gekko's Xbox Live Impressions - Page 2

Null · 10-25-2002, 08:20 PM

i think 2k3 is.

NHL 2003 is only online for PC

Bond · 10-25-2002, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crono
Um. just a question...is NHL 2K3 or NHL 2003 online for XBox? I would subscribe to Xbox Live for the sole purpose of an online hockey game (seeing as my PC sucks so playing NHL games on PC would suck for me). Although there are still many other online games on Xbox that I am interested in.

NHL 2003 will not be online for Xbox.

NHL 2K3 will be online for Xbox.

gekko · 10-25-2002, 08:45 PM

Go Sega.

Crono · 10-25-2002, 09:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bond

NHL 2K3 will be online for Xbox.

Man thats sweet. Now I really can't wait to get an Xbox...which will hopefully be soon if i get the job that i applied for.

gekko · 11-03-2002, 01:08 AM

I'd like to mention that this also works great for free long distance phone service. I just talked to a friend of mine in the lobby of a MotoGP game for 52 minutes :eek:

gekko · 11-05-2002, 08:23 PM

Guess I should post an update on the pausing problem for NFL 2K3:

Quote:

Countdown Timer: This new, 90-second timer has been added to the pause menu, so quitters can go find another game to play - they'll get a loss if they hit Pause and don't jump back into the game within 90 seconds. 'Nuff said.

Joeiss · 11-05-2002, 09:15 PM

Woah... That 90 second rule is sweet. That is just enough time for me to take a pee.. lol... have to forfeit washing my hands, though.

And I WISHED an NHL game would be online for PS2.... Damn Xbox... Lol....

gekko · 11-17-2002, 12:04 AM

After the launch of the retail version, I must give you my impressions again.

During the beta I was spoiled by the insanely well-developed game of MotoGP. I naturally assumed this was how Xbox Live would be, because it was how Xbox Live was said to be. But some things are too good to be true. Welcome to the wonderful world of Microsoft (did I mention I hate MS?).

Remember how MS promised lag-free gaming through the amazing servers that Microsoft will have. It'll just be so sweet. Well, it's a bunch of BS (surprised? Xbox? BS? Me neither). Microsoft's servers do no more than act as a middle man, and keep track of stats and friend's status. It's the incredible lag-free gaming thing that doesn't happen.

See, when you host games, you need to have a good upload speed, otherwise there will be lag. Now if we were playing on Microsoft's servers, that wouldn't be a problem, too bad we're not. As the host, you are hosting the game, not just creating a new game on MS' servers like you would think. So naturally, when you get games like Ghost Recon and Unreal Championship, there is lag, and there are disconnects, and there are games you can't join. In fact, Ghost Recon actually tells you the recommended max number of people. For me it was 2. 2 out of a possible 16. What BS.

There are also measures used to try to prevent lag. Such as having to press a button down to talk in Ghost Recon. Annoying, I must say. So lag is an issue. Disconnects are an issue. Connection problems are an issue. Why? Because it's really a ****ing P2P network, not where we all play games on MS' servers. See, this was MS doesn't have to spend money.

Now I said I was spoiled with MotoGP, you might ask why. Lag is a very small issue with MotoGP, though sometimes you can't join some games. It's nothing worth complaining about. But where it really shines is the work that was put into the online presentation.

The friends list is setup in MotoGP in a way where you would think XBL is the greatest thing in the world. And indeed it is that way, assuming the developers are as good as Climax and put the effort into it. But you quickly learn that they don't. Take MS' flagship title, MechAssault. The friends list left me puking and finding my MotoGP disc. It was all alphabetical (scrolling through a list of 50+ people for me), and you had to scroll until you found someone online. Then it didn't have anything other than required, whether they were on or offline, and whether they had voice on. Only way to know if you could join them was to click on them and have another menu pop up. You don't even know what game you're joining them in. Ghost Recon wasn't too much better, though it did put all the online people at the top of the list.

MotoGP spoiled me. Put all the MotoGP players at the top, followed by all those offline and in other games. It listed what game they were playing, whether or not they had voice, and if they could be joined all in a nice little box on the side. If they were in MotoGP, it would even say whether they were in a game, or the lobby. Nice, huh? Too bad other developers didn't do this.

The scoreboards in MechAssault sucked, too. You could scroll through the top 100, and also see your score. Anyway to compare you to friends? Nope. Ghost Recon didn't have a scoreboard (though one would be useless, MechAssault still has a useless one).

Now I'm not ripping on the games, just the online presentation of the games. Xbox Live has so much promise, but only when used in the right way. And Unreal Championship is pretty much the extent of what Xbox Live can handle. Then again, if MS gave us those servers they promised, we wouldn't have a problem.

If all the games were hosted on MS' servers, I could easily see paying $10+ a month for Xbox Live after the first year. But with all the games being P2P, I'd never pay MS to keep my stats and friends list.

Conclusion

Best option you have for online console gaming at the moment. Deal with the problems, and keep playing hoping they will be fixed. With the exception of PSO, you won't find a better gaming experience. Hopefully MS will deliver on their promise to actually host the games, but I doubt it. We'll see. I'm sure MS will change on November 14th, 2003 when their phone lines are flooded with people calling to cancel their accounts before it auto-renews.

Also, those in it for sports games will likely never notice these problems. It's mostly the games where you start adding large numbers of people into one game. But then again, those are the most fun.

Null · 11-17-2002, 12:35 AM

i mentioned the upload thing a while ago.

as a recap of what i said. there are going to be these probs on console online gaming.

because for one. it seems most broadbands now have found the 128upload as a standard. any dsl or cable im looking at right now has a 128upload. it can be ok for 1on1, depending on the distance. but the more people you want to join, t he more upload you're going to need to support that many people.

PC's have an avantage. the lucky ones who have a HUGE amount of upload, set up servers, you remember the address you can keep going back and playing at the better servers.

gekko · 11-17-2002, 10:49 AM

Ya, it's a problem for consoles. My complaint is that it shouldn't be a problem. MS said Xbox Live games would all be played on their servers. Fast servers with great connections, so we could all connect and play 16 player games without a problem.

When I went to create a Ghost Recon game, it recommends that I only make it a 2 player game. Other I've joined and said I may experience network problems because it's above the recommended number of people. Whatever, join. 2 people in the room!!! I've never seen a 16 player Ghost Recon match happen.

PCs wouldn't have an advantage in that sense, if we got what Microsoft promised. But like usual, those ****ers screwed us over. But we don't have a better option anywhere else, so we're stuck, until next year. To put it simply, if Xbox Live is working exactly as it is right now come next November, I'd bet over half the accounts get canceled. It ain't work $.50 a month.

You people bitching about PSO at least are paying for something worth it. I paid $50 for a stupid microphone and for MS to keep my stats. Yippie! What a waste.

Bond · 11-17-2002, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gekko
With the exception of PSO, you won't find a better gaming experience.

Remember PSO is coming out for Xbox Live with extra features.

Although I'm not sure if Sega is going to put their charges ontop of Xbox Live. If they did that would really suck.

Professor S · 11-17-2002, 03:19 PM

I think you're being just a little overly critical Gekko, and if I can say I think you're letting your bias against MS get the better of you.

I have been playing Mechassault online since XBL launched and I have to say its the best gaming experience I've had to date. The ability to talk to the people you are playing (with no noticeable lag in the conversation I might add) is priceless and sounds excellent. I haven't noticed much of the lag that you speak of. It happens every once in a while but that has more to do with individual connections and not servers. For the price you are paying (less than $5 per month) its a great online experience.

My advice would be to stop looking to be critical, play and have fun. I am.

gekko · 11-17-2002, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Bond
Remember PSO is coming out for Xbox Live with extra features.

Although I'm not sure if Sega is going to put their charges ontop of Xbox Live. If they did that would really suck.

Unless you want to count voice support as an extra feature, you're not getting anything else. And you're losing support for GBA connections.

From what I'm hearing, MS is holding off releasing PSO until gamers already bought Xbox Live and adding a monthly fee won't deter users from Live. See, this subscription on top of Xbox Live has been confirmed to exist, but they keep it down so people don't know about it. Someone needs to pay for the servers it runs on, and you know MS won't.

If you want to wait for the same game and still pay, go for it. I don't think it's worth it.

And Strangler, I am enjoying it, and have been for a month now. But until I get what I was promised, I'll be critical. Xbox Live is no more than PS2's network with a universal friends list.