Game Servers

[dcl007]

Is there any way, or will there be any way, for all gaming hardware (360, PS3, Wii, PC, Mac etc.) to be able to play each other on servers for certain games? EXAMPLE: playing COD4 on XBOX 360 online against someone playing COD4 on PC online.

Your thoughts?

 

[e²Studios]

I doubt you will ever see a game go between 360 and the PC unless the game uses Live on both the PC and the 360 side, even then I dont think the systems are tied together.

However next week on PS3 you will be able to play against other UT3 players, share maps with PC users, and basically be able to interact and play on PC servers and PS3 servers.

Ed

 

[Mackilroy]

I doubt you will ever see a game go between 360 and the PC unless the game uses Live on both the PC and the 360 side, even then I dont think the systems are tied together.

Actually, Ed, Shadowrun has been able to do this for quite some time. Cross-platform 360-PC play. 🙂 And I believe there are some other games as well, but that's the only one comes to mind at the moment.

 

[Markleshark]

Yeah, I was going to say Shadowrun. The only downside of course is that as it's M$ you have to have the PC version of an XBL Gold Account (If your playing on a PC), which of course, isn't free.

 

[0098386]

They took out PC-PS3 play on UT3, but you can still get mods and maps.

A shame the first PC-360 crossover game had to be a terrible game.

 

[Mackilroy]

Yeah, I was going to say Shadowrun. The only downside of course is that as it's M$ you have to have the PC version of an XBL Gold Account (If your playing on a PC), which of course, isn't free.

Yeah, that does stink.

They took out PC-PS3 play on UT3, but you can still get mods and maps.

A shame the first PC-360 crossover game had to be a terrible game.

It's still out? I thought they added it back in.

Heh. I wish they made Frontlines: Fuel of War cross-platform. That looks to be a pretty cool game.

 

[0098386]

Last I heard they took out the cross-system multiplayer but you get download game mods made on a PC.

What is it with baby steps? Surely with the similarities between console and gaming PC hardware and software you just flip a switch and let the other systems communicate?

 

[dcl007]

Last I heard they took out the cross-system multiplayer but you get download game mods made on a PC.

What is it with baby steps? Surely with the similarities between console and gaming PC hardware and software you just flip a switch and let the other systems communicate?

These are all great posts, keep em up!

Ya thats a good point, you'd think there would be a universal cross-system platform for all gaming hardware. I'm no techy but is that really hard to do?

 

[GFLPraxis]

I doubt you will ever see a game go between 360 and the PC unless the game uses Live on both the PC and the 360 side, even then I dont think the systems are tied together.

Microsoft is porting Live over to PC, actually, so we may start seeing more and more PC/360 games. I'm rather worried about this, however, as it will could potentially mean the end of Mac vs PC cross-platform play depending on implementation. It could also mean the end of players hosting modded servers. Those are always fun.

However next week on PS3 you will be able to play against other UT3 players, share maps with PC users, and basically be able to interact and play on PC servers and PS3 servers.

Yup.

 

[GFLPraxis]

These are all great posts, keep em up!

Ya thats a good point, you'd think there would be a universal cross-system platform for all gaming hardware. I'm no techy but is that really hard to do?

The problem is this. Microsoft has their own servers, Sony has theirs, Nintendo has theirs, and they supply code to developers to hook 360 games up to Live, PS3 games up to PSN, and Wii games up to their online system.

When you develop an XBox 360 game, it's a lot easier to plug in Microsoft's code to make it work on Live than to build your own code to make it run on your servers, and it saves you the money of running your own servers.

I'm simplifying things quite a bit of course.

 

[0098386]

MS use their own servers, but doesn't Nintendo use Gamespy?

I don't know much about networks but surely a "translation" server or something in between the 2 big established networks is all that is needed?

The down side for the 360 are the number of standards that need adhering too. If anyone was going to do uncompromised online play at this stage, it would be Sony or Nintendo.

 

[GFLPraxis]

I don't know much about networks but surely a "translation" server or something in between the 2 big established networks is all that is needed?

It doesn't quite work that way; it would be rather messy. Rather, what is needed is for someone to create a game that uses the same server no matter what platform (say, if the server is hosted by GameSpy, the XBox version would connect to GameSpy, bypassing XBox Live).

However, Microsoft has strict limitations on that since they require all games published to utilize Live IIRC.

 

[applekid]

A decent middleware would be a good start. Luckily all the consoles are PowerPC-variants, but most PCs and (increasingly Macs) are x86-based. From looking at some of the Mac ports of popular PC games, we know that networking is impossible at times because of how the x86 and PPC chips handle endian code differently, back when it was just PPC Macs.

Valve said they had a version of Team Fortress 2 that could network the PC, PS3, and Xbox versions, but it was too buggy and a hassle for a real consumer release.

Then there's the problems of the servers themselves as GFLPraxis has pointed out.

But yeah, it's shame we have so many awesome games that are available for all platforms, but incompatible when it comes to online play (Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4, and The Orange Box being good examples). It sucks the consumer has to choose which platform to buy their game for (assuming they have more than one console and/or a PC) and hope everybody is playing it on the same platform.

 

[dcl007]

It doesn't quite work that way; it would be rather messy. Rather, what is needed is for someone to create a game that uses the same server no matter what platform (say, if the server is hosted by GameSpy, the XBox version would connect to GameSpy, bypassing XBox Live).

However, Microsoft has strict limitations on that since they require all games published to utilize Live IIRC.

A decent middleware would be a good start. Luckily all the consoles are PowerPC-variants, but most PCs and (increasingly Macs) are x86-based. From looking at some of the Mac ports of popular PC games, we know that networking is impossible at times because of how the x86 and PPC chips handle endian code differently, back when it was just PPC Macs.

Valve said they had a version of Team Fortress 2 that could network the PC, PS3, and Xbox versions, but it was too buggy and a hassle for a real consumer release.

Then there's the problems of the servers themselves as GFLPraxis has pointed out.

But yeah, it's shame we have so many awesome games that are available for all platforms, but incompatible when it comes to online play (Guitar Hero III, Call of Duty 4, and The Orange Box being good examples). It sucks the consumer has to choose which platform to buy their game for (assuming they have more than one console and/or a PC) and hope everybody is playing it on the same platform.

Wow I'm really impressed with these mac forums, you guys know your sh*t. Thanks for the great posts.

 

[Markleshark]

It's a strange world, cross platform.

I always thought it would be much easier to play cross platform that it actually is. In fact, until I tried to LAN Game the original Halo with my friends using Mac and PC hardware I didn't think it would make a difference.... *Shrugs*