darkSpyro

Hey guys,
I have bought Swap Force on PS4 and I have obtained every single trophy except one...Newsworthy!

It says all you need to do is read the sign post, but sadly it's never activated.
I'm a PSN member and I'm always logged in, I have obtained all other trophys and completed the game 3 times over...

Why can't this sign come on?
I have logged in and out of my profile whilst in game, I have gone in and out of the game a billion times
I have google searched, I have tried to find answers...

I can see a friend in America has the trophy, he said "You gotta be signed into PSN for it to be on"
I'm always bloody signed in!!!

Also another thing, when you go to "Collection" and "Friends" with the triangle button, it says "Unable to connect to SWAP force servers"
If that helps...

I'm completely stumped and it's very frustrating.

This is something I'd be interesting in knowing too. I have never checked to look to find it in my game. I guess I should get on this.

There is a signborad near the Upgrade thing, it says on sunday's it's "Extra XP day"

If that is the sign you mean ;>>

Why do I know this even tho I use the wii?

I usually have to play through a level or something to activate it.

Right in front of Rufus, there's a little billboard thing that will show you the Bonus of the Day. It will boost one of your Skylanders stats for the day.

You need to have a good internet connection if you want it to pop up.

I don't even know why they couldn't program the boosts into the game..

Geez, the Wii version must REALLY be lacking against the others as there is no sign, you can't jump into the pool, you can't open the chest that appears after beating the game...WHAT ELSE!!

Quote: Kamikoopa

Hey guys,
I have bought Swap Force on PS4 and I have obtained every single trophy except one...Newsworthy!

It says all you need to do is read the sign post, but sadly it's never activated.
I'm a PSN member and I'm always logged in, I have obtained all other trophys and completed the game 3 times over...

Why can't this sign come on?
I have logged in and out of my profile whilst in game, I have gone in and out of the game a billion times
I have google searched, I have tried to find answers...

I can see a friend in America has the trophy, he said "You gotta be signed into PSN for it to be on"
I'm always bloody signed in!!!

Also another thing, when you go to "Collection" and "Friends" with the triangle button, it says "Unable to connect to SWAP force servers"
If that helps...

I'm completely stumped and it's very frustrating.

You might have to call Activision for this one. I'm guessing whatever servers they are having you go to isn't available or is having problems with your region. I wouldn't doubt it if it's a bug. Do you have any friends in your country/region that have this working?

Btw, fantastic achievement...some of those swap zones - not taking damage is tough. I'd love a video showing the achievement. Out of curiosity--if the portal master rank kept going---what rank would you be? I don't know how many stars are actually available in game.

Quote: lcopley98

This is something I'd be interesting in knowing too. I have never checked to look to find it in my game. I guess I should get on this.

It's the sign board directly to your left the moment you start the game and appear in Woodburrow.

Quote: NINJAsk11

There is a signborad near the Upgrade thing, it says on sunday's it's "Extra XP day"

If that is the sign you mean ;>>

Why do I know this even tho I use the wii?

I didn't know there was a signboard near the Upgrade thing, the signboard to obtain the Newsworthy trophy is directly to your left the moment you start the game.
The Wii U version should have the same sign board.

Quote: weebbby

I usually have to play through a level or something to activate it.

I have played through all levels on Nightmare, all levels on speed run, all levels on points run, I dont know how many more times I can run the game before the sign board allows me to interact with it...

Quote: Matteomax

Right in front of Rufus, there's a little billboard thing that will show you the Bonus of the Day. It will boost one of your Skylanders stats for the day.

You need to have a good internet connection if you want it to pop up.

I don't even know why they couldn't program the boosts into the game..

You need a good internet connection for it to pop up? If I can play BF4 and other online games on the PS4 I'm sure they can program a little sign post to pop up...

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: Kamikoopa

Hey guys,
I have bought Swap Force on PS4 and I have obtained every single trophy except one...Newsworthy!

It says all you need to do is read the sign post, but sadly it's never activated.
I'm a PSN member and I'm always logged in, I have obtained all other trophys and completed the game 3 times over...

Why can't this sign come on?
I have logged in and out of my profile whilst in game, I have gone in and out of the game a billion times
I have google searched, I have tried to find answers...

I can see a friend in America has the trophy, he said "You gotta be signed into PSN for it to be on"
I'm always bloody signed in!!!

Also another thing, when you go to "Collection" and "Friends" with the triangle button, it says "Unable to connect to SWAP force servers"
If that helps...

I'm completely stumped and it's very frustrating.

You might have to call Activision for this one. I'm guessing whatever servers they are having you go to isn't available or is having problems with your region. I wouldn't doubt it if it's a bug. Do you have any friends in your country/region that have this working?

Btw, fantastic achievement...some of those swap zones - not taking damage is tough. I'd love a video showing the achievement. Out of curiosity--if the portal master rank kept going---what rank would you be? I don't know how many stars are actually available in game.

Call Activision? Really? They would have a contact / help desk for this kind of thing?
What about Activision's direct forums on this game or something? Maybe I should re-post this their?

I don't have any friends or anyone that I know within Australia who have this, but good Idea, I think I know who to ask...

There are no trophies regarding not taking damage in swap zones?
My portal master rank is 45 or something, but keep in mind I also own 98 figurines, so I got alot of points from that.
You go from 20 to 40+ if you complete all the speed and points runs, 3 stars per level = Rank up many times.

Quote: Kamikoopa

Call Activision? Really? They would have a contact / help desk for this kind of thing?
What about Activision's direct forums on this game or something? Maybe I should re-post this their?

I know it's not really a good idea...but we don't manage their servers. They do have a support forum, but from what I can see it's totally ignored. I was referring to a toll free number to call them. Check out their support web site.

The quickest idea is to find out if anyone here lives where you do and has the same problem, I think. Gather your evidence, Law and Order style, and then confront them.

I am having the same issue and I in Australia as well.
I Just started my swap force on ps4 over the weekend (as I was playing Bravely Default). I got the trophy on the PS3 fine but the signpost is not working on the PS4 nor can I compare scores with friends.

My suggestions would be
1. Try a wired connection.
2. Start a new save slot and play to the signpost becomes available and see if it works.
3. Delete you save (back up the save first if you want) and try again.

Edit: I just tried all my suggestion myself and they don't work.

I am having the same issue.


EDIT: It's fixed. I play on an xbox so I just signed into xbox live

I’m in Australia and I am having the same problem as the OP. I have a feeling that it is a problem specific to Australia.

- “Unable to connect to SWAP Force servers”

For those having the problem, what ISP are you with?

I am with iiNet and am using the iiNet supplied Belkin router wirelessly, although I’ve also tried with Ethernet cable (no difference). NAT is type 2.

My PS4 is in a DMZ but I’ve also done the PS3, PS4 and PSN port forwarding just to be safe. No change.

I’m constantly signed into PSN and have checked both before launching the game and during play.

I’ve contacted Activision support but the only advice they gave me was that it could be a save issue and that I should try playing level 5 again via level select.

So far I’ve tried:

- Playing through the game from the start on a different difficulty (Easy) only using the starter pack trio of Skylanders;
- Playing levels 4+5 on Hard using only the starter pack trio of Skylanders;
- Playing levels 4+5 on Hard via level select;
- Playing in local co-op;
- Playing plugged into Ethernet;
- Playing using wi-fi;
- Playing with PS4 in a DMZ;
- Playing with PS4/PSN ports forwarded;

Nothing has worked so far. The next thing I’m looking to try is hooking my PS4 up to a wireless hotspot (my Galaxy S3 phone – Telstra) and seeing if the problem is my ISP.

It’s quite frustrating because the game won’t even search for servers. It is an instant pop up with the error message any time I click on “Friends” or “Leaderboards”, and there is never any dots above the Woodburrow sign post for me to interact with.

I’d be interested to know if anyone here from Australia HAS been able to get the trophy, otherwise it may be a region issue. I noticed that I have the disc CUSA 00028 SKU and wondering whether there is an EU version, but apparently people in France, Germany and the UK haven’t had any problems getting the Newsworthy trophy, so I don’t know.

Any help or suggestions appreciated!

I am also in Australia, and also have this problem (PS4)

I have tried :

- wired/wireless connection
- sign out of psn
- quit the game and restart
- create a 2nd game file
- turn off ps4

I also can't access the servers for leaderboard

If anyone has contacted Activision please post.

Also if anyone in Australia has this trophy please post.

I found a facebook post where a guy from Activision said they are investigating this

could more people post and make it a bit more of a public issue?

https://www.facebook.com/Activ...152156812574311

Posted on the facebook page. I'll try ringing the Activision support number tomorrow.

Haven't had anything meaningful from Twitter.

great, they said they have escalated it

I have also posted on the whirlpool skylanders thread so should get more attention hopefully

i have found people from forums everywhere with the same problem, i am curious if it is everyone in australia

So this is an Australia-specific problem, correct? Well that sucks because I'm planning to upgrade to a PS4 as I suspect my 360 is about to RROD and it'd just be a bit of a shame to miss out on this after I upgrade...

...left in the Skylanders-dust again...

Are there country restrictions for the site? Does Australia require a "white list" for a site to work? Wondering if this is a government issue allowing packets to flow to/from specific web sites. USA used to have "net neutrality" which prevented blocking from ISPs....check with your ISP is a good first step.

Quote: GhostRoaster

....check with your ISP is a good first step.

Good idea, I'll try checking with iiNet tomorrow but I won't be able to give them much information about what server is being blocked except for "SWAP Force servers" :-)

Quote: Zambayoshi

Quote: GhostRoaster

....check with your ISP is a good first step.

Good idea, I'll try checking with iiNet tomorrow but I won't be able to give them much information about what server is being blocked except for "SWAP Force servers" :-)

You should be able to have them do a packet trace and make sure it gets past their routers. Just might need to make sure every other device using your router is off. You should also see if they have a troubleshooting capability of "copying" packets to a diagnostic port on your router, if you have enough technical knowledge to pour through the trace.

Well, I got my hands on a PS3 copy of SWAP Force (disc only, EU version).

I plugged in my Portal that I got with the PS4 version into my PS3, booted up the game, and lo and behold, I could access leaderboards, friends and when I got past chapter 5 (Evilized Glumshanks) the Woodburrow signpost was active (got the Newsworthy trophy for PS3).

My router settings were unchanged from when I tried with the PS4. I did not have a DMZ for my PS3, nor were any ports forwarded except for voice chat. NAT was type 3.

It is therefore my opinion that there is something wrong with Activisions SWAP Force servers in that they will not take connections from PS4s in Australia. The reason I think this is as follows:

1. I had no problem connecting to the SWAP Force servers with my PS3, but cannot do so with my PS4;

2. I am using the same Portal and Skylander collection with both PS3 and PS4;

3. I have the same ISP (iiNet) with both PS3 and PS4;

4. I am connected to the same PSN account with both PS3 and PS4;

5. The router settings for PS4 are even more permissive with PS4 than PS3 (DMZ and port forwarding for PS4);

6. I have tried both wi-fi and Ethernet cable for PS4 (no difference);

7. It would appear (not 100% sure) that EU has the same SKU as me (CUSA 00024) as shown on http://blackangel887462.blogsp...-psv-games.html (Germany) and http://www.gameswave.com/artic...arter_pack.html (France - SKU is in the URL).

8. People in the EU region have the Newsworthy trophy, which requires connecting to the SWAP Force servers. See PSN Profiles e.g. http://psnprofiles.com/trophie...ndi-Nicki-Alina (Germany) http://psnprofiles.com/trophie...AP-Force/Hursty (UK) http://psnprofiles.com/trophie...Force/miguellbx (Portugal)

9. It would therefore seem that, using the same CUSA 00024 SKU as us, and having an EU region PSN account, as we do, people in Europe are connecting to SWAP Force servers whilst we in Australia are not.

10. Unless Activision has separate servers for PS3 and PS4, and the PS4 servers are somehow blacklisted by Australian ISPs, which, again, is Activision’s problem, the issue does not appear to be the ISP.

11. The only other thing I can think of to try is to create a new PSN account with a non-Australian address to try and fool PSN into showing that we are not from Australia. I am going to try setting up a US PSN account and playing the game while logged into that. If that fails, I’ll set up a UK PSN account and try again.

12. If all that fails, I don’t think I can do anything else except wait for Activision to solve the problem. I’m not willing to sign up with a different ISP as there is no guarantee it would not suffer the same problem as iiNet. As stated above, it doesn’t look like the ISP is the problem, although I could be wrong.

Found someone in NZ with the trophy: http://psnprofiles.com/trophie...P-Force/nahbolt

As of the time of posting none of the first 50 or latest 50 achievers of Newsworthy were on Australian PSN accounts, according to PSN Profiles. See http://psnprofiles.com/trophy/...e/24-Newsworthy

Quote: Zambayoshi

Found someone in NZ with the trophy: http://psnprofiles.com/trophie...P-Force/nahbolt

As of the time of posting none of the first 50 or latest 50 achievers of Newsworthy were on Australian PSN accounts, according to PSN Profiles. See http://psnprofiles.com/trophy/...e/24-Newsworthy

So, what would be interesting are the dates they got it...that might help indicate when we might be able to know when the problem starting occuring. Great info Zambayosh...

Tried two more things:

1. Opened a US region PSN account and signed into the US Playstation Network (verified the PS Store was displaying US sales and prices). I then started up SWAP Force but still had the same problem - no access to Leaderboards or Friends within the game "Unable to connect to SWAP Force server".

2. Created a wi-fi hotspot with my Galaxy S3 phone (Telstra ISP) and connected to my PS4 wirelessly. Signed into PSN, NAT type 2. This didn't make a difference - unable to access Leaderboards or Friends, no Woodburrow signpost interactivity. "Unable to connect to SWAP Force server".

So I've tried with two different ISPs (iiNet and Telstra) and two different PSN regions (Australia and US). Nothing has helped so far.

Quote: Matteomax

Right in front of Rufus, there's a little billboard thing that will show you the Bonus of the Day. It will boost one of your Skylanders stats for the day.

You need to have a good internet connection if you want it to pop up.

I don't even know why they couldn't program the boosts into the game..

I'm guessing they had bigger plans for it but backed off? Maybe the stats themselves change? Not sure really. I can imagine the day they take these servers offline and this feature will be permanently broken. Oh joy.

Funnily enough, there's a whole bit in the "Legal" section at the start screen about UGC (User Generated Content) which may or may not mean that Activision envisaged (or maybe still does) people generating their own SWAP challenges or something similar.

Quote: Zambayoshi

Funnily enough, there's a whole bit in the "Legal" section at the start screen about UGC (User Generated Content) which may or may not mean that Activision envisaged (or maybe still does) people generating their own SWAP challenges or something similar.

I did find that whole part awkward with that legalize.

Found someone on Kotaku with an Xbox One having the same problem with Newsworthy. Apparently the 360 works fine but his/her Xbone won't give any interaction with the sign post.

I took my PS4 to a friend's house. He has a different ISP (Exetel) but it still doesn't connect. I found out that both iiNet and Exetel use Telstra broadband network, which they then onsell access to. The issue may be with Telstra. I haven't been able to use an Optus ISP yet. If anyone here uses Optus for internet and is still having the problem, confirmation would be great.

Secondly, I was wondering whether setting up a VPN to fool Activision's servers into thinking the connection request is coming from the EU or the US, might be a solution. I don't know much about setting up a VPN, but I'll look into it.