They're removing dedicated server support for Modern Warefare 2. Instead, they're making everybody reliant on their IW.net system where it's essentially P2P matchmaking that you'll find on the console versions.

But no dedicated servers, thats straight console bullshit.

DS?

Dedicated Servers.

I canceled my pc preorder. No dedicated servers, no buy. I play on 3 main CoD4 servers and thats it because of *gasp* the community there.

Exactly. The dedicated servers aren't only about the lag. They're also about the communities built around those servers, mods, options, customization, admins being able to ban cheaters/idiots, and just play the way you want. All of that will be lost in MW2.

This is based upon Activision seeing the console market model superior for revenues than the PC market.  By doing this, they look to crack down on pirated copies of the game, and oversee everything gameplay wise, and can then be able to run advertising also in the place where gamers log in, and get more revenue.  It breaths some life out of the community, but that is replaced by more money.  Did you think that top game titles wouldn't go this way?   Or are you still telling yourself that PC titles outsell console titles by a wide margin?

Anyhow, company run servers happen to also force the players to meet each other online, and does help foster the generating of community.

Counter-Strike has ads yet it uses dedicated servers. Another example is Killing Floor. There's a free weekend for it on Steam and I saw that they have ads (video too).

You can meet people on dedicated servers too and I'd rather have servers that I often visit vs matchmaking to meet people. I don't want my friends list filled with crap. It's already annoying enough on PSN to get friend invitations from people that I might have played one match with, especially when it's a blank invitation. Nor do I want to have to rely on that list to play with people when I could have simply joined a server I often play in and played with the other regulars.

To be quite honest, I don't think many people were expecting it to go this way. Consoles might have become more popular than PC games, but dedicated servers are like a standard for many PC games. Obviously with the response, this was a very sudden bomb that was dropped on the PC community especially when everybody was preparing to migrate from COD4 to Modern Warfare 2 including clans and the people who would mod/create maps/get dedicated servers.

I think it's great. As a CoD4 player, online, I wasn't able to connect with a vast majority of the community. Anywhere I would go, there would either be an overbearing host, cheating, racism without punishment, a clan beatdown, and huge skill disparities between my teammates and the people I play against. This basically holds the player experience above modders experiences and cheaters experience. It holds the community together, and disparages elitist attitudes and absolute unfair user control. It also moves the PC and its biggest games, more towards a uniform console type system where all players have equal rights and privileges, and rules and limits.

If you don't like it, tough. Console sales make this game exist in its current form, not PC sales. You can buy it or skip it. I think CoD4 was one of the most pirated games of all time, if I recall. I find that much more abhorrent than such a minor issue as lack of DSS.

As for the preorders, they are huge on consoles, and that's what matters to the developers. Do you think that's not true?

This way, MW2 will have a more casual appeal even on PC, and might actually draw new fans in, not the same old stagnant elitist PC fans. In 5 years, MW2 will still be accessible to new gamers on PC. It wouldn't be, without this move.

This is the direction the industry is moving, btw. PC fans have no voice. Money talks. Piracy doesn't. With the glee over the DRM experiment failing, wouldn't it have been nice if that experiment succeeded instead? Maybe it would have allowed the games to sell better, and publishers wouldn't be laughing in the face of your "free gaming" mantra. Did you think that the DRM experiment would end the war? Why didn't you expect them just to try something more drastic? This is a real game. This isn't some independent developer trying to make a name for himself amongst PC pirates, so he can get paid to develop a console game in the future. This is the top dog here. They aren't playing around with you, they don't need to. They do not need your support.

You're going to buy this anyway. Or pirate it. This move will have no effect on that decision for most gamers. It won't hurt Activision financially, it will help the game for casual PC gamers, and Activision will have stood major ground in an effort to wrangle in the free wheeling come-what-may PC community.

If they cave, I'll be dissapointed.

So, Zen.

Are you saying that "wrangl[ing] in the free wheeling come-what-may PC community" is a good thing? Which is to say, you think that it's better for the PC user to have less control over their experience?