FA+
Shop
Prepared rant
16 years ago
Any gamer worth ANYTHING can see the connection between Half-Life and Counter-strike, between Team Fortress 2 and Quake.
Unless you're stupid or a complete newb to gaming. If so, I'll explain the best I can.
In 1996, three developers create a multiplayer game with a class-system using the Quake engine developed by id. It is the first in a series of deathmatch games Valve will pick up for commercial release soon after its release of Half-Life as a free addition. The game and mod's title? Team Fortress.
In 1998, Half-Life was released by Valve and Sierra. In 1999, two game developers release a modification and, due to the nature of the forces involved, dub the mod Counter-strike. Valve picks it up within a year and sells it on the market as its own game.
However, mods have been going on since the start of games, what with level editors and SDKs. There are far too many to note for individual mods to existing games. The most easily noted for this author isn't so much of a modification of the game, but a game which easily allows for customization - Halo for the PC, released in March 2004. Granted it was released THREE YEARS after the fact, but still ...
In June 2004, with the release of the Source engine and the Source SDK, modification, level creation and one's desire to play God came to a head.
Enter Garry Newman. If you're smart enough to read the context as a gamer, you KNOW what game of which I am now speaking. If not, it's the physics sandbox game better known as GMod. Though it is more of a sandbox game, the fact that one can (quoting the Wiki article) "create their own weapons, entities, game modes and other modifications" is something I would personally call a revolution unto itself in regards to modification. The sky is literally the limit in this.
The popularity of GMod for PC gamers can be viewed rather easily thanks to Youtube videos. Case in point, I will only state 5 words ...
HALF-LIFE: FULL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES
What does my ranting about modifications, sandboxes and Valve have to do with what I am trying to say? Simple enough, but argued enough.
INFINITY WARD
Yes. This is, in fact, a rant about Infinity Ward's refusal to allow for PC-based (and console-based) multiplayer modes of their recent release, Modern Warfare 2, to create a dedicated game server. Many argue that dedicated gaming servers are far more efficient for more localized PC multiplayer than peer-to-peer. In the same breath, IW has twice now ignored a player's right to create their own maps as Bungie did for Halo PC.
We're PC gamers. You expect us not to try and hack the code to create our own little fun? Why not allow for it in the first place?
In the end, IW is digging its own grave. I would safely argue that a good chunk of gamers have either a laptop or regular computer - perhaps both. But in the same breath, I'm willing to bet that, when it comes to realistic situations, a gamer would rather play on a laptop for reasons of portability, not to mention for the ability to do other things on your computer - network, check mail, actually do some semblance of work ...
IW seems to be pulling out of the PC gaming area little by little and it's going to hurt itself in the end.
Don't get me wrong. MW2, which I recently beat on campaign, is a GREAT game. I don't do much of multiplayer, but even I think it's a bit much for IW to restrict one's lan party size to 18 and deny us players the right to downloading a dedicated server for such purposes.
IW, you're missing out and probably screwing yourself if you further this widening between yourselves and the PC gamer.
Unless you're stupid or a complete newb to gaming. If so, I'll explain the best I can.
In 1996, three developers create a multiplayer game with a class-system using the Quake engine developed by id. It is the first in a series of deathmatch games Valve will pick up for commercial release soon after its release of Half-Life as a free addition. The game and mod's title? Team Fortress.
In 1998, Half-Life was released by Valve and Sierra. In 1999, two game developers release a modification and, due to the nature of the forces involved, dub the mod Counter-strike. Valve picks it up within a year and sells it on the market as its own game.
However, mods have been going on since the start of games, what with level editors and SDKs. There are far too many to note for individual mods to existing games. The most easily noted for this author isn't so much of a modification of the game, but a game which easily allows for customization - Halo for the PC, released in March 2004. Granted it was released THREE YEARS after the fact, but still ...
In June 2004, with the release of the Source engine and the Source SDK, modification, level creation and one's desire to play God came to a head.
Enter Garry Newman. If you're smart enough to read the context as a gamer, you KNOW what game of which I am now speaking. If not, it's the physics sandbox game better known as GMod. Though it is more of a sandbox game, the fact that one can (quoting the Wiki article) "create their own weapons, entities, game modes and other modifications" is something I would personally call a revolution unto itself in regards to modification. The sky is literally the limit in this.
The popularity of GMod for PC gamers can be viewed rather easily thanks to Youtube videos. Case in point, I will only state 5 words ...
HALF-LIFE: FULL-LIFE CONSEQUENCES
What does my ranting about modifications, sandboxes and Valve have to do with what I am trying to say? Simple enough, but argued enough.
INFINITY WARD
Yes. This is, in fact, a rant about Infinity Ward's refusal to allow for PC-based (and console-based) multiplayer modes of their recent release, Modern Warfare 2, to create a dedicated game server. Many argue that dedicated gaming servers are far more efficient for more localized PC multiplayer than peer-to-peer. In the same breath, IW has twice now ignored a player's right to create their own maps as Bungie did for Halo PC.
We're PC gamers. You expect us not to try and hack the code to create our own little fun? Why not allow for it in the first place?
In the end, IW is digging its own grave. I would safely argue that a good chunk of gamers have either a laptop or regular computer - perhaps both. But in the same breath, I'm willing to bet that, when it comes to realistic situations, a gamer would rather play on a laptop for reasons of portability, not to mention for the ability to do other things on your computer - network, check mail, actually do some semblance of work ...
IW seems to be pulling out of the PC gaming area little by little and it's going to hurt itself in the end.
Don't get me wrong. MW2, which I recently beat on campaign, is a GREAT game. I don't do much of multiplayer, but even I think it's a bit much for IW to restrict one's lan party size to 18 and deny us players the right to downloading a dedicated server for such purposes.
IW, you're missing out and probably screwing yourself if you further this widening between yourselves and the PC gamer.
