Cortana Server Browser

An XBMC script that shows how many players are logged into Insignia and XLink Kai, which games are being played, and upcoming events. Made as part of "JX 720 - Insignia Edition", but can be used as a standalone script perfectly.

Features:

• View current XLink Kai and Insignia matches in an instant with a friendly, easy-to-use pop-up window!
• See a game popping off that you really want to join? Click on the game session you'd like to join, locate your game's directory if you haven't already, and you'll be able to immediately launch into that game any time you're in the browser!
• Browse Insignia / XLink Kai statistics, game events, and news!
• Toast (pop-up) notifications for new Insignia sessions, which can be enabled/disabled in the Insignia Settings menu (and even enabled on startup!) Now you'll never have to worry about missing a match!
• Comes with "Insignia Connection Test", a utility which makes sure your DNS is correctly set to Insignia's.
• Built-in Cortana update utility! No PC needed!
• Super modular! Each script is (usually) it's own .py file, so you can add/remove functionality easily!
• Love XBMC4Gamers but love XBMC4Xbox more? Run XBMC4Gamers scripts directly from the Cortana settings menu!

Installation:

• Make sure your XBMC4Xbox settings are set to "Dashboard"! XBMC4Gamers users don't have to worry about this as there's a DNS1 and DNS2 option, but XBMC4XBox by default only uses DNS1, which is usually set to Insignia, and won't allow you to connect to the rest of the internet. This should be fixed with the next X4X release!
• Copy the "Cortana Server Browser" folder into your "Q:\scripts" folder. Note that it HAS to be in this path and it has to be named "Cortana Server Browser", as the Python script paths are hardcoded to this folder.
• Go into your Scripts menu in XBMC and select "Cortana Server Browser"
• ???
• Profit.

Bugs:

• Sometimes game events don't show up the first time. This doesn't seem to be XBMC-specific, as this happens when loading the RSS feed in my PC's browser too. Just try loading it again and it should work.
• If a "Session" menu is empty, don't panic! It most likely means nobody's playing right now, or that your network isn't reaching the servers properly. Double-check the Insignia/XLink Kai websites to verify this.
• You tell me.

To Do (100%):

• Add more useful utilities.
• Fix "News" script in Insignia and XLink Kai menus (currently doesn't correctly poll the RSS feeds correctly due to the older version of SSL/TLS on the Xbox, need to look into working around this)

To Do (Maybe):

• Restore lost XLink Kai functionality by re-implememting Kai Engine HTTP API features.

FAQ:

• "Does this work on XBMC4Gamers?"

It should, but I haven't done the testing myself, as I don't personally use X4G (I think it's great for playing games w/ zero frills, but as an XBMC script/addon dev and an old media buff I use the original XBMC4Xbox!)

• "Will this come to (insert non-XBMC dashboard name here)?"

No, sorry! I wish! Every piece of this code relies heavily on XBMC's Python implementation (including XBMC-specific code like dialogOk windows). You can feel free to make a homebrew application based on it if you want, but I won't be supporting non-XBMC dashboards.

• "What's the point of this script, can't you just check these stats on your PC/Phone? Why support such an old piece of hardware?"

Because the Xbox is genuinely one of the best consoles of all time, and had groundbreaking multiplayer features at the time. With the rise of projects like Insignia, I want to do what I can help players hop into the action immediately and grab all relevant information at a glance, without having to check their PC or phone, as some players mentioned not having consistent access to devices that weren't their Xbox or other video game consoles. I want to lower the barrier to entry for people and see plenty of new, friendly faces in-game!

• "Why am I not getting notifications?"

The Insignia notifier won't notify you of active sessions if a game says (0 in 0 sessions), and if the RSS detects the same information it displayed last time, it won't show it until it changes again! This is to make sure you don't get spammed by non-active games and sessions you've already seen every minute.

Credits:

• Insignia Team - For reviving one of the best multiplayer services of all time.
• XBMC4Xbox Team - For making an incredibly useful and flexible dashboard for the original Xbox!
• antonic901 - Letting me know that the latest XBMC trunk supports a newer version of OpenSSL & TLS 1.2!
• rocky5 - For the XBMC4Gamers scripts!