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PlayOnline Network To Use Dreamcast Technology
Iron Chef Japan writes: "Squaresoft announced that they have teamed up with ACCESS to develop middleware for their upcoming PlayOnline network, set to debut in Japan soon. The PlayOnline network is the service that Square has setup for such games as Final Fantasy XI, and will be used for future games. Well the software that ACCESS is sharing with Square, is all built on the same technology that the Sega Dreamcast used (called NetFront). Full details here."
They're just porting some software they've used for the DC originally. Big deal - many companies port applications from one platform to another. It's probably just a communication library - and not a very large one, at that.
It will be interesting to see how the pricing scheme ends up considering that there will already be a substantial charge to obtain the HD/modem combo in the first place. Some are saying that they will take the X-Box approach and have a service charge which allows access to only a limited number of games and then expand the costs to more "elite" titles. Sega had the right idea by letting users use their network for free with the exception of Phantasy Star Online v2, where they were able to give their v1 addicts a free taste before charging $15 for 3 months of play on the new version. It will also be interesting to see if the games will internetwork across systems (i.e. PSO on the Gamecube). Should be an interesting time, but it's too bad that Sony waited so long. Not only is time against them, but so is the fact that a non-bundled video game accessory has never sold enough to make every game take advantage of it. If people choose not to buy the HD/modem combo, we may only see one generation of online games on PS2.
The biggest hurdle I see from FFXI is going to be all the subscribers trying to play all at once when the game is first released. Battle.net got swamped by players when Diablo 2 was released because they went through a million copies in about two weeks. With the popularity of the FF titles (FFX sold about 4 million copies world wide, about a million of those in the US) I can see PlayOnline getting hammered unless there's some alternate direct network play available. That of course may not be possible with the style of the game but I suppose time will tell. Square's facing a playing population four times the size of Everquest's. That is an awesome amount of networking power to muster up.
That sort of leads to something I've been kicking around lately, I've noticed few if any games having modem to modem multiplayer options anymore. I know the venerable modem is a little long in the tooth but I like playing over one. The lag is virtually non-existant and the bandwidth of the connection is enough to play most types of games. I'm hoping in vain that maybe when modem and broadband adapters are more prevelent in the current generation of consoles that maybe a couple games have the option of a direct modem to modem connection. If you take a sample of ten people with GCs, one or two might have cable modems another one or two might have DSL but the others are going to still have a regular modem dialup. These are the people that would play a two player (or more) modem to modem game. You could have two players per console and have two consoles connected over the phone for up to four people to bash one another in Killer Instinct 8:Killerest Instinct of All or Ultra Smash Brothers Melee. I used to have a lot of fun playing Warcraft 2 and Diablo against my friends on a modem game. The internet is fine when I'm busting the skull of some dude from the east cost in CS but against my friend who lives a few miles away the extra overhead is just problematic, from my point of view at least.
I'm a loner Dottie, a Rebel.
Any game that relies on a trusted Client is doomed to this kind of behavior. Clients can be spoofed, hacked, tampered with, etc. etc.
The problem with PSO on the Dreamcast is that cheating devices were so prevalent. Although code was added into PSO ver. 2 to detect cheat devices, the ONLY initial side effect was that rare weapons couldn't be found for the user. Seeing as the cheat devices could make ANY weapon, that was hardly a drawback at all.
I for one shall be eagerly awaiting PSO on the X Box. Why? Because Microsoft are the only company with the power to clamp down on cheat device manufacturers. (DMCA, anybody?) Although I also hope that the Gamecube version is equally popular, with the ability for X-Boxers and Gamecubers to ally and form friendly rivalries.
What matters isn't the console. It's the game. Something Sony needs to remember when pushing the PS2 brand as a 'lifestyle accessory'.
"Why did they cancel my favorite Sci-Fi show? I downloaded ALL the episodes!"
It didnt just affect those using PSO cheats - it affected ALL those who it detected to have ANY cheat file on the same VMU as the persons character.
So, if I had a cheat file for Crazy Taxi on my VMU, it would affect me.
To be honest, I dont blame Sega from banning all those that cheated - I was PK'ed dozens of times, and was also NOL'ed.
Sadly, I didnt know about NOL'ing until it happened to me, so I did a Save/Quit and lost a level 63 character. That was 96 hours of play down the drain.
Ho hum.
I put my books on Amazon, Smashwords, Demonoid, ISOHunt and Pirate Bay. Search for 'Michael Cargill'