The problem exists while trying to connect VIA WAN. I have port forwarded the port.

I also tested my client by connecting to a server from the multiplayer forums, which i was able to connect to.
I have several questions:
1. Is peer-to-peer disabled by default in 12.24?
If so, disabled by default on both the client and server?
2. Does the "--peer-to-peer" command enable P2P? (I don't want to enable it, just asking for knowledge sake.)
3. Is UDP 34197 the only port that needs to be opened for a server?
I assume since I was able to connect to the Server from the multiplayer forums that the server I am running is set to P2P, I know for sure that port 34197 is closed on my client end. (I manage the firewall at the company I work for)
Any suggestions or help would be appreciated. Thanks.