.238.12.31:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 70.85.237.34:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 70.85.237.34:49002 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.131.195.41:49002 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.131.195.41:49004 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.131.195.41:49011 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.131.195.41:49077 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.131.195.41:49088 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.43:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.43:49020 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 81.0.237.43:49002 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 81.0.237.43:49021 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 81.0.237.43:49031 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 81.0.237.43:49041 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 76.2.30.48:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.244.147.59:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.14.216.63:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.65:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 193.192.58.72:49000 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.244.147.76:49010 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.244.147.77:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.79:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.244.147.81:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.83.85:49021 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 62.104.92.85:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 69.12.53.86:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 195.4.18.88:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 62.104.171.89:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.14.218.91:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 85.14.218.91:49002 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.92:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.92:49002 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.85.92:49003 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 90.6.225.94:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.84.96:49001 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 80.86.84.96:49010 UDP - Out 128 285
192.168.1.2:1438 1438 84.94.230.98:49001 UDP - Out 128 285