|
| posted by vinny.-h-^ | Wednesday, December 23, 2009 |
If you give a rat's ass about PC gaming, then you should read this.
(for the purposes of this write up, I will refer to a "PC gamer who plays multiplayer first-person shooters" as simply a "gamer" and to "PC multiplayer gaming" as simply "gaming")
Every gamer, whether casual or competitive, should be thoroughly pissed off at Infinity Ward (IW) for alienating
all gamers by denying its very own rabid and loyal customer base one of the most overlooked yet most important elements of gaming; an element as integral to gaming as the color green is to grass:
dedicated servers. No one notices the color of grass until the color is suddenly missing, leaving behind only boring blotches of brown and nothing could be more true for dedicated servers. Some may say,
"dedicated servers aren't that important, after all, this new match-making system let's me play without the hassle of having to browse a server list," but be careful of who's opinion you put stock into. Unfortunately for them and those who listen to them, these are the same people who do not fully understand what makes gaming as enjoyable as it is and they also happen to all be colorblind. They may not notice the color is gone but they will certainly feel its absence. So who speaks for dedicated servers?
The average gamer simply does not consider where all of their favorite dedicated servers in their favorite game come from, why they exist, or who put them there, nor do they particularly care even if considered for a brief moment. The only thing they care about is their experience and whether it is a good one or not, and that is exactly how it should be. After all, if the average gamer is having to concern themselves with more than that, then the makers of that game have not done a good job. If a dedicated server provides them with a good experience, there's a good chance that they will add the server to their "Favorites" list so that they can revisit later with the expectation that they will have another good experience.
Exhibit A: How do dedicated servers provide a good experience?
Perhaps the other players were generally friendly, or helpful, or skilled, or a combination thereof. Perhaps they liked the server rules and how profanity and teamkilling weren't allowed or maybe they liked that profanity and teamkilling
were allowed. Perhaps they liked the game mode, or the team size, or the server settings. Perhaps they liked how the server kept track of their personal stats and how many kills they've had all-time on the server. Perhaps they had a good ping and didn't experience any lag during the game, or they liked it being located in their home state or country. Perhaps they just liked the name of the server itself. Perhaps they liked a mod the server was running, or a custom map they played, or hearing an Unreal Tournament throwback soundbite when they "headshot" an enemy. Perhaps they liked how there were active administrators who promptly removed hackers or persons suspected of hacking. Perhaps they liked how they could join the server to spectate other players in order to learn new tricks and tactics without having to play. Perhaps they liked the ability to vote for a new map, or to vote people out of the game. Perhaps they liked the server because it was always full of people they have some social connection to or relationship with.
Are these things important to the average gamer? To the hardcore gamer? To the competitive gamer? Do these things help to define a good gaming experience? Are you willing to sacrifice all of these things for nothing in return?
Are these things important to you? These are the questions you must answer for yourself for these are things only dedicated servers can guarantee.
Exhibit B: How do dedicated servers build community?
Perhaps they want to bring a friend along with them next time they visit a favorite dedicated server. Perhaps the friend will bring one of their friends, and so on and so on, until only the servers that are considered to be good have players in them. And then all of the empty dedicated servers change their ways and gravitate towards the more popular game modes, settings, and mods (and the game companies take note of what works and what doesn't and games improve over time.) And then groups of different servers form for different kinds of players who enjoy different things. And from these groups of servers communities emerge, websites are built, and message boards are populated. And from these communities, clans are created. Friendships are made and rivalries born. And from these rivalries, matches are played. Leagues and ladders are created, and there are more rivalries, and more friendships, and more community. And sometimes, world championships are organized where players from around the world meet in person and compete head to head. And money is won and sponsorships awarded. Contracts are signed and advertising space is bought. And on the rare occasion, you'll see the best of the best in the world competing in your favorite game on cable television. And you may simply think to yourself, "I enjoy playing that game."
If your gaming experience is shaped by any of the things only a dedicated server can guarantee, then you should demand dedicated servers. If having a community full of gamers just like you is important to you, then you should demand dedicated servers. If you want to compete against the best in the world in your favorite game, you should demand dedicated servers.
You remove a lot of things from a game when you remove dedicated servers. If you want the same great gaming experience in a game that has no dedicated servers as you have in games that do, then the developing software company, IW, has to create substitutes for all of the things only dedicated servers can guarantee, such as indicated by exhibit A; the company has to reinvent the wheel many times over and in some cases it's impossible to do:
Can IW create a way for you to only play with generally friendly, helpful, or skilled players?
Can IW create a way for you to choose whether or not you see profanity?
Can IW create a way for you to reliably have a good ping and not experience lag?
Can IW create a way for you to play a mod?
Can IW create a way for you to not have to deal with hackers?
Can IW create a way for you to spectate other players without having to play?
Can IW create a way for you to kick other players out of a game?
Can IW create a way for you to rejoin a particular set of players you have never played with before?
Can IW manufacture a substitute for the grassroots creation of gaming communities as they are born from dedicated servers?
Answers to some of these questions are more clear than to others, but there is one thing IW can do to guarantee all of these things to some degree and the answer should be abundantly clear.
As discussed, the average gamer is only concerned with their own experience, and that is how it should be. Most do not realize the fact that there are thousands of fellow gamers who love gaming so much that they pour hundreds of their own hard-earned dollars every year into paying for all of the high-speed, Internet-centralized, lag-free, and custom-tailored dedicated servers they enjoy playing on. In fact, most dedicated servers are paid for, either directly or indirectly, by clans and by individual competitive players. These are the gamers who best understand what makes a good gaming experience. After all, why would they put good money on a server for total strangers to play on? Because they understand that it is necessary; necessary for experience and necessary for community. Take it from the word of a competitive player who is a part of High Clan who has poured money into servers in the past.
You may have noticed the abundant amount of discussion regarding Infinity Ward's decision to not provide dedicated server software for Modern Warfare 2 over the last several months. The discussion started with the gamers who understand experience and community best and owners of dedicated servers were undoubtedly a big part of this then small voice. Only after the game's launch has the discussion really been ramped up. Why is this? Because more gamers are becoming aware of the color green; they are beginning to understand why dedicated servers are so important. They are having to concern themselves with more than just experience, they are having to concern themselves with something that would go unnoticed if it was never taken away, and that has them pretty upset. So upset that as of writing, nearly a quarter million gamers have signed a petition for Infinity Ward to release dedicated server software.
Dearest Infinity Ward: they want their green grass back, you assholes.
Competitive PC gamers have witnessed the silent and slow decay of the PC gaming experience particularly over the last 5 years and they know the dedicated server is the next victim to go. It will soon join the shock combo, strafe-jumping, CAL and the CPL, and the steep learning curve in the footnotes of PC gaming history. For years there have been debates between competitive and casual gamers as to how a game "should" be and only now are some of the casual gamers out there beginning to understand how the PC games they love are being destroyed and marginalized. Software companies only care about the bottom line and where one software company leads, the others follow. This is a subject I won't even begin to delve into because it exceeds the scope of this write-up, but just think about and remember that point.
Who speaks for dedicated servers? Competitive players. And, by proxy, they speak for all gamers, casual and competitive alike. We all want the same thing: a good gaming experience. The shade of green of dedicated servers may be too washed out to be saved, but until the all of the color is sucked out, join the fight. Continue listening to what competitive players are saying and ignore their sometimes "holier than thou" attitude.
Join the 240,000 voices and tell Infinity Ward to stop ruining PC gaming. Sign the petition now!
http://www.petitiononline.com/dedis4mw/petition.html
