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GameSpy Tunnel What Is It?
The GameSpy Tunnel is an application that is used with GameSpy Arcade to enable you to play Xbox SystemLink games over the Internet FOR FREE with other Xbox players.
What is required?
In order to use the GameSpy Tunnel you will need:
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file (5.19 MB)
This application must be installed for the "Xbox" service to appear in GameSpy Arcade.
- A Microsoft Xbox console
- A supported game (see below)
- A FAST broadband connection. You will need at least 128kbps upstream bandwidth for most games, although Halo can require up to 256kbps upstream bandwidth per player in the game. If your connection is not fast enough you WILL experience lag and connection loss problems. No modem support is available or planned.
- A supported network configuration. Most types of home networks are supported. Basically you just need to be able to plug your Xbox into the same LAN as your computer is on. See below for more information on network configurations.
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.
 | Game has not started.
You can join. |
 | Game has not started.
You can join with password. |
 | Game has started.
You can't join. |
 | Game has started.
You can't 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 very 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
- Make sure you have the GameSpy Tunnel application installed
- Leave Arcade running for a minute or so to download the latest configuration files, then close and restart it.
...I get an error that the tunnel application was "Unable to detect a network adapter!"
- You may need to reboot
- Make sure you selected the correct network card in the GameSpy Tunnel configuration dialog.
- You may need to resinstall the GameSpy Tunnel application
- Make sure you're using the most current drivers for your network card.
- The GameSpy Tunnel application does not support multiprocessor machines. If you have a multiprocessor machine you will need to disable one processor by modifying your Windows boot.ini file. Details are here: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q170/7/56.ASP
Do this at your own risk!
...The game is very lagged and/or I keep getting disconnected.
- Try reducing the number of players in your game to only two. Some games, like Halo, are very bandwidth intensive and require a minimum of 128kbps of upstream bandwidth to play smoothly with two players.
- Make sure no other applications are running that are using bandwidth (for example, file downloads).
- Try finding some other players to play with that have better "ping" times to you or are closer to you regionally.
...I don't see any games listed or can't join any of the listed games.
- Make sure you have one of the supported network configurations listed below.
- 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. They are 6500 (UDP, for GameSpy Arcade) and 6700 (UDP, for GameSpy Tunnel)
...I keep getting "Your disc is dirty or damaged" error messages.
- Try hosting a game before joining someone else's game. No one actually has to join your game. Simply entering into the hosting menu sometimes seems to resolve this.
- You may need to try rebooting your Xbox. This seems to work for some, but not all, people.
- The exact cause of this error is unknow. If you have solutions, post them in our forums!
...The GameSpy Tunnel application is not able to detect my Xbox
- Make sure you have one of the supported network configurations listed below.
- Make sure you selected the correct network card in the GameSpy Tunnel configuration dialog.
- Make sure you are in the "system link" menu on the Xbox game. The application will only detect the console when it is at this menu. Typically games will print something like "searching for games" on this menu.
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
Crossover Cable: This is a special RJ45 network cable with several of the wires switched. This "Xbox System Link cable" is also a crossover cable. When connecting a Hub to a Network Uplink or another Hub/Switch, you either need to use the "uplink" port on one of the devices, or use a crossover cable to connect two of the regular ports.
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:
- 6500 (UDP) - For GameSpy Arcade
- 6700 (UDP) - For GameSpy Tunnel
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 $30-$50.
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 other will connect to the console via a crossover cable. 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).
USB Cable Modem
If you have a cable modem that connects directly to your machine via USB, then you will need a second network card to connect to the game console. See the section above on Two PC Network Cards for more info. Note that if you have a USB Ethernet adapter for use with your Cable/DSL Uplink you can use any of the other configurations since a USB Ethernet adapter is basically just a type network card. An additional card is ONLY needed if your Cable Modem connects directly to your machine via USB (no network cable).
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