- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Long post short; Bungie does not supprot its games anymore. What was a shining example to game company customer service has become something utterly dirty.
500+ servers, yes; sometimes. Bungie run. No. Bungie (or rather $soft, as bungie is now a subsidiary thereof) runs only a small handfull of these servers. They have no control over the other, privately run servers, other than through updates in the game. the few they do have control over; the "BUNGIE" servers...leave much to be desired now. If they wre supporting these servers the way a proper host should (by monitoring players in game to promote fair play, honest gaming, and sportsmanly conduct) then I would applaud them for this and keep servers in the plus column.
But Teamkilling is rampant in the Bungie servers. hackers have infultrated even here, the last refuge Halo PC users. and there has not been a single game within the last month that I have not seen spam texters, racsists, bigots, and any other amount of open chat flamers. If i were to repeat what is openly flaunted on the games servers here, i would be blacklisted without mercy. To allow such people to play this game, with no restrictions, is in direct violation of Bungie's own terms of conduct.
Allowing this behavior to continue is an affront to civic minded gamers. no. It is an insult to anyone with a concience. We should not have to suffer the sexist, rascist, vulgar abuse of this rampant minority in the Bungie servers. nor should we have to suffer their other poor behavior. To play a server that is run by the games creators should set it apart--not as the darkest alley in a city of thieves--as a safe haven where gamers can come to enjoy the program the way it was meant to be played.
Bungie has lost this under Microsoft's watchful eyes. It's like giving children knives and then leaving the room. One is unexcusable; the second borders on criminal. I give them no kudos for keeping the servers up. in fact, I deride them their lack of forethought. If they had any, they would have monitored this situation. now, the only option they will actually take is in finally cutting the servers off.
l will not purchase another Bungie game in the future, and some of my friends have joined this unofficial boycott.
And when EQ2 can be emulated on Linux stably, Microsoft can kiss my -Blam!- as well. After my experiences with them, i can honestly and wholeheartedly say that neither of these companies are family oriented. They exist only for profit, and I will give them no more of my money.
[Edited on 9/21/2005]