- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Posted by: Recon Number 54
Posted by: USATitan
But my question is, if Bungie wanted to give us choices by giving us Custom Games, why didn't they go "all out" and give us a Server Browser as well? Afterall, that Server Browser Systems are simple, effective, and gives the gamer plenty of choices. Why would Bungie get rid of such an effective system, and instead put a Matchmaking system in place? Why didn't Bungie choose to implement both systems?
Server browsers are the standard for PC gaming and understandably so. It is an effective system, but it is effective for the type of gamers that are used to and able to use it.
The most likely reason is because PC gamers and console gamers are two very different breeds of gamers. Because of that, the way that the two systems connect and find their games online are also quite different.
Dedicated servers, user-hosted servers and browsing those servers became online PC standards not long after people first started Internet gaming.
Console gamers (that do not PC game) tend to use a console for a reason. They want a streamlined, simple, and non-technical way to get into a game quickly and not have to browse or scroll through menus, selecting options and settings. They want to press as few buttons as possible and get into a game as quickly as possible.
That's one of the reasons that online console gaming is only now becoming possible. Prior to XBL, online console gaming was possible, but it wasn't widely accepted or popular. The main complaint with most consolers was that, "if I wanted to scroll through menus, check boxes and type in options, I would have gotten a PC!"
That is the purpose (and the reason for the success) of XBL, Halo 2 MatchMaking, and the recent additions of the XBL-360 system such as TrueSkill. They are meant to be a smoother and less complex experience. People can call it "dumbed down" if they want, but since the point is to get online and play a game, we weren't talking about something that should be too complex.
So, if you were looking for or expecting a PC game experience in a console-based game (which only really has been gaming seriously online for a few years), you were setting yourself up for a disappointment.
Yes, Server Browsers are a very effective and simple, but you got one thing wrong, Server Browsers are the standard systems used for BOTH PC and CONSOLE games. Halo 2 was the first (or one of the first) console games to use a Matchmaking system, and before Halo 2 came out, hundreds of online console games for the PS2 and Xbox used a Server Browser as the standard system for finding public games. And on the Xbox 360, only a couple games (COD2 and Quake IV) so far have used a Matchmaking system (and the MM system in both of those games turned out to be horrible), while a great majority of the rest have continued to use a Server Browser system for finding public multiplayer games.
When you consider the fact that hundreds of online console games that use a Server Browser as the primary means of finding public games, while only a few console games that utilize a Matchmaking system have been released, I would say that console gamers are more accustomed to Server Browsers.
Also, I think console gamers are more than “able” to use Server Browsers. Server browsers are extremely simple and easy to use, and after all, Halo 1, 2, & 3 are/will be Mature rated games, so the 17+ year-old gamers that play the Halo games should be very capable of utilizing a Server Browser.
I have to disagree with your second point as well; PC and Console gamers are not two different breeds of gamers. I and many other console gamers are PC gamers as well and vice versa. If you were to visit the Haloplanet site, you would see that many members there are also PC gamers. And if you were to visit sites like Planet Half-Life or Planet Doom, you would see that many of the PC gamers there own the Xbox, PS2, or Xbox 360. And as consoles become more like PC’s, and as video gaming in general becomes more popular, more and more people will fall under both the PC Gamer and Console Gamer category.
In your post you say “Dedicated servers, user-hosted servers and browsing those servers became online PC standards not long after people first started Internet gaming,” but the fact you left out the fact that Dedicated Servers, user-hosted Servers, and Server Browsers also became XBL standards when people first started playing over XBL. All Xbox Live games from the launch of XBL in November 2002, up until November 9, 2004 had dedicated servers, user-hosted servers, and server browsers. Xbox games like Unreal Championship, Ghost Recon, Soldier of Fortune 2, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Rainbow Six, Splinter Cell, Counterstrike, Project Gotham Racing 2, Madden, etc. all had those features. And besides a select few games (Halo 2, Call of Duty 2, and Quake IV), most online Xbox and Playstation 2 games continued to have Server Browsers, dedicated Servers, and user-hosted servers.
As for your next point (that Server Browsers are too complicated for Console gamers), I totally disagree and find that insulting towards console gamers. Server Browsers are already extremely simple, quick, and easy; all you have to do is choose from a couple of game settings (player #, gametype, map, team killing, etc.), press “A” or “Start” to do a search, and press “A” or “Start” to select a game you WANT to play. It is extremely simple. If a player is not capable of pressing a couple buttons and DECIDING FOR THEMSELVES what game they WANT to play, then how the hell are will they be able to play something as complicated as a FPS?
In your next paragraph you say “People can call it "dumbed down" if they want, but since the point is to get online and play a game, we weren't talking about something that should be too complex,” which I also disagree with. THE POINT OF PLAYING A GAME ONLINE IS TO HAVE FUN AND PLAY GAMES YOU LIKE TO PLAY. What’s the point of spending $50 or $60 on a game, and another $50 on a XBL subscription if you are going to be continually forced to play gametypes you hate, on maps you hate, witch cheating/unskilled teammates and enemies that you hate? I’ve been primarily a console gamer all my life and have had XBL since it came out, and I’ve watched how XBL has evolved, and for the most part, I’ve liked what I have see, but there are two things I hate about the evolution of XBL: 1.) Gamers are being given fewer choices when it comes to finding games that they want to play 2.) The overall maturity and attitude of the XBL community has gone straight to hell. Despite the positives of XBL, if these 2 trends continue, I honestly can’t see myself playing XBL games (I might actually give PS3 online a try) a few years down the road.
Lastly, you say “So, if you were looking for or expecting a PC game experience in a console-based game (which only really has been gaming seriously online for a few years), you were setting yourself up for a disappointment.” I was not expecting a PC game experience on a console-based game. I was expecting a console experience on a console-based game. And up until Halo 2, all popular online-console based games had Server Browsers, user-hosted games, and many even had dedicated servers.
Hopefully you read this and respond to this, because I think I do bring up some very good points and would like to see what you have to say (not trying to be arrogant or cocky or anything).
Also, I got one final question; I meant to ask you this in the Wednesday Humpday Challenge with Haloplanet, but because I got home late, I was not able to participate as an alternate in the match….In addition to Matchmaking and Custom Games, will there also be a Server Browser in Halo 3? Why not give us the best of both worlds in Halo 3: a Server Browser for people that like to choose what they want to play, and a Matchmaking system for those simple-minded folks?
You might not be able to answer that question, but seeing as this is not plot or gameplay related and seeing as how you guys have already confirmed that there will be a Matchmaking system in Halo 3 (in a recent weekly update), I don’t think there should be a problem with you confirming/denying the existence of a Server Browser system in Halo 3.
[Edited on 6/16/2006]