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EA wants you to play Command & Conquer 4 online photo

Ever wonder how many people hop online to play a real-time strategy game like, I don't know, Command & Conquer? Well, wonder no more! Talking to gamesindustry.biz, EALA studio head Sean Decker revealed that the number hovers around the 40% mark.

"The consoles have done a great job of online ... Xbox LIVE, you can collect everything you've ever done, and it's super-easy to connect," he says. Decker believes PC games need that "level of accessibility" to entice players into trying online play.

"There are very competitive people, there are people who are co-operative and want to play with their friends, there are people who are collectors who want every achievement and award ... and everybody has different things to motivate them to go online, and the question is, can you provide what that person wants?"

"So far we've provided some of those elements, but not all -- and that's what we're going to try and do," reassures Decker. And let's not forget about those who don't play RTS games online because they simply can't compete. Yeah, I'm definitely not one of them. Not a chance.


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10 comments | showing # 1 to 10

Damnation02's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 14:04
Damnation02
"Decker believes PC games need that "level of accessibility" to entice players into trying online play."

We already have great accessibility. It is called: free online play, and user made content.
Achievements? What happened to the good old progress bar?
And all the other things that XBL offers is available on the net. GFWL and XBL have no proper anti-cheat, and no one get's banned from GFWL, even if they cheated a lot, and got reported dozens of times. We have our own version of XBL, but Microsoft is too lazy to put enough work in it.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 14:04
Jon B
Why don't I hop online?

I suck at RTS. I'm not going to go online and get steamrolled. That's just no fun.
agentgray's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 14:31
agentgray
@Damnation02—Sure, all the PC things you mention are there. Xbox Live does a great job of putting all the online stuff into a neat little package.

Xbox Live for Windows has not. Why, because not all the games adopt it. Microsoft cannot force the upper hand and charge for add-ons and Gold service. I think that is why GFWL has failed.

It works well for me in Dawn of War II though.
Timmeh's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 15:10
Timmeh
I don't play RTS games online because my fragile gamer pride woudn't stand the battering. Fix THAT, Mr Decker.
Scary Womanizing Pig Mask's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 15:13
Scary Womanizing Pig Mask
Durp. Just look at Steam if you want to know how to do it right.
ANevskyUSA's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 17:59
ANevskyUSA
I don't play C&C online on my PC because I don't want to spend $3000 every other year for a new PC just to be able to run the game, and I don't play it online on PS3 because EA decided not to include support for the bluetooth keyboard and mouse, so I refused to buy it.
Exrecaller's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 18:16
Exrecaller
I dont play C&C online because 3 and the expansion sucked ass. It was fucking ridiculous th number of disconnects and let's not even mention how easy it to pussy out of a game you were playing.

Oh, and when you actually know how to play at a high level, the faction are also quite unbalanced.

Red Alert 2 also had a horrible storyline tyvm.

I'm not ever paying again for one of EA's subpar RTS experience.
Yehat's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 23:04
Yehat
@agentgray

Actually I'd say it was Microsoft actually trying to strong arm PC gaming and charging for services that killed Windows Live.


@Jon B
@Timmeh

Yes, this is the fundamental problem with online play with RTS games is that they're typically not casual matches. You go into it and you can't simply drop out, you're in it until the end.

This is why World in Conflict has excellent play for online RTS, players can drop in and out and since bases are captured not built it allows you to drop in and still be effective.
IncipitOmega's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/15/2009 01:53
IncipitOmega
The last good RTS from EA is BFME2 + Rise of the Witch King,and that game is ment for playing with large numbers of units overwhelming your opponent...it's LOTR as it should be.The new C&C on the other hand should not be like that..but they are and thets crap.
C&C3 + Red alert 3 is bullshit...there's no strategy.
Minago's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/15/2009 03:07
Minago
hmm command and conquer with out westwood studio's = not worth buying.
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