Ask X3F: Friendship edition

This week on a newly rejuvenated Ask X3F, we tackle wireless internet stealing sharing, erratic Xbox 360 sign-in problems and the ability of the Xbox 360 Fancast to turn people into (extremely) minor internet celebrities. We also discuss the practice of borrowing games from friends. It's a tricky road to travel. Personally, we've seen some of our best games lost to the abyss thanks to untrustworthy friends (thanks for losing Earthworm Jim, Joey!). However, it can also be a great (and cheap) way to experience games you wouldn't otherwise. Delve dee into this week's edition of Ask X3F and uncover its secrets. No, seriously. Delve.

Got a question for Ask X3F? Maybe you have a story or some information you'd like to share? Send it all to ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.

Dear X3F,

I have my settings on my Xbox 360 to automatically sign me in and go to the dashboard. Now, when I go to play any game it always asks me to sign in. If I am playing the same game I last played it does not ask me to, but every time I switch disks it asks me to log in again. It is very annoying, why does it do this and is there any way around it.

Thanks much,

PhilipJFryrish

Mr. Fryrish, you have us completely befuddled. Our first question would be if your gamertag does automatically log in like it's supposed to. If not, it's possible that you have the wrong gamertag selected as the default. That still doesn't explain why you're apparently being signed out everytime you switch games though. If anyone out there has a solution for Phillip's problem, drop it in the comments.

Hey guys,

Was wondering if you thought it would be a good idea to add "Gamerscore Completion Percentage" (GS Completion %) to Gamercards. I propose that it answers the question: Do you have a high Gamerscore because you've bought/played a ton of games, or is it because you've spent time trying to get most/all the achievements for each game? Mygamercard.net already has this data tracked on their site and I think it's a good added dimension what the Gamerscore represents.

Sean
GT: BreakShooe

An interesting idea to be sure. In fact, we'd be surprised if someone hasn't already worked this functionality into any of the various online gamercards available (or is at least planning to). It's doubtful that Microsoft would ever include this feature in the official gamercard design though. Gamerscore is a neat idea, but it's more than likely that the majority of 360 owners don't really care about it (though some care too much). Furthermore, if they do care about it, they probably don't want to be reminded that they haven't ferreted out every last achievement in the games they own. As a general rule, you don't want to make your customers feel bad about using your product, you know? There's no reason why some enterprising creator couldn't make such a gamercard themselves though. Get to it, internet!

hey guys,
today i went to my local eb to pre-order Rock Band 2 special edition for the 360. So when i got there i ask the guy if i could do just that and he said that the special edition isn't coming out till late October while the disc itself and only the disc is shipping September 14. Is this a mess up on there computers or is this legitimate?

If rumors are to be believed, the Rock Band 2 dates could be correct. As it stands, even the official Rock Band store says the Special Edition bundle will release on October 19. Of course, no official release dates have been announced, so it could release earlier. Still, considering the evidence, it doesn't look good for those interested in the Special Edition.

Here's a poll I'd like to see the results of on X3F, based on MS's Megaton (tm) E3 announcement....

Will you be buying Final Fantasy 13 for your 360?
: Hellz yeah! I love me some scantily clad wizard girls.
: That filthy Sony franchise? Never!

Cheers now,
Jonman
GT: Spiffing Wotwot

P.S. Some chap I was playing Catan against the other day recognised my gamertag from emails being read out on the Fancast. What's the one below Z-list internet celebrity? It seems I'm one of them now.

A fantastic idea! A Final Fantasy XIII poll shall be made! Stay tuned. As for your celebritization, we must say that we are positively amazed. Said amazement is twofold. On the one hand, we're amazed that out of all the people on Xbox Live, you were matched with someone who not only listens to our podcast, but also pay attention to them. On the other hand, we're amazed that we have at least two listeners. Good news all around!

Hey there!
My Friend has a lot of 360 games, a library practically, a lot of those games he doesn't even play anymore, he basically has it, tells me and "the guys" he has it and lets it collect dust. Anyways we're in a band together so I go to his house a lot to practice. One time I ask him if I could borrow Call of Duty 4, he refuses, and I'm thinking well ok fine. But when I got home I got thinking and thought, why won't he let me borrow a game for a week. I can understand if he was still playing it, but he had been telling me it sucked. So ya, what should I tell him?

Thanks,
puerco

Puerco, from the sound of things, your friend is what is commonly referred to as "a jerk." Now, it's possible your band mate (let's call him Kevin) is just really protective of his stuff. Frankly, we get antsy when we see our friends grab a handful of french fries and then grab one of our controllers without wiping their hands. We don't like greasy mitts on our stuff, dig? Anywho, maybe that's what Kevin is like. We don't know. It's also possible he just takes satisfaction in knowing that he has something you don't. Of course, looking at both sides of the issue, it's possible you may not be a reliable friend. Are you klutzy? Are you prone to comically falling over, destroying expensive game discs as you tumble?

Whatever it is, he's obviously not keen to give his games away. You might try asking really nicely. Do you have any games that he doesn't have? Perhaps you could trade. You might ask him why he won't let you borrow it. Start a discourse.

We get the feeling that something isn't right though. After all, he did say that Call of Duty 4 sucked.

Hi,

I browse the web on my laptop through an unprotected Wi.Fi connection somewhere in my neighborhood, my question is if I can access Xbox Live connecting my 360 to the laptop or do I have to connect the console directly to an Internet source (ethernet, wi-fi, etc)?

Thanks in advance and keep ut the good work.
- ashn0d

First of all, you should think about getting your own internet access and your neighbor should think about protecting his network. That said, it is possible to share your laptop's internet connection. There are some guides on Internet Connection Sharing on Xbox.com, but they are all for using wired connections. After some Googling, we turned up a few results that may help you. Essentially, you'll be turning your laptop into a router. (Frankly, I hate routers, so I'm not going to try to explain the process in detail here.) If anyone out there has an easy guide to doing this correctly, feel free to post it in the comments.


That's it for this week, folks. Keep sending your questions to: ask [att] xbox360fanboy [dawt] com.