New FPS profit model for PC? #CODMW2 @InfinityWard #MW2
Because of the global content that this topic will deal with, I have decided that I will do this entry entirely in english. My apoligees to all my dutch native readers but I hope you will understand my reasons.
Prologue
11.10.09 was once the day that marked a new era in FPS. Trendsetting franchise Call of Duty would release another episode called: Modern Warfare 2. The release of this game was hailed as Game of the Year until Infinity Ward decided to rethink their strategy on the PC branch of the franchise.
Click "Continue Reading" to find out more about this milking story!
The conservative side
Most FPS games on the PC, until that day were run on dedicated servers who were contributed by ISPs and end-users in the form of clans. They reserved a "server" that ran dedicated. All players of the game would connect to these servers and were able to compete with or against eachother.
Per definition, a (network) server is a computer designed to process requests and deliver data to other (client) computers over a local network or the Internet.
So there you have it, it is a computer that was build to handle requests and to deliver data over any kind of network. On top of that those servers would be hosted on very fast internet lines going up to 1Gbit/s, which gives the system another great advantage!
If you add that all up, you have no other way to conclude that dedicated server would be the best fit for our needs.
But there is a negative side that Infinity Ward brings up. Giving away their dedicated server code would give freedom to server administrator to tweak the game settings and therefor unbalancing the game. It also opens the door more for cheaters and glitchers. Most of the experience that gamers have while playing the game are too dependant on the way the server administrator handles his server. This means that the player can view the game in another perspective and not the one that Infinity Ward wants you to see. Infinity Ward feels powerless and gets a need to restablish control of their product.
Or wait, this is what they said about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare!
The Extremist Proprietary side
Proprietary, now there is the word that causes this all. But with all the hastle it creates is it even worth it?
Well lets first start of by saying that the Call of Duty franchise is made for 3 different platforms. 2 of them are consoles and the other one is the PC-platform. Infinty Ward creates the game mainly for the console. There are multiple reasons for that but that is not worth getting into. Until Modern Warfare 2, the PC version always had the game rewritten for its own platform and thus allowing the platform to choose their best method of implementing the systems, that being dedicated servers.
The consoles on their part are, based on hardware and software, a dumbed down version of a PC. This leaves developers no other option than to choose for obsolete technology to let their product work. In this particular case, the technology that is being used is P2P.
But I hear you say, "Why use obsolete technology?" Well ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you! The P2P actually comes as a package deal! If you create the system so that the company can control the gameplay, you can let the players connect to eachother and not have to bother with investing in expensive worldwide dedicated servers. Since playing the game on a console is slower than on a PC, time can be prolonged and thus is the connectivity of the players less obvious.
For Infinity Ward this option is the best option for their console development. We can understand that and we even believe it is wise not to overtech everything when it is not needed. But when the technology shortcomes the platform and the client, the technology will fail. There is no way around that. The most non-techsavvy person would understand that.
Infinity Ward made a stance on the PC platform with Modern Warfare 2 by choosing a proprietary server managementsystem, a matchmaking system for PC gamers, based on the P2P technology. In the FPS PC scene playing a game can be based on what you do in a fraction of a second or even milisecond earlier than your oponent. Pings should be as low as possible because it signifies how long it takes for you to correspond to the server. Higher pings result in longer response time.
In a P2p-system you depend on 1 person to act as a server. All other players connect to this player and so a gaming environment is shaped. The problem with this setup is that you are also depend on the line speed and processor of the one who is hosting the P2P gamesession. It gives a 0 ping advantage for the host and all other players are subject to lag and connectivity issues because of the line of a single player.
A little extreme example:
- 1 56Kbit user
- 5 DSL speed (2Mbit/s)
- 4 broadband speed(25Mbit/s)
All of them will play in Modern Warfare 2 with their own connection. We will see them in different server systems on the PC platform and how they will behave.
Dedicated Server setup.
All players made a connection the the 100Mbit dedicated server they chose.
The 56Kbit user experiences a lot of lag and rubberbanding. Other players see that that particular player has lag but their own gameplay is not interfered with. If they have a server admin present they can even kick the user out of the server or use a votekick system. Now they have no griev in any way of a lagging player.
A 65% P2P Server setup with an average connection with IWNET.
All players have connected to the player who is hosting the P2P gamesession.
There is no immediate lag for any user except for the 56Kbit user who will always lag due to his connection. Users notice the 56Kbit user in game but have no options to kick the player out of the game. At certain points the server has a little lag on critical and busy moments. After the game finishes and the next round is starts, the same person is the host.
A Worstcase P2P Server Setup with a 56Kbit connection with IWNET
All players try connecting to the 56Kbit host and some succeed to enter.
The players that got in are having huge lag and some are even timing out. Other players are entering the game and the game keeps lagging. The 56Kbit user is having no lag and is enjoying the game. Other players have no option to kick the host. There is no hostmigration for these games. After the game finishes and the next round is starts, the same person is the host.
Okay, it does not work. So why use it?
Again, proprietary is cosy. Since we locked down the game we have the possibility to extend its life by selling updates or so called, DLC (Downloadable Content). People cannot rebel against it because the system is fully closed. So they can either oblige or decline this DLC. But if they do not oblige, their game is outdated and soon rendered useless. So they will pay €10 for our new content because otherwise their €55 investment is useless. Besides that we would save alot on rewriting the PC version. We could just port our console system to the PC and force it upon them.
And that is exactly why. Getting money and more money out of the pockets of their clients. But with the huge piracy on the PC platform they have to compensate somewhere. So we can get their reasoning. But now, we, the clients, are the victim of the greed and repercussions of Infinity Ward and Activision.
Remember, remember the 10th of november...
... for the Activision treason and plot. I can see of no reason why the Activision treason should ever be forgot!
Quote inspired by the Fawkes story that is magnificently depicted in the movie, "V for Vendetta". And like in the movie, this story has its villains as well. Activision might be the guilty one. As you might know Blizzard and Activision are very close. Blizzard is know for its MMORPG, World of Warcraft, whose paymodel is based on monthly payments. Until now the model is most used for MMORPG. The reason for the monthly payment is because of the monthly server costs that the company has aswell as the constant adding of new elements to the game.
Rumors are that Activision is seeking a way to implement a monthly payment into the FPS scene. Contacts between Infinity Ward and Blizzard, about how to implement it in the Call of Duty franchise, have been established and confirmed.
If so, this would be one of my worst dreams to become true. Because think about it, there is no reason to pay for it. No developer will be able to supress dedicated servers. Infinity Ward maybe holding ground but the hackers community already bypassed IWNET's security measures and dedicated servers have been unlocked.
For monthly constant updates? Would you pay for it? Before that we had a mapmaking community on the dedicated servers and new maps were constantly added for free! How great is that!
For dedicated servers? Oh no you are wrong there! You only unlock the ability to play on dedicated servers. If you want to have a dedicated server you will have to buy one from a company. And guess what. The company that rents dedicated servers needs to pay a license to Infinity Ward to sell those servers. And naturaly you are right when you think that he will raise regular prices to balance out his deficit for his license.
Conclusion?
If you add everything up you will pay for all the next:
- The game itself: €55
- Monthly Dedicated Server License: €5 / month
- You rent a dedicated server, that would normaly cost you €45 per quarter, now at €60 per quarter.
- 3 Expansions: €105
This makes a yearly average of €353,33 if you play the game for 3 years. It used to be 293,33 / year and if you played it longer than 3 years it would be much lower.
And ofcourse this was all assuming that you payed for the dedicated server yourself.
These are enormous amounts for gamers and they should not pay for anything because they got nothing extra besides extra rules and regulations.
And this goes for all regular PC gamers aswell. Don't think you are not affected by this. I'm sure Infinity Ward would write:"€5/month for dedicated servers". But actually what they mean is: "We will open the technology for you, that you once had for free, after you give us €5/month". Because the dedicated servers costs would still be yours!
My last words
I once again find the mostard in the "V for Vendetta" movie and have to say that we, the customer, should not be afraid of companies, but companies should have to be afraid of us, the customer. As long as we don't stand up against this travesty of cowmilking they will get away with it. Refuse them to take your money and become to be aware as a customer.
November 26th, 2009 - 19:56
nice one