solved for me:
just reset your password to new one, that doesn't have special characters. (use only A-Z a-z 0-9). (under password field of hawken launcher press "forgot password_" - go from there.)
I also forwarded ports 7777-7797 on my router.
those 2 changes worked for me.
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update: ^ those 2 solutions were just a coincidence. (although forwarding ports 7777-7797 is a good idea since hawken uses them.)
Check your Internet connection. If its fine and you get this message then its most likely that servers are down. Its the same as when your "hawken launcher" gets stuck at "applying patch".
Go drink some tea and come back to try again, but this time wearing your lucky socks.
As long as game depends on centralized system things like that will continue to happen. The tea was good though.
Edited by Tsme, January 27 2013 - 03:13 PM.