Modern Warfare 2 infuriated the PC community with the news that it would scrap dedicated servers, then we had Rebellion ducking the subject and making it look as if Aliens vs. Predator might go the same way. Now we have another PC shooter joining the club, as id Software confesses that dedicated servers will be unlikely in RAGE.
"It's not cast in stone yet, but at this point no, we don't think we will have dedicated servers," confesses id's John Carmack. He added that he's glad Infinity Ward did this first so that his studio "won't have to be a pioneer on that. We'll see how it works out for everyone else."
Oh dear. Never before has the name RAGE seemed more appropriate.
The bad news for PC fans just keeps piling up, and it seems that Infinity Ward may very well have sparked a new fad among developers. It would appear that the old landscape is changing, and the era of free n' easy PC gaming might be largely over.
PC gamers will keep the online petition sites busy for quite a while, methinks.
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Contest:
6:00 AM on 11.06.2009
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What the fuck, id?!
Don't forget EA/Dice! They specifically said they wouldn't go this route.
Dedicated servers can handle more players with lower latency and with no worry of problems caused by hosts dropping or by zero ping advantage (It exists, in every game it exists. Be it a half-life Listen server or a Gears of War match on XBL)
Furthermore Dedicated servers support their own communities and allow for proper administration. That guy spinning around in spawn point while calling everyone a fag over the mic.. If you're part of a servers community you're often a steam message away from having that guy dealt with and then you'll never have to deal with his shit again. P2P, the best you can do is a vote kick, and unless he gets a global ban by the developers moderation team (This won't happen because he isn't cheating he is just a dick.. and even then most cheaters won't get banned either) You're bound to run into him again.
1) No MP information has been revealed about Rage at all.
2) They clearly say they're waiting to see how it goes. They're not set on their plans yet.
As Bloodlip has beautifully stated, people STILL play Unreal Tournament PC to this day on dedicated servers, and the community is thriving. But sure, we can shit on the PC all day about how "elitist" they are for fun, and ignore the fact that most console games' online support dies after one sequel is released. Modern Warfare 1 on 360 will be dead in a short amount of time: Call of Duty 1 PC is still being played. LOL PC SUX AMIRITE? A SELECT FEW MAKE PC GAMERS LOOK BAD SO LETS SAY THE ENTIRE PLATFORM IS DEAD AND THEY ALL PIRATE LOL.
The hilarious thing is that people who pirate the majority of games don't give a shit about the multiplayer. Yet that's what's being gimped.
m8....give it up. A big game pub and a big game dev set a new trend.
A new PC Multiplayer has begun.
Did iD even consider Scatman when they made this decision?
I am not gloating. It really does look bad for PC gamers that are into this shit.
Yep! An era in which I abandon PC shooters due to corporate greed, whilst ignorant masses, who would enjoy extra features if they opened their eyes, gloat.
I can see it now: no more mod support for Valve games. Goodbye free DLC!
@Bloody
Most people have found that you need to change your port settings to even play Borderlands online. Personally, I think the game, on PC, is quite shit, considering I can barely find any games in matchmaking, whereas every other game I have with dedicated servers has hundreds of games at any given time.
A lot of reviews have also commented on the issues, and the PC version is actually just a console port.
@Child
Modern Warfare 2 360 has already been leaked, and download numbers are in the tens of thousands: the PC version is nowhere to be found.
I didn't necessarily mean this instance, but some of your past Modern Warfare 2 PC quotes fuel the flames for people to come in and attack PC users like they were the anti-christ.
This is the thing, they are just games. Most people simply dont give a shit either way, they just use games as a temporary form of entertainment, not as a be-all end-all reason to live.
In that context, a first person shooter not having dedicated servers isnt really the end of your life.
The reason i personally almost stopped playing PC games is because of the bugs and tendency to release 90% of all games as unfinished betas.
I get that, but when I drop $50-$60 bones on a game, it's nice to know that in years from now, I'll still be able to enjoy it on a dedicated server.
I'm still getting mileage out of my Unreal purchases, back when I could only afford a few games a year, and I know I'll be playing World at War and Modern Warfare 1 years from now :D
But, hey, if they don't want folk to buy new games, I guess thats their choice.
a new era has begun! We'll call it...the 1980's!
or 90's. Though I recall dedicated servers even in the mid 90's.
I liken it to watching a policeman beat up a Downe's Syndrome kid. At first, it's kind of funny to see the kid get his comeuppance after drooling all over the restaurant floor and putting you off your food. Then as the beating reaches its ninth minute, you stop laughing and start to really feel bad and think "ooh, this is going too far, actually."
That just made my day <3. I wish you still wrote for Morphine Nation.
Yes, that's true, but the fact is that they shouldn't have to.
Touché.
If it IS a success, there is one other factor to include here. We know NOTHING of Rage's multiplayer, in fact they have not said a single thing regarding it other than this. If the multiplayer is anything like borderlands, with lets say a 4-6 player coop multiplayer limit as id Software hinted way back in 2007 at quakecon, than no Dedicated servers really is not a huge blow to the game. Some house hold connections can handle that amount of players. With id Softwares infamous netcode, and wonderful ability to solving technical issues, I am sure there is something up their sleeve that will suffice.
And finally, this is just a fire feed from another fire. If dedicated servers do indeed leave Rage, that's the only thing we have to worry about. We know mod support is going to be there, we know custom maps and content will be there, and we know we will still have total freedom of configuration with the game as well. I know for sure there are at least two companies that will not abandon their communities, or strip it of all of its customization, and that's id Software and Valve.
The possible loss of dedicated servers with Rage, is peanuts compared to the features and abilities stripped from Modern Warfare 2.
Curiously enough, the first footage of RAGE circled around the huge modding capabilities.
The reason I pick up on that is that they allowed you to do it online. That strikes me as a place they could easily charge for.
Although compare that to the newly released UDK, I don't think many people will take the idTech route.
Oh well. Like I said before. The console version of how online gaming works is easier for game companies to control, so it makes sense. It's just not very fun to use multi-player.
and to HerosPlayDumb: StarCraft II has no LAN support in an effort to stem piracy and i expect Diablo III will be the same deal. this trend isn't going anywhere. remember: Modern Warfare 2, the most recent example of a major game not supporting dedicated servers, is published by Activision too. i wouldn't be surprised to see a similar announcement regarding all of their PC games in the coming months.