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Getting Routers and Games to Play NiceThe vast majority of you in Xbox Live® land are currently enjoying a killer online experience. And yet, it could be even better. So, because "gamers care about gamers" and we'd like to see everyone get hooked up right so that Xbox Live attains the transcendent status it so richly deserves, we dug in to find out exactly what was going on.
If you want to check out your router, consult our Router List. This is the latest and greatest list of compatible routers, workarounds, and routers that just don't work with Xbox Live. To help diagnose what's going on for each game, we started by asking, "Can I get in the game if there is an issue related to a router?" The short answer is yes and no. It's different from one game to the next. Check out the answers for your favorite XboxLive games. Ghost ReconQ: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: Yes. But because of the way Ghost Recon handles network traffic, it will be a little more difficult to tell who has the router with issues, you or someone else in the game. Some things to look for: You receive an invite from a Friend, and when you try to join you receive all of the following messages:
If this happens, you are very likely the one with the router issue. You receive an invite from a Friend, and when you try to join you receive the following message:
If this happens to you consistently when trying to connect to the same Friend, your friend is most likely the one with the router issue. One thing to keep in mind: Currently Ghost Recon is the only Xbox Live title that requires you to hit the white button to talk, like talking to your platoon over a walkie-talkie. Because of the way Ghost Recon is designed to interact with Xbox Live, it's a good bet that voice problems are related to using (or not using) the white button. MechAssaultQ: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: No. You will most likely not get all the way into a game. But if you are able to connect to the host, you will get into a lobby right before the game. Once the game starts, you will see people who magically disappear because they are not able to connect with others in the game. Other things to watch out for in MechAssault:
Here's a tip. When using OptiMatch, MechAssault will look for sessions that match up best with your connection. So wait a bit, let OptiMatch weed out the bad connections, and then jump in. That takes care of your connection with the host and whoever was in the lobby at the time. Once you're in the lobby, make sure you can talk to and see everyone. If everyone can see and talk to each other, you're golden. MotoGPQ: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: Yes. You can get into the lobby and the game with people who have router issues. It's more difficult to identify the issue in MotoGP because there are so many other people racing. Voice is not a good indicator during the race because voice is focused to only three of the other riders who are close to you during the race. Look for these signs:
NFL Fever 2003Q: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: No. Fever only allows two Xbox consoles to play against one another. In fact, you will not see advertised matches using Quick Match or OptiMatch. The only way you will run into problems is if you send an invitation to another gamer on your Friends list. Be suspicious when you receive a message that says, "Unable to join game, because host is not responding." One caveat, however: it could be that the host is no longer available. Look for a consistent pattern. Sega Sports NFL 2K3Q: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: No. It's the same for all Sega sports titles. They only allow two Xbox consoles to play against one another. In fact, you will not see advertised matches using Quick Match or OptiMatch. The only way you will run into problems is if you send an invitation to another gamer on your Friends list. Be suspicious when you receive a message that says, "No response. The host may be busy or the match might no longer be available." That could indicate one of you has a router with issues. One caveat, however, could be that the host is no longer available. In other words, your friend got tired of waiting and cancelled the session. Look for a consistent pattern. Sega Sports NBA 2K3Q: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: No. It's the same for all Sega sports titles. They only allow two Xbox consoles to play against one another. In fact, you will not see advertised matches using Quick Match or OptiMatch. The only way you will run into problems is if you send an invitation to another gamer on your Friends list. Be suspicious when you receive a message that says, "No response. The host may be busy or the match might no longer be available." That could indicate one of you has a router with issues. One caveat, however, could be that the host is no longer available. In other words, your friend got tired of waiting and cancelled the session. Look for a consistent pattern. Sega Sports NHL 2K3Q: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: No. It's the same for all Sega sports titles. They only allow two Xbox consoles to play against one another. In fact, you will not see advertised matches using Quick Match or OptiMatch. The only way you will run into problems is if you send an invitation to another gamer on your Friends list. Be suspicious when you receive a message that says, "No response. The host may be busy or the match might no longer be available." That could indicate one of you has a router with issues. One caveat, however, could be that the host is no longer available. In other words, your friend got tired of waiting and cancelled the session. Look for a consistent pattern. Unreal ChampionshipQ: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: Yes. You might see symptoms such as these:
Whacked!Q: Does this game allow me to play with other folks on Xbox Live when someone in the game has router issues? A: Yes. If there is a router problem, mostly what you'll notice is that voice will not work between players. If you see the following message consistently when trying to connect to the same person, one of you is the proud owner of a router that has an issue with Xbox Live.
The best thing to do if you are seeing weird game behavior is check out the Router List. If for some reason your router is not listed or the workaround doesn't seem to work, the easiest thing you can do is to take your router out of the mix and "go direct." If that fixes it, your router probably has a compatibility problem. The Router List will continue to expand in the coming weeks. We're also working on a better way for you to identify if your router is good, needs work, or just won't work. Stay tuned to theRouter List for more comprehensive information.
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You may have seen stuff like a random person dropped from a game, a phantom bike left at the starting line, or people not being able to see or talk to everyone in a lobby—call it random funkiness in games. When we asked some of our best Xbox Live gamer testers to dig into the funkiness game by game, we discovered a bunch of things related to different routers having issues with each other.