Most of you people assume that a pirated game is equal to a lost sale, which is incorrect.

You dont know if a pirate will actually purchase a game, on the other end though, a person is willing to buy a used video game, but that money doesnt go to the developers or the publishers, which just hurts the industry.

IMO, the used game market is much worse than piracy (For Consoles at least, PC is a whole different world)

"This is an action role-playing game, set in a post-apocalyptic Mojave Desert, in which players assume the role of a survivor hero who investigates a mystery and performs a series of quests. Missions allow players to explore the Mojave Desert, surrounding casinos, and abandoned facilities; other quests involve combat with human and mutant survivors. Players use chainsaws, laser rifles, knives, and sledgehammers to kill enemies. Fighting can be frenetic and intense, highlighted by various camera effects (e.g., slow motion, blurring, screen shakes) and depictions of dismemberment, blood spray, and blood trails. In one sequence, players can choose to activate a collar bomb around a slave-woman's neck, resulting in depictions of blood and gore. During the course of the game, players will encounter male and female prostitutes: the screen fades to black as suggestive dialogue is heard in the background (e.g., 'Nice charlies, too! Give them a shake for the Ben-man, will ya?'); there is also an extended sequence suggesting (no depiction) sexual activity with a robot (e.g., 'Fisto reporting for duty . . . Please assume the position,' 'I suppose I should test you out . . . Servos active!' and 'Something wrong with someone if they got to f**k a machine.'). The storyline sometimes references a fictional drug called 'chems,' as well as 'Day Trippers,' 'cracked out junkies,' and 'degenerate, drug-addicted killers.' Players' Character can be seen consuming the drugs, which sometimes leads to a screen-blurring effect."

LOL

[QUOTE="king_bobo"]Ones a content-based subscription, the other is service-based - they are hardly even comparable. Standard PSN vs XBL is a fairer comparison, as they are both service-based...Respawn-d

http://multiplayer4developers.webgain.se/information/index.xhtm

I Agree 100% with this article.

"Step 1.

Host option

This is one of the most important component for a successful multiplayer experiences.

Anyone that wishes to host a mp game would want alot of different options to choose from, we all like different stuff so it's necessary that we get to set up our host they way we like it.

ALWAYS include:

Hardcore mode

Pistols only

Snipers only

No respawn

Team respawn

Number of respawns (eg. 3,4,5 and so on)

No hud

Slower game****(eg. movement)

Faster game****(eg. movement)

And so on... better to have too many options, than too few.

Step 2.

Customizing

Alot of us want to customize our weapons loadout or our character, we are individuals and want to be unique, therefore it's much more fun to create a character the way we like. The best thing to do from a developers view is to include 5-8 different gears to choose from, 5-8 helmest. 5-8 faces, 5-8 jackets, 5-8 armors and so on, ofcourse they need to be somewhat similiar to the faction your playing. A bad example of character customizing is the gameRainbow six: Vegas 2where the developers allowed the player to use all kinds of camo's, helmets, vests and what not. So in a mp game you had pink, yellow, snow and glowing green guys running around on your own team. This is not the way to go.

A good example are games like Socom: Confrontation, MAG and Modern warfare 1&2, these games allow the player to customize their weapon loadout the way they prefer it, aswell as their character, the differances are small and will in no way harm the team work, basically we all look the same but with little differances like a black helmet and a green ammobelt or a light armorvest instead of a heavy, a hood and skimask or helmet and goggles and so on.

Step 3.

Co-op

Co-op of some kind should be in ALL games that has an online option, everyone loves to share their experience with friends.

You don't necessary have to make the whole singleplayer campaign in co-op, specific maps will work just fun and make the consumer more than happy. It can be anything from Horde mode (Gears of war) where you and 3 friends defend a fortress against raging attackers, to objectived based co-op (Resistance 2) where you and your friends have to complete different objectives on a larger map.

Offline co-op is an option alot of gamers wish for, this is something you as a developer should have in mind in order to sell even more copies of your product.

Step 4.

Custom controls

This is something that PC players have had the pleasure of since the dawn of time, re-binding thier buttons to thier taste, why do we console players miss out of the luxury? How hard can it be for a developer to allow the consumer to setup the controlls the way they prefer? Everything would have been so much easier for us, usually a gamer owns more than one game in the same genre, this means adapting to the different controlscheme everytime he switch to another game.

Why not allow us, the player to set it up the way we like it? Imagine having all FPS games setup the same... a dream come true.R2/L2 buttons on a PS3 controller is nowhere close to the best option for aim/firelike it is on a Xbox360 controller, 90% of the PS3 owners prefer R1/L1 for aiming and firing their weapon.

Step 5.

Downloadable content (DLC)

Now, this is something relativly new on consoles, a perfect oppertunity for the developer to earn some extra cash. Unfortunally this have been abused by developers/puplishers all over the world.

A perfect example of this isKillzone 2, an awesome game, both singleplayer and multiplayer.. BUTGuerrilla gamestogether withSonydecided that 8 maps for multiplayer out of the box was enough. They later decided to release mappacks with 2 maps at a time, each mappack made you pay around $5 for 2 extra maps, in total they released 3 map packs = 6 maps, which makes it a total of 14 mp maps, if you wanted all 6 maps you had to pay a total of $15, this means that you paid around $75 for a complete game? (Alot more in some countries)

Another (horrible) example isCodemasters Operation flashpoint: Dragon risingwere the developers decided that 4 maps is enough for multiplayer, but not 4 maps for every gametype, nope we devide them into 2 maps for each gametype, this means if you like a specific map, but hate the gametype... your screwed.

Later Codemasters decided to release a DLC with 2 more maps for $4, and they are working on another one.. probably with another 2 maps, this makes it a total of 8 mp maps and the pricetag is $70 for a complete game.

And i'm not even going to mentionsTreyarchand thierCall of duty: World at war... you probably paid close to $100 for a complete game after all those mappacks.

Now, don't get me wrong here dev's, we love to support you. We always want more, but to some extent. I can promise you that you probably can't find a fan of you'r product that isent willing to shell out some hard earned money for a DLC, but in returnwe would like a FREE dlc from time to time.

Remember, PC gamers get everything for free through the huge mod community, plus, the PC game is always $20 cheaper than the console version.

Step 6.

Map editor

This is another vital component that should be added in every multiplayer game. We all love to create stuff and show it off to the rest of the like-minded. We as gamers love to experience stuff together, we love to create maps from our favourite game, upload it online and have an awesome time with the rest of the community.

A perfect example areFar cry 2, a very easy map editor but boy could you make some awesome maps with it, all you needed was some creativity and weeks later we were storming Omaha beach, shooting eachother by the entrance to the Eiffel tower, killing enemies on a golf course and so on.

A map editor is also something that guarantees longlivity of your product, this means that you can take the time you need to build the sequel without 200.000 fans spamming the official forum.

Step 7.

Dedicated servers

You need to show your dedication to your product, this means dedicated servers together with the option to host with your own broadband.

Dedicated servers with pre-set gametypes, map rotation and rules is a must for those ranked matches, but for those that wish to play for fun, either have un-ranked servers or allow the player to host it himself.

Step 8.

Lobbies

Yes, we need a lobby where we can set everything up the way we like it, to talk smack, invite friends, brag and what not.

Every multiplayer game needs lobbies... simple as that.

Step 9.

Clan support

To really boost your game,you need the big boys, namely the competitive gamers.

Clan support should be a rule in all multiplayer games.

With clan support this should be included:

Clantag (a minimum of 3 characters)

Clan invite

Clan messages

Promote clan members

Clan chat

Clan leaderboard

And the ability to challenge another clan

Step 10

Microphone support

How hard can it be to add good mic support, some of the basics, allow players to mute other players (forever and not just in one map/round), allow players to have a private chat within the game eg. a clan chat (a good example isKillzone 2) and last but not least, allow os to mute our self (for those moments when dad calls for you, your wife shouts, your kids start screaming and so on).

Step 11.

Gametypes

Variation is a good thing, too much of it is a bad thing (eg.Modern warfare 2) though, including the same old gametypes is what most developers do these days, sure, it works so if it aint broke, why fix it. But try and think outside the box, DM and TDM and CTF is fun and all, but most of us console players want objective based gametypes, we want smart built maps together with innovation and rich gametypes that makes us come back for more, good examples of this is Killzone 2, MAG and Modern warfare 2, all three have a good variation of gametypes and something new and fresh.

Step 12.

Netcode/Lag

Oboy, this is a hard one. What i cant understand are the developers who test thier mp part in-house, and in-house only and think that it will do. EVERY big mp game need to be tested by gamers globaly, good examples of this is MAG and Call of duty 4 (on Xbox360 though, we all know what happend to us PS3 gamers because we were left out of the beta test), some bad examples areThe Darkness,Riddick: Dark athenaandOperation flashpoint: Dragon rising, who was barely playable online even after more than one patch.

There you have it.. 12 simple steps to become the best multiplayer gamedeveloper on the market.

Here's alittle hint:

Before you start on your multiplayer part, try playing some of those "other similar games" out on the market, to see whats a good thing to do, and whats not.

And remember, the best person to ask for good advices... is the consumer of your products.

By bent toe (a.k.a bent.toe a.k.a benttoe a.k.a bent_toe)"

PSN Is Free - Free Online Play

XBL Silver is free - No Free Online Play

XBL GOLD is $50/year - Pay for Online

PSN+ is $50/year - Pay For Services

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=27346747&page=1

Now Seriously, i know that Xbox 360 Portal 2 will never get community maps available for download, but I PRAY TO GOD, i hope Portal 2 on the PS3 will get somewhat of a system like LittleBigPlanet where you can make maps and download maps with the community.

Everything about Valves actions, Gabe Newells comments and general hearsay support your well thought out argumentdesigner-

Thats the point of the "twist" :D

Im Calling it, Portal 2 will be announced at the Sony conference.

What a twist that would be