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Whenever i try to settle down to a nice game of Operation Flashpoint these days, I can't. It takes 10 minutes for Gamespy to find me a selection of servers with remotely playable pings (always in the 300-400ms range), and they never seem to be running my favorite maps. But even if I try to join one of these 'playable' games, I get kicked! Why? Because some snotty 10-year old kid on a T3 dosen't want 'no lam3r ona 56K' to risk lagging his game. For every 10 servers I try and join, I get around 1 to 2 games out of it. Somehow, not being able to afford the luxury of a broadband internet connection has become a crime amungst the gaming world.
And its not just games like Operation Flashpoint with obscenely bad netcodes either. Quake3 powered games have a built-in function that prevents someone with a ping above 100 from even joing a server! The ironic thing is, people on dialups have LESS choice about what server they can get a good connection too, and yet this is becoming even more limited. I've spent endless nights sitting in front of my monitor, taring my hair out yelling 'FFS! ALL I WANT TO DO IS FRAG SOME NAZIS! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?!?!' This is victimisation, this is all down to a few peoples selfish greed over getting those precious few more micro-seconds off their ping that the rest of us have to suffer, and it has to stop.
Broadbanders, next time you play spare a thought for those less fortunate then you, and remember the people you came from before you stand on them all. You could also say 'how dare they use Doom III technology! That won't even run on my 486! what the Hell was wrong with a good ol' top down scrolling shooter?'. Broadband is driving the industry forward and making gaming more enjoyable for everyone with it. If you don't have the technology, there's tons of other options - play single-player, play older games online, get a console - but just don't expect the industry to slow up for you. Broadband is from £14.99 a month in a suitable area, get it while it's hot.
I can't get NTL (although all other ISP's like Pipex etc seem to be fine). I can get ADSL, but it's expensive! The incensing thing is that my friend, who lives about thirty seconds away just around the corner on the next street, has a 1Mb upload/download on a free trial. The bagger! Up the road there are people with mega ADSL connections. Apparently there isn't much 'demand' for it in our area, so looks like I'm doomed to use my 56k for a while more. On the games side of things, I'm with Freeserve AnyTime and over the last 6 months it has become steadily faster and playing online isn't too bad anymore (if I'm playing Tactical Ops or Soldier of Fortune 2, that is). I can only put this down to an increase in people using broadband in other areas and not hogging all the Freeserve bandwidth, which is better than nothing I guess.
I am sure some scientist will discover cable/ADSL makes you more prone to cancer or something stupid like that. Ah, the wonders of science. :P
Thanks for reading,
Shaun.
And its not just games like Operation Flashpoint with obscenely bad netcodes either. Quake3 powered games have a built-in function that prevents someone with a ping above 100 from even joing a server! The ironic thing is, people on dialups have LESS choice about what server they can get a good connection too, and yet this is becoming even more limited. I've spent endless nights sitting in front of my monitor, taring my hair out yelling 'FFS! ALL I WANT TO DO IS FRAG SOME NAZIS! IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!?!?!' This is victimisation, this is all down to a few peoples selfish greed over getting those precious few more micro-seconds off their ping that the rest of us have to suffer, and it has to stop.
Broadbanders, next time you play spare a thought for those less fortunate then you, and remember the people you came from before you stand on them all. You could also say 'how dare they use Doom III technology! That won't even run on my 486! what the Hell was wrong with a good ol' top down scrolling shooter?'. Broadband is driving the industry forward and making gaming more enjoyable for everyone with it. If you don't have the technology, there's tons of other options - play single-player, play older games online, get a console - but just don't expect the industry to slow up for you. Broadband is from £14.99 a month in a suitable area, get it while it's hot.
I can't get NTL (although all other ISP's like Pipex etc seem to be fine). I can get ADSL, but it's expensive! The incensing thing is that my friend, who lives about thirty seconds away just around the corner on the next street, has a 1Mb upload/download on a free trial. The bagger! Up the road there are people with mega ADSL connections. Apparently there isn't much 'demand' for it in our area, so looks like I'm doomed to use my 56k for a while more. On the games side of things, I'm with Freeserve AnyTime and over the last 6 months it has become steadily faster and playing online isn't too bad anymore (if I'm playing Tactical Ops or Soldier of Fortune 2, that is). I can only put this down to an increase in people using broadband in other areas and not hogging all the Freeserve bandwidth, which is better than nothing I guess.
I am sure some scientist will discover cable/ADSL makes you more prone to cancer or something stupid like that. Ah, the wonders of science. :P
Thanks for reading,
Shaun.
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Of all the people I've spoken to, still around 70% don't have or can't get DSL connections and few have ISDN, which is really the next option down, but can be fiddly. ISDN does speed things up, but can also be expensive. Of course, it has the benefit of being on another line, so you don't get shouted at for using the phone line.
All online games should have the ability to recognise and give you the option to use a 56k only network, playing against other people who have the same connection speed as yourself. This would be better for both the gamers and the games companies who don't want to alienate half their prospective clients.
All online games should have the ability to recognise and give you the option to use a 56k only network, playing against other people who have the same connection speed as yourself. This would be better for both the gamers and the games companies who don't want to alienate half their prospective clients.
I agree, even on Starcraft battle.net many have super fast modems and RTC Wolfenstein is just unplayable online, as is AvPII.
Sigh...
Sigh...
Meh, In have 56kb, and its really, really, pants. Die..
Its not the ping, it's the player. On my crappy 56k, with some effort (oh alright, A LOT OF EFFORT) it is possible for my 300 ping to whup people with 50- pings on Counter-Strike.
but what's this £15 NTL you speak of!? Gimme a URL please if it's not too much hassle.
I'd recommened getting Counter-Strike. At the moment it's quite playable on a 56k but unfortunately it looks like that's changing. In 'my' clan, I'm practically the only 56k left, awash in a sea of ADSL and T1s. It's a great shame, but it looks like us 56kers will have to leave the internet gaming scene.
but what's this £15 NTL you speak of!? Gimme a URL please if it's not too much hassle.
I'd recommened getting Counter-Strike. At the moment it's quite playable on a 56k but unfortunately it looks like that's changing. In 'my' clan, I'm practically the only 56k left, awash in a sea of ADSL and T1s. It's a great shame, but it looks like us 56kers will have to leave the internet gaming scene.
Ant wrote:
> I would like Broadband but don't mind too much, because the only game
> I want to play online is Tactical Ops...and I can't do that because it
> always says my connection fails. However, I'm getting a new PC on
> monday with an internal modem (rather than my current external one) so
> hopefully it will work.
You play TO? Cool, you should join my clan - *[GNR]* :D (Guns N Roses, yes, before you ask).
> I would like Broadband but don't mind too much, because the only game
> I want to play online is Tactical Ops...and I can't do that because it
> always says my connection fails. However, I'm getting a new PC on
> monday with an internal modem (rather than my current external one) so
> hopefully it will work.
You play TO? Cool, you should join my clan - *[GNR]* :D (Guns N Roses, yes, before you ask).
I cant even get cable TV where i live. Honestly you would think i lived in the sticks.
I used to have 56k, and i used to play RA2 over it with lots of lag :s But i have NTL cable now at £14.99 a month, its the 128k/s connection though.
I would like Broadband but don't mind too much, because the only game I want to play online is Tactical Ops...and I can't do that because it always says my connection fails. However, I'm getting a new PC on monday with an internal modem (rather than my current external one) so hopefully it will work.
On sidenote, my school's computers take 10 minutes to load up the first page, but download at over 1mb a second. Ho hum.
On sidenote, my school's computers take 10 minutes to load up the first page, but download at over 1mb a second. Ho hum.
I totally know where you are coming from. I would get broadband, but i live in a crappy village so my exchange (which is a stones throw away) will never be enabled. I play RA2 and RTCW on my 56k (which is a joke in itself, as you NEVER get 56k connection) both are pretty playable. So maybe you should try them out. Good post by the way.
I know how you feel when i Use to use a normal modem but i have had cable now for 3 years and have now switch to 1mb cable like your friend and believe me it flies along specially when downloading. Pipex is around £23 and very good I have Telewest that is £35 for me but £25 normally for slower cable.
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