So maybe what's funny is that I only have one achievement in Halo 3. Or maybe it is funnier that I got it almost a year ago and since then...nothing, zip, nada. What is certainly not funny is that, apparently, a lot of other players are getting the same thing in online gameplay on XBox Live, and not just in Halo 3. Since the restoration of Microsoft's XBL service after its maintenance downtime yesterday, numerous players are reporting that they are not earning EXP in multiplayer matches. Originally thought to be isolated to just Halo 3, it is now apparent that this community was simply the one with the loudest volume of reports, likely due to the heavy numbers of players who probably went through some kind of psychedelic withdrawal from Halo 3 while the service was down Monday and were salivating to get back to it on Tuesday. Other games are now being effected as well.

Below is a Bungie Blog entry from Shishka, one of their employees working the problem:

"Users in Matchmaking since Xbox Live's recent downtime are noticing a lack of EXP rewards for their gameplay. Rest assured we're working on it right now.

Since Xbox Live's scheduled maintenance ended this morning, gamers playing Halo 3 have noticed that TrueSkill and EXP are not being rewarded properly (which is to say, EXP is not being rewarded at all). We are currently working with the Xbox Live team to identify and resolve this issue, and we hope to have you earning your EXP again as quickly as possible.

Note that this is not the same as an EXP ban. If you have been banned from gaining EXP for boosting as part of our recently evolved Banhammer, you will receive a message informing you so quite clearly from the game itself. If you have not seen this message (which reappears often), then you are not banned.

There is nothing further to add at this time, but I will update this post as updates are warranted.

UPDATE: 3:46pm PDT
Further investigation suggests that this is a larger problem with the Xbox Live service that is affecting more games than just Halo 3. We will continue to work with the Xbox team to resolve the issues, but ultimately the ball is in their court, and that rings true for more than just Halo fans."

I remember with not a great deal of fondness the XBL connectivity issues last year following the Fall Update, the release of CoD4, and the glut of new players hitting the service with Christmas gift-360's. Not a cool thing for another glitch, but I will be the first to admit that if services analogous to XBox Live were easy, then everybody would be doing it. Hopefully, they can just get it figured soon...especially before I jump on tomorrow night. I need all the ego-satisfaction that I can get when I am online, since I do not get much of it off.

Anyone been impacted by this in Halo 3 or any other game? What I am really curious about is how many XBox Livers maybe never even noticed it until they got wind of it on the web.

- Vr/Zeuxidamas