Xbox LIVE Problems

It all started like a strange illness. The first symptom was that I could barely hear Kruddler talk using the Xbox 360 Headset. We both had to turn up the volume to the max level just to hear each other, especially over all the noise of zombie slaying.

The next symptom happened recently (sometime last week). We couldn't hear each other at all. Playing a game like Left 4 Dead 2 usually requires constant communication in order to successfully complete a level, especially an achievement like Guardin' Gnome. We tried to work around this issue by sending each other voice messages but this was awkward at best and fatal at worst since you had to remain idle as you composed a new message as well as listen to one. During that time a Charger could easily have pummeled you to death.

The final straw happened last night as I was getting constant lag. There were several occasions where my screen went crazy and I was stuck in the same view. After the lag was cleared up I found myself in a puddle of green goo, my health down to a measly +5. That's when I decided to put my troubleshooting skills to the test and research the issue on Google.

The official Xbox LIVE Status page stated all services were up and operational. I then tried to search for people with similar problems but that didn't go anywhere since they were fixated on a broken headset or controller.

Then it struck me. What about blocked ports? I ran the Xbox LIVE Connection Test and it came back with the following error message:

Your NAT type is Strict (or Moderate). People on networks with this NAT type may not be able to join certain games or hear other people while playing online.

This described our problem! I remember configuring my router for proper port forwarding when I first got my 360 but that was years ago. I checked again and sure enough, my firewall rules were set to port forward the Xbox LIVE ports to the wrong internal IP address. After correcting my error I ran the same Connection Test and it came back clean. Of course proof is in the pudding so I had to play a quick L4D2 match with some strangers on the internet and their voices came in loud and clear.

After finally fixing the issue I can't wait for Krudd and I to try to complete the "Sob Story" achievement this weekend. Krudd read that link for some hints we need!