This application must be installed for the "Xbox" service to appear in GameSpy Arcade.

What games are supported?
All Xbox SystemLink games are supported, however some will work better than others. Currently supported games include:

How does it work?
 

After installing GameSpy Arcade and the GameSpy Tunnel software, you will need to start Arcade and enter the Xbox service. If you don't see an Xbox service icon, see the common problems section below.

Once you are in the Xbox service, you can select a lobby based on the game you want to play. When in a lobby, you will see a list of the games currently in progress or available for you to join. The icon next to each game indicates whether or not you can join.

Select an existing game or press the Create Game button to create a new one. Note: If you are behind a NAT or firewall, you may need to reconfigure it to allow hosting of games (see network section below for more info). You should be able to play as a client behind most NATs, but may need to disable any firewall software.

If you choose to create a game, give consideration to the maximum amount of players that will join. Generally, for each player in the game, you will need at least 128kbps of upstream bandwidth. Many cable and DSL connections only have 128kbps of upstream bandwidth total, and thus can only participate in 2 players games.

For example, if you have a 1.5/384kbps (downstream/upstream) ASDL connection, you may be able to play with up to 3 players (yourself and 2 others). However, this may vary depending on a number of factors. Note that if you plan to play with multiple people on the same console, they will count towards your total bandwidth (so, two people on your console and two on another player's console would use 512kbps of bandwidth or more).

 

When you select a game or create one, it will place you in a game staging room. This room will allow everyone to gather before launching. When someone enters the room it will show their location on the map, as well as a measurement of your "ping" time to them. You need to play with people that have a low "ping" time (under 70ms) or you will experience severe lag and connection problems.

When everyone has entered the staging room, they can push the "ready" button and the host will press the "launch game" button. This will launch the GameSpy Tunnel software, which sets up a LAN tunnel between the players. When the Tunnel software is launched, within a few seconds you should see a list of the players in the Tunnel software. The tunnel software has a chat window you can use to speak with the other players while playing.

 

After the tunnel software is launched, you should go to the multiplayer-system link menu of your game on the Xbox. One player will need to create a game, and the others will then see it and can join it. Generally the person who hosted the room in Arcade should create the game session to avoid confusion. If you were playing in a previous session you should not need to restart the Xbox - it will automatically transfer to the new tunneled LAN. Once everyone has joined the session you can begin playing. Most games return you to the System Link menu when the game is complete. You can continue to play as many games as you want. The tunneled connection will stay open until you close the GameSpy Tunnel software.

Common Problems
Answers to several common problems appear in the FAQ below. If you're question isn't answered, try heading to our Xbox Tunnel forums and posting your questions there!

...I don't see an Xbox service in Arcade

...I get an error that the tunnel application was "Unable to detect a network adapter!"

...The game is very lagged and/or I keep getting disconnected.

...I don't see any games listed or can't join any of the listed games.

...I keep getting "Your disc is dirty or damaged" error messages.

...The GameSpy Tunnel application is not able to detect my Xbox

Supported Network Configurations
The GameSpy Tunnel application will work with many different types of home networks. The Xbox itself does not need an IP address, so you do not need to worry about extra IPs or broadband sharing devices (unless you are already using one). In general, you just need the computer to be on the same network as the Xbox.

Here are some definitions before we describe individual configurations:

Network Uplink: This is the broadband port that connects to the Internet. Typically this will be on your cable modem or ADSL router.

Network Card: This is a 10 or 100BaseT network connection (either a PCI card or a USB box).

Hub: A hub allows multiple machines to be on the same network as each other.

Switch: A switch is similar to a hub, but is smarter about routing traffic between machines on the network.

NAT Router: Also known as "broadband gateways" or "Cable/DSL routers" these devices allow you to share a single broadband IP address with multiple machines. You may already have one of these if you have multiple computers at home on your broadband connection.

Firewall: This device blocks most network traffic to your machine. Some NAT Switches have a built-in firewall, and software firewalls such as "Zone Alarm" are also popular. You may need to disable your firewall to use the GameSpy Tunnel.

Network Cable: This is a regular RJ45 network cable



 

If you are using a NAT or firewall, you will need to open (forward) two ports for incoming traffic if you are going to host games. If you are not going to host games, you may or may not need to open these ports, depending on how your NAT works. You will need to consult your NAT documentation for information for how to open (forward) ports.

The ports required are:

If you have more than one network card in your PC, you need to configure the GameSpy Tunnel for the network card that is on the same network as your Xbox. It will choose your Internet-connected network card automatically.

Hub/Switch Direct to Internet
 

This is a common configuration if you have a single machine and want to put your Xbox on the same network. If your current Internet connection goes directly from the Network uplink into your network card, this will be the easiest configuration to set up. Just plug the Network Uplink into the Uplink port on the hub, and plug your computer and console into the hub. No networking changes are needed. 4 or 5 port hubs can be purchased for £20-£40.



NAT (DSL/Cable Router)
 

If you are already sharing your network connection with multiple computers, or plan to in the future, you may need a NAT if you do not have enough IP addresses from your ISP for each computer. You can simply plug your Xbox into the NAT router and it will be on the same network as your computer. No additional configuration is needed. Note that you may need to open (forward) ports on your NAT as outlined above.



Two PC Network Cards
 

If you do not want to use a hub, you can choose to use two network cards in the same machine. One network card will connect to your Internet connection. The second (console-connected) network card will need to be configured with TCP/IP enabled. You can use an IP address of "192.168.0.1" on it, a netmask of "255.255.255.0" and leave the gateway and other settings blank. Make sure you configure the GameSpy Tunnel application with the network card that is connected to the Xbox when asked to select one.


NAT + Hub/Switch
 

If your NAT (Cable/DSL Router) does not have enough ports on it, you may need to plug a hub or switch into it, and then plug your computer and Xbox into the hub. When connecting the NAT to the Hub, you should use the uplink port on one of the devices (but not both).





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