-STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II--STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II--STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II-- THE ALMOST ULTIMATE STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II SYSTEM LINK FAQ Version 1.0 created by Mortal_Esteban Since Star Wars: Battlefront II was released around October-November of 2005, many people have tried to system link their Xbox's together. Many, if not all, of these people have had trouble of some kind. So this FAQ is here to cover many of these problems and to give advice to make system link play with Star Wars: Battlefront II more enjoyable. Sites currently allowed to host this guide: www.gamefaqs.com and www.supercheats.com All questions or comments about this guide may be emailed to me at: [email protected] INDEX: TITLE (use ctrl+f and enter this letter / number combo to skip to this section) MY EXPERIENCES (A1) SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT (B2) GETTING STARTED (C3) RECOMMENDED PLAYING OPTIONS (D4) JOINING AND PLAYING THE GAME (E5) FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (F6) VERSION HISTORY (G7) LEGAL JUNK (H8) ******************* MY EXPERIENCES (A1) ******************* I've been hosting and setting up LAN (Local Area Network) parties since Star Wars: Battlefront I first came out in September of 2004. I average about one per month and anywhere from 2 to 20 people. People bring their Xbox's and tv's while I bring my networking equipment. We sit down, set up the Xbox's and tv's and then using ethernet cables and routers, we network them all and play system link games of Star Wars: Battlefront II. It's really not that complicated so, after reading this guide, you'll probably have the knowledge to system link Xbox's on a regular basis with no problem. ************************ SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT (B2) ************************ When I plan to system link Xbox's for Battlefront: 2 (or just about any game for that matter) I set up a network using a hub, switch, or router. I recommend the following equipment: Either a cat 5 or cat 6 crossover cable when connecting two and only two Xbox's or 1. Cat 5e and / or Cat 6 cables (one per Xbox) 2. A switch or router 3. A crossover cable when connecting switches or routers 4. At least one Xbox per every four people 5. One copy of the game per Xbox Obviously, you'll need the right number of tv's, av cables, power cables, and power outlets. I recommend Cat 6 cables over Cat 5 cables as Cat 6 cables are supposedly faster. The switch or router should be 10/100 or 10/100/1000 speed. Hubs will work instead of a switch or router but are slower. If you will be having more Xbox's than the number of ports on your switch or router, you can connect multiple switches or routers through the use of a crossover cable. You can get routers, switches, hubs, and ethernet cables at almost any electronics store. The best place to get this kind of equipment is from online refurbishing warehouses. A good price is less than one US dollar per foot. I would suggest getting many ethernet cables with varieties of lengths. Sometimes you may only need shorter cables but more often than not, you'll need long cables. I would suggest at least two 25 foot cat 5 cables as these will give you more options of where to play from. Also get several 10 foot cables so that you will never be short on cables. If you already have networking cables, but don't know what kind they are, the information should be printed on the cable. Basically, you have Cat 5 or Cat 6 cables and Crossover or patch / straight-through ethernet cables. Use crossover cables when connecting two Xbox's directly without a hub, switch, or router and when connecting hubs, switches, and routers. Otherwise, you'll always want to use the patch / straight-through cables. ******************** GETTING STARTED (C3) ******************** NOTE: From this point forward, I will no longer say hub, switch, or router, I will only write router and use the term to apply to all three. First, you'll want to decide where to have the Xbox's and tv's at. Then, depending on how far that distance is and the lengths of cables you have, find a location to place your router (or routers) that will allow all of the Xbox's to connect to the router. Then, before turning any of the Xbox's or routers on hook up all of the Xbox's to the router (or routers) using your (Cat 5 and Cat6) ethernet cables and, if using multiple routers, connect them using a crossover cable. If you're only connecting two Xbox's and using a crossover cable, connect them now. Next, after all of the devices are connected, plug in and turn on your router (or routers). After they have been on for one or two minutes, turn on the Xbox's, place Star Wars: Battlefront II in the disc trays, and load the game. IMPORTANT: Note that the activity lights on the router should be flashing or lit up to indicate that the Xbox connected to that port is connected to the network. Also notice that the ethernet port on the Xbox has lights on it. The left light indicates that the Xbox is connected to a network or another Xbox and the right light will flash when the Xbox is sending or receiving information. If these lights are not on or flashing, make sure that the power is turned on on the Xbox and router and that all of the cables are pushed into the ports all of the way. IMPORTANT NOTE TO XBOX LIVE PLAYERS: Before loading Star Wars: Battlefront II, on the Xbox Main Menu (or dashboard) go to SETTINGS and then down to AUTO-SIGN IN and make sure that it is disabled otherwise, when you load your Battlefront II profile, it will attempt to sign you into Xbox Live automatically and you will not be able to play system link. After loading the game, decide who's Xbox will host the game and have that person select their profile, select MULTIPLAYER, and then SYSTEM LINK. After that, have all of the other people that will be playing on that Xbox select their profiles and then press "A" to continue. IMPORTANT NOTE: Next, select OPTIONS, and then make sure your Xbox is set to the following settings: Appear: Online (This will enable others to see your game and that you're connected) Hosting Bandwith: (any of the DSL/Cable options will do fine) Network Performance Icon: ON (This shows what everyone's connection to the game is) TV Voice Volume: (On if you want things said on the headsets to come through your tv. Off if you don't want to hear your friends being annoying.) After verifying your settings, select CREATE MATCH. Choose any maps and gametypes you want. IMPORTANT NOTE: If the host Xbox has downloaded and still possesses a map or gametype that another does not have (such as Assault on Kashyyyk, or the $5.00 pack which includes Assault on many old maps (such as Mygeeto and Naboo) as well as the addition of new maps (Rhen Var: Citadel, Rhen Var: Harbor, Yavin Arena,and Bespin)), they must make sure not to select any map or gametype that a joining Xbox does not have. Otherwise the Xbox (or Xbox's) without those updates will not be able to join the match. So Assault is safe on Mos Eisley for sure, Kashyyyk if the free update has been downloaded, and all maps if the $5.00 pack has been downloaded. But if the host chooses Hunt on Rhen Var, then all Xbox's that don't have Rhen Var, will not be able to join the match even if the game being played at the time is something they have (like conquest on Naboo). After choosing the maps or gametypes you want, you should change some of the settings. ******************************** RECOMMENDED PLAYING OPTIONS (D4) ******************************** Playing system link, Xbox Live, and instant action all have the same lists of options to choose from with the exception of system link and Xbox Live having the "HOST" category. The "HOST" list of options is as follows: Map Playlist: (play in order, or random order) NOTE: This will determine whether the maps and games will be played in the order they appear on the list or in a random order. Random order has a set pattern to it. For example, if you select all maps, all gametypes, all eras and random order, you will play the maps in a certain order which can be replicated by selecting all maps, all gametypes, all eras and random order again. Dedicate Host: (on or off) NOTE: Simple, select ON if you want the Xbox to simply be hosting the game and OFF if you want people to be able to play from it. This is supposed to reduce lag though whether or not it really does it debatable as at one system link party I went to, the game lagged really bad when we had an Xbox set up just hosting the game. But later, we came back and played without dedicated host turned on and with the same options and same number of people (8) and there was hardly any lag. Max Players: (2-32) NOTE: Set this number at the maximum number of people you might possibly have playing in your game (or the max number that you want in your game). The lower the amount of players, the less lag (generally). Warm Up: (0-120 seconds) NOTE: This determines how long players have to explore the map and such before the game really starts. Players will spawn instantly and cannot die. Setting this at 0 means players can spawn within 15 seconds of the game starting while AI unitsw will spawn immediately. For best results, set this at five seconds so that players and AI will have 5 seconds for a warm-up and then will have 10 seconds before the first wave of players and AI units spawn. Voting Threshold: (disabled-%75) NOTE: This decides what percentage of the players in the game must vote against a player to boot him. Booting of one player results in the booting of an entire Xbox. For system link, disable this to prevent people from getting kicked out of the game and frustrated. Team Damage: (on or off) NOTE: ON means betrayals will be an every-battle occurance while OFF means that they will be harder to perform (although they still are possible through the running over of a teammate). Show Player Names: (on or off) NOTE: When enabled, the name of human players will appear above their heads. Teams: (auto-assign or player select) NOTE: This options allows the computer to choose teams or each individual person (although if a player cannot decide they can simply select the auto-assign button to let the computer decide for them). With player select, players can change their team part-way through the game by pressing the "B" button while at the command post selection screen. Min Players to Start: (0 to number of max players) NOTE: Set this number to the number of people that you know for sure will be playing. That way the games will not begin until everyone has joined. The option to play as a Hero in Star Wars: Battlefront II can be very controversial. The hero can easily sway the battle in one team's favor. So when you plan on playing intense and competitive games with people, either turn the Hero off completely or make it so that the Hero can only be unlocked after a large number of points (such as 25-50). While some players enjoy games that go on forever, many players do not. Consider setting a time limit on your game or reducing the score limit. Once all of your games are chosen and your settings are correct, choose the "LAUNCH" option to begin the game. ********************************* JOINING AND PLAYING THE GAME (E5) ********************************* Once the game has been "launched" by the host, the remaining Xbox's should attempt to join. Have one person select their profile, then MULTIPLAYER, and then SYSTEM LINK. Next, have the remaining players on the Xbox select their profiles. Finally, select SEARCH. A screen should appear that will show a list of all of the available games. If you put the cursor over an available game, it will give you all of the information of the game such as the number of players, the host's connection, what map is currently being played, and what the settings are. Select the game you want and join it. NOTE: When joining a game, it may give you a message along the lines of "Network conditions may affect this game." Ignore this message and join the game. If there is lag, inform the host of this so that they may reduce the number of max players and/or the number of AI units to reduce lag. Sometimes the network simply needs reset. When resetting the network, unplug all ethernet cables, turn off all Xbox's, and turn off all routers. Wait two minutes before turning anything back on. While waiting, connect all Xbox's and routers again. Then turn on the router(s) and wait another minute or two. Next fire up the Host's Xbox and start the process all over again. NOTE: Once in the game, any player can press start and open up the PLAYERS LIST which will show who is in the game and what team they are on. From this menu, they can select a player's name and choose whether or not they want to listen to what they have to say through their headset. NOTE: When teams are set to player select, a player may change teams at while choosing a command post to spawn at by simply pressing "B." The host and all other players in the game will get a message saying who has joined the game. Similarly, when players leave the game, the remaining players will get messages saying "so-and-so left the game" Also, whenever a human person dies, it will inform all players of this. ******************************* FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (F6) ******************************* Q: Should I purchase <insert networking item here> A: I don't know, e-mail me as much information on the item as you may have and I'll try to get back to you. Q: It won't let me join or start a system link game. A: I covered most of the reported problems in sections B2 and C3. Read through those sections. Basically, 1. Make sure the cables are the correct kinds 2. Make sure the cables are pushed in all the way 3. Make sure to plug in the cables, turn on the router, and then the Xbox's 4. Make sure the activity lights are lit up or flashing on the router 5. Make sure the the light on the left of the ethernet port of the Xbox is lit up 6. Make sure that Auto-Sign In is turned off on your Xbox main menu. 7. Make sure that the host Xbox has not chosen any of the maps or gametypes that the joining Xbox does not have 8. Make sure that the host has launched the game before joining Q: Can you system link a regular Xbox with an Xbox 360? A: I did system link five regular Xbox's with a 360 once with no problem. We were, however, only playing Halo 2. We didn't try Battlefront II. However, I would think that it would work fine as long as you follow this FAQ. Q: Can you really system link with just a crossover cable? A: I have only used a crossover cable with other games (such as Halo 2) so I do not know for certain but I would assume that it will work as long as you follow the instructions in this FAQ. Q: I don't want to listen to what other people are saying through their headsets. What should I do? A: You can play with the sound muted, play with the "tv voice volume" option set to "off" and then don't use your headset, or once they say something like that, go into your players list and mute them. Q: It won't let me download the new maps to my 360? A: This may or may not be a glitch. Some say that they downloaded the content just fine while others cannot download it at all. The DC may require a Gold membership and may not be supported by a trial membership. Q: Do people still play on Xbox Live anymore? A: Yes but most of them are under 12 years of age, scream, and cry when they lose. But don't worry, they all go to bed promptly at 8:30. When playing before 8:30, just remember: "The mute button is your friend!" :) Q: My headset stopped working. A: This is a glitch with the game. I heard that to fix this, after every game, remove your headset from your controller and then reinsert it once the next game starts. I also heard that setting the mic audio option to tv output from the Xbox dashboard might fix this problem as well. Q: The sound stopped working on my tv. A: This is yet another glitch with the game that can be fixed by resetting your Xbox. Q: I have a question, comment, problem, solution, etc. that you did not address in this FAQ. What should I do? A: E-mail me ([email protected]) or post your problem on the Star Wars: Battlefront II message board at gamefaqs.com--I'm there alot. Q: What's your gamertag? A: da n00binator send me a friend request. ******************** VERSION HISTORY (G7) ******************** Version 1.0 - 9/15/06 - Completed Version 1.1 - 9/26/06 - Updated copyright information and added supercheats.com *************** LEGAL JUNK (H8) *************** Copyright 2006 Stephen Hopper This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. The only sites allowed to host this FAQ are gamefaqs.com and supercheats.com If you would like to host this FAQ on your website, e-mail me at [email protected] Special thanks to: gamefaqs for hosting this, the guys on the message board, for encouraging me to make this, my friends for playing system link with me, and you for reading this.