Print

[Xbox-Scene]

XBSlink v0.7.0.1 and WIP news *Update: v0.7.2.2* Posted by XanTium | October 13 10:29 EST | News Category: Xbox360

A new version of XBSlink has been released, it's an application that will allow you to play system-link enabled multi-player Xbox360 games over the internet, which became useful since the Dash Launch plugin removing the 30ms-ping-limit on the Xbox360. Features:     * GUI layout changed. new tabbed design.     * remote host history. you can select previously entered hosts from a drop down.     * “special MAC list” : you can tell XBSlink to always forward packets for certain network devices. This could enable other platforms like the original xbox.     * the info screen shows the client version number for all nodes     * program messages tab: internal status messages from XBSlink     * new About tab with info on how to use XBSlink They are posted some WIP news: Some users asked why UPnP is not working for them, even though it works with other applications. Well, XBSlink is using windows own UPnP/SSDP service do i need to say more? *lol* The next XBSlink version will feature a new UPnP Stack, independent from windows! I will also implement the option to use a STUN server to further improve NAT traversal. Those firewalls are no match for us *Update* v0.7.2.2 has been released. What's new/fixed:     * XBSlink now has an internal chat! communicate with connected XBSlink nodes.     * UPnP code replaced – no more problems cased by windows own UPnP service     * the nickname for XBSlink nodes is shown in the main info.     * STUN server support. XBSlink can now determine the NAT type of your network with the help of a STUN server.     * auto switching to the chat window if a message arrives     * extended internal messages     * fixed a (pretty unlikely) deadlock scenario of message dispatcher threads     * added tooltips to some settings Official Site: http://www.secudb.de/~seuffert/xbslink/ Download: here

[hyfall381]

this actually looks pretty cool. ive never tried this or that xlink kai thing before. but i might have to try this out. i know several people who like multi-player games, but never tried xbl for what ever reason. i know others who have been banned and dont wanna get another xbox just to have live again.  so ill have to spread the word about this (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[juntistik]

Any hopes for finding any hosts or clients without directly entering their ip? I know you're trying to move from the lobbies/arenas but the only people that play with me online are my roommates which are on lan anyway. It would be nice to get a 16 player game going without having to know 16 people to setup for.

anyway, great work. I love seeing the rapid updates. I noticed you added the advanced forwarding of broadcasts for me, I appreciate it. I would love to test out the original xbox if anyone is down to try it out with me.

[poonation]

QUOTE(juntistik @ Oct 13 2010, 05:43 PM)

Any hopes for finding any hosts or clients without directly entering their ip? I know you're trying to move from the lobbies/arenas but the only people that play with me online are my roommates which are on lan anyway. It would be nice to get a 16 player game going without having to know 16 people to setup for.

anyway, great work. I love seeing the rapid updates. I noticed you added the advanced forwarding of broadcasts for me, I appreciate it. I would love to test out the original xbox if anyone is down to try it out with me.

I'm not exactly sure how the P2P structure is working in this project, but maybe implementing a DHT type connection may work as they use in bit torrent?  It would be interesting to see if it could work.  I'm not exactly sure how it works entirely, but I believe it was created in order to have a decentralized network to connect P2P to exchange files/information.  If it could be used to simply find other gamers, with the same game, then my friend you would have a real game changer with this application.  It would even allow us non j tagged players to find multiple games available with lower ping instead of a trial and error with people exchanging IP addresses.  If the author of the app reads this can you please comment on it either way.  Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_hash_table

some more background as to how it works in bit torrent
http://www.bittorrent.org/beps/bep_0005.html

This post has been edited by poonation: Oct 14 2010, 02:03 AM

[MrFist]

Im gonna be honest, ive been gone for 6 months, and this is freaking awesome!!! I have a stacks of banned jtags in a storage room, now i can just lend em to friends and we cud play modded zombies or some other cool shit over  XBSlink. This is top 10 coolest things ive heard of for home brew, gonna download this soon and test this sucker out.

[xboxdawg]

So does this work on all 360's or do you have to do some custom dashboard update?

[shaksbeer]

QUOTE(xboxdawg @ Oct 14 2010, 04:55 PM)

So does this work on all 360's or do you have to do some custom dashboard update?

XBSlink runs on your computer (connected to the same network as the 360).
It works with untouched consoles, although the ping limit will apply. with jtaged consoles even the ping doesn't matter (ping patch).

[DEagleson]

I think the host console can skip the 30ms ping limit, since its only required for the users connectiong.
(Correct me if im wrong here.)

[shaksbeer]

QUOTE(poonation @ Oct 14 2010, 02:43 AM)

I'm not exactly sure how the P2P structure is working in this project, but maybe implementing a DHT type connection may work as they use in bit torrent?  It would be interesting to see if it could work.  I'm not exactly sure how it works entirely, but I believe it was created in order to have a decentralized network to connect P2P to exchange files/information.  If it could be used to simply find other gamers, with the same game, then my friend you would have a real game changer with this application.  It would even allow us non j tagged players to find multiple games available with lower ping instead of a trial and error with people exchanging IP addresses.  If the author of the app reads this can you please comment on it either way.  Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distributed_hash_table

some more background as to how it works in bit torrent
http://www.bittorrent.org/beps/bep_0005.html

since your are trying to find clients in general and not the data they have DHT is not the right tool to use.
What XBSlink does is that you don't have to connect to many single IPs, but every client exchanges all known other nodes with you.

So, if a "cloud" with a critical mass is established, the network would be large enough to stay stable. Everything you would need to know is ONE ip in that cloud. It is very likely that several of these clouds could emerge. Those clouds could easily be merged by one XBSlink user announcing to another cloud.

future versions of XBSlink could feature something like a "tag" system, that allows you to set tags on every client and search for those tags (like games). but this does only make sense on bigger clouds.

another idea is a "publish me" list, where people could find nodes to connect to.

[poonation]

shaksbeer thanks for replying.

The use DHT the way I had in mind would have been used to identify the game you were trying to play.  If XBSlink was able to intercept the data being sent over the network, interpret the data as game A, then create the hash for game A and look for others sharing the same hash.  Again I am talking a bit over my head here just trying to come up with a way to match many gamers without knowing ones IP address.  

While I love the idea of the program, especially being free of a central server, finding others playing the same game at the same time would make this wonderful application really take off.

I have yet to try this as I do not have anyone to really test it with, but from the sound of it you can only connect to a known IP address correct?

Do you have future plans to bring a "cloud" feature so as to share many available peers (gamers) to connect to or is this outside of what the project is really shooting for?

[mrdude2478]

Maybe you could implement something like dydns into the program so that peoples ip address could be linked to a web site address, that way friends with dynamic ip addresses could find each other eaiser. It's just a thought m8.

Personally I can do this with my linksys router - but some people don't have that option.

[poonation]

mrdude,
have your friends check out this page.  problem solved (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/
and for you no-ip users, check out this link to keep you ip reachable.
http://www.no-ip.com/downloads.php

[mrdude2478]

QUOTE(poonation @ Oct 15 2010, 03:04 AM)

mrdude,
have your friends check out this page.  problem solved (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
http://www.dyndns.com/support/clients/
and for you no-ip users, check out this link to keep you ip reachable.
http://www.no-ip.com/downloads.php

Thanks for taking the time to reply and for those links, I already knew about the dyndns links - that's why I was wondering if this could be implemented into this app - that way it would save needing to run two apps at once - or a router that sends updates to dyndns.

[poonation]

mrdude I like your thinking.  If shaksbeer would like to add support for it, below are some open source apps that do indeed update for dyndns and no-ip services that may make adding a little easier.

INADYN (dyndns)
http://www.inatech.eu/inadyn/

Shukra (python script for no-ip)
http://shukra-noip.sourceforge.net/

[iwanttheagrocrag]

Still working great for me, i do notice the ping is down almost 10ms compared to kai, and that 10ms could make it or break it for some people.