I feel sorry for fans of PC shooters

Tek7

Tek7

CGA President, Tribe of Judah Founder & President
Staff member
Activision and Infinity Ward turned their back on PC gamers when they decided Modern Warfare 2 would not feature dedicated server support.

Then John Carmack of id Software said that Rage probably won't feature dedicated server support. ...Wait, id Software is still making PC games?

EA and DICE were quick to say that Battlefield Bad Company 2 would feature dedicated server support in a shameless move to lure in PC games that passed on MW2. Later, they revealed the fine print: Dedicated servers would only be available through rental companies. Want to download the dedicated server files and run them on that dedicated server you rent for $150 a month? Too bad, because EA wouldn't get their cut that way.

Then GameServers.com announced they would be the exclusive provider of Call of Duty: Black Ops dedicated servers. Now I'll admit I don't know if that means players won't be able to run their own servers, but the odds aren't looking good.

I don't know enough about Medal of Honor to know how EA is going to short-change PC gamers this time, but recent evidence leads me to believe it's only a matter of time until we find out.

Sure, Valve's Source Engine is broken (just ask any Spy), but Team Fortress 2 is still fun (for classes other than Spy) 3 years after release AND features real dedicated server support. There was that bit about Valve promising new content in Left 4 Dead 1 and never delivering on said promise, but even considering that, Valve looks like the patron saint of PC gaming when compared with EA and Activision.

But have no fear. PC gaming isn't dead. It just smells that way.
 
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It isn't dead.

You're just talking about multi-player... which is very likely dead. Single player still has the best FPS offerings out there, imo. HL2 is still an awesome shooter (and I am STILL waiting on my HL2 EP3... VALVE!!!!!!!!11), Bioshock, Bioshock 2, can't think of any others... and PC has SC2, WoW, loads of other MMOs etc..
 
I think it's just that PC gamers remember the good times, when dedicated servers existed. These types of things never happened on console to begin with.

Here's to hoping that a smart company can figure out how to allow custom mods AND profit without hurting the customers.
 
What I see happening is publishers wanting control over every aspect of the game. After a while they will decide that keeping that up is going to be too costly to be worth it and the pendulum will start swinging back to more dedicated server options.

That is, if the FPS genre survives that long. (This is a doom and gloom thread right?)
 
Keero said:
What's a dedicated server?

/born 4 years ago.
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That makes sense of so many things.

RyanB said:
Here's to hoping that a smart company can figure out how to allow custom mods AND profit without hurting the customers.
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You mean someone other than Valve, right? Half-Life 2 must have sold a bajillion copies by now.
 
I don't believe PC Gamers has had thier backs turned on by anyone, We(Pc Gamers) tend to take it for granted that every game will automatically have Dedicated servers or release the Server Files for Private servers, as well as thinking that New Maps or material for the game should be free of Charge, well it aggrevates me also but I understand these companies are Profit organizations and right now Consoles are where the money is at for them, reason being is that a Console gamer plays on a console purchased 3 years ago(example) that plays all current titles and does not have to upgrade the console to play the same Game whereas a PC gamer does, at least if you want all the Bells and Whistles on Max. The game developers are porting a vast majority of Console Games to Pc these days, Why because they can make more money porting rather than Programming a Entire Game for PC Only, example is soon to be released MOH (Medal of Honor) which is a Ported game , thats why I canceled my pre order 2 months ago, Fun yes but if it was a Pc Designed game it could have been better than BC 2. I am not saying PC gamers are being treated as we should but these companies think in terms of Revenue alone, if profit is not high enough the game may never see a release to PC, I believe the FPS Genre will always be around but the Titles that cater to PC Alone are getting fewer each year, so buy good titles and play them longer:)
 
I think the shift away from PC gaming in the industry is indicative of the larger problem that's been coming for a while now. As gaming has become more popular, and supposedly "mature" :rolleyes:, game companies have become larger enveloping smaller companies into mega corporations headed by non-gamers. The developers who lead the pack and made the best games back when were probably actual gamers then. Now their projects are subject to their non-gaming, non-artistic bosses approval and timetable. Seems like the smaller indie developers are the actual gamers making games nowadays. Buy a game from a mega corporation if you want to play a graphically superior but artistically soulless game.

Reminds me of my thoughts on the death of game mascots. Mario is the only one around nowadays showing you how the industry has changed :( .
 
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Heres the plan..... All us PC players should go back and play DOOM and Wolfenstein 3d until the mega corporations realize that we want repetitive, fun key gathering and monster slaying instead of semi-realistic crap :) Wonder how a DOOM competitive league would work lol.
 
I loved playing Doom - that was my first shoot'em up game. I wonder how bad it would seem after Guild Wars or Battlefield.
 
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Abba San said:
I'd loved playing Doom - that was my first shoot'em up game. I wonder how bad it would seem after Guild Wars or Battlefield.
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Dunno if they had it at release for DOOM, but they have created some multiplayer modes for doom lol.
 
I could sadly only find DOOM2.wads available legally. Everything else was torrents, and I am suspicious of torrents...
 
Previously, EA revealed that it would release free Medal of Honor DLC to "Online Pass" holders on November 2. Today, the company announced that it will also issue a second DLC pack -- this one, the kind you pay for -- on the same day. The $10 add-on will include a new multiplayer mode, "Hot Zone" (a.k.a. "King of the Hill").

This Hot Zone DLC will also include two new maps, Hindukush Valley and Korengal Outpost, as well as redesigned versions of the Shahikot Valley and Helmand Valley maps. That's right -- even more venues for your totally fictional fight for a hill against the Opposing Force.
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Source: Medal of Honor paid DLC also out November 2

So apparently the cost of the complete game is $70, not $60. A class act as always, EA.

/me goes back to the new and completely free content update for Team Fortress 2
 
What exactly is so bad about DLC? You want extra content, you can pay for it. It's not like companies purposefully leave out a third of the game and charge you more for it. (Though Cliffy B. [Gears of War] was considering it due to used game sales.) Even on the multiplayer front, I don't mind paying a bit extra for something new. Sure, Valve has released free maps for TF2, but now they're also charging for exclusive items in TF2 that you can't get free. Or REQUIRE you buying some stupid fake item (crate keys?), or DLC prices being stupidly high (18 dollar virtual hat, 15 dollar map pack). If people want to extend the lifespan of their games (which don't have community creations for free), what's so bad about that?

Considering Valve's Half-Life 2 Episodes, Episode 1 was 20 bucks, Episode was 50 bucks with Orange Box at launch, and Episode 3 would be what, let's say 30. That's a $100 game over a 5-7 year span. Conservatively, they could all be 20 bucks. That's still 60 bucks, the price of a console game.

Oh, and I wouldn't buy anything for MOH anyways, game is bad. :p
 
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