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The future of gaming is online. There is no question about that - Sega have started the Console Online trend - and Sony and Nintendo were quick to follow - immediately stating that their new consoles will eventually have online gaming.
Now, I'm sure the XBox will have internet functions, but this console is of little interest to me. The way forward was started By Sega when they released ChuChu Rocket - a quirky little puzzler which initially looked very difficult - but is now so easy to pick up and play -the game is of a great quality. It wasn't marketed Too badly - hoorah for Sega - apparently the £5million Euro 2000 advertising campaign was a success - I fail to see how - seeing that only 210,000 ChuChu Rockets have been ordered so far! AND the game was free! But then. Sega are making money through the phone calls.
Now, I am glad to have read that QUAKE 3 ARENA WILL be an online game as well as offline - great news for Dreamcast owners - there will also be NO LAG whatsoever - if this is the case then Sega and crew must be doing wonders with the 33.6 k standard DC modem - unless they've got something else up their sleeves - Could we see a Quake 3 + modem bundle? For say - £49.99? or £59.99? The modem would have to be at least 56K - possibly broadband though. Or - why not throw in a mouse aswell? call it £74.99? I'd buy two! But seriously - I think that the only way that the Games Console producers will be successful in the persuasion of taking gamers Offline - and putting them online - is to make a free internet acces deal - for a fixed cost per month - of no more than £9.99. I think this will also make Online surfing the web - a huge hit - as Many people cannot afford a PC - they are TOO expensive - and the Consoles = Dreamcast inparticular is relatively cheap - Pay just £149.99 for the console 2 games and Instant online gaming and surfing.
Would anyone be interested in this?
Also, DAYTONA online will be another online game (obviously) to arrive for Dreamcast - Phantasy Star Online - another, and soon Online Console Gaming will be HUGE, and a part of everyday life.
Roll on the good times..
(if this don't wi....
Now, I'm sure the XBox will have internet functions, but this console is of little interest to me. The way forward was started By Sega when they released ChuChu Rocket - a quirky little puzzler which initially looked very difficult - but is now so easy to pick up and play -the game is of a great quality. It wasn't marketed Too badly - hoorah for Sega - apparently the £5million Euro 2000 advertising campaign was a success - I fail to see how - seeing that only 210,000 ChuChu Rockets have been ordered so far! AND the game was free! But then. Sega are making money through the phone calls.
Now, I am glad to have read that QUAKE 3 ARENA WILL be an online game as well as offline - great news for Dreamcast owners - there will also be NO LAG whatsoever - if this is the case then Sega and crew must be doing wonders with the 33.6 k standard DC modem - unless they've got something else up their sleeves - Could we see a Quake 3 + modem bundle? For say - £49.99? or £59.99? The modem would have to be at least 56K - possibly broadband though. Or - why not throw in a mouse aswell? call it £74.99? I'd buy two! But seriously - I think that the only way that the Games Console producers will be successful in the persuasion of taking gamers Offline - and putting them online - is to make a free internet acces deal - for a fixed cost per month - of no more than £9.99. I think this will also make Online surfing the web - a huge hit - as Many people cannot afford a PC - they are TOO expensive - and the Consoles = Dreamcast inparticular is relatively cheap - Pay just £149.99 for the console 2 games and Instant online gaming and surfing.
Would anyone be interested in this?
Also, DAYTONA online will be another online game (obviously) to arrive for Dreamcast - Phantasy Star Online - another, and soon Online Console Gaming will be HUGE, and a part of everyday life.
Roll on the good times..
(if this don't wi....
The future of gaming is online. There is no question about that - Sega have started the Console Online trend - and Sony and Nintendo were quick to follow - immediately stating that their new consoles will eventually have online gaming.
Now, I'm sure the XBox will have internet functions, but this console is of little interest to me. The way forward was started By Sega when they released ChuChu Rocket - a quirky little puzzler which initially looked very difficult - but is now so easy to pick up and play -the game is of a great quality. It wasn't marketed Too badly - hoorah for Sega - apparently the £5million Euro 2000 advertising campaign was a success - I fail to see how - seeing that only 210,000 ChuChu Rockets have been ordered so far! AND the game was free! But then. Sega are making money through the phone calls.
Now, I am glad to have read that QUAKE 3 ARENA WILL be an online game as well as offline - great news for Dreamcast owners - there will also be NO LAG whatsoever - if this is the case then Sega and crew must be doing wonders with the 33.6 k standard DC modem - unless they've got something else up their sleeves - Could we see a Quake 3 + modem bundle? For say - £49.99? or £59.99? The modem would have to be at least 56K - possibly broadband though. Or - why not throw in a mouse aswell? call it £74.99? I'd buy two! But seriously - I think that the only way that the Games Console producers will be successful in the persuasion of taking gamers Offline - and putting them online - is to make a free internet acces deal - for a fixed cost per month - of no more than £9.99. I think this will also make Online surfing the web - a huge hit - as Many people cannot afford a PC - they are TOO expensive - and the Consoles = Dreamcast inparticular is relatively cheap - Pay just £149.99 for the console 2 games and Instant online gaming and surfing.
Would anyone be interested in this?
Also, DAYTONA online will be another online game (obviously) to arrive for Dreamcast - Phantasy Star Online - another, and soon Online Console Gaming will be HUGE, and a part of everyday life.
Roll on the good times..
(if this don't wi....
Now, I'm sure the XBox will have internet functions, but this console is of little interest to me. The way forward was started By Sega when they released ChuChu Rocket - a quirky little puzzler which initially looked very difficult - but is now so easy to pick up and play -the game is of a great quality. It wasn't marketed Too badly - hoorah for Sega - apparently the £5million Euro 2000 advertising campaign was a success - I fail to see how - seeing that only 210,000 ChuChu Rockets have been ordered so far! AND the game was free! But then. Sega are making money through the phone calls.
Now, I am glad to have read that QUAKE 3 ARENA WILL be an online game as well as offline - great news for Dreamcast owners - there will also be NO LAG whatsoever - if this is the case then Sega and crew must be doing wonders with the 33.6 k standard DC modem - unless they've got something else up their sleeves - Could we see a Quake 3 + modem bundle? For say - £49.99? or £59.99? The modem would have to be at least 56K - possibly broadband though. Or - why not throw in a mouse aswell? call it £74.99? I'd buy two! But seriously - I think that the only way that the Games Console producers will be successful in the persuasion of taking gamers Offline - and putting them online - is to make a free internet acces deal - for a fixed cost per month - of no more than £9.99. I think this will also make Online surfing the web - a huge hit - as Many people cannot afford a PC - they are TOO expensive - and the Consoles = Dreamcast inparticular is relatively cheap - Pay just £149.99 for the console 2 games and Instant online gaming and surfing.
Would anyone be interested in this?
Also, DAYTONA online will be another online game (obviously) to arrive for Dreamcast - Phantasy Star Online - another, and soon Online Console Gaming will be HUGE, and a part of everyday life.
Roll on the good times..
(if this don't wi....
Online gaming will (hopefully) be a short term fad which people get bored of when they realise how pointless it all is (at least in it's current incarnation). If it is to really succeed it need to undergo some changes.
I do have experience in this area and I have to say it was short lived. I've tried Quake-style games and real-time strategy games with people I've never met (see the point there?) and it was no more or less enjoyable than playing against the machine. I've also tried playing against a friend across town directly (I live in Hull so this only costs 5.5p for as long a call as we want). This was a big improvement but still it would have been infinitely better if we could communicate (typing messages doesn't count). If voice communucation was provided then this would be ideal (hardly possible with a 33-56k modem, though, unless you want playschool walkie-talkie quality).
The problem with online gaming is that games manufacturers seem to be putting all their effort into creating a worldwide network of strangers. I admit this would be good for tournaments and such but wouldn't most of us prefer to be able to play against our friends, communicating in real time without the need for splitting screens up into quarters and squinting to see our part? The only problem (in terms of consoles) is the need for everyone to have a copy of the game being played, but this could be solved by having extra discs which only contain multi-player information. The game could come with one such extra disc and others available at budget prices (and I mean CHEAP).
The only problems left to solve, for most people in this country, is the cost of the local call (assuming friends are local). Online gaming may be a part of the future, but the technology and game ideas are far from ready.
I do have experience in this area and I have to say it was short lived. I've tried Quake-style games and real-time strategy games with people I've never met (see the point there?) and it was no more or less enjoyable than playing against the machine. I've also tried playing against a friend across town directly (I live in Hull so this only costs 5.5p for as long a call as we want). This was a big improvement but still it would have been infinitely better if we could communicate (typing messages doesn't count). If voice communucation was provided then this would be ideal (hardly possible with a 33-56k modem, though, unless you want playschool walkie-talkie quality).
The problem with online gaming is that games manufacturers seem to be putting all their effort into creating a worldwide network of strangers. I admit this would be good for tournaments and such but wouldn't most of us prefer to be able to play against our friends, communicating in real time without the need for splitting screens up into quarters and squinting to see our part? The only problem (in terms of consoles) is the need for everyone to have a copy of the game being played, but this could be solved by having extra discs which only contain multi-player information. The game could come with one such extra disc and others available at budget prices (and I mean CHEAP).
The only problems left to solve, for most people in this country, is the cost of the local call (assuming friends are local). Online gaming may be a part of the future, but the technology and game ideas are far from ready.
Yes, I agree that the future of gaming is online, but its debatable if the Dreamcast modem is really any good. I think your claim that there will be no lag time whilst playing Quake 3 Arena is completely rubbish, even with the DreamArena ISP for the Dreamcast, there is no way that with a 33.6 modem cannot have a lag time. Next year, Gamecube, PS2 and Xbox will be equipped with broadband modems capable of running at a speed of 128 KBPS. I strongly dont think that Sega will develop broadband modems- because Sega has spent a long time in getting the DreamArena service working at 33.6, and with the introduction of broadband modems which nto every DC owner will buy, it will increase the lag time online for online games with the DC, because of the current cost of broadband modems. I agree though that Fantasy Star Online is a definate must for all DC owners, it certainly looks impressive. But Ultima Online will be the game all online RPG's will always have to live up to. I dont think introducing a monthly subscription would be a good idea for DC, people will more often than not turn to the PC with faster internet speeds for internet usage. You are right though, console gaming is the way forward(roll on Final Fantasy XI...) in terms fo gaming.
Is Unreal Tournament coming for Dreamcast? Thats much better than Quake 3 in single anyway.