Games for Windows is a branding that Microsoft has developed. It is an attempt to standardize features like compatibility within the Microsoft Operating Systems. The features of the game like, controller support, Direct X 9/10, subscription fees, multi-core support & system requirements will always be up to the developer/publisher of the game. Multi player functions of Games for Windows titles are handled by the developer/publisher of the game & have no affiliation to the Live network.
OLD GAMES FOR WINDOWS LIVE LOGO
NEW GAMES FOR WINDOWS LIVE LOGO
Games for Windows Live is a category of game that falls under the Games for Windows branding. But the Live logo underneath the Games for Windows branding means that you can log into an online identity (Gamertag). Through the Live interface you can earn achievements (Gamerscore), matchmaking, communication, & access to your purchased add-ons. Live is the service that provides online capabilities to both Xbox/360 & Games for Windows. The gamertags created through both services are the same & on the same network.
The multi player functions of the games are through the Live network. The Live network is mostly a P2P (person to person) service that a user hosts a room/game lobby & other gamers connect to that user. As of right now, there is no Games for Windows Live title that utilizes a developer/publisher's dedicated servers. Currently Shadowrun / Halo 2 do allow a user supported dedicated server application. There are cross platform games available, that lets PC gamers take on 360 gamers.
If the game does not contain a Live logo on the box, there is no way to log into your gamertag or use the features of the ingame guide (Dashboard). There are hardware, software, & service requirements in order for Live/ingame guide to work; read the next paragraphs for information on what they are
1. Supported Countries
At this time there are only 26 countries that are supported through the Live network. The infrastructure for Live is not available to all countries of the world, which could be due to the country's infrastructure, internet availability, economic situations, or return on investment.
Published May 9, 2007 Xbox LIVE® and Games for Windows LIVE comprise the first and most comprehensive online entertainment network, uniting gamers on Xbox 360™ and select Games for Windows titles. LIVE connects millions of members across 26 countries. Below is the list of countries where the LIVE service is supported. Game features that require the LIVE service are only available in these countries. If your country is not on the list, please check back with us soon—we expand our services frequently and may be coming to your country in the near future. Australia: International English Austria: German Belgium: Dutch, French Canada: English, French Denmark: Danish Finland: Finnish, Swedish France: French Germany: German Hong Kong: Traditional Chinese, English India: English Ireland: International English Italy: Italian Japan: Japanese Korea: Korean Mexico: Spanish Netherlands: Dutch New Zealand: International English Norway: Norwegian Portugal: Portuguese Singapore: International English Spain: Spanish Sweden: Swedish Switzerland: German, French, Italian Taiwan: Traditional Chinese United Kingdom: International English United States: English
Published May 9, 2007
Xbox LIVE® and Games for Windows LIVE comprise the first and most comprehensive online entertainment network, uniting gamers on Xbox 360™ and select Games for Windows titles. LIVE connects millions of members across 26 countries.
Below is the list of countries where the LIVE service is supported. Game features that require the LIVE service are only available in these countries. If your country is not on the list, please check back with us soon—we expand our services frequently and may be coming to your country in the near future.
2. High Speed Broadband Connection
There will always be increasing ways to be connected to the internet. But not all of them are supported by Live. We know with technology, ISP's have become faster. But just because you can browse internet pages quickly, does not mean that the connection meets the requirements that a high speed internet connection should have (According to this service). I cannot comment on every type of connection in the world. If you have insight on this subject & want me to change something. Post up your information like PWXBOX360 has done & I can edit it into this section.
Free Wireless Connections are awesome technology, but most of the time does not work with service that requires opening ports. It meets all the requirements of broadband access, but the firewall is usually the problem. If you can't get the administrator to open the ports for you then you will not be able to connect or have NAT problems. If the network supports UPNP, then you will have no problem. But most do not support that protocol because of the p2p downloading applications.
So unless they have the ports Live needs opened, then it is unlikely you will be able to play online multiplayer with any Games for Windows Live games. With a strict/moderate NAT the likeliness of playing/hosting online matches is very little. You will be disconnected a lot, or possible not able to connect. Also wireless connections are prone to have signal degradation & are susceptible to electrical magnetic interference/ radio frequency interference. Note: These types of connections are very dangerous. It is easier for your PC to be hacked through these networks, by people that are on the same network. Always use a firewall & turn off file sharing when connected to these types of connections.
Satellite Internet Connection is an emerging technology lately. But this technology most likely will never be compatible with Live. The amount of time it takes the signal to get to its destination will be in the 400-900ms. This is way too long to be able to hold the connection to the Live servers. It is possible to be logged into your gamertag, but to be able to hold private chats; host/join online games will not work. (Tethering also falls into this category.)
Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) Most ISP's that offer this type of connection will require you to use their hardware. Most of the time they will issue the subscriber a gateway device in order to use their service. A gateway is a router & modem combined into one. That means the device has a built in firewall that will need to be configured (Port forward/UPNP). ISP's sometimes require you to use a certain firmware that they support & you cannot upgrade. If you have a DSL connection, I recommend just getting a modem lease from them, or buying your own modem (If they allow that.). Then if you want to use a router, buying a separate one that is Xbox Live/Vista compatible is better than using what they provide.
Cable Networks are compatible most of the time. I heard that people have run into problems with some cable ISP's. But it is impossible to judge by someone posting on a forum. Cable ISP's are usually very lenient on hardware requirements & setups. A cable modem connected to a RG-6 cable is all that is required to be connected. Most people will then run the cable modem to the router. This is the ideal setup & is easy to get going.
European ISP's have setups for consumers which mean if you want your NAT to be open you will have to lose service like auto ISP updates to your router. BT in the UK especially works best with an Open NAT. Even after allowing all the ports through your firewall I found GFWL was unstable with my ISP (BT) so I had to disable it totally for an Open NAT status in the guide. (PWXBOX360)
3. Compatible Routers/Gateways & Network Setups.
If you are not going to use a router/gateway & your network consists of a switch or direct connection to the modem, you should use a firewall at all times when directly connected to the internet. If you use a software firewall you will have to open the ports & allow any executables access to the internet through the specified Live ports. See the documentations from the sofware makers site or call their tech support line for help. Antivirus, spyware, firewall all in one security suite programs are not recommended with the Live service, a lot of times these programs will block the protocols the service uses & you will not be able to connect/use the Live service. If you are not using a router or gateway you can skip all of this section because it does not apply.
When you set up your connection it is strongly recommended that you hardwire your network. Not only does it keep your network more secure from outside invaders, it is fool proof. Wireless connections are not a fool proof technology & have issues with Live games. Some people can get it to work, while others run into constant problems. The signal is a radio wave & because of FCC regulations these waves have to be regulated. Wireless connections are prone to have signal degradation & are susceptible to electrical magnetic interference/ radio frequency interference. This will result in you losing connections, dropping you from the game lobby, or could make your router non responsive. Connecting through a wireless connection to Games for Windows Live is not recommended.
At the completion of your network setup, always check to see what the NAT is set to inside your network settings of the Games for Windows Live guide. You want your NAT to be set to open. If it is set to moderate/strict you will run into problems connecting to other gamers online & can be booted from the lobby. It is also important to host/join some online games to see if any abnormal behavior happens when you are playing. Note: If you are going to use a router setup in your home network, then you do not need to use a software firewall. An extra layer of protection is not necessary & will not provide more protection then your routers firewall.
Some routers routers/gateways may not be compatible with the Live service. Most routers are compatible; all of the routers/gateways with Vista compatible stickers as well any with Xbox Live compatible stickers are guaranteed to work with Live. The hardware compatibility list can be found here.
Xbox Live Compatible Sticker Vista Compatible Sticker
Gateways in particular have trouble with the Live service. Some ISP's require you to use a certain version of firmware & don't support newer versions. I do not recommend gateways, but sometimes you have no choice but to use what the ISP provides you. If you can use a modem & router setup, it is much easier to get setup or diagnoise network problems.
Getting the Live service to work with your router/gateway while require you using portfoward, vitural servers, or UPNP in your router setup. Look at your network hardware documentation on how to setup these services on your router/gateway. http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/4403.aspx
Using demilitarized zone of your router is not a recommended option. DMZ is used for troubleshooting connection problems. After troubleshooting, you should work on configuring your firewall to work with the Live service.
Windows 7 is not in a RTM or retail form. So it is not fully supported & there is a possibility that old Games for Windows Live titles maybe incompatible with it now or in the future release of this OS. As it stands right now, if you have problems with Windows 7, you are on your own. Here is the official statement from the Live team. http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/6130.aspx
5. Microsoft Net Framework 3.0 SP1 For XP.
This comes packaged with all Windows Vista retail packaged. In XP you will have to install this manually through Windows Update site, under Addition XP updates. Or here Get .NET Framework 3.0SP1
6. Adobe Flash Player
Some content in Games for Windows — LIVE can only be viewed with the Adobe Flash Player, which is available at:Adobe Flash Player Web site
Note: Some Games for Windows Live titles have other software requirements that you may have to meet in order for the game to work properly.)
After meeting all these requirements,then you can proceed with setting up your Gamertag.
In order to create a gamertag you will have to create a Windows Live ID. First you will need an email address that is not currently used for another Windows Live ID. Don't just create an email address that you have no interest in maintaining. If you use a free email address, never intend on checking it once in a while, the free service will close the email address & it is likely that your Windows Live ID will be locked. There is no workaround to this at the time being. Microsoft is currently working on this problem right now. If you add a second email address into your Windows Live ID, then you can reset the password through that. But that step has to be done through live.com.
You can make a Windows Live ID through account.live.com, Xbox.com, & passport.net. Doing it through Xbox.com, can be confusing & leads people to think that they have to pay for Games for Windows Live service. Games for Windows Live is a free service to anyone that is in the Live supported countries list. If you create a gamertag on xbox.com a lot of information can be missing from your Windows Live ID.
I recommend using passport.net because you can enter all the information at once, including billing information, date of birth, personal information, shared information, second email address for password recovery, etc. Doing it through this way requires an extra step though. (Note: Adding billing information is only necessary if you want a credit card attached to the purchase Microsoft points with.)
After creating a Live ID, through passport.net, you will have to head over to Xbox.com, & get a gamertag. Click the join Xbox Live now link. It will ask for your email & password for the Windows Live ID you just created. Now you can choose your gamertag name & other information that you may or may not want to share. When you pick a gamertag name that is not taken, submit the form, & you will get a confirmation email in your inbox of the email address you used. Answer this email & click the link to confirm the creation of the gamertag. This is not a mandatory thing, but is recommended.
When you create a gamertag, it will be defaulted to silver membership. Don't worry about the different membership levels. This was created to make two levels for the 360 users. Since Games for Windows Live has become a free service, the membership levels do not mean anything. There are certain things you can do on Xbox.com, with gold membership that you cannot do with a silver account. But is minuscule to what you will pay for every year just for using the messaging feature through Xbox.com. Membership Levels. (Note: Almost all of the information on that page does not apply to Games for Windows Live service it is for curiosity only!!!)
While you are on Xbox.com, you may want to enter your communication preferences. You can block out the world if you want to, but what fun would that be. Most of the time editing communication preferences is not necessary, but sometimes I have noticed that these settings could be defaulted to a setting you don't want. When you are at the My Xbox page, click edit your communication preferences.
The ingame guide works similarly to the original 360 guide. To open the guide you need to hit the "home" key on your keyboard or hitting the guide menu with in the game menu.
If your guide looks like this, then you are playing with a Non-Live gamertag offline.
If you your guide looks like this, then you are using your (online) Live gamertag in offline mode.
This is the way it looks when you are connected to your gamertag online & ready to compete with/against other gamers online.
The buttons are pretty self explanatory, if you want more info look here for it.
LIVE Guide help
Foreword
There are a lot of issues users run into with logging in to their gamertag ingame. It is assumed by me that. (A) You are in a supported region of Live. (Where you are physically located is in the supported regions list.) (B) Meet the system requirements of the Live service. (Net framework, Windows XP/Vista, Live supported high-speed internet, OS Service packs, etc.) (C) Meet the system requirements of the Live game you are playing. (Vista only game, Flash player, Rockstar Social Club, DX9/10 software/hardware, etc) (D) Have created an online gamertag outside of the game. (E) Have basic network & computer knowledge. (You have administrator Rights to the PC/Network, Know how to navigate to your router & make changes, can change any setting or remove any software, etc)
Note: Some of this foreword does not apply to all areas or if any. This is a standard statement to make sure you do/have the necessary access/software to be successful in troubleshooting.
· When I launch Games for Windows Live game it will not save my game status.
This will always happen with your first installation of any Games for Windows Live titles, if you bypass the creating of a profile. This is normal behavior of all Games for Windows Live titles & can be read through most of the game manuals. The manual explains that you need to have an offline/online profile in order to save the progress of the game. Take the ten seconds it takes to create an offline profile, if you have no need to play online or do not care about earning achievements.
· This gamertag is not supported for multiplayer.
This means that you are playing on an offline gamertag. Contrary to what most people think, Games for Windows Live does not require you to create an online gamertag. You can install the game, create an offline account, play single player & save the game on every title available. Users run into problems by using an offline profile & not creating one using their web browser. Or they are not connect-able to the Live service & create a profile. The system cannot connect to Live, so it creates an offline profile.
After a while the user will head to the multiplayer, only to see this message. Or they play a single player game, new DLC comes out for it, & they want it. How you fix it is by creating an online gamertag. This topic is covered in the Joining Games for Windows Live part of this thread.
· I cannot connect to Live when I first start the game.
This is normal behavior with all of the Games for Windows Live titles. When you first install a new game to your system (That has never been installed to the system before.) it will not know what the product key (cdkey, online key, etc.) is to the game. So it will always fail. When you see the failure to connect to Live because of invalid product key error. Click try again & enter the key. It will then connect to Live. (assuming that you have the latest updates.)
· After typing in my product key, I am prompted to update Games for Windows Live system.
1. This is a requirement in order to connect to the Live service. Basically it is updating the files that fall under the installation tab of "Microsoft Games for Windows Live - Redistributable" inside your add/remove programs. In order to log into your online profile, you will have to update the Live service.
2. Also a game update may be required as well, if there is one available for the region of the game. Ideally if you can update the Live system update through the ingame updater, then game updates & profile downloads will not be an issued.
3. Another thing with this part, you will have to type your Windows Live ID three times in order to login. I don't know why this is. It seems that when Live updates it forgets the Windows Live ID credentials of your profile, because there is no profile on the PC yet. It is annoying but you will only have to do these steps one time.
· Games for Windows Live will not update.
The update bar sits there & does nothing. This could be two issues. If you are connectible then the blue bar should gradually get to 100%. After it gets there depending on your PC's specifications, it could take a couple minutes before the update closes the game.
If you are on Vista it will give a UAC (user access control) prompt that you will have to allow in order to get the update to continue. This prompt does not always show on top of all open windows, like it is supposed to. I have run into this before & had to Alt+Tab to be able to see the prompt. You can disable UAC inside the user profile settings. This will now close the game & an update module will popup. It will automatically install the update.
If all else fails, then go to the game developers website & manually patch the game. Installing game updates manually can lead to the ingame guide not working & will require re-installation of the game to get it working properly again.
If this happens with the Games for Windows Live system update it can be manually installed as well. http://www.microsoft.com/games/en-US/Support/Pages/technicalIssuesGuide.aspx
· Games for Windows Guide does not show up ingame, when I press the home key.
This issue is caused by users just bypassing the ingame updater & manually patching the game updates. The problem is that users patch the game with an update that is from a different game region then the region of game they purchased. (You have a US version of the game & install a UK version patch to the game.) Also it could be that you do not meet the software requirements of Games for Windows Live.
To fix this problem, reinstall the game & only get games through the ingame guide.
· Cannot download profile.
When the service tries to download my profile, the status bar sits their & does nothing. This issue is caused by users bypassing the ingame updater & manually patching all of the updates. If you cannot connect & update the game using the updater, then you will run into this problem. It basically means you are unable to connect to the Live service. You will have to open the ports the live service needs, in order for your profile to be downloaded & signed in. http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/4403.aspx
· Logging in to your gamertag.
This is a tough issue for many new users. They think that hey I can browse the internet fine. What’s the deal? Live is a service that needs to have ports opened that usually won’t be open, in order to work properly. It is comparable to, if you have ever hosted a dedicated game server through your PC. If you don't open the ports & redirect them to the correct PC behind your firewall, the service will never be seen by other gamer’s game browsers. That being said lets continue.
Most of the time, when you cannot log into Live, there is something wrong with your network setup. You can look at the log files for the problem, but with this problem the service will tell you have a network problem. The best way to figure out what is going on is to circumvent your router by directly plugging your PC into the cable/dsl modem. If you can log in, check your network settings to see if it shows that your Nat is set to open. Also it is a good idea to test the connection by joining an online multiplayer game. See if you experience any type of lag, sign in changes, getting randomly kicked from the game, or any other anomaly. If that works, then it is your router that is cause of not being able to login.
If you have a problem logging in while directly connected to your modem, then it is either a program like hamachi, xfire, firewall, or antivirus/spyware security suite blocking the service. It is not recommended to use any type of security suite that combines antivirus/spyware/firewall/internet explorer blocker, with your game machine. 90% of the time it will not work with Games For Windows Live. The easiest step to take in order to make sure nothing is running that could block the services MSconfig. Search for MSconfig inside the search box in the start menu or the search button on XP. Open it up to services. Click disable all services. Restart the PC. Check to see if it is working now. If it is not working, uninstall any program that could be adversely affecting the ability to connect. If it is still not working it is most likely not your software & the problem is with your network hardware. Try opening your ports or using UPNP.
There are instances that none of this works. Only things left could be that the ISP is incompatible with Live, router/gateway is incompatible, MTU settings in not within parameters, or your modem has a built in firewall that needs to be configured. You may have to reset/repair TCIP stack or verify MTU. If you are using your ISP's hardware & think that is the problem. If you suspect your ISP is incompatible. It is best to call their support line & ask them if they support Xbox Live. They should be able to help you setting up Live too.
There currently is three ways to do this as of right now. You can buy the points from http://www.xbox.com/, through http://www.zune.com/, or buying the cards at retail locations.
· Zune.com:
Inside the Zune website, you will have to log into your Windows Live ID. When you sign in, it will prompt for fill out information the site requires into the proper fields. Using Zune marketplace is not recommended by me but people have made the point that they do not like the left over 200 points on their account. So there is a work around to that. They have only four quantity options for Microsoft points.
400 Microsoft® Points: Zune™ Price: $5.001200 Microsoft® Points: Zune™ Price: $15.002000 Microsoft® Points: Zune™ Price: $25.004000 Microsoft® Points: Zune™ Price: $50.00
If you add points through the Games for Windows Live Marketplace application it will open your default internet browser to a Windows Live ID sign in at xbox.com. You will have to enter your Windows Live ID information to gain access to your account. It will send you to where you need to go to complete the purchase.
· Xbox.com:
Through xbox.com they have four quantity options with Microsoft points as well.
Xbox LIVE 500 Microsoft Points bundle - $6.25Xbox LIVE 1000 Microsoft Points bundle - $12.50Xbox LIVE 2000 Microsoft Points bundle - $25.00Xbox LIVE 5000 Microsoft Points bundle - $62.50
Pick the amount of points you want. After purchase, close internet explorer. Do not shop for the add-on inside xbox.com. That is for Xbox 360 only. You will buy the wrong content. Now open Games for Windows Live Marketplace application on your task bar. Click ok. After that your points will be there. Most of the content at this moment on the Live marketplace is 800 points.
· Retail Outlets
The third is through retail outlets that sell Microsoft Points Cards. There are Games for Windows cards point’s cards & Xbox Live point’s cards. Both can be used for PC add ons. (Stay away from the DLC cards, they could be points, or be a redeem code for 360 DLC only.) Depending on retail locations, the amounts you can get range to whatever they have available. These transactions are taxable & you will pay tax according to what state/county/country you live in. Also you can get the codes through amazon.com, but beware when you buy things through the internet. Make sure it is a viable place of business.
Do Not Get The Codes From Craigslist, EBay or any type of site like that. Most likely you will be scammed. We know you can get things cheaper on the internet, but you can be scammed as well.
If you have troubles redeeming the codes through Games for Windows Marketplace Application, then do it on http://www.xbox.com/. Now you need to login with your Windows Live ID at the top right of the webpage. Head to marketplace at the top right. In the marketplace click on my account & then navigate the drop down box to Redeem code. Type in the code, click redeem. After it gives confirmation of what value of points the code is. Close Internet explorer & use the Games for Windows Marketplace Application for the DLC.
If there is no way the card works on any of the sites/application. Then there is a possibility that the card did not get activated by the retailer when the POS (point of sale) purchase took place. This is to prevent people from shop lifting the cards. If they steal them they will not work unless a POS transaction is tagged to the card. If this has happened to you, return/exchange the card.
If all of this scares you or you are in a region that patch support is not currently there for the game you want. Then by all means wait for the DLC disc to be available in the region you purchased your game from.
· You can download Games for Windows Live Marketplace Application here. http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=128962
· First off, If you are on XP make sure you have downloaded the hotfix for the language your OS is. It should prompt you for download as soon the program launches. But sometimes it doesn't. So patch it if it doesn't. If you don't you will have problems getting the DLC to install.
http://forums.gamesforwindows.com/t/4404.aspx
If you are running XP 64 then you need to use server 2003 hotfix according to your language.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=19D42C27-EFE8-4B93-B53F-D76C6E8FD75D&displaylang=en
· When opening the marketplace application & nothing rated M for mature is showing up. Check to see if you’re live ID is over the age of 18 otherwise no matter what you do, the M rated content will not show up in the marketplace. The reason is MS/Developers/Publishers follow ESRB guidelines. If you circumvent the system & obtain a game that is not rated for your age then it is your own fault. This is the way it is right now. The Live team has acknowledged this & has given no ETA for an option for parental consent.
· If you see your client looks like this in the upper right & the error message "There was an error retrieving your purchase history. Please sign out & try again later". Metadata error is covered by this as well. Your date & time on your computer is not in sync with internet time. You will have to get your time to sync to the internet before you will get the client to work properly.
· The buy button/download button for the content page is grayed out or missing. You need to go into your internet options through control panel. When in internet properties setup box. Click the "Security" tab. For the zone Internet, lower the settings to medium/medium low, for the time being. A lot of times it will be set to a custom level & that is not necessary. After you make the purchase/download, you can raise it back up.
· If you are experiencing a calculating download size & the status doesn't ever change. Or you get "cannot download" over & over. Then you have an issue with your firewall blocking the ports the client needs in order to start/complete the download.
TCP 80UDP 88UDP 3074TCP 3074UDP 53TCP 53TCP 443
All these ports have to be open in order for Live to work ingame or in the marketplace application. Either use port forwarding or use UPNP. If you are going to use UPNP, it is assumed by me that you have a router/gateway setup & you have UPNP already enabled. If you are using a software firewall you need to setup advanced rules to allow the application. (I do not recommend software solutions, because of incompatibilities)
· UPNP Instructions:
XP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/941206
Vista: Start -> Network -> at the top in the middle Network & Sharing Center -> Enable Network Discovery
If after this step UPNP is not working. Then open up services application in your OS. Go to the search box inside your start menu & search for "Services". Look for network discovery in the list of services. When you find it, make sure that the service is started, & not stopped.
· For port forwarding instructions:
Look at the help page when logged into your router as administrator. http://portforward.com/ can help also. It is best to read the documentation that is available from the router/gateways website.
· If you do not see calculating download size & are positive your network setup is working. Then the Background Intelligent Transfer Service is having a problem or the service is stopped. As well if you see a BITS exception in red underneath the tab of the download. I cannot reproduce a screen shot to this, because I have no idea how to break the BITS service.
· Slow download speeds have affected some users. This has been an ongoing issue for some with the marketplace. It is an issue that has been acknowledged by the Live team & is being worked on. I won’t go into specifics about how the internet works. Often times it is complicated & the routes (hops In internet terms) you have to take to get to the server are stupid. If you compare it to a car traveling on a freeway. You may have to travel 50 miles east on a highway to get to the main freeway just to head south 100 more miles. At the intersection to the main freeway there could be tons of traffic. The ISP that handles that drop off point could be giving long response times in order to handle the traffic. The internet is not perfect & that is the way things work with it.
· If your client looks like this, then everything is up & running correctly.
The awkwardness of the marketplace content & regions:
The marketplace is a fairly new service to Games for Windows Live. It goes without saying that we have had a rough time with this component of the service. Understand that this is not a closed system, like the 360. So things can get awkward with problems people run into. Things are not open book & cut/dry like the 360 service. There is a lot of Gray area with this component & most of this info has been found out the hard way.
I will do my best to post things people run into, whenever I come across it. Only thing I would say is if you post something with the intent to try to trick people into siding with you. You are doing yourself a dis-service. The Live team would like to solve every problem, if they can. Some things are out of their realm. (It is up to the developer on this decision.)
· There is an issue with the availability of add-on content. Most games that are released, whether through digital download, or retail, are region encoded. If you buy a game that is outside your region, you may have problems with add-ons & game patches. It is best to buy the version that is available to your region. Even though you know that the add-on content is not available to you.
· From what we have seen from Fallout 3 add-on's. The game when released to retail channels, it is a finished product. So to enable the add-on content, you will need to subsequent patch/update to the game. Since the games are regional, you will have to patch the game with the patch that is available to your region. Games are sold all over the world, but not every region is currently supported to the latest update to the game that is needed. This is up to the developer to release these patches. Users will think since they are signed into Live, that they should be good with the add-on content, which unfortunately is not the case. That is why this is a gray area.
So how do we figure out if my region has a supported patch for the add-on content? At this moment I see none, except checking the developer’s site for the available patches. If you compare the patch versions to the latest one & they match. I would say that is a good indicator, to whether it will work. This is not a full proof method. The one that will be full proof will be from the Live team.
We run into an even tougher area with unsupported region users. If you do the region work around, you may run into problems as well.
· There are cases where the content is not available to your territory/country. If you circumvent the retail channels in your country, & the DLC comes in the language of the region you are in. The way the marketplace is setup right now, if your PC is in the region of Italy, then the DLC will be in Italian. For example you bought a UK version of the game but currently have a gamertag that is setup for Germany or reside in Germany. You will receive the German version of the DLC. Meaning the game language will be English & the DLC language will be in German. There is currently nothing the Live team can do about this because they put up whatever the developer gives them. They have no control over this. It is different in Canada from what I have read through this forum.
Great Post, but none of this helped me.
If there is no information in these posts that contain the issue you are having then look in the FAQs. Some information is omitted intentionally or linked to. Thanks to all the users & Live team members that have worked through the growing pains of the service.
General Issues FAQ Non-Live supported countries Live Error Code Troubleshooting Windows Trouble Shooting 101 Connection Issues FAQ Download Issues FAQ Fallout 3 Issues FAQ MyGamercard.net FAQ How To Use GFW Forums FAQ
Phone Support
Finally, if none of the above steps have helped you resolve your issue, and you are sure the issues is with LIVE and not covered on the forums, you can use the following steps to contact LIVE support via phone in North America only: Please dial 1-877-274-4349 from 9 am EST (6 am PST) to 1 am EST (10 pm PST). Our technical support agents there will be more than happy to assist you.
Pretty good so far, this will be a great guide to new people.
Can't wait for Final Fantasy XIII!
Something I would add is that users may be better off with an Open NAT. You can check your network status within the guide menu. If it says Open NAT you are very unlikely to get issues like dropped connection to LIVE games as soon as you enter the lobby. The reason I say this is that here in the EU a lot of ISP's have setups for consumers which mean if you want Open NAT you have to lose services like auto ISP aupdates to your router.
BT in the UK especially works best with an Open NAT. Even after allowing all the ports through your firewall I found GFWL was unstable with my ISP (BT) so I had to disable it totally for an Open NAT status in the guide!
Thanks for the comment on UK ISP's. I know internet setups are alot different in europe. Added some more stuff & will be working on typing all the ingame issues that have come up that I am aware of.
Thanks for this helpful post, I think I'll sticky it!
Thanks Glocks This is great!
PS. You could edit in Port 443 ( sign in port )
UDP, TCP, or both?
TCP 443
Nice post Glocks!
How'd I miss this? Anyway very great info, I find this very informative and helpful! Big thanks for all the help you have been spreading tonight.
I miss the old days where Guild Wars and Battlefield 2 dominated online gaming. Since I have slowly receded into offline FPSs and RPGs. My gaming history.
Thanks a lot for that fabulous post, Glocks! The amount of work you put into this community is always highly appreciated by each and every member here.
HELP ME PLS!!!
I CANT UPDATE M WINDOWS LIVE ITS SHOWING SOME
0x80070002 eror Pls Help i want to play live !!! Pls
s
Help me i m getting eror while updating gta4 windows live The eror is "0x80070002" Pls help !
Ensure you have opened the ports listed in the main posts.
