Editor’s note: Infinity Ward’s abandonment of long-cherished PC gaming standards for online multiplayer in Modern Warfare 2 was a real letdown. John highlights some of the issues with that decision but also searches for ways in which those changes could lead to new opportunities for games. I still wonder, though, why cross-platform gaming and mod support aren’t possible with dedicated servers. -Rob
You’re probably familiar with the outcry against Infinity Ward’s changes to what are still recognized as platform-defining aspects of PC gaming. For me, these changes aren’t even close to an ideal feature set for any multiplayer shooter I’d like to play.
After some thought, though, this shift could prove worthwhile for the industry. I’m certainly not going to come out and say that those like me, who grew up with competitive-PC gaming, should willingly give up expected functionality when we buy a fully priced product.
But sometimes changing key things can open ground for innovation or — at the very least — breed the thinking process necessary to push not only community but industry standards far beyond what we as consumers assume.
The problems
In a discussion with a friend of mine, whose roots in games are just as entrenched around competitive shooters of the past, I came to realize a few things. We spoke about the choices Infinity Ward made on the network structure of the PC version of Modern Warfare 2.
Essentially, they removed the community part from the picture when they disallowed players from hosting servers on a dedicated line or machine and forced all matches into a peer-to-peer model.
For those unfamiliar with why dedicated servers are so beloved among gamers born before the ‘90s, it’s easy to look past that and ask: “What’s the big deal?” Well, the big deal is that with peer-based hosting come other feature cuts.
For example, ever run into a jackass intentionally team killing over-and-over on Xbox Live or PlayStation Network? How do you usually solve this issue? You probably end up either trying to stick it out — gritting your teeth the entire time — or leaving to find another match.
Instead of going out of your way to find a game without said jackass (and not just you — most likely the rest of your team as well), what if you could simply vote the offender off of the server? Or better yet, have someone remove him from the server? Dedicated servers provide this ability with a “vote to kick” option and with administrators who boot unsportsmanlike players.
I’m a little offended that the proper tools to deal with troublemakers aren’t provided in modern games, and yet these issues were solved even as far back as Quake 2.
But not only does this change force you to waste more time staring at a server browser (or in this case, a match-making progress bar), it takes away from one of the best aspects of competitive shooters — community.
You can build wonderful communities around dedicated servers. I’ve been involved with many and across many games. Servers that take care of their users with administrators who are just like you; they don’t want to deal with morons, either.
Sure, you can build a small group of like-minded individuals with your friends list on a console, but how do you go about meeting new people from there? After a while, you have to set a limit as to who you’re going to directly associate with, otherwise you’ll spend all day throwing out invites as people get online. In short — it’s a hassle.
I’ve been there to some extent, and it made me feel like I should just pick one or two friends for regular play. Although that can be fine for a while, wouldn’t it be better if you could join a specific server populated with many people you enjoy playing with?
There is a severe lack of in-game community with multiplayer shooters today, and that is one of the biggest reasons I have such love for the genre and gaming in general.
The silver lining?
First, cross-platform gaming is easily developed through the closed-networking methods implemented by Infinity Ward. Remember all the horrible things I said about no community being present in games today? Well, this would potentially redeem some of that lost functionality.
Opening things up to allow Xbox 360 users to play with people on the PC or PlayStation 3 would further blur the divide between systems. It would not only allow for the obvious, such as wider access to other players, but also further the potential to build a thriving community around a game.
I’m aware that other titles provide cross-platform play — such as Shadowrun, a game which ultimately failed because of many development (and sales) issues. Cross-platform MMOs work, too; it’s something I have no personal experience with but I understand that people still use their consoles to play them with PC gamers.
Secondly, I think if cross-platform gaming ever catches any real fire it will open up avenues for console users to begin enjoying things most PC users boast about — the biggest one being mod support. I know for myself that I’d absolutely love to have mods available with my console games.
Sure, the PS3 has very lightly touched base with this in Unreal Tournament 3; however, it’s going to require more from users to ever see fruitful returns for this feature on consoles. And it’s going to take more than one game, especially when that game didn’t have very impressive sale, either.
Conclusion
Infinity Ward’s choices with the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 have both pros and cons. Whether or not any of these positive ideas will ever come to fruition remains to be seen. If you sacrifice your expectations as a consumer or an enthusiast, you’ll ultimately end up with highly stripped products that are hardly even shells of what they once were.
Perhaps I’m in the minority, but the only way to know is if others make their concerns known. For those of you that think there’s no value in speaking up when something doesn’t meet your expectations: prepare yourself for mediocrity and nothing more.
For those of you who think that anyone who does speak up about such things has a misguided sense of entitlement, I offer you this: where do you draw the line, exactly?
You vote with your wallet; if you buy a product that you know you won’t be happy with, you have no right to say anything about others’ criticisms. If you’re simply speaking out against others because you have no understanding of why something like dedicated servers could be important to someone, try to restrain yourself for one minute.
Instead of casting impulsive judgment, think of your favorite feature that comes standard today. Now imagine that feature taken out and replaced with something that doesn’t even come close to what you want. Do you become one of those people who don’t have the right to speak out because you’ll still buy the game anyway?