My buddy and I are trying to play Rise of Legends together, but unfortunately, 20 seconds into the game, we get the "Connection Error: No connection for 20 seconds" or something to that effect. We both use Windows 7 and have both updated to the latest patches.

This is what we have tried:
Running in Compatibility Mode for Windows XP SP2&3
Port Forwarding
LAN connection
Disabling Windows Firewall
Disabling Router Firewall
Placing me as the DMZ (I am hosting)
Praying
Verbal Abuse
Physical Abuse
Crying

Nothing has worked so far =/