Brink on PC to Support Dedicated Servers

Despite a heavy theme of "platform parity" during their E3 2009 presentation of the game, Splash Damage have confirmed that -- unlike the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions -- the PC version of their upcoming First Person Shooter Brink will still utilise a dedicated server system for online multiplayer.

[TheIneffableBob]

Pretty much every western multiplayer PC game uses dedicated servers. (The majority of Asian non-MMO games tend to use P2P). It'd be weird if Brink didn't use dedicated servers as well.

[free2game365]

a big trend today is not support a PC version of a game at all and using clientside hosting for MP like the console versions

[kwicksandz]

I cant think of any recent multiplats where the PC version didnt support dedicated servers.

L4D PC has the option of P2P but will search for a dedicated first.

[free2game365]

Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway and FEAR 2 are recent examples

[Serg]

Why not use dedicated servers on the PS3 as well? AFAIK Sony allows dedicated servers, Microsoft doesn't.

[hmmmm]

There are dedicated servers for some games on xbox live too. Farcry 2(while not very often) has games running on dedicated servers and L4D has every game running on dedicated servers as the lobby system states 'searching for dedicated server' everytime you start a game through xbox live. However for most people who play L4D on 360 and don't live in the US, the dedicated server model is not ideal because if i want to play co-op with my neighbour it will run through a dedicated server in the US(most of the time) and there will be lag.

[Mo0eY]

@2.2

Those servers are provided by the game developers not Microsoft.

Quote: "Without a doubt the biggest news is that Valve will be running dedicated servers on Microsoft's Live online service."
Reference: http://www.1up.com/do/newsS...

Do you think Microsoft would provide dedicated servers for third party games? The only franchises they MIGHT provide servers for would be Halo and Gears of War (unlikely).

[hmmmm]

I never said they were provided by Microsoft...i was just letting serg know that Microsoft obviously do allow dedicated servers on xbox live as they are currently in use with some games.

[Kushan]

Indeed, I'd love to know where people got this idea of Microsoft not allowing dedicated servers. I guess it came from the logic of "If Sony lets people do it, Microsoft probably doesn't".
There's also a façade that Dedicated Servers are ALWAYS better, but as the above poster points out, if you don't live near the server, it can actually be worse. Both P2P hosting and dedicated servers have their own pros and cons.

[MiloGarret]

Actually... MS does offer dedicated servers to anyone willing to pay a certain price. Look it up.

[Serg]

Well if I recall correctly UT3 runs on dedicated servers on PSN while is it P2P on Live. Also Halo 3 runs on P2P, might have changed, I'm not that up to date on this. I also could be mistaken about this but I think I heard Call of Duty 4 is also P2P on Live while it runs on dedicated servers on PSN.

@Kushan: Why do you bring Sony into this? Is it Sonys fault XBLA games have a size limitation? Is it Sonys fault that Epic negotiated with Microsoft in order to allow mods on Live and Microsoft couldn't stand user generated content?

Over a year ago when all those PSN vs. Live articles were flying around, the majority of them stated dedicated servers as a plus for PSN, also saying Live doesn't offer any. As hmmmm stated that has changed, that's why I said "AFAIK", look it up...

P2P has it's benefits, but they aren't worth mentioning. A large downpoint beeing not everybody has a great connection, the more players join the more lag you will experience. Also games that run on dedicated servers only, have a major advantage. No processing power is wasted on hosting the match clientside, meaning the multiplayer match size can go higher because all the calculations are done on a seperate server, not on the clients machine. Also the overall lag is lower on dedicated servers.

[Kushan]

I didn't bring sony into it, Serg, you did, with your opening statement. I meerely stated that both Sony and Microsoft allow dedicated servers. Then you went on some fanboy-fuelled (and very misinformed) rant about XBLA games and user generated content.

[hmmmm]

"P2P has it's benefits, but they aren't worth mentioning." - serg

Personally as an aussie gamer, i get much better connections in general when playing a game using P2P like Halo 3 as it has very good matchmaking that joins matches closest to my location(other aussies). When compared to L4D which only has servers in the US which you are forced to play through, P2P comes out on top(most of the time, although i swear COD4 has no location based matchmaking as it has a bad connection fairly often...)

[mcgrawgamer]

I just read his comment and I didn't see where he directed any comment at you. He was basically speaking the truth; when the 360 vs ps3 debate really took off many uninformed sony fanboys were of the belief that NO games on xbl ran off dedicated servers while ALL ps3 games with multiplayer ran on dedicated servers. A huge misconception that many in fact still believe today. and as far as bringing sony into this he was just stating that many believed if sony allowed dedicated servers big bad microsoft did not. he basically gave a summarization of what I explained earlier in this post.