This isn't the first "server strike" for the CoD series. Servers shut down in droves on the same date in 2006, due in large part to the absence of any sort of anti-cheat measures several months after CoD2's release (Punkbuster was a late addition).
CoD5 has its own set of game-killing problems. Most significantly, there are still no Linux binaries available, which has effectively screwed everybody that can't afford to rent a Windows box (which, I think, constitutes the bulk of people running multiplayer servers). Treyarch's "community manager" on callofduty.com has promised that the patch should be here shortly, but there's no hard release date.
As of today, game-monitor.com reports a total of 52,091 players (both online and offline) and 2109 servers for CoD5. For CoD4, the numbers are 313,483 players and 15,796 servers.
Note that the numbers cited in the last paragraph are consistent with player/server populations from before the blackout. It's hard to tell at this point whether servers have shut down in any significant numbers, and quite a few clans are boycotting the boycott for the time being.
ReplyDeleteThere's little to be said about the blackout except : What a pointless effort, how about protesting in a way that would impact the game maker ? Let's face it, you're sitting there with their game installed on your box and if you're a host, your server rent is monthly. How about contributing in some way that gets the message into mainstream? It takes seconds to email.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post MC.
The conventional wisdom is that the CoD2 server blackout did get Infinity Ward's attention, to the benefit of the players. Whether that's really true, I don't know, but the blackout did get some attention in the national media.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing this server strike isn't going to have much of an impact. As far as getting the message into the mainstream via email, forum posts, etc., that stuff has already been done on a fairly large scale. The various issues with CoD5 became apparent early on.
The more fundamental problem is that Treyarch's PR guys are just a bunch of fanboy volunteers that don't know the first thing about dealing with people. A competent "community manager" could have deflected a lot of the buyer's remorse just by posting less defensively and more regularly.
So I can blame all my "computer-locking-up issues" on not having a COD5 patch? Sweet. Maybe I'll start liking to play again after the patch. (pFff... I know better than to think my problems will go away. They are my nightmare. My computer hates me.)
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