My response to Infinity Ward.
by Acaila
I've been managing dedicated servers for our community for over 7 years now, and playing around with multiplayer PC servers for over a decade.
The decision to remove dedicated server support from one of the most played online PC games is questionable to say the least.
Here is my reply to Jason West, (COO of Infinity Ward) response to the outcry from the PC community about this decision:
How does a home users PC, already taxed by running the game itself along with potential malware/viruses, on a typical home connection of 128kb/s upload speed; Provide a better player experience then one of our Sun Microsystems quad core server which only runs the dedicated server software, hooked directly in to our Cisco certified National network?
Our service, in excess of 40 free open to the public servers exist purely for fans of the game. Games.on.net makes no money from hosting these servers. We host these servers because we understand how much being able to play on a stable, lag free server matters to gamers. Its a great way for us to show of just how good our network is as game players are some of the most lag/disruption sensitive broadband customers. We have not been voted the best gaming ISP in Australia for nothing.
Sadly with your decision to remove dedicated server support and rely on home users to host games the only people that will lose out are the fans whose interests you claim you have in mind.
As anyone who has tried to play a game on xbox live will tell you: Peer to peer hosting simply does not work in Australia. Our low population, sparse geographical community (Australia is about the same size as the USA with 1/10th the population) and low broadband penetration results in a long, frustrating often futile hunt to find a server to play on. Typically what games they do find will be either hosted over seas or on a connection that cannot handle more than 2-3 players. It's a constantly changing environment too as people stop/start hosting a server.
A far, far cry from the always running, rock solid, cod4 servers that our community has grown, not fractured as you claim, around.
The decision to remove dedicated server support from one of the most played online PC games is questionable to say the least.
Here is my reply to Jason West, (COO of Infinity Ward) response to the outcry from the PC community about this decision:
Quote:
"We're just prioritizing the player experience above the modders and the tuners,"
How does a home users PC, already taxed by running the game itself along with potential malware/viruses, on a typical home connection of 128kb/s upload speed; Provide a better player experience then one of our Sun Microsystems quad core server which only runs the dedicated server software, hooked directly in to our Cisco certified National network?
Quote:
"We thought maybe it would be cool if the fans could play the game," he laughs "It's a little dubious. Some of the people complaining are complaining with their pocketbook."
Our service, in excess of 40 free open to the public servers exist purely for fans of the game. Games.on.net makes no money from hosting these servers. We host these servers because we understand how much being able to play on a stable, lag free server matters to gamers. Its a great way for us to show of just how good our network is as game players are some of the most lag/disruption sensitive broadband customers. We have not been voted the best gaming ISP in Australia for nothing.
Sadly with your decision to remove dedicated server support and rely on home users to host games the only people that will lose out are the fans whose interests you claim you have in mind.
As anyone who has tried to play a game on xbox live will tell you: Peer to peer hosting simply does not work in Australia. Our low population, sparse geographical community (Australia is about the same size as the USA with 1/10th the population) and low broadband penetration results in a long, frustrating often futile hunt to find a server to play on. Typically what games they do find will be either hosted over seas or on a connection that cannot handle more than 2-3 players. It's a constantly changing environment too as people stop/start hosting a server.
A far, far cry from the always running, rock solid, cod4 servers that our community has grown, not fractured as you claim, around.
October 2009
July 2009