Cannot join this friend because you're only a follower (How to fix this?)

[Maki Purin]

I'm trying to play the campaing of halo 2 : anniversary with my friend.

When I can load the in game properly (because sometimes it cuts the cinematic and goes to in game but the in game keeps restarting in a loop) I cannot invite him (for I cannot see him in the list) and I cannot join him because I'm only a follower.

When we start, both games start at different paces, one is faster than the other.
I've tired every single fix I could find (They're all from 2014 and up, but none as recent as this year)

[Asternshelf24]

Send Him A Friend Request. Whether it's Steam or Xbox Live it'll work. Just friend him. Also Halo 2: Anniversary Has Been Known To Have Co-Op Problems And 343i Isn't Doing Anything About It.

[Maki Purin]

Originally posted by The Criminally Insane Homies:

Send Him A Friend Request. Whether it's Steam or Xbox Live it'll work. Just friend him. Also Halo 2: Anniversary Has Been Known To Have Co-Op Problems And 343i Isn't Doing Anything About It.

We are already friends

[Ice Ruler King]

Based off what I know cross play is only available for multiplayer matchmaking. Your friend is on Xbox I assume.

[Asternshelf24]

Originally posted by KingLukethe7th:

Based off what I know cross play is only available for multiplayer matchmaking. Your friend is on Xbox I assume.

If this person's friend is on Cbox then yh

[D_Pronin]

Having the same issue even tho my friend is on steam with me

[Maki Purin]

We a both on steam PC

[Define Brackish Water]

Your Xbox Live accounts are separate from your Steam accounts. You need to be in-game friends now in order to join any other player at all. Press Win+G to open the Windows 10 Game Bar and try to look up the other player's profile. You can also accept Xbox Live friend requests from the Game Bar. Note that "following" a player has NOTHING to do with being their friend and functions like a social media feed.

If you aren't on Windows 10 then I don't know what can be done. Maybe if you both send each other friend requests on the profile screen you see when you look up someone's name then the system will automatically accept your friend requests?

This is happening because in the Season 7 update the default "friends only" in-game privacy option now acts like a true friends only mode, but without adding the "open" option that was available on the Xbox 360. So you can't join anyone else for campaign, multiplayer, firefight, forge, etc. without being that person's friend.

You can read more about this issue here and the moderator post below it: https://steamcommunity.com/app/976730/discussions/0/5335049597122193143/?ctp=88#c3053986690328207803

[Maki Purin]

We are friends both on Xbox AND on steam. We both use windows 10

[Define Brackish Water]

Originally posted by Maki Purin:

We are friends both on Xbox AND on steam. We both use windows 10

That's weird. Try sending a game invite to the other player.

[gza]

In-game, press Windows + G to bring up the Xbox Overlay. If it doesn't work you need to either update it or turn it on. There's a friends tab in there where you can search your friends name and follow them, I think they also have to do the same. Then you should just be able to right click them and invite in the main menu. But what do you mean by both games are at different paces?

[Maki Purin]

Originally posted by Define Brackish Water:

Originally posted by Maki Purin:

We are friends both on Xbox AND on steam. We both use windows 10

That's weird. Try sending a game invite to the other player.

I did, re-read the post, I said that I can't join him because I'm only a follower, but yet we are both friends on steam and xbox live,

[Maki Purin]

Originally posted by g⁧za:

In-game, press Windows + G to bring up the Xbox Overlay. If it doesn't work you need to either update it or turn it on. There's a friends tab in there where you can search your friends name and follow them, I think they also have to do the same. Then you should just be able to right click them and invite in the main menu. But what do you mean by both games are at different paces?

I can invite him with no problem, my game will start and I will get in game faster than him meanwhile for him it will take longer to load (Trying to reconnect to the session) in vain and he will load alone in his own game

[Define Brackish Water]

Originally posted by Maki Purin:

Originally posted by g⁧za:

In-game, press Windows + G to bring up the Xbox Overlay. If it doesn't work you need to either update it or turn it on. There's a friends tab in there where you can search your friends name and follow them, I think they also have to do the same. Then you should just be able to right click them and invite in the main menu. But what do you mean by both games are at different paces?

I can invite him with no problem, my game will start and I will get in game faster than him meanwhile for him it will take longer to load (Trying to reconnect to the session) in vain and he will load alone in his own game

So, to be clear, you are both together when you start the game? Sorry, I thought that was the problem.

Try capping your FPS to 60 using the in-game setting. There's also a campaign setting that asks you if you want to start the game in anniversary graphics or classic graphics. Try seeing what happens when you start in classic (or anniversary, if you were starting in classic). Don't switch until both of you are in-game. Halo 2 Anniversary is notoriously unstable.

At this point I suggest sending in a bug report ticket to 343i. They may not respond fast but they do use your data to narrow down issues and fix bugs. I think Halo 2 is up next for bug fixes after Halo CE.

https://support.halowaypoint.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036218972-How-to-Submit-a-Ticket

[DrSimio]

Originally posted by Maki Purin:

Originally posted by g⁧za:

In-game, press Windows + G to bring up the Xbox Overlay. If it doesn't work you need to either update it or turn it on. There's a friends tab in there where you can search your friends name and follow them, I think they also have to do the same. Then you should just be able to right click them and invite in the main menu. But what do you mean by both games are at different paces?

I can invite him with no problem, my game will start and I will get in game faster than him meanwhile for him it will take longer to load (Trying to reconnect to the session) in vain and he will load alone in his own game

Check both firewalls and modem NATs, different game but I had similar issues when I wanted to play with a friend Age of Mithology, he said he did everything I asked for but when he brought his laptop his still had the game blocked by his fricking avast firewall.

[Maki Purin]

I already tried everything you both suggested, I guess the only option is to send a ticket and hopefully get a fix on that mission