Infinity Ward has responded to the now 88,000-strong Modern Warfare 2 PC petition, promising fans that their outcry "won't be ignored".
Yesterday's petition, in case you missed it, was sparked after it emerged that the PC version of the Modern Warfare sequel will ditch dedicated server support for more console-like matchmaking.
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"[It] definitely made a big wave, and the response will not be ignored. I'll ensure everyone at IW sees the petitions and responses to it," community man Robert Bowling promised via Twitter.
As some clever chap pointed out on the comments yesterday, the 'bring back Wispa' petition worked, so why can't this?
I'm glad IW realised that this is a potential crisis for them. Also i am glad to see that they are not going to let something like this get in the way of such a great title. pre-ordered my copy .. i just hope they come with deddicated servers support!
Of course, saying they'll read the petition isn't the same as saying they'll change the game...
Exactly, i'm really am not holding out hope for this to be resolved as fully as we want. There maybe some piecemeal patch put out in 6 to 10 months after release that gives PC gamers some nominal dedicated server access and control, but IW will dictate it.
On the flipside of all the arguments, it's IW's baby and they can do with it what they will. It's just the bullcrap these corporate types spew about it improving the gameplay that I canny stomach anymore.
Match-making simply doesn't work on PC's due to the varying ping rates, builds etc. At least with dedicated servers you can pick and choose where and with whom you play. But then that doesn't allow IW to charge us for any dlc's does it?
FACT!!! it is a outrage that it has come to this over blown circus for such a standard option to be excluded from a game thats foundations where built on. I for one use to play COD on the pc constantly online with my clan and rifle only servers even up to 2 years ago. I feel for the PC community and believe they have a right to demand change .. but ..
FACT!!! IW owe me nothing, they owe you nothing. It is their game they spent day and night working on till this point and it is their game that they have the right to dictate what features are available to us as the consumers.
Both sides have valid reasons for their stance but sadly its still down to one side to choose the outcome no matter what is said and done.
FACT!!! it is a outrage that it has come to this over blown circus for such a standard option to be excluded from a game thats foundations where built on. I for one use to play COD on the pc constantly online with my clan and rifle only servers even up to 2 years ago. I feel for the PC community and believe they have a right to demand change .. but ..
FACT!!! IW owe me nothing, they owe you nothing. It is their game they spent day and night working on till this point and it is their game that they have the right to dictate what features are available to us as the consumers.
Both sides have valid reasons for their stance but sadly its still down to one side to choose the outcome no matter what is said and done.
Please don't use that word FACT when you clearly don't know what it means. Cus neither of those statements are without argument. Would prefer it if you put OPINION!!! and IMO!!!
FACT!!! it is a outrage that it has come to this over blown circus for such a standard option to be excluded from a game thats foundations where built on. I for one use to play COD on the pc constantly online with my clan and rifle only servers even up to 2 years ago. I feel for the PC community and believe they have a right to demand change .. but ..
FACT!!! IW owe me nothing, they owe you nothing. It is their game they spent day and night working on till this point and it is their game that they have the right to dictate what features are available to us as the consumers.
Both sides have valid reasons for their stance but sadly its still down to one side to choose the outcome no matter what is said and done.
Please don't use that word FACT when you clearly don't know what it means. Cus neither of those statements are without argument. Would prefer it if you put OPINION!!! and IMO!!!
W/E little angel of the night. I know what im talking about and what i stated was fair to both parties and being a COD veteran who played on ED with several clans i think i know the extent of what has happened. So go back into your room, lock your door put on your mums lipstick wander the pages of face book and update your elevated picture of yourself looking up at the camera (ohhh yes we all know you have one) and stfu.
FACT!! Muse are utter s**te, their album should have been called de ja vu or Echo
FACT!!! it is a outrage that it has come to this over blown circus for such a standard option to be excluded from a game thats foundations where built on. I for one use to play COD on the pc constantly online with my clan and rifle only servers even up to 2 years ago. I feel for the PC community and believe they have a right to demand change .. but ..
FACT!!! IW owe me nothing, they owe you nothing. It is their game they spent day and night working on till this point and it is their game that they have the right to dictate what features are available to us as the consumers.
Both sides have valid reasons for their stance but sadly its still down to one side to choose the outcome no matter what is said and done.
Please don't use that word FACT when you clearly don't know what it means. Cus neither of those statements are without argument. Would prefer it if you put OPINION!!! and IMO!!!
W/E little angel of the night. I know what im talking about and what i stated was fair to both parties and being a COD veteran who played on ED with several clans i think i know the extent of what has happened. So go back into your room, lock your door put on your mums lipstick wander the pages of face book and update your elevated picture of yourself looking up at the camera (ohhh yes we all know you have one) and stfu.
FACT!! Muse are utter s**te, their album should have been called de ja vu or Echo
Ok just quickly. I'm not a goth at all, I did that 2 years ago for a p**stake. I even play on an American Football team, which is about as jock-ish as you can get. And no, I'm not some fat idiot, I'm slim and play wide receiver. Secondly, again you've proved my point you can't grasp the use of the word 'fact'. I'm assuming you've done GCSE english so can tell the difference between fact and opinion. Back down and be decent about this or you're just going to embarass yourself.
I'll be picking up the game for single player, but if it's the intention of IW to not use dedicated server etc as a means to make their own DLC (to make more money on top)that used to be done by modders, I wont be shelling out any more money for their efforts. That's my perogative of course.
I don't want to speculate too much about what they are up to though until I actually see what is finally released.
It's passed the 91,000 mark now. The petition total will be fast approaching the sales figures for the PC version at this rate, what with all the talk and some evidence of games selling less now on the PC than in previous years
91,000 signatures and rising? that's potentially a lot of lost revenue,they'll come around.
How many of those that have signed the petition will still buy the game when it comes out, though - regardless of whether it's got dedicated servers or not? My guess is way more than half.
@ altitude: true but still,45,000 x 50 quid is a hell of a lot of money to be turning your nose up at and i just can't see activision letting those potential figures slide.
Right, so now we should believe Robert Bowling who blatantly lied last month when he said PC multiplayer was "unchanged".
It means nothing. IW can't have been unaware of the storm their decision would generate from PC gamers and especially clans, yet they decided to do it anyway. I can't imagine anything would change their minds short of a dramatic reduction in sales across all platforms.
The only way activision will change this is from an update sometime in the new year as I would say that the disks have already been pressed, boxed and ready to go. So for me I was gona but the pc version but now I'll wait until they fix the problem or if they don't I won't. They price for the game,as has been shouted about for a long time, is on the steep side so if a game does'nt have what you were expecting like me don't buy.
The funniest part about all this is that when i go to view the signatures list at petitiononline.com, half way down they're advertising game server slots for low ŁŁŁŁ!!
91,000 signatures and rising? that's potentially a lot of lost revenue,they'll come around.
How many of those that have signed the petition will still buy the game when it comes out, though - regardless of whether it's got dedicated servers or not? My guess is way more than half.
My guess is practically all of them will buy it. To get so upset about a game, and rant and rave about a feature probably means their lives revolve around games and desperately want this game more than they care to admit! The rest will either pirate the game or had no intention of buying it in the first place.
It's understandable that IW play the diplomatic card and say they're listening. As with the L4D2 campaign, I suspect the developers will not change their plans to suit a bunch of hot-air blowing gamers.
I have a feeling we'll see more PC gaming petition from now on. I wonder which game will see the next wrath of the online petition.
To be fair I don't think it would take that much to change. All that would need to be done is a patch telling the multiplayer where to go as such, (I don't know the technicalities) so a piece of code telling it to show the dedicated servers, if that happens.
It's understandable that IW play the diplomatic card and say they're listening. As with the L4D2 campaign, I suspect the developers will not change their plans to suit a bunch of hot-air blowing gamers.
I have a feeling we'll see more PC gaming petition from now on. I wonder which game will see the next wrath of the online petition.
Hang on a sec, the L4D2 petition was over the issue that the 'fans' thought they were ripped that a sequel they assumed was just a glorified dlc, would have to be paid for (BTW I do not agree with their standpoint at all).
This issue is over a change to the basic mechanics of PC gaming, a change to the ability to charge for dlc's, a change to how the community plays together, and the fact IW stated all along that the PC MP experience will not change with this game.
It is completely different to the whole L4D2 argument.
I still don't get why people who don't understand PC gaming can say how it's IW product and they can do as they see fit.
Imagine if in the console versions there was no option to join a match with friends or party up in a pre-game lobby? There would be hell to pay for that. However, since it's a platform that they don't use they believe it's OK for IW to mislead the consumer up until a few weeks before release and ruin a game for so many people.
Aren't Activision the ones planning games that will no longer require consoles just peripherals? How many of you would be up in arms if the next Modern Warfare game required you to use an expensive peripheral and possibly pay to play the game online with a monthly sub?
After all, it is IW's game and they can do what they want with it, so I guess you are all OK with that?
Hang on a sec, this is going to sound like a noobish query but who exactly is to blame here IW or Activision?
I suspect both. IWnet is developed by IW, but Activision probably came up with the idea. Either way, for the PC multiplayer component to rely on a new system (IWnet) that hasn't seen an open beta rolled out for it to stress test is worrying. As good as CoD4 single player campaign was, I think the majority of PC gamers will be/were buying it for the multiplayer.
I see. Thanx for clearing that up. This is the first online petition Ive ever signed. I gotta wonder though, isn't this petition thing setting a dangerous precedent? I mean, lets just say IW/Activision DO give in, does that mean that every time the community throws a fit, a publisher or dev HAS to give in. Imagine if this had happened before the whole L4D2 boycott or Diablo 3 art style debacle. Im still stunned that this is even an issue we have to worry about. Surely CoD4 did very well on the PC?
No, I don't think the developers ahould always have to give in. If what the developers are doing is unreasonable, in this case increasing the price of a game by Ł10 and then having less features than the previous game, then I think the community who they rely on to buy their games have the right to put their opinions across. If IW want the PC community to buy the game then they need to tailor it to that specific crowd. The same applies to each of the other platforms. I wouldn't want to buy a product that is seen as an after thought.
I thought the Diablo 3 petition was silly though and I'm still undecided on the validity of the L4D2 petition.
I think the big difference in opinions here is that on PC, users are used to an open platform which allows mods, dedicated servers, customisation and indie projects. IW taking away these aspects is driving PC gaming towards a more console style approach of 'you get what you're given'.
The petition is now at 96,000 signatures. If even half of those people don't buy the game that's Ł1.5m lost revenue.
I hear you. I must admit that this whole thing just stinks of betrayal. Even so, there are two sides to this. I mean, sure, we are a passionate lot but damn, if IW is focussed on delivering an exceptional single player experience, shouldn't the gamer be happy with that? No one is charging me for the multiplayer so technically, the dev does not "owe" me anything. Dont get me wrong, I play cod4 multi virtually everyday and no dedicated servers basically means I wont touch the online mode in the sequel. But what if IW turns around and says "OK we will give u ur dedicated servers IF you pay us a monthly fee" ?
(hehe, Im actually bloggin about it even as I'm typing this)
I've always been odf the belief that if it's worth doing something it's worth doing it right. The majority of the press surrounding MW2 has been of the multiplayer component, besides the snow level on the snowmobile.
It makes me wonder if the increased cost of the game is to pay for the cost involved in setting up IWnet.
Besides, I'm sure we can all agree on a few points here:
- Blindsiding PC gamers by announcing this less than 3 weeks before release is poor.
- No reasonable explanation is given.
- No obvious benefit to gamers (servers are often labelled if they are just for inexperienced gamers)
Also, what happens when IW/Activision decide to turn off the servers?
@ shadeheart: Have you got a link for your blog please?
@barca IMO any worthwhile DLC is gonna cost you regardless of platform. Consider Fallout3, Mass Effect, Street Fighter 4 etc. They all charged us for whatever amount even on the PC (and some of them were crap even then). Most (not all) of the "free" stuff is not worth paying for anyway. The only exception to this that I can think of is Valve. (gotta love them)
@battlemoose87 Totally in agreement with you there mate. The website tab on my posts should point to my blog. And if I've edited my profile correctly, so should my signature. (Its fairly new so not a lot of content on there at the moment)
I was thinking of creating a petition for free DLC map packs for all. Stop screwing the console user for Ł8, when they get it for free on PC!
Either free for all, or everyone to pay. The PC already get the game Ł10 cheaper as well.
The reason why the PC version is cheaper is because publishers do not have to pay license fees for putting the game onto that platform as it is not owned by anyone. This is a contributing reason as to why the Gamecube didn't do so well; Nintendo's license costs were reported to be really high in comparison to the competition. Apparently they changed their costs for the Wii which may explain why shovelware is so abundant.
Regarding the petitions thing - if a developer produces a really popular game and then makes changes to it for a sequel, some people will always complain, but at the end of the day the developer decides whether there is any justification to that complaint and whether they will act upon it. The Diablo 3 issue was something which some of the fans of the original disliked but was based upon personal taste, not something impacting the value or integrity of the game. L4D2 was different. That was complaining that based upon their own claims and the marketing of Team Fortress 2 (lots of free updates), the L4D fans were being badly let down by the rapid appearance of a sequel. While most of that has now been addressed by further DLC and support for L4D, the issue about splitting the community is still there. Personally I think Valve should offer a small discount to owners of the original for L4D2.
This argument with IW over their decision is more serious because it effectively wipes out the online clan community, badly impacts third-party server rentals and is a step backwards for PC gaming, all in a single blow.
I go back to my earlier point though, that IW cannot have been unaware of the impact this decision would cause. I was going to order this because I enjoyed the original (and previous PC CoD games) so much, but now? I'm not so sure. I'm certainly not going to pre-order it and will wait to see what IW have to say for themselves before I make a final decision.
This is truly amazing, a milestone in gaming history! the consumers are beginning to stand up for themselves and let their voices be heard! don't let this be the last, the only way we can make gaming better for everyone is to stand up and let publishers and developers know what we, the consumers want.
Console gamers - take a leaf from this book, stop being bullied into paying ridiculous amounts of money for DLC or even games themselves. stand up against Microsoft and let them know what you think!
Waaaayy to go IW for giving the royal shaft to us gamers.
I fail to see how exactly IW's claim that this is done to "improve" the experience for other users holds any shred of veracity whatsoever. Excuse me? Being able to peruse a list of available servers displaying ping rates, maps in play, amount of players, etc. is a boon to PC multi-player gaming. Sure, being assigned to a random server may result in some enjoyable gaming sessions, yet this can just as easily end up SNAFU'ed. IMO, this isn't an improvement for anyone but IW/Activision in terms of trying to control the market more tightly and thus increasing their ability to squeeze the customer base out of extra money.
This is an outrage and the more I think about it the closer I edge towards clicking that "Cancel order" button on my Amazon pre-order of MW2 which I want to play for the single player campaign. I may not particularly care for the multi-player campaign on this occasion, but I want to maintain the choice that has existed and continues to exist on the PC platform. I've been eying L4D2, so perhaps I should simply show IW and Activision my "appreciation" of their latest scumbag move and gift Valve with my money instead.
This is truly amazing, a milestone in gaming history! the consumers are beginning to stand up for themselves and let their voices be heard! don't let this be the last, the only way we can make gaming better for everyone is to stand up and let publishers and developers know what we, the consumers want.
Console gamers - take a leaf from this book, stop being bullied into paying ridiculous amounts of money for DLC or even games themselves. stand up against Microsoft and let them know what you think!
Bravo!
Hear, hear! While there are clearly those whom disagree, personally I, like you, find this to be a beautiful sight. Stand up and be counted! If you will not stand up for yourself then who will?
@barca IMO any worthwhile DLC is gonna cost you regardless of platform. Consider Fallout3, Mass Effect, Street Fighter 4 etc. They all charged us for whatever amount even on the PC (and some of them were crap even then). Most (not all) of the "free" stuff is not worth paying for anyway. The only exception to this that I can think of is Valve. (gotta love them)
@battlemoose87 Totally in agreement with you there mate. The website tab on my posts should point to my blog. And if I've edited my profile correctly, so should my signature. (Its fairly new so not a lot of content on there at the moment)
For me 8 quid for 4 Maps wasnt value for money and so I didnt buy it. Then they gave it to the PC for Free. I havent bought any DLC BTW.
The same publishers then moan about the second hand market, but for me these things fuel it, not reduce it.
I stopped playing after the first map pack came out and lost interest.
Plus in regards to the Cost issue, I understand that they have to pay Sony and MS for putting the game on their machine, but it doenst detract from the fact that the PC version is 25% cheaper and gets free maps.
Ok just quickly. I'm not a goth at all, I did that 2 years ago for a p**stake. I even play on an American Football team, which is about as jock-ish as you can get. And no, I'm not some fat idiot, I'm slim and play wide receiver. Secondly, again you've proved my point you can't grasp the use of the word 'fact'. I'm assuming you've done GCSE english so can tell the difference between fact and opinion. Back down and be decent about this or you're just going to embarass yourself.
Why does playing American football make you Scottish? Surely wearing a skirt is more jockish?
I just read this and for me it neatly sums up this entire debacle:
"Talk about spitting in the community's face. (comment from jackal on joystiq.com) "Privately owned servers ensure that, when IW's gets yanked offline for maintenance or goes down because they can't handle the player load they've been given, people can still play the game online. This is why some of the most touted exclusives for the Xbox 360 and PS3 were unplayable online for days (or even weeks) after they were launched. IW and Activision both know this, so their decision to remove a feature just to "streamline" online connectivity in a market that had online multiplayer years before any console did (and did just fine) is simply an anti-consumer act that is nigh retarded. Completely removing mod support from a PC title is, also, an act of unfathomable stupidity. PC games are often bought because they provide the consumer with an opportunity to create their own content in an environment where they don't have the money or technical expertise to do otherwise. Counter Strike started off as a Half-life mod; it is still one the most played games online for any platform despite having been released a decade ago. Team Fortess? It's Quake mod that's had infinity longer legs (and arguable more success) than the very game it was spawned from. The PC port of RE4 looked worse than the PS2 version did when it was released; because of the community, updates were made to the game that not only allow it to easily compete with most current gen titles, but fixed the well documented control issues and even provided others (I'm sure you can now use a Wiimote for the PC version). We could delve into the countless weapons, characters, custom maps, custom levels, and total conversions that the modding community have made. These are all things the console ecosystem often does not provide (sometimes for copyright issues, sometimes to wring money out of wallets in order to sell you things the community could've created in a day) and it's always been a major factor in purchasing a game for one platform over another. Which, I'm sure, is why they killed MW2's modding community before it had a chance to begin; they now have the opportunity to sell us 3 maps at the low price of $10 and there's no way for us to compete with them. With IW pulling the feature from one of the year's most advertised and anticipated games in order to hock **** to us we would've made on our own, they risk giving other developer a precedent to do the same for future titles. ::claps:: Way to p**s on the fans that made you a top developer, Infinity Ward. To do all of that while charging us $60 for a game that offers substantially less than its $50 predecessor did while forcing us to use Steam so our games can't be resold after they're played and then to completely hack out any feature that would've made the game desirable to a PC gamer in the first g*ddamn place...well...there's just no point in playing or owning the PC version even if it does look and perform better. To all Infinity Ward and Activision employees (which I'm sure is none) who read this site, I have the following kind words for your consideration. Go **** yourselves, your games, and I hope to see all of your future endeavors flop horrifically. We made you (Infinity Ward) what you are today and you ******** can't even make a clean stab to our backs as a token of appreciation; no, you've got to twist the blade slightly so we actually feel the pain. Your FPS is one of many available to a platform that spawned and still dominates the genre; no matter how anticipated, no matter how advertised, you're just one fish in a sea of many. I hope Activision runs you and your franchise into the ground just like they have to every one of their pet developers; at this point in time, you don't deserve anything else."
After reading this comment I've now canceled my pre-order of MW2. I will spend that money on something else, like L4D2. IW. Activision. I'm going to extend to you the same courtesy you have extended to the PC community when I type the following: Go f**k yourselves.
I've also sent a cordial, if cool, e-mail to IW with an attachment of my canceled pre-order. The proof is in the pudding after all. I will not be labeled as someone whom was going to buy the game anyway despite objecting. I have now backed up my convictions with meaningful action.
Waaaayy to go IW for giving the royal shaft to us gamers.
I think most of the PC fanboys are only complaining about this because it will stop them from playing pirate copies, on private servers, with an endless supply of free home made maps.
Multi player on PC can be very off putting if you don't understand what's going on with dedicated server lists, and IW are going out of their way to make the whole "console" system work perfectly for (almost) everyone who'll play MW2.
PS, have any of those complaining ever played COD4/WAW on console enough to know how the system works?
Waaaayy to go IW for giving the royal shaft to us gamers.
I think most of the PC fanboys are only complaining about this because it will stop them from playing pirate copies, on private servers, with an endless supply of free home made maps.
Multi player on PC can be very off putting if you don't understand what's going on with dedicated server lists, and IW are going out of their way to make the whole "console" system work perfectly for (almost) everyone who'll play MW2.
PS, have any of those complaining ever played COD4/WAW on console enough to know how the system works?
I tend to agree. It's only the hardcore PC gamers that are getting their knickers in a twist - the others aren't going to care so long as the game works. And as the man says, it's better to be all one way than have both dividing the community.
Just as I thought it's a preventative measure against all the modders and elitists - all 110k of them!
I think PC gaming would really benefit from Halo style matchmaking. No longer can those high-rankers hide in their own little rooms. Gotta get out there and prove themselves in the wider community...
As per usual, the above console posters are missing the point.
IW are saying that the casual/moderate gamer can't get onto any decent servers. I rank myself as a moderate gamer (approx 1hr every other nite) and yest I can manage to sort the server list by ping, find a server, if I don't like it I go to another, if I do I add it to favs. Not difficult at all.
As for the match-making. I don't think you would have as much 'nerd-rage' as you call it, if it had already worked previously in other games ...... which it hasn't. It's tanked in Airbourne, L4D and OpFlash: DR. They have either let the game die or the dev has released a patch to add dedi servers.
Mods and user maps have kept a game going long after most die off, also they have contributed to later published games that you guys play on the console. Without the Desert Combat mod for BF1942 on PC, BF2 would not have exsisted in it's published form.
Also, the whole ping thing on P2P. On console it works because it is standard equipment connecting at an established speed. PC are not standard, and there is a crap load more going on in the background processes than on a console.
With no offence (really) to console gamers, the majority of PC gamers are more tech savy than your average console gamer. We fiddle about with our set ups, add and remove programs and try and get our PC's to their optimum. We like that aspect of PC's. If that makes us nerds and geeks so be it.
All this talk about IW owe us nothing as a customer. I have to disagree. It is a business and for them to not support dedicated servers seems to have been a misjudgement. Didnt they say oh Activison pointed market research at them oh another ww2 game not modern and look what happened. Well as we ARE paying customers they do owe a product worthy of the price. Not to mention if I was a company and over 110,000 customers where telling us we want a dedicated server in there. I would be glad that is was a petition that told me this. As loss of sales would be a serious loss of revenue. Oh before you say it'll sell like hotcakes. Well it very well may but this game is selling on the fact that its predecessors success. I have to wonder though is this to stop the two week delay that was rumoured. Delay it too weeks and make a game that is in no doubt going to be as good as the first be at least as good as the first. Hope you are reading this IW I love your games please include this option!
All too late to be fair the game will be finished, packaged and waiting for distribution by now as its due to ship in 3 weeks and can you actually see iw and activision halting it going out over the cries of some gamers?, i cant so like it or not thats what your going to get.
The funniest part about all this is that when i go to view the signatures list at petitiononline.com, half way down they're advertising game server slots for low ŁŁŁŁ!!
The funniest part about all this is that when i go to view the signatures list at petitiononline.com, half way down they're advertising game server slots for low ŁŁŁŁ!!
Now that's irony right there folks!
No it isn't.
I'm inclined to agree - that's the opposite of irony - that's plasticy or creasy
As much as I hate to admit it, the fact is that it might just be too late to really do anything to fix this right away. Given the time frame, I'm sure there's millions of boxed copies waiting in warehouses even as the number of petitioners go up every second. The ONLY thing that will give IW pause will be the cancellation of pre orders. And to everyone who has done that already..... I salute you.
FACT!!! IW owe me nothing, they owe you nothing. It is their game they spent day and night working on till this point and it is their game that they have the right to dictate what features are available to us as the consumers.
True. BUT "Customer is always right."
Unfortunately, companies like Activision and IW are too arogant to remember that. Well, the only thing I can hope is that it'll come back to them one day and bite them in their asses. Oh and of course giving my money to their rivals. Yup, I'm pretty sure if everyone bought for example an EA product with their MW2 money it'd p**s them off quite a bit. That'd be just sweet. I'd like to see Kotick's face at that moment hah. Oh well, one can dream.
The lost of options about what server to play on sucks, but if people and clans can set up privet games how will it kill clans? CoD 4 didn't seem to have any real build it clan support. I'd be will to give them a chance and see if they can make it work.
It’s obvious that Activision is behind this move. Instead of seeing a popular well-supported game that can be modded, played and respected by millions of PC gamers worldwide, they instead see the 'lost opportunities of unsold PC map packs' because PC owners who can run their own servers with modded content may not necessarily wish to pay for additional content when they can make their own.
This decision is of course in addition to bumping up the RRP of the game by Ł10.00. Effectively, they're cutting value for money aspect of the game by removing the ability to mod the content and charging people through the nose for it.
I currently own a PC, an Xbox 360 and a PS3 and have played games across many different home platforms since the early eighties. Whilst I enjoy a game of CoD4 as much as the next console gamer, some of the most teeth-gnashingly irritating game sessions of my life have been spent on Xbox 360 CoD4. I think if we're honest, we've all experienced those occasions where lag spoils the game, or someone drops out of the game because they've died a few times and it turns out they are the host.
Why force this on PC gamers? It’s not to improve the overall experience for the majority of PC gamers at all. To expect people to believe that is not only stretching the imagination but is effectively crediting their potential customers with having no intelligence. What is so difficult about browsing a server list for the server with the gametype you prefer with the lowest ping? Nothing. In the fifteen years I’ve spent PC gaming, I’ve never found this particularly challenging. And no, I’m not a rocket scientist.
A great many websites, (such as the vaguely insulting ‘gameinformer.com’) and the majority of games magazines pride themselves on speaking for gamers. It’ll be interesting to see how many of these end up sneering at the ‘geeky modders and clans’ that have signed this petition and how many correctly question this policy of publisher-imposed restriction.
It should also be noted that these ‘geeks’ not only support game franchises through their various incarnations, but also purchase highly expensive gaming kit to play these games on/with. If the key strength of PC gaming, (i.e. the ability to modify, adapt and on occasions, improve game content) is hamstrung to this degree, not only will the platform as a whole suffer, but the supporting industry will also be wounded. Some of today’s best and most innovative programmers and designers started by modding PC games, so with this move, Activision are limiting creativity as well.
Great work Activision. The oft-told prophecy of enormous monopoly-seeking publishers ripping the heart out of gaming gets one step closer.
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What format are you getting it on?
That'd be just sweet. I'd like to see Kotick's face at that moment hah. Oh well, one can dream.
