 | Hi, and welcome to the first edition of Insights From The ICE Box. This
being the pilot edition I'd imagine you expect me to hold back, right? None
of the sort! This columns all about my views on the state of the games
industry, with particular reference to the Dreamcast and PSO, and from a
somewhat unusual perspective: that of a gamer in the forgotten market of
Europe (England actually) And I'm an opinionated and passionate gamer, with
a lot on my mind.
So here goes nothing.....
I bought my Dreamcast the day after it launched in the uk. I remember it
well, Friday October 15th 1999, the day I parted with my playstation, N64,
and a substantial proportion of my well saved birthday cash. "Oh god" your
thinking"a nostalgia trip, quick, where's the back button?" But hold on a
minute there, pal! there's a point to my rambling.
I bought my Dreamcast with the emphasis from the very beginning, on being
able to play games online- the one thing I had yet to experience in my long
and illustrious (hey, humour me here!) gaming life. A gaming life which
spanned the gameboy, gamegear, a 486 PC(sans-modem), mega drive,and the
32/64 bit consoles (well, I skipped the Saturn, but who didn't?). Finally I
had a machine which would allow me t play games online! this was going to be
great.....
Of course, it didn't. But that was expected. It took at least 6 months in
Europe to get the gaming network established, which eventually occurred with
the free release of Chuchu Rocket! "wow free!that makes up for six months of
waiting! right?" well, I-who had never experienced online gaming-didn't know
what I was missing, so I was hardly one to answer this question, but with
hindsight, I really should have seen that 6 months gap as a warning.
Chuchu lasted all summer, but I really used it mostly as a chat room, what
with the Euro browser disk Dreamkey not supporting JAVA chat. We never did
get that updated version of Dreamkey that Sega promised us: yet another
warning. However when I finally opened the box to Quake 3 Arena on Christmas
day 2000- a full year to the day that i registered my dreamkey and went
online- I thought things had finally turned the corner; Online gaming was
here to stay, and from here on in the only way was up!
Oh how wrong could I be.
Quake was great fun, for a while- but with the pad not being well suited to
it, and me not used to the keyboard and mouse setup enough to justify paying
for a mouse, It quickly got old. Then just as that happened, SEGA released
this incredibly hyped game by the name of Phantasy Star Online. Who was I to
argue with games magazines that gave it 10/10....93%.... 5/5 ? "I can afford
the internet bills" I told myself Oh how wrong could I be (ooh, Deja vu!).
I started playing, and I noticed that the servers, 50hz and 60hz, weren't
split like the manual said they would be. Wierd, yes, but I proceeded to
create alliances ,make friends and form a clan on the combined servers. Then
one day I logged on, and all but one ship had vanished! Turned out that SEGA
had finally gotten round to splitting the servers, and all without any prior
warning! All of a sudden more than half my guildcard list had become defunct-
if I hadn't gotten my clan members mobile numbers I would've been cut off
completely! Yet another warning I should have seen of SEGAs stupidity.
Finally, towards the end of May PSO was getting a little samey. But I kept
going online for the friends I'd met. "When's v2.0 due out?" I asked one
particular team mate. "Oh, their not planning to release it in Europe" he
replied. " Don't be stupid! they wouldn't ignore a market the size of
Europe!" He then proceeded to give me the address of an internet petition
for euro PSO v2.0, and I knew he wasn't joking. This would be the final
warning. SEGA were dropping Europe from their online priorities like a sac
of sh!t
I then purchased an Xploder, to alter the gaming experience I was having
with PSO, in an attempt to prolong it's lifespan. And it worked, for a while
at least, but regardless of the tricks I may learn, the codes I may gather,
and the power I may posess as a hacker,duper,PKer and FSODer (which I am
depends on your attitude towards the pso community) the underlying truth is
that I'd much rather be playing v2.0 and furthering my experience of the
original, not altering my memories of it with a cheat cd n a cheap power
rush.
Since then every major dreamcast release has had it's online play mode
removed because of problems with the euro 33.6K modem, and the different
territories across Europe having different phone deals with SEGA. A company
that, quite frankly, just doesn't care anymore. We're talking Daytona with
no online races, Unreal and outtrigger with no online deathmatches- the very
things you buy these games for- and the very thing I bought my dreamcast
for- robbed of their major asset.
Don't get me wrong, I've loved every minute of the gaming my white
bespiraled box has given me- Sonic Adventure,Code:Veronica,Shenmue,Jet Set
Radio and Crazy Taxi show a degree of innovation I haven't experienced since
Metal Gear Solid, but I still can't help feeling that I've been playing them
under the false pretense that when I've completed them, there's always going
to be an online game around the corner to keep me occupied. That just hasn't
been the case: ChuChu in March 2000, Toy Racer summer 2000, Q3A XMAS 2000,
Speed Devils Online,Starlancer & Worms World Party Jan 2001, and PSO Feb
2001-all good games, some great even; but 7 games-over 21 months- a good
lineup doth not make. Especially when there's been no new online games in
five months, and non planned for the future (I'm not holding my breath about
V-Tennis 2's "hopeful" internet play mode being ported to euro disks).
Now I'm not going to dump my DC and rush out to get a PS2, that wouldn't
make sense, especially as between now, and the launch of the PS2's killer
app, Metal Gear Solid 2 sons of liberty, I am expecting to play Shenmue 2,
VTennis2,Grandia2,Skies of Arcadia, outrigger(with or without online
mode),and maybe even one day PSO v2.0, whether that means an import version
or not.
The Dreamcast has proven indispensable for me,both as a launch pad to the
internet, and the most concentrated source of great games I've ever had the
pleasure to own, and if you bought one, you should be proud too, 'cause you
were part of something special. An internet revolution? he.ll no- maybe a
ripple in the pool of the internet gaming community, but you partook in the
single greatest experiment with the format of the world wibe web since it's
inception in the 1980's-a change of direction, bringing it into the home for
the mainstream- and you've helped make it a success, regardless of whether
you live in Europe or not.
It's just a shame that sega doesn't see it that way- in fact, in downright
sucks.
But the way I see it, it's not the fault of the dreamcast to produce great
games- something it has dn in abundance- it's the fault of sega, but that
will turn full circle when they apply all they've learned to a nintendo,Sony,
or Microsoft console. Then we really will have a revolution on our hands.
Hope you've enjoyed reading, and that I get to write another column. I'd
appreciate feedback from this, and your opinions and suggestions on what to
put in the next column (if I ever get one)
'Til next time, Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game.
Insights from the ICE Box by Mark Scott (ICECOLD T3)
icecold_imt@hotmail.com
Wow, They've given me another column! Seems like you lot liked the pilot edition after all.
I'd like to thank my mother, and zero9 of
www.psonet.f2s.com (What about TheBloKe of www.raveware.co.uk ??? >BloKe) and God...oh no, now I just sound like Britney Spears!
Anyway, on with the column.
As a great poet once said, "To Hack, Or Not To Hack, That Is The Question"
While my creative licence in the above phrase has been exercised, quite
obviously, to the fullest, the meaning is still relevant; basically what it
comes down to, is whether or not you agree with the morals of so-called
Phantasy Star Online "hackers."
But before we examine this, let's explore my terminology.
You may hear the term "hacker" often in PSO lobbys. Other variations are
"PK" (Player Killer), "cheater", and -depending on your actions towards
certain people- "twat." Fact is, they all boil down to the same thing;
Hackers own a cheat device. Whether it be a GameShark, Codebreaker or
Xploder, any know-nothing-bum with one of these cheat CD's, a long string of
codes and a few people to teach him the basics, could quite easily enter
YOUR game, freeze your controls, kill you, take your money and weapons, then
give you the dreaded Freeze-Screen-Of-Death (FSOD), thus forcing you to
reset your machine and lose any unsaved data.
I'm a hacker. I can do this. "Quickly," I hear you cry "let's get him!" But
before you hunt me down like some kind of online-era heretic and report me
to Sega, you might want to hear both sides of the argument.
I purchased PSO on its European release, and played the game thoroughly
and legitimately for months, until June 2001, when the use of cheat CD's
became commonplace on the servers. I contemplated getting one, but was in no
rush to do so, that is until I disconnected from the network one day, and my
pad dislodged from the port. Nothing disastrous in any other game, but in
Phantasy Star Online, with the stupidity of Sega's online management at it's
most apparent, removing the joypad upon disconnection caused corruption of
my file, and I lost my level 100 character. That was it! 359 hours of play
gone! never to return! couple that with the fact that I'd already lost one
level 73 Ranger, because I didn't reformat my memory card before starting a
new PSO save file, and I was left with no other choice but to get an
Xploder.
So, After a few weeks absence from the Phantasy Star Online community, I
made my return. But not before checking up on my codes and tricks first.
Firstly I made another level 100 Hunter and created all of the items which I
had lost, as well as editing his stats to allow the infamous PK. I would also
later, with the use of my xploder, recreate the Ranger that I had lost at
level 73, and am now pleased to announce that he is currently at a health
level 76, with a good stock of items and weapons.
Ah yes, Items and weapons. Y'see, now that's where the real benefit of the
Xploder cheat device comes in. 'Cause it doesn't just benefit the hacker, it
benefits Mr legit as well. Visit www.cmgsccc.com and you'll get a large list
of the basic hacker codes, and notes on they're usage to accompany them. The
longest of these notes revolves around the Item Duplication code. Are you
catching on yet?
That's right Timmy!, The Xploder allows for the duplication of items and
weapons! This was the primary use of my own Xploder when I first purchased
it- get online, search my guildcard list for friendly people, then drop by
their team and give 'em a few presents. even funnier was making a team,
scattering hundreds of duped weapons throughout pioneer, and watching for
censored expletives in speech bubbles when people entered the team, followed
by thanks and a guildcard.
And that's not all. Have you ever been robbed or FSOD'ed by someone you
really hate? I had, and my PSO mates definitely had. Getting my Xploder
leveled the playing field considerably, hackers don't like having their own
tricks done to them, and people soon discovered that informing me of who had
robbed, PK'd or FSOD'ed them, not only led to me duping for them the item's
they had lost, but also caused me to do the same to their attacker, a
process I describe as MAKING THEM FAMOUS.
So for me, being a hacker is just as accepted and fun as being a legit
player- I help people by getting them weapons and items, and by protecting
them from the other brand of hacker, the brand- as mentioned above- known
commonly as "twat"
A funny thing happened to me the other day. After months of hacking on PSO,
I decided to play legit for a while. And it was fun as well, kind of like old
times, at least until one of my hacker enemies, recognizing my name, entered
the team, where he proceeded to kill me continuously. And me with no codes
to prevent him. Something akin to being shot in the back by a coward, don't
you think?
So that's the downside, once a hacker always a hacker, and your always gonna
have enemies, probably an after effect of the testosterone-ridden games
market- the classic "I'm better than you are" male ego trip. My answer? Its
better than having to worry about thieves. In fact, stealing on the PSO
servers has all but stopped since us hackers got into our stride. No one
steals from me, my mates or especially any of my clan. If they do, I'll cause
em to lose all the stuff in their inventory. in short, I'll MAKE THEM
FAMOUS.
Now hacking might be to everyone's taste. I said above that it benefit's Mr
legit, but it still doesn't benefit Mr squeaky-clean.
"What the hell?! he's lost it man! he's going' on about some kinda washing up
commercial!"
NoNoNo! I'm referring to the certain brand of PSO user that shirks playing
with any hackers, that refuses to accept ANY copied or illegal weapons, that
swears at you for being able to cast a lag pipe, that refers to EACH AND
EVERY codes user, regardless of which codes they have on, as "PK! PK! PK!"
These are the type of PSO user that would cut off their nose to spite their
face if Yuji Naka (The head of Sonic team, who created PSO), told them that
they were using it wrong.
Well don't expect me to help when your metaphorical nose is lying bloody on
the ground, and your screaming out in pain. You naive, narrow minded bints.
I recently heard that Sega patched the servers to stop any codes being used
online. Well enjoy it while you can. As Geoff Goldblum said in Jurassic
Park, "nature finds a way," and in this case, you should learn to live with
hackers, 'cause whether you like it or not, we're a part of the online
experience and we're always gonna be.
Probably inevitable, given it's influences on PSO, is an analogy of star
wars against Phantasy Star Online's net community. But if you think that I'm
that obvious....then you'd be damn right.
The force can be used for both good and bad purposes, and the same can be
said of Cheat devices. What It comes down to is, are you a Luke Skywalker,
or a Darth Vader? Think about that next time you encounter a hacker, before
you start categorizing us all as the scourge of Ragol. We're not all like
tat, and the ones that are have lost the plot. A very small plot, written on
a very short script. A script that says so much about the way you should
play PSO. My script. And that script reads;
"Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game"
editors comment....
I do not agree with this point because there should be no hacking full stop... and the "can't beat 'em join 'em" mentality only makes the problem worse.. online games become shallow and meaningless when cheaters exist there are many examples, including Diablo2 when hackers exposed a loophole in the system while servers were closed over Christmas and killed all the characters and stole their items. That was something that took months to repair.
Online games do not need to have these problems. I played Quake2 online and cheating was impossible. It's down to server management, which Sega don't know enough about.. as for rebuilding a lost character, that is a hardware fault, ever see a playstation pad fall out accidentally??
_________________________________________________________________
icecold_imt@hotmail.com Edition 3
Hi, welcome, step inside, would you like a soft drink? Oh, don't mind me,
just my way of saying welcome back.
Yes, as you've probably noticed, The ICE Box has been away for a while,
delayed firstly due to browser constraints, that have still not been sorted,
and then there were those heinous attacks on the USA- I can do no more than
offer my sincerest condolences to all who suffered as a result of these
attacks, my heart goes out to you all.
But for the time it takes you to read these lines, allow yourself to be
encompassed in the escapism that is video gaming. Column launch T minus 3, 2,
1....
I was looking through a back issue of the UK's Official Dreamcast Magazine
the other day. The big debate in this particular issue; Solo Vs Mutliplay,
citing MGS' and Zelda 64's singleplayer modes against Goldeneye's split
screen and Half-Life's online mode, as the three main forms of gaming today.
Think about it, they're right- solo game Vs multiplayer Vs online game.
One genre wins, hands down, and that's solo gaming. Quite simply because
You're always going to want a solo experience for days on your tod. Slightly
behind this is splitscreen multiplayer gaming, having been evolved and
nurtured from the days of gauntlet, through both forms of Mario kart,
Goldeneye, and probably to it's current peak with the imminent release of
Timesplitters 2 for PS2. No doubt it is this form of play, which is most
sociable and fun, but ultimately without the gratification of a plot being
uncovered, as in any solo game. Victory over bitter rivals comes as little
solace when they win the title and you fail miserably.
However, sometimes this victory can be built on, and it is in the third form
of video gaming where this sporting analogy finds fruit.
Unlike solo and splitscreen play, online gaming is still a relatively new
concept to the video games market. Sure, they've existed in many forms over
the past decade, but it has only been over the last five years or so that
they have achieved the significant level of sophistication that is required
to label them as FUN.
And even newer to online gaming is the console market. The Dreamcast was the
first online-ready console on the market, and though considered a failure by
some, has no doubt paved the way for a console internet gaming revolution.
Got a PC? don't want a console? tough luck. Console's run optimized games at
optimized speeds, and a net-ready console with specifically designed online
software will be the future of online gaming.
But wait a minute, I'm getting way ahead of myself here. I mean, what makes
a console? "and our survey says...." the games, you nitwit.
That's right, a console is nothing without great games. So what bodes for
the future of Online gaming? To answer this, I've taken a look at today's
current crop of top online titles, and created a few of my own opinions
aswell. Remember, this is all they are; OPINIONS. You agree, disagree, want
to voice your own, then click the link at the bottom of the page, or email
me at the address above.
Probably the most widely played online gaming genre is the first person
shooter. You know the sort; Quake 3, Unreal tournament- ever played DOOM
over a Local Area Network? Magic! However, the FPS doesn't seem to have
evolved a great deal from its quake beginnings- Counterstrike, when you get
down to it, is merely a team based FPS. same game mechanics, shoot the
enemy, highest kill count wins. This seems to make FPS's an easy choice for
net play, without to much innovation. The same can be said of racing games,
but perhaps with a little more originality, as the gambling function in
Dreamcast Speed Devils Online shows.
Sports games too, show little innovative use of online capabilities, with
human players on the net simply replacing normally computer controlled
players. Certain titles that spring to mind are NBA2K and NFL2K. However,
expect this to change with the mainstreaming of broadband access allowing
for organized online leagues to be set up and run efficiently. I wait the
day with bated breath, when I can cream my friend from across the pond at an
ISS game.
However, good as these games are, they still lack something- that
sophistication and player interaction offered by both solo and splitscreen
gaming. And it is here that the Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game
(MMORPG) has the market cornered.
Diablo. Everquest and Ultima all offer different takes on the online RPG
theme. Not being a pc gamer, I'm unable to draw a conclusion on which is
better. I can however, comment on Phantasy Star Online- which, with the
forthcoming v2 update, seems to have carved a niche of it's own. And little
wonder really; a fun, pick up 'n' play game dynamic, mixed with player
interaction, character building and even a story to unfold (though somewhat
limited as it is). The update will also add a battle mode and extra
customization options, resulting in pretty much the complete PSO experience.
But that's also a problem. Y'see, while PSO v2.0 will keep PSO fans happy,
it will do little to quench the thirst of those awaiting the ultimate
MMORPG, one that is progressive, in a progressive online world, with full
character interaction and an ongoing plot.
And therein lies the ultimate problem with MMORPG's, and online gaming in
general. How do you create a ongoing plot in an online game? after all,
every story has a beginning, middle, and an end, but an en is not conclusive
with a progressive online world. Most soaps use change of characters and
scene to further plot, but in the soap opera of video game development, the
cost of plot writing and server maintenance would be phenomenal. In essence,
with a plot you keep complete control, but in any MMORPG you must promote
interactivity, which encourages giving control away.
There are a few suggestions about ways to get around this. One is that
Missions are used to form the bulk of the game, with limited online
interaction. Another is that the same plot is used throughout the game.
Phantasy Star Online uses the latter, with a smattering of missions that
seem to be unrelated to the (admittedly weak) main narrative of the game,
and serve only to confuse. If anyone can figure out a way to tell an
engrossing story in an online world, they'll be very rich- and as far as
this goes, there seems to be one shining light in the distance.
Final Fantasy, the biggest RPG series of the last five years. Developers
Square have already announce that the eleventh chapter will be completely
online. How will this work? hmmm, they're not really saying very much, but
let's speculate shall we?
Having played final Fantasy 7, I can see how something of this plot depth
could work. In FF7 you play Cloud, a mercenary for hire. Throughout the game
you're constantly faced with choices of where to go and what to do. By
taking this online it would allow for people at similar points in one HUGE
plot to help each other through the adventure. Admittedly, this wouldn't
make for a progressive online world, but compromises have to be made between
interaction and narrative. As a game concept, it's a start.
And obviously, there's more than just MMORPG's to consider. Capcom have
already stated their intentions to take the Resident Evil series online, and
funnily enough, I've got an idea how that could work too.
The main dynamic of Resi is to survive and escape. this could be utilized
online, while retaining many of the puzzle solving elements idiosyncratic to
the series. "how?" I hear you cry- well it's simple, the game generates a
map, in which there are 4 keys, 4 players, and 1 exit. The players solve the
puzzles to get the keys, and the first one to get all of 'em gets out and
wins. If someone already has a key, they can be hunted down and killed by
the other players, where that key can then be taken from them.
Other possibilities include a co operative mode where two players battle
with the monsters online, n a shoot the most zombies mode, in which the
highest score is rewardable with a weapon prize. This could also be a
downloadable mode, in which you're best times can be uploaded onto the net.
"wow, some good ideas there ICE" aww, gee, shucks. But I haven't forgotten
games like Command and Conquer, Tribes or Age of Empires. Strategy games
such as these will take on a whole new meaning when broadband gaming becomes
established- then we can expect ongoing wars in a progressive world, with
bots controlling your base when your offline.
But doesn't all this "progressive world" talk defy the point of video games
as an escape from real life? After all, with creating a world inside a
computer, within which you play yourself, you are in essence just making an
alternate reality for yourself. A virtual reality, in which you can do pretty
much anything you want. You are the superhero, or the army general- or, in the
case of Black and White, a hand controlling a giant cow.
My answer to this, would be that the virtual world within any online game is
no more believable than one within solo or splitscreen gaming. There will
always be room for all three, but over the next few years you can expect to
see Online games grow and evolve to catch up with, and match anything in the
singleplayer or splitscreen gaming fields, but with enough variety to allow a
balanced game collection. After all, variety is the spice of life, and much
of that variety will depend on which consoles it appears on, and which
companies tend to stifle which variety of games. However, That's another ICE
Box.
Don't take my words as gospel, they are just opinions- and I wanna hear
YOURS via email or by posting using the link below. " I still got a whole
lotta growin up to do, I still gotta whole lotta throwin up t spew" but
whatever my next online game, I'll follow one guideline: "Don't Hate The
Player, Hate The Game."
BloKe's Editorial...
The reason Online Gaming is so big on the PC is that the user has COMPLETE CONTROL, Editors are released, new worlds are created. when a game is developed for the PC the team will ask the people who use the game what they want to see, then when they release the game they leave it in the hands of the users to run as they please. Individual servers are set up so that people can play by their own rules.. this is something that hasn't happened on the dreamcast but... with the advent of broadband connectivity and Hard Drives it could be a console reality.. that is what you want.. isn't it ICE, but wait which future console will be best placed to take advantage of this?? Thats right, its Big, its Black and its got a big green X on the top!!!
Oh and the RESI thing, I don't think you would kill each other, I think it would work the way it already does but with the NPC characters being controlled by other people.. you would all be different characters with different stories, e.g. Claire, Leon etc.. the stories would run concurrently and you would meet to do things together and contact each other for help via radio, you could put a call out to anyone in the area and form alliances etc...
And ONLINE, 22 player ISS would Kick ASS, but I'm looking forward to ONLINE Tony Hawk 3!!!
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