Dedicated Servers for Consoles?

(cfilla2) #1

I’m slightly new here and i just read all the FAQ’s for Brink and I didn’t see any mention of dedicated servers. Now I’m assuming, due to Splash Damage’s hardcore PC background that dedicated servers on PC are a given. But what about for consoles? Will they use the standard listen server where one player’s box acts as the server?

I hope this game uses dedicated servers for consoles(I only own a 360 and no suitable gaming rig) . I have had variable experiences with online games on 360 that use the listen method. Halo 3 is ok, gears is just awful. If Brink doesn’t have dedicated servers, I’m still going to buy it, but I want as many games on console as possible to push for dedicated servers and have them become the norm on console games. Hopefully this will create a more conducive environment for competitive console gaming. I’d rather play a game where I know there are people who’s level of skill are impossible for me to reach, rather than being able to grind until i unlock the next stupid unbalanced perk so i can be better.

I know that many PC gamers think all console FPS games are noobish and shit for competitive play. As a console gamer I would agree. Console shooters have gotten progressively dumber over time. Halo 1 was the most competitive so far, going downhill with 2 and 3. And I hope that everyone here can agree that COD can be discarded in discussions of competitiveness. Part of the reason Brink has me so excited is that as they may be making competitive compromises from a PC gamer’s point of view, it seems to be a game with a much wider skill gap than most console games.

(Nail) #2

Microsoft dictates how the service is handled, for now they seem to think P2P is the best way

PCs will have dedicated servers for sure

(cfilla2) #3

The only games I can think of off hand that use dedicated servers on xbox is Battlefield 1943 and Section 8(has an option to set up a server on a PC). I think Battlefield Bad Company 2 is using them too, and I think the new Medal of Honor game might(DICE is making the multiplayer).

I understand it would be difficult to implement all of the server customizations that the PC version has into a console version. I would be fine with whichever of those options they give, as long as the matches are played on dedicated servers. (I think Left 4 Dead does this, not sure).

The bottom line is it comes down to the developers and their relationship with Microsoft/Sony.

(SockDog) #4

It would be nice if they allowed the “PC” servers to be set up for Xbox and PS3 servers too. Even better if those servers could send maps to the consoles (oh wouldn’t that be naughty!). Not talking cross platform but if people are going to play on consoles I see no reason why they shouldn’t be able to run their own servers too.

(meisterbrau) #5

dedicated servers would be nice, but i doubt it will happen. it is possible to make smooth gamplay with p2p technology, but depends on map size and amount of players.

will see if splash damage can make a good game for consoles. the other companies failed epicaly badly by doing so with quake wars and wolfenstein.

i hope that sd has hired some peoples who care about consoles and now what matters there.

(YaNz) #6

I’m actually really interested in how they handle the netcode for console online play. Assuming there are no dedicated servers, there’s still a chance to make the game pretty smooth.

Games like Shadowrun and Cod4-MW2 figured out how to make the system work, while games like Halo 3 (bullet refunding? Really?) have had some serious problems.

Let’s hope the netcode isn’t a game-breaking factor in Brink.

(Mustang) #7

According to RR2 there has been some encouraging progress regarding netcode for Brink

At least, I’m faily sure I read him post that somewhere
Hopefully it wasn’t a dream

(meisterbrau) #8

best solution would be dedicated servers.

i don’t understand why microsoft has cut the feature present on the original xbox, where a lot of games offered the possibility to create a “dedicated” server on a console. so you acctualy had a console, just hosting a game.

(Rahdo) #9

that’s interesting. and so these consoles couldn’t actually play, because they were devoted to hosting? what games did this, brau?

(YaNz) #10

Section 8 allowed players to host a game using a windows based PC

I think the technology was called X-server?

(digibob) #11

I believe Rahdo was just talking about the original xbox, not the 360.

(Rahdo) #12

yup. i’ve never heard of a retail console machine being used soley to host dedicated servers. if such a best exists, i’d like to know more.

(zXSwordXz) #13

I’ve been in the begin of xbox and I haven’t seen any games that allow you to host as a dedicated server. It is always p2p with the host playing or spectating…I could be wrong, although I’ve buy most of the popular fps.

(RoryGreen) #14

I have also had an original xbox and I can’t remember being able to host a dedicated server??? confused :?

(H0RSE) #15

PC has dedicated servers and fully mappable controls. I think these things could easily be standard options on consoles as well. At the very least fully mappable controls.

(meisterbrau) #16

the old xbox had this feature. i remeber that Rainbow Six had the option to use the console as dedicated server. And yes: you could not play on this console.

i think there were also other games, that had this feature, but i don’t remember which ones

(zXSwordXz) #17

What do you know, I was wrong. Proof that xbox was use as dedicated server Read the System Link/Xbox Live part. Dam I lose my copy or I would have provide screen shot.

(meisterbrau) #18

nice find! i got i bit nostalgic when i saw the screens :slight_smile:

i used to play in a fun clan at that time, and in matches against other clans often a xbox was used as dedicated server. this way the host had no advantage because the console hosting the game had no player. i don’t remember if the conection was better too. these days most peoples had not very good upload rates, so connection was sometimes a bit laggy.

(meisterbrau) #19

found the proving screenshot

http://screenshots.teamxbox.com/screen/18474/Tom-Clancys-Rainbow-Six-3/

there you can see the option “Dedicated”

(zXSwordXz) #20

Nice find…it would be nice if SD can replicated this in Brink. By the way, that screen shot brings back lots of memory. Since the xbox 360 was introduce, it was all downhill for competitive fps games. I remember so many good fps games on the original xbox like SOF2, Rainbow Six, RTCW, FEAR, FAR CRY and etc…