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Frequently Asked Questions
Due to the numerous emails and instant messages I've received concerning Steel Battalion: Line of Contact I have compiled a list of Frequently Asked Questions which will attempt to answer some of the more common inquiries regarding the game. If the topic you are seeking an answer to is not presented below, please browse the site PRIOR to sending me a message. This site has a massive amount of information compiled on the game with almost every possible detail covered. The exceptions being those pages marked as still being a work in progress. Can I play the game without the controller?
Where can I purchase Steel Battalion or Line of Contact?
How much does it cost to purchase Steel Battalion or Line of Contact?
Does Line of Contact have any single player content?
Where do I plug in the XBox Live communicator headset?
Is there any downloadable content for the game?
Will Steel Battalion or Line of Contact work with the XBox360?
What is the difference between the green button and blue button controllers?
I've heard about connection problems with this game. I have ______ service, will the game work for me?
What are the best times or days to play Line of Contact?
How does communication work in Line of Contact?
I've heard you lose everything if you are Killed in Action in the game, is this true?
How do I unlock all VTs and Missions for Free Mission mode?
What is the best VT for a new player?
How do Sortie Points work? How do I setup a session with Sortie Points and Strategic Points by Factors?
Can I play the game without the controller?
No. The controller is absolutely required. You must also have a standard XBox controller available and plugged into another port of your XBox to make the game work. Line of Contact will give an error if either controller is removed from the XBox. Any reports you've heard of people playing the game without the controller are pure fantasy.Where can I purchase Steel Battalion or Line of Contact?
Capcom stopped selling Steel Battalion and Line of Contact on their website sometime during the summer of 2005. The game is very difficult to find "new" at retail locations so the best options are generally eBay or the second-hand market. Gamestop.com is the only used online retailer that seems to keep consistent quantities in stock, and their $14.99 price is very fair. eBay prices for Steel Battalion bundles have fallen to all-time lows after the cancellation of Campaign Mode, with some players reporting they purchased both games plus controller for sub-$100 pricepoints.How much does it cost to purchase Steel Battalion or Line of Contact?
Originally, the North American Steel Battalion game+controller sold for $200, dropped to $150 in the summer of 2004. Steel Battalion: Line of Contact originally sold for $50 new. Typical used market prices fall anywhere from $50 - $150 for the original game+controller bundle, and Line of Contact can be found for prices between $10 - $30.Does Line of Contact have any single player content?
Steel Battalion: Line of Contact DOES NOT have any single player content on the disc. All play modes are multi-player dependent and there are no bots or AI of any kind. For all intents and purposes, an XBox Live account is required to play the game properly. SystemLink is simply too logistically difficult to achieve (multiple XBox consoles, SB controllers, displays, etc.) and other non-Live connection protocols are not popular enough to guarantee sufficient players available.Where do I plug in the XBox Live communicator headset?
The communicator headset is plugged into a standard XBox controller which is then plugged into one of the open controller ports on the XBox. Rumours abounded back in 2004 about a "special SB controller" which had a headset port on it, but this design was never sent into production. This makes sense because none of the XBox Live Friends List management controls can be accessed via a Steel Battalion controller.Is there any downloadable content for the game?
Absolutely none. After 10.01.2005 you may unlock all VTs and Missions for Free Mission mode usage by entry of an Unlock Code.Will Steel Battalion or Line of Contact work with the XBox360?
Probably not. Nobody knows for sure because the backwards compatibility functionality and implementation schedule for the XBox360 have been rather nebulous. Using powers of deduction, Microsoft has indicated that all XBox360 peripherals must include an integrated "authentication" chip which identifies them as valid hardware for the XBox360. Since the Steel Battalion controller lacks this authentication chip, it probably won't work. Beyond this, the controller would require an XBox-to-USB adaptor, and while they exist for PC usage, Microsoft has never condoned their usage. Beyond all of the above, backwards compatibility programming for games on the XBox360 is being done on a popularity of title basis, and while Steel Battalion and Line of Contact may be two of the greatest games ever made :) they aren't as popular as many, many other titles.What is the difference between the green button and blue button controllers?
Green button controllers were the "original release" version and were produced in two batches, one with the original fall 2002 release, and a re-release batch in the spring of 2003. The blue button controllers were produced in advance of the release for Line of Contact (and there are many more of them).Functionally, the two models are the same and can even interchange components freely. There have been more reports of toggle switch and view hat issues with the blue button controllers, but that does not mean that they are inferior in quality to the green version. It may simply indicate that there are more of the blue controllers out there getting used. The green button controllers do have a major internal design difference with regard to the foot controllers. It would appear that the foot controller internal design was completely revised for the blue button version, using a compression spring assembly instead of a torsion spring. This makes the blue button version foot controllers much more durable and less likely to break than the green button version. Finally, there is a very small (non-gameplay) related bug with the blue button controllers in that the splash menu replay movies do not work with the blue button controllers. It appears to have something to do withthe foot controller internals as my green button controller will no play the splash screen movies with a blue button foot controller attached but will with my older green button version, odd. I've heard about connection problems with this game. I have ______ service, will the game work for me?
This is a very difficult question to answer fully. Pure linespeed is important, but not the only component in ensuring a good connection for Line of Contact. In general, users with residential class xDSL or cable modem service should be able to play 3v3 sessions with no issues. 4v4 is possible in rare cases, but can be achieved if all participants have SUPERIOR connections and minimal latency. 5v5 is typically impossible except in the most exceptional circumstances. Excessive latency can cripple even a very "fast" connection by introducing lag. I suggest CLOSELY reviewing the advice and suggestions presented on the Connection Issues page. The game can be challenging to get a proper connection for, but rewarding once achieved.What are the best times or days to play Line of Contact?
No one day is "the best" but the majority of the online community that I am familiar with have gravitated towards Wednesday evenings starting at 7:30pm EST onward and Sunday afternoons starting at 3:00pm EST onward (00:30am GMT and 8:00pm GMT respectively). Weekends also tend to be very good times to play, with Friday evenings and all day Saturday typically offering game sessions. The best advice I can offer for finding other LOC-minded gamers is to join the SteelBattalion.org Forums and get Gamertags and playtimes from the community there. I have been a member for 2 years now, you won't find a better community for Steel Battalion anywhere.How does communication work in Line of Contact?
I have an entire tutorial written up on this subject that is suggested reading for every Line of Contact player. At its most basic, the tuner dial selects which teammate to communicate with, COM 1 button opens a channel, COM 2 button closes the channel. COM 3 button will blink if another team mate is attempting contact but your tuner is not set to their channel, pressing COM 3 will automatically establish communication without need to move the tuner dial. COM 4 and COM 5 control the boombox/custom soundtracks.I've heard you lose everything if you are Killed in Action in the game, is this true?
This is true. The game strives for a very strict sense of realism and failing to eject from a critically damaged VT will result in the death of your pilot profile and the need to create a new pilot. Losing a pilot profile results in all VTs being lost from the hangar, all optional parts being lost, and all paint schemes being lost.How do I unlock all VTs and Missions for Free Mission mode?
Please see the Unlock Code Tutorial page of this site.What is the best VT for a new player?
This question gets asked of me a lot, and there are no real "correct" answers. I usually recommend new players stick to 1st generation matches until they get a little experience, and the most "general" of 1st generation VTs is the Decider, in my opinion. For 2nd generation matches, freely select between the Prominence M1, Yellow Jacket or Scare Face II, all of which give a decent 2nd generation experience.
Other 2nd generation VTs tend to be either too expensive (in sortie cost), too specialised (in ability or application) or too fragile (resulting in a lot of quick deaths). It is also my opinion that new players should not attempt 3rd gen piloting until they get the "basics" down in 1st or 2nd gen machines. Nothing is more infuriating to the rest of your team than some newbie running around in an Earthshaker exploding every 5 minutes because they have no idea what they are doing. Hey... you asked.How do Sortie Points work? How do I setup a session with Sortie Points and Strategic Points by Factors?
This is probably one of the most asked questions I receive. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer. The Sortie Points setting that the room host selects determines the maximum possible resorties available per pilot. The Strategic Points by Factors setting (commonly refered to as the Multiplier) increases the total team starting sortie points by a set factor allowing for more buffer in lost VTs, captured bases and destroyed objectives. If the preceeding statements still don't clear up the issue for you, I would suggest reviewing the Sortie Points page of this site. |
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