Facts

• IWNET – matchmaking for PC users just like consoles and L4D
• Helps you play against people your own rank
• Will replace in-game browser – no other option
• No dedicated server or server list
• Rely entirely on IWNet for matchmaking and finding games
• Still has private match – customize game and invite people to server
• Can’t put it up on dedicated servers you rent
• IWNET currently focussed on matchmaking only – big plans for its future
• Games running off users PC – along with consumer grade internet
• Everything will go through IWNET
• Matchmaking NOT through steam
• IWNET runs in conjunction with steam
• No more PunkBuster, using VAC for anti-cheating
• IW want to improve Multiplayer game on PC and make it easier for everyone
• Clan matches will use private games
• Complete control over who can come in, including kicking and banning
• Changes how IW is able to update and support the PC version
• Allows more control and structure
• Good from development perspective
• Can change all features of game without having to find server or run a server
• Helps reduce piracy, but this was not a driving force for creating IWNET
• All made in-house, working on it for a while
• Will listen to feedback and make changes in the future

Verdict

This is great for casual gamers and not so great for hardcore gamers.  The biggest sticking point for most people is the lack of a dedicated server.  There are two major issues from this:

1. Less Customization. Clan matches, and many players, love their customizations.  Without dedicated servers, the extent to which gamers and server admins can mod/tweak the game is greatly reduced.
2. Lower Performance. Dedicated servers have a lot of CPU power, and more importantly, high throughput and low latency internet connections.  Consumer grade internet connections (particularly here in Australia) can’t compete with the connections of most dedicated servers.  This will result in a lower user experience and limits on player counts.

The biggest boon for casual gamers is the ease in finding a game and playing against players your their  rank.  This is great for “first-timers”.  It’s easier for them to join a game and they should be playing against other low ranked gamers.

This is the core reason I think IW have invested so much time and money into IWNET.  Multiplayer games are by their very nature viral.  If a gamer purchases MW2 and sits through the singleplayer game, there’s a chance they will tell their friends what they are playing.  However if that same gamer is converted to a mulitplayer gamer, they will actively encourage their friends to buy the game and join them.  The more gamers IW can convert to multiplayer, the larger their sales.

Solution

The podcast was fairly light on technical details, however I saw a solution that would keep the 160K+ petition signers happy, without ruining the player experience for first-timers.  Rob mentioned a number of times that clan matches, and “custom matches” can be set up through private games.  The simple solution is to allow these private matches to point themselves at a dedicated server.  This would likely take some further engineering time, however it would be a fairly small investment compared to the mammoth task of implementing IWNET.  This would allow full customization on the server side and would be an “opt-in” situation.  This keeps the user experience clean, while allowing full customization for hardcore players.

Conclusion

This is the second large petition in the games industry this year.  Have you signed either the IWNET or L4D2 petition?  What are your thoughts on IWNET and where do you see PC multiplayer gaming moving in the future?

Lets get straight into it, the L4D2 boycott means the following:

1. The games industry has reached mature adult status
2. Depending what Valve does from here, it may not see itself in the “Big 5″ for much longer
3. It’s not just about the money

The games industry has reached mature adult status

This isn’t the first time gamers have complained about a game.  Truth be told, gamers don’t stop complaining about games.  However, this is the first time a large group of gamers, with an intelligent manifesto have come forward with a mature complaint.  Gone is the tantrum styled foot stamping the games industry is used to.  We’ve moved beyond our simple bitching and into the realm of mature adults, where genuine concerns are raised and a solution put on the table.  The ball is now in Valve’s court…

Depending what Valve does from here, it may not see itself in the “Big 5″ for much longer

Firstly, you may be asking what the “Big 5″ is.  This is the group of major game studios that are highly respected and form the backbone of the games industry as it stands.  I’ve formed this list after many late night discussions with game developers discussing who’s doing it right, and who everyone really wants to work for.  These include:

• Valve (L4D, Half-Life)
• Relic (Homeworld, Dawn of War, Company of Heroes, The Outfit)
• Bioware (Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Mass Effect)
• Blizzard (Starcraft, Warcraft, WOW)
• Bethesda (Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3)

A mature, valid complaint has been handed to Valve.  How they react to this is going to shape both their business into the future, as well as the games industry as a whole.  If Valve treat this as the prepubescent tantrum they are used to, they could see themselves in deep water.

The easiest solution for Valve is to simply ignore the boycott and move on, business as usual.  This is the most likely outcome, however they have a great opportunity to set an example for other big studios.  Surprisingly, it’s been gamers who have stepped up to the mark with this mature response.  It’s important that Valve think long and hard about how they respond to this.

It’s not just about the money

This brings me to the core issue here.  Since games were first made, there has been a gradual movement from making great games, to making games that sell well.  While this was inevitable as game studios moved from backyard, small teams to large corporations with share holders to keep happy.  This has gone on in the background and gamers have more or less accepted it.  The symptoms have been a reduction in game quality, a focus on sequels/safe games and what some call a “watering down” of what games are really about. The boycott has brought this quest for money into the open and is asking one of the worlds greatest game studios a question.  What’s more important, great games, or lots of money?