Jump to content

PSN rip-off and server location madness (games companies taking advantage of us)


Recommended Posts

Hi folks,

It seems I have passed my course. I expect to get the diploma, then I'll be off to get a job (not a programming one though, I had something else in mind). 

So anyway I just posted on Steam regarding fatal lag problems that I've always experienced (with games in general). Someone told me that you can host Steam yourself so long as you own the game in question. It seems many people host off their personal PC, though it is also possible to get a dedicated server. My worst multiplayer experience was a few years ago on PS4. I played Drive Club which has a challenge feature (do a drift for high points, or get a high average speed, and beat another player's record set that day) sometimes I'd drive toward a challenge, but the challenge data didn't load in time, and I was unable to achieve it. I note that in August of this year Sony decided to raise the price of PSN without adding new servers or any useful feature. It still sucks, but now it costs more. When I used PSN I recall the name "Sony Entertainment Network Europe" so perhaps their servers are in Europe? Sony is happy to tell us the status of their servers, but they say nothing about locations on their network status page.

The only way I will enjoy games is if I fund-raise for servers and host them in New Zealand (forget single player games, how many are there these days? It's all multiplayer now). We should refuse to buy any game or pay for any service unless the companies are transparent about server locations. In addition, users should have full rights to run their own servers for any game, including the ability for a person to run his/her own PSN or Xbox Live server*. Trans-national corporations take money out of countries and do not pay tax, and we receive very little in return.

* in some elitist gaming communities people will say that PC gaming is heaps better anyway and I'm basically an idiot if I buy a console, but that is not a reason to rubbish consoles. It is the servers that bother me. There is really nothing wrong with consoles unless you care about slightly-better graphics.

The way that Microsoft and Sony behave makes me want to either buy a Nintendo Switch, or make my own games for free. I like the idea of managing communities and making games but I dislike the idea of actually working in the games industry, as a job lol. I also hate spending too much time in front of a PC - I'd rather get a basic job and just have tech stuff as a hobby, pay money to useful projects, ya know? :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hahaha I heard that if you get mum-and-dad's credit card you can get some cool cheats in Call Of Duty!

Some companies offer a fair price and a good product/service, sadly not all do this. Certainly not companies with a comfortable presence and guaranteed business (ie. they have you by the balls, so-to-speak!)

Gaming is pretty bad these days. Companies know that their audience is teenagers and guys who live with their parents LMAO. I'm ready to withdraw my money as soon as something annoys me. Best not to spend anything in the first place, at least don't spend so much that you have to keep going like it's gambling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that these monopolies will continue, they will suddenly do something nice to draw people back, if they feel at risk of losing everyone. That's why we must persuade people with principles, not "nice things". 0 A.D. is the type of project that will keep people on Linux. So far, the Linux community is fragmented and so is support. I tried to install a .DEB package to get Steam on Debian, but it was actually an Ubuntu package. I think they also offer RPM for Fedora and a few other distros, but typically only 1-2 distros get support for commercial games. It's better if people make their own.

BTW I'm a huge fan of GOG. I use Steam client but I want to option to avoid it too. Just in case Valve turns evil one day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, jeffnz said:

I think that these monopolies will continue, they will suddenly do something nice to draw people back, if they feel at risk of losing everyone. That's why we must persuade people with principles, not "nice things". 0 A.D. is the type of project that will keep people on Linux. So far, the Linux community is fragmented and so is support. I tried to install a .DEB package to get Steam on Debian, but it was actually an Ubuntu package. I think they also offer RPM for Fedora and a few other distros, but typically only 1-2 distros get support for commercial games. It's better if people make their own.

BTW I'm a huge fan of GOG. I use Steam client but I want to option to avoid it too. Just in case Valve turns evil one day.

They are evil, but try don't  bother his fan base.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...