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Posted by: Mat Parker 116
here are some criticisms of live:
Online PC games, particularly FPSs are traditionally run and funded independently by Clans, gaming groups or independent players. Game Servers are typically rented by the Clan or group, and provided for players to use free of charge. Often the only infrastructure operated or paid for by the game developer is a master server which collects and serves a list of available independent servers.
Games for Windows Live threatens this infrastructure by taking control away from the games players, and charging for what was previously free for PC gamers.
Microsoft can end online support for games whenever it wishes, leaving a game unplayable online. In a traditional system of independent server hosts, a game is supported as long as people choose to play it.
Players have no control over the server infrastructure, preventing the use of server side modifications to change gameplay or other aspects of the game, which have to be hosted on the game server; as well as preventing Total Conversions from being played online.
Independent gaming leagues such as Clanbase rely heavily on clans hosting their own servers, and their ability to lock the server to public players while playing matches to restrict who can join. It is not possible to play competitive matches on a public server.
There is no evidence that Games for Windows will only support online multiplayer over a Live Anywhere network, to me it sounds like Live Anywhere is simply a service that you can choose to use, similar to GameSpy. I know a few games that have GameSpy listed in their multiplayer menu as an option as apposed to viewing the traditional server list.
It would be foolish of developers to join the Games for Windows club if it meant they could only support multiplayer through Live Anywhere. I will be an option, not the rule.
There is also no evidence that general players will not be able to create Live Anywhere enabled private servers, all it says is that Live Anywhere will include dedicated servers for every game, it can't support enough servers on it's own to handle eveyone who will play, it would be stupid of them to make it like that, Microsoft is going towards the whole community side of gaming of late, their not going to make Sony's mistakes.
[Edited on 3/16/2007]