Players Only Able to Rent Black Ops Servers

[whaleswiththumbs]

Well, it's better than nothing, right?

Also, why do PC gamers have this massive sense if entitlement?

Because it started out free and now has a price. Kinda like a nut-punch

OT:
Good job Treyarch, you are have solved one problem, in order to smash another in the head with a rifle-butt.

 

[Cynical skeptic]

No. Valve is a company that exists to make games and make money. As such there is no way to know what they will or will not do. I just hope they stick to doing what they're doing. That's all.

I know its kinda hopeless right now, with all the console manufacturers chasing after the non-gaming demographics like dogs chasing people made of sun baked bacon, abandoning the people who've been there since the beginning. With your EAs and activisions and other publishers acting like video gaming is just an investment opportunity to turn $3 into $4, with the retailers acting like they're entitled to skim oceans of income off the top, bottom, and middle of the industry, but not everyone is a greedy piece of shit asshole.

 

[ChromeAlchemist]

Well, it's better than nothing, right?

Also, why do PC gamers have this massive sense if entitlement?

Because we had it before, why can't we have it now? Free I mean. Is Nickel and Diming the saying you guys use?

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Oh, who gives a fuck anyway? I'm fed up with Call of Duty and what it represents today, and I'm even more tired of the dicksmurfs at my school who play the game. This game would have to do something besides rave reviews to get me to buy it. Hell, they could dispense crack cocaine cut into a fine powdery golden dust, and I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

 

[fulano]

Hopefuly Valve doesn't join the bandwagon but we'll see.

The only way Valve would do anything like this is if it came to the point where they could not be profitable without making players spend money for dedicated servers, or maps, or hats or whatever. Valve is very far away from that point right now, but as you say, the industry will be different in 5-8 years. However, I wouldn't worry too much about it, because Valve relies on Valve relies on their customers loving them more than any other company, so any measures they take will be very minor.

No. Valve is a company that exists to make games and make money. As such there is no way to know what they will or will not do. I just hope they stick to doing what they're doing. That's all.

While that's true, this and all the free content that they constantly are churning out point to the fact that their business model is based on people liking them. Valve constantly wins favorite developer awards or polls or whatever because they make sure that they get absolutely no bad press, and they work very, very hard to keep up their reputation. Valve's steady stream of awesome games, free content and good press serves one purpose: indoctrinating gamers in to thinking Valve is the best there is, and it would be foolish not to buy their products. Fortunately, this indoctrination has worked out quite well for gamers.

You are being naive.

Valve is a corporation. Corporations exist to put money in the pockets of share holders, or in Valve's case, since it isn't public, to put money on the ones that run it. Namely the owners.

Valve's recent business model has worked for them not just because of their great games or because of the free content they've churned out, but because of Steam and how it is growing and growing, poised to monopolize its market in a few years' time.

With all the perks that Steam provides, you can be sure that at least someone has had a meeting at Valve where they have discussed how to monetize its services.

Doesn't mean they will but neither doesn it mean they won't, eventually.

EDIT: Added below:

No. Valve is a company that exists to make games and make money. As such there is no way to know what they will or will not do. I just hope they stick to doing what they're doing. That's all.

I know its kinda hopeless right now, with all the console manufacturers chasing after the non-gaming demographics like dogs chasing people made of sun baked bacon, abandoning the people who've been there since the beginning. With your EAs and activisions and other publishers acting like video gaming is just an investment opportunity to turn $3 into $4, with the retailers acting like they're entitled to skim oceans of income off the top, bottom, and middle of the industry, but not everyone is a greedy piece of shit asshole.

Doesn't mean I, or anyone else, should trust Valve to act on goodwill towards anyone. They want to keep their bussiness going strong so they will do what they wonsider is in their best interests, just like everyone else, and hopefully it won't involve screwing their customers.

I don't think I'm jaded but a realist.

 

[Sacman]

well time to go cancel my pre-order...

 

[Infinatex]

Better then nothing I guess, but then I'll be playing on PS3 so it doesn't really matter.

 

[Crossborder]

Well, it's better than nothing, I guess. At least now we dont have to deal with those laggy homebased servers made by people who don't have a clue how to run a decent server.

 

[Colonel Alzheimer's]

You are being naive.

Valve is a corporation. Corporations exist to put money in the pockets of share holders, or in Valve's case, since it isn't public, to put money on the ones that run it. Namely the owners.

Valve's recent business model has worked for them not just because of their great games or because of the free content they've churned out, but because of Steam and how it is growing and growing, poised to monopolize its market in a few years' time.

With all the perks that Steam provides, you can be sure that at least someone has had a meeting at Valve where they have discussed how to monetize its services.

Doesn't mean they will but neither doesn it mean they won't, eventually.

I'm not trying to deny that Valve exists to make money; as you said, it's a corporation.
However, the way that they make money is through loving fans. The people who will buy every single Valve game because they know and trust the company.
Steam is significant as well, but if you ask the average consumer what Steam is, there is a decent chance they won't know. The reason Steam makes so much money is because Valve's fans go there to buy their games, because they know and trust Valve. It's educated consumers that keep Valve profitable, so if their image sucks, Steam won't make nearly as much and their games won't sell as well. Basically, if Steam was run by Activision, Steam would be way less profitable. Valve recognizes that educated consumers are the reason Steam has grown, and they are the reason it will keep growing.

 

[ScRaT_the_destroyer]

Well, it's better than nothing, right?

Also, why do PC gamers have this massive sense if entitlement?

a nice analogy for it: the story of the two slot toaster and the mad landlord

for years we have had a faithful two slot toaster, but when the weird landlord decreed we would not be allowed to use toaster or anything else that may do the same job, this is because rats have been eating the crumbs from the toaster, *cue much confusion and anger*. then the landlord wised up a bit and said "YES YOU CAN USE A TOASTER.... but it must only have 1 slot" (happiness @ getting back ability to use it but tinged with sadness at the inherent uselessness of a 1 slot toaster)

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Oh, who gives a fuck anyway? I'm fed up with Call of Duty and what it represents today, and I'm even more tired of the dicksmurfs at my school who play the game. This game would have to do something besides rave reviews to get me to buy it. Hell, they could dispense crack cocaine cut into a fine powdery golden dust, and I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole.

dicksmurfs? they are called crabs dude, and you need to consult a doctor.

I'm referring to the dumbasses at my school who just play Call of Duty non-fucking-stop like it's the only game in their collection. Annoys me to tears every time I hear them refer to AC130, Tac Nukes, FMJ, Akimbo, etc. It's like they're discussing lingo for hard drugs or something.

God help me if I try to show them other games. If I try to show them other games that might interest them, watch them go up the fucking wall. Unless it's a football game, that's a different story. But Jesus, when the fuck did Call of Duty become the only game anyone bought a console for that they're ready, willing, and able to ignore other titles that have come out?

 

[JeanLuc761]

Also, why do PC gamers have this massive sense of entitlement? Not just to dedicated servers, either.

But they feel entitled that all games MUST be better to play on PC than anything else.

As a primarily PC gamer for the past 14 years, I think I can help answer this. What you're seeing is not an entitlement complex, but a reaction to the quickly disappearing options that were once expected for most PC games. Dedicated servers have been expected, customization has been expected, graphics and controls optimized for (read: better on) PC have been expected.

Everything about that is slowly being taken away so some companies can start nickel and dime'ing us to get BACK what we should have had in the first place.

I don't think we're necessarily asking that the game be better on the PC, but we are asking to have the game tailored for the PC. Consoles and PC's are (obviously) very different systems with different user-bases. When PC gamers are simply fed console ports that clearly haven't been optimized for PC, we get pissed, and rightly so.

Meh, I don't game on PC anyways, and I agree with a few other people here (emphasis on few) that it's not really a big deal.

*Looks for his flamesuit*

No disrespect but it's not a smart idea to say "That's not a big deal" on something you admit you have little knowledge on.

 

[fulano]

You are being naive.

Valve is a corporation. Corporations exist to put money in the pockets of share holders, or in Valve's case, since it isn't public, to put money on the ones that run it. Namely the owners.

Valve's recent business model has worked for them not just because of their great games or because of the free content they've churned out, but because of Steam and how it is growing and growing, poised to monopolize its market in a few years' time.

With all the perks that Steam provides, you can be sure that at least someone has had a meeting at Valve where they have discussed how to monetize its services.

Doesn't mean they will but neither doesn it mean they won't, eventually.

I'm not trying to deny that Valve exists to make money; as you said, it's a corporation.
However, the way that they make money is through loving fans. The people who will buy every single Valve game because they know and trust the company.
Steam is significant as well, but if you ask the average consumer what Steam is, there is a decent chance they won't know. The reason Steam makes so much money is because Valve's fans go there to buy their games, because they know and trust Valve. It's educated consumers that keep Valve profitable, so if their image sucks, Steam won't make nearly as much and their games won't sell as well. Basically, if Steam was run by Activision, Steam would be way less profitable. Valve recognizes that educated consumers are the reason Steam has grown, and they are the reason it will keep growing.

It will keep growing, yes, but you overstate whatever it is you think the guys at Valve are thinking.

While what you say rings true, that doesn't give me one reason to believe Valve won't shift gears if it becomes possible for them to do so and keep making money.

 

[vallorn]

Disappointing, but I never heard any fuss over it in Bad Company 2.

That's because Bad Company 2 is every COD haters golden boy.

its MYY PRESHUSSSS!!!

but in CoD you cant clear out campers by droppng a building on thier heads...

 

[DSK-]

It's a shame you can't choose your own server hosts. What happens if GameServer's suddenly goes down? I've experience such things in the past.

Is there any info as to what sort of features are available for server Admins? if you can even admin them that is.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

At this point does anyone really give a shit if this game is on the PC? Activision, get your filth out of here.