The announcement that developer Infinity Ward’s “Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” for the PC would not be delayed seemed to coincide with (in hopes of easing the blow) the fact that it would not include private dedicated servers. As if to pat the consumer base on the back, they told us it was because it was reliant on proprietary matchmaking technology. If I wanted to be locked into a matchmaking service, I could easily do that with Xbox Live.
The PC gaming market has been in some sort of weird limbo for most of this decade.
As consoles continue to be evermore profitable, companies pandering to the PC market are forced to combat software pirates and hackers while providing tools for modders — who create custom maps or gameplay modes that can easily add replay value to a game — while constantly trying to reinvent the wheel as evidenced by the first Modern Warfare’s “ranking” system, in which players gain access to better weapons the more successfully they play the game.
Yes, life is hard, especially for the ever-changing Silicon Valley software studio, but this is no excuse to turn into restrictive heathens. This takes the power to host LAN/WAN (local/internet games) servers away from the end-users who have, since the early days of computer First-Person Shooter games, enjoyed the ability to run games of their choosing, any way they like, including the ability to modify and add to the gameplay experience.
This ability has kept timeless juggernauts that almost everyone has heard of (“Counter-Strike,” “Quake” and “Battlefield 1942,” to name a few) alive and kicking for years after they should have run their course, when their graphics are aging and their gameplay is outdated.
Taking this away will shorten the life of the game. Taking this away will definitely hamper and dampen sales and provide no real reason to buy this game on the PC, when the experience will essentially be identical to its console counterparts: What sets PC gaming apart is being in control of the multiplayer experience and modding.
I have a feeling that gamers will boycott this maneuver in the same manner they boycotted games with the indescribably intrusive Starforce anti-piracy software. At this juncture, Infinity Ward may be better off not creating a PC version at all, or stop this nonsense. It will not be long until someone creates a modified version of the game that runs on private dedicated servers and all of this hullaballoo was for nothing, save the fact that Infinity Ward has lost respect.
I appreciate that developers still support the PC, and in the last year or so a great many developers who left for greener console pastures are now returning or re-expanding into the PC gaming market — this is great. However, we the PC gamers, in order to create a more perfect union, yadda yadda as the freest and most spoiled of all the gamers, will not stand for this mockery.
Give me liberty, or give me a hacked copy.
Ive bin gaming since the early 80.s,,All digital games where born on a computer,,,,ever here of an 8088, Hyperion probably not…vic 20 comadore 64 ,console gaming has always bin a money grabber,,intelavision, ATARI console, Sega genises Sega Saturn Nintendo 1 super Nintendo ps1 ps2 ps3 Haxbox haxbox 360 Game cube, Wii ….console never live long and dri up fast for the newest version…cost more money now then ever additions/addons of everykind if you got the cash…to get it all before the new console comes out and they stop the host connection for you.dame no resale value.you are vary limited…on a console…getting to a computer PC MAC…Linux…gaming on pc, work on pc it is endless no limits to capability..and will run for years and years..pc may seem more costly than console but is not …compared to features that is a given you have a choice how you want your pc. THERE IS NONE AT ALL on a console at least on all the consoles i have tried…that is ps1 ps2 ps3 haxbox haxbox360…why settle for last in quality.all businesses have dedicated servers they cant live with out them even IW needs dedicated servers they know the value of them ,high power computing to handle there business computers..but they wont tell you that,,,but it is a given..ever here of Linux servers, micro soft business server ,,they need that stuff or there business would literally crash…but you console dont need it because you not worth it..hard ware you use is light years behind anything is the real digital world,,,that is why Pc gamers require dedicated servers because pc gamers are on the cutting edge of technology in the now digital world…if mico soft said to IW you cant have dedicated servers for you lan and internet …they would sh*t there pants they would be put out of business simple as that IW that is. the whole internet is Dedicated servers…how do you think you can go to a web page like IW..on the internet…by not having dedicated servers for cod mw2 hurts anyone that uses internet…you pay that isp dont you…servers are payed by the users who rent or buy them..revenue that adds real value to internet…by removing detected servers from games on pc will hurt all pc users as prices will go up for all servers like where you host you web site…your blog you business page..anything on the web ….because it is all ON SERVERS…if you cant see or grasp whats going on here..do some research..on the internet itself…
Consoles are much more standardized than PC's, and as a PC gamer I think 3 years is the point where one needs to replace the PC to keep up wih the recommended specs. In contrast though, let's say 5 years their is a new console coming out, then the console has 5 years old or more outdated hardware (add 3 or more since the consoles are left behind by PC technology). I just spent last month about $2000 for my dream gaming PC, which I have not regretted doing, to prepare myself for another 5 years of very decent gaming. On top of that, I had a perfectly working 1.5 year old q6600 system that I'm giving away to my best friend, so he can also enjoy PC gaming. MW2 was the motivating factor, until that Black Saturday announcement from Infinity Ward. I can relate to the above article, and MW2 could have been the perfect FPS Multiplayer if the dedicated servers were retained. I cancelled my preorder because I felt that the $60 I'm going to pay for a game with lesser value isn't going to be a smart purchase. The money went to Borderlands for PC, which I am happily playing now. Of course, it does not have the dedicated server feature because the design of the game (four player co-op) does not call out for it (unless they wanted other Multiplay games like Deatmatch, etc.). Next March, Battlefield Bad Company 2 will get my money.