@Out_On_Bail: My goal is only to vent my frustration and see if there are others who feel similarly. Like I stated before, I will probably buy MW2 regardless of how the online deal turns out since I loved not only the multiplayer in CoD4 but also the singleplayer. I might even buy it for my console, who knows.
@MasterOfPenguins_Zell: Kind of an odd question to ask really. If you think that I shouldn't post MY thoughts on MY blog then I would say that you have gotten something completely wrong. I am merely writing up MY thoughts and hope that someone will find them worthwhile and if you think thats wrong well.... I don't really care.
" You basically have the same stance on the game as I do. I appreciate how you went about this, maybe people who are unsure about why the PC community is in such an uproar about the the mess will understand after reading this.
We can only hope that my mad thoughts will bring some amount of order to the chaos that is the ever-lasting debate over what is "best", I doubt it though. Letting the user have control instead of letting some AI look for "good" games is in my mind better even if it requires more actual input from the user.
@Intercryllic said:
" Im still debating whether or not to buy it on 360 or PC. "
I am sort of in the same boat as you are. My PC doesn't have the hardware for handling the normal settings on most new games but on my console I know it will work. This advantage is however countered by the fact that I can't use joysticks for aiming. I just can't get used to it so I will probably get the version which lets me have a mouse, not a gamepad.
Thanks for your taking the time to read my craziness, I know I probably wouldn't ;)
This turned into more of a why "PCs are better than your damn vidyahgahmesystahms!" old-man-rant . If you are however, bored and want to read a somewhat provocative piece, then please continue.
PC versus Console
I am and will most likely always be a PC "gamer". It doesn't just have to do with the extreme number of things you can use a computer for BESIDES gaming (No, not that kind of "stuff" you creepy dude/dudette) like chatting, working, purchasing or perhaps even listening to music. Sure, most if not all of these things can be done on the consoles. I cant deny that, but to what extent can you do that without being locked out? Since all consoles have a very basic level of settings and tweaks you can perform on it without breaking your warranty, would you really want to try?
Want to play an great .mkv video file on your PS3? Oh I'm sorry, cant help you.
You want to chill to a sweet .flac music file? This is a 360, not jukebox.
You've got cute images of your dog in .raw format and want to show them on a Wii? Good luck sir.
Not to be all "And thats why PCs are the best! lolz" but all of the above issues can be solved on a PC. None of the actions work on a default Windows, Linux or Mac but with tuning, configuring, a bit of swearing and a miracle from time to time, you can get most anything to work and that's without changing OS or modding the hardware. Now, I am sure there are solutions that can be used on the console but not all of them. And thats because Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo have placed you inside "their" world.
You are powerless to act. What if PSN suddenly cost a subscription fee? What if Xbox Live suddenly doubled in cost? What if Wii suddenly made the Friend Codes 5 times longer? Sure you can say "I wont play into your hands!" and end your subscription/usage of said console but you have already paid for it. Sure, Microsoft could set a subscription fee for Windows OSes but the difference is that there are many options when it comes down to choosing an OS. Some of which are free.
You have a choice, to either pay or go another route but on a console, there's only one bridge and if that don't work, then you'd better get swimming.
To be fair, PCs have a lot of weak points, A LOT, and since I don't want to favorize lets mention a few. Weakness to viruses - You download installs, .zip files and much more from sometimes shady websites. Some users can avoid viruses but with a console its all protected by the "Gods" of the console marketplaces. Easy to install - On a PC it can take a long time to install something with many stops along the way, on a console its usually just a click away. (Ad-campaign material? I scare myself sometimes). Troublesome to develop for - With so many different set-ups and rigs its hard to know what specs to target for a game that's going to take 2 years to make. On a console you have the specs and you go with em. More expensive - If you want to play the same games as a on console, on similar settings, you will most likely have to pay at least twice the price of any console.
Fair enough? Probably not but at least I tried. Now, on to the real subject:
Dedicated servers or Not?
Having play quite a fair bit of CoD 4 (Modern Warfare 1) on the PC I can't say that the server browser was ever a big trouble for me. Sure it could have used some tuning up but it was manageable. Now you are telling me that you are going replace it with a matchmaking service like Valve did with L4D? I don't like the sound of this...
I think that dedicated servers are a great way for the community to get involved in the game and raise the hype and awareness of it. Just look at Team Fortress 2 and its server browser. It has a good filter, a decent UI and it works. Then again I may just be one of those players who are picky about what map, what kind of server and what kind of ping (yes, only pr0s care) and the name and matchmaking doesn't really lead to the same social interactions.
Have a favourite server you like to play on that has funny or cool people on it? Sorry, you have to add all of them for you to play with them.
Summary
I think that the audience for the different services (Console and PC) have different needs and tastes and I also believe that trying to integrate the two groups is ludicrous. Let console gamers have their matchmaking and PC gamers their dedicated servers.
This turned into more of a why "PCs are better than your damn vidyahgahmesystahms!" old-man-rant . If you are however, bored and want to read a somewhat provocative piece, then please continue.
PC versus Console
I am and will most likly always be a PC "gamer". It doesn't just have to do with the extreme number of things you can use a computer for BESIDES gaming (No, not that kind of "stuff" you creepy dude/dudette) like chatting, working, purchasing or perhaps even listening to music. Sure, most if not all of these things can be done on the consoles. I cant deny that, but to what extent can you do that without being locked out? Since all consoles have a very basic level of settings and tweaks you can perform on it without breaking your warranty, would you really want to try?
Want to play an great .mkv video file on your PS3? Oh I'm sorry, cant help you.
You want to chill to a sweet .flac music file? This is a 360, not jukebox.
You've got cute images of your dog in .raw format and want to show them on a Wii? Good luck sir.
Not to be all "And thats why PCs are the best! lolz" but all of the above issues can be solved on a PC. None of the actions work on a default Windows, Linux or Mac but with tuning, configuring, a bit of swearing and a miracle from time to time, you can get most anything to work and that's without changing OS or modding the hardware. Now, I am sure there are solutions that can be used on the console but not all of them. And thats because Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo have placed you inside "their" world.
You are powerless to act. What if PSN suddenly cost a subscription fee? What if Xbox Live suddenly doubled in cost? What if Wii suddenly made the Friend Codes 5 times longer? Sure you can say "I wont play into your hands!" and end your subscription/usage of said console but you have already paid for it. Sure, Microsoft could set a subscription fee for Windows OSes but the difference is that there are many options when it comes down to choosing an OS. Some of which are free.
You have a choice, to either pay or go another route but on a console, there's only one bridge and if that don't work, then you'd better get swimming.
To be fair, PCs have a lot of weak points, A LOT, and since I don't want to favorize lets mention a few. Weakness to viruses - You download installs, .zip files and much more from sometimes shady websites. Some users can avoid viruses but with a console its all protected by the "Gods" of the console marketplaces. Easy to install - On a PC it can take a long time to install something with many stops along the way, on a console its usually just a click away. (Ad-campaign material? I scare myself sometimes). Troublesome to develop for - With so many different set-ups and rigs its hard to know what specs to target for a game that's going to take 2 years to make. On a console you have the specs and you go with em. More expensive - If you want to play the same games as a on console, on similar settings, you will most likely have to pay at least twice the price of any console.
Fair enough? Probably not but at least I tried. Now, on to the real subject:
Dedicated servers or Not?
Having play quite a fair bit of CoD 4 (Modern Warfare 1) on the PC I can't say that the server browser was ever a big trouble for me. Sure it could have used some tuning up but it was manageable. Now you are telling me that you are going replace it with a matchmaking service like Valve did with L4D? I don't like the sound of this...
I think that dedicated servers are a great way for the community to get involved in the game and raise the hype and awareness of it. Just look at Team Fortress 2 and its server browser. It has a good filter, a decent UI and it works. Then again I may just be one of those players who are picky about what map, what kind of server and what kind of ping (yes, only pr0s care) and the name and matchmaking doesnt really lead to the same social interactions.
Have a favourite server you like to play on that has funny or cool people on it? Sorry, you have to add all of them for you to play with them.
Summary
I think that the audience for the different services (Console and PC) have different needs and tastes and I also believe that trying to integrate the two groups is ludicrous. Let console gamers have their matchmaking and PC gamers their dedicated servers.
I hope you guys manage to recover the 50th episode but at the same time you shouldnt take it so hard. We can take losing an episode as long as you like so many have already said, make a short summary of what happned.
Also, will you consider saving on more than 1 slot on the memory card? Gives you guys an alternative in case something like this happens again.
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