Article: Connecting Up Your Xbox

Halo. A simple two syllable word that inspires foaming at the mouth when heard by the millions of Xbox gamers across the globe. A launch title that rocketed the Xbox from dream machine to reality. And the best part? You can play it over your LAN with up to 16 players! Combine that with some projection screens or widescreen TV’s and you have a hell of a night ahead of you.

But what if you just want to kick back at home, alone, or with a few a friends, and still participate in the adrenaline pumping excitement of Halo’s myriad of multiplayer games? That’s where the Internet comes in. As I’m sure you all know by now you can set up a VPN connection between you and your buddy and play Halo just like hooking them up in a LAN. I’ll bet that if your reading this you’ll also know that there have been several programs that have been released since the Xbox launch that allow you to do this very easily and some (like Xbox Connector) even include matchmaking.

Well I use Windows XP primarily and the idea of XBoxGW didn’t appeal to me (even though I run Linux on two other machines) and I couldn’t get GameSpy’s tunnel software to work and I don’t have any friends so VPN was out. That’s when I found Xbox Connector. This slick little program not only sets up the VPN Tunnel for you but it also includes a pretty decent matchmaking routine. Just make sure you include the relevant info in your server name! (See Below for a list of abbreviations!)

Step #1: Installing Xbox Connector

No sweat. It installed so easy I didn’t even notice.

Step #2: Connecting your Xbox

Ok, here’s where I ran into my first problem. I’m on a Cable Modem from COX at home and I have it hooked up to a switch. My primary workstation is hooked up to that. I plugged the Xbox into the switch and it couldn’t be detected. I know some people have been able to get their switches to work but I couldn’t so I would recommend you don’t even bother trying. When I hooked it up to a hub it worked just fine.

Step #3: Detecting you Xbox

Here’s where problem number two occurred. First I should mention that it helps a great deal to start up your Xbox before you start Xbox Connector. Make sure you have it in Multiplayer and Looking for Games. Don’t start a game yet! Now I couldn't find my Xbox at this point because I have two network cards. The answer? Disable the one you aren’t using (or set up ICS or something…)

Step #4: To Serve or Not to Serve

Ok. Now you have to decide if you want to host the game or join another. I usually host because my Xbox is in a different room than this workstation so it is much easier for me to wait for other players than to join and run back upstairs. (I lost my 802.11b card recently so RDP is no help… Well I guess I could run another cable and use regular Ethernet… oh… sorry). If you are going to host start up a game on your Xbox with whatever properties you want and then click Be a Server in the Xbox Connector. Now here’s the part that will get you people to play with you. Server name abbreviations:

Locales:

EC = East Coast WC = West Coast MW = Mid West (Surprise Surprise!) Also any two letter state abbr.

Number of Players:

wf3 = Wait for 3 Xboxen to connect. (Heh, Xboxen) 2+ (3+, 4) = 2 or more players per box. Please try to respect this. People LOVE big games! 1v1 = 1 on 1

Ok, then you throw in the game type.

So here’s mine: EC, wf3, 2+, CTF

So I’m on the East Coast, We wait for three connection before starting, 2 or more per box (so a minimum of 8 players) and we’re playing Capture the Flag.

Wasn’t that easy? (Note: Do not start the game if it says WF3 unless there are three or you are the host.)

Step #5: Laaaag??

Ok.. Lag, it’s inevitable, it’s the internet. It’s no problem? That’s right. I’ve found that even in games with 16 players as long as we’re all on the EC there is little to no lag at all. Sometimes you get lag in the first minute or so. If you do, hang in there. If it doesn’t go away drop and try again. Also don’t join distant locales unless you have the bandwidth to back it.

Step #6: The End of my Article!

Ok, so now you're all rocking on Halo online (or Tony Hawk or whatever) so I’d love to hear what you guys think about these "Xbox Connectors". Like why don’t we have just one big VPN network so we can see all the games (damn bandwidth!).

Anyway, if you see a kid named James in a green suit on an Xbox named Cupid, throw a bullet or two my way!

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