Re: Why I'll get a 360 at launch...

Jordan wrote:

>
> Andy Richardson wrote:
> > The capabilities of the hardware in each system are not really that
> > far apart in the grand scheme of things, but the network
> > infrastructure that MS created to support the Xbox is unparalleled
> > on any platform, including the PC.
>
> (Ahem)
>
> http://denvervideogames.tripod.com/gamershowto/id10.html
>
> (This was in 1999 mind you...)
>
> Seganet Review
>
> Online console gaming has truly arrived with the Sega Dreamcast and
> its built in modem. Find out how Sega's ISP SegaNet fares after
> several months of playtesting.
>
> SegaNet is an ISP built from the ground up for gamers. The local
> access numbers are designed to be within one or two hops of
> strategically placed server hubs. One of the 8 main hubs is Denver!
> While there are local servers for NFL2K1, 4x4 Evolution and NBA2K1,
> there are no Denver Quake 3 servers so Q3 has been quite laggy.
>
> --SegaNet is offering a rebate check for $150 plus a free keyboard
> when you sign up for 18 months of ISP service with them. This will
> cover the $149 cost of your Dreamcast, and if you need an ISP or have
> an ISP for your computer, why not replace it with SegaNet for a free
> Dreamcast?
>
> ---So far the games you can play online with your Dreamcast are
> NFL2K1, NBA2K1, Quake 3 Arena, Chu Chu Rocket, Pod Speedzone and 4x4
> Evolution. You can use any ISP with your Dreamcast to play these
> games on the internet, but Sega offers 50 free hours of SegaNet
> gaming with each Dreamcast and I suggest using them. So far reports
> of other ISP's performance seem to be rather poor. Other ISP's may
> not be close to a Sega server at all, and most ISP's give data
> prefernce to e-mail, chats and IM's over game data. With SegaNet,
> fast gaming is the priority.
>
> ---This January, Sega releases their Ethernet adapter which will allow
> Dreamcast owners to use a Broadband connection(DSL, Cable) for games
> on their Dreamcast. Right now, Quake 3 is the only game that supports
> it. Expect to see broadband support for next year's crop of sports
> games.
>
> ---So how do these games fare over a 56k modem? For the most part
> excellent. Both NBA2K1 and NFL2K1 feature easy to read connection
> ratings for each user online. When you enter a room, you can see if
> people's connection to you is either Poor, Fair, Good or Better. This
> will help you weed out potentially laggy games. If you hang out in the
> Denver room, you will find people in the area and usually the
> connections are Great. It is possible to find Great connections as far
> as New York and Miami. Quake 3 allows you to scan each server for ping
> and each client's ping. However, as I mentioned before, Quake 3 has no
> servers in Denver. The closest servers are L.A or Chicago. So far, my
> Quake 3 experience has been terrible, with constant 'Connection
> Interrupted' if I try to play Q3 at anytime during the day. After
> 10p.m or so, it becomes quite lag free and very fast and enjoyable.
>
> ---There are normal dial-up modem problems like disconnects, losing
> contacts with opponents etc.. Sometimes I'll play a friend of mine in
> Boulder and the lag will be atrocious. And as usual, right around
> 6:00pm-9:00p.m. seems to be very laggy, as most people come home from
> work and hit the internet.
>
> -------------THE GAMES-------------
>
> CHU-CHU ROCKET -This is the first game that you could play on SegaNet.
> It is a simple puzzle game played with 4 people. Up to 3 people can go
> on the net and find opponents to play. It is a fun and absorbing
> puzzle game, however the opponent base has dwindled since the arrival
> of the games below.
> --CHU CHU ROCKET online gets a 6.5 out of 10 rating
>
> NFL2K1---This game has provided me with MANY hours of SegaNet
> enjoyment. Nothing is as satisfying as crushing some trash-talker who
> picked the Rams with a well placed fade pass to Joey Galloway. Online
> play is diverse. Expect to have games where people play by the
> rules...expect to have games where your opponent will onside kick
> every time and go for 2 every time. Expect to be quit on if you're
> winning and expect much trash talking from keyboard owning opponents.
> Sometimes the lag will screw you bad. If it's really slow, you won't
> even be able to get a pass off before you're sacked.
> ---NFL2K1 supports up to four players per Dreamcast. You will
> definitely play 1v2 or 1v3 games. Some of these 2-3 player teams have
> devastatingly effective blocking on the tosses, but some of them just
> plain suck. That's the beauty of SegaNet. You never know how good your
> opponent will be.
> ---NFL2K1 on SegaNet gets an 9 out 10---
>
> ---NBA2K1-
> The same makers of NFL2K1 bring you the best basketball game
> ever...and it can be played on the internet. Most players seem to be
> on the East Coast servers. NBA2K1's network interface is the best of
> the bunch. Offline you can set Macros for your keyboard(f1-f12) so
> in-game trash talking is as easy as the press of a button. You can
> also set filters that will Auto-Decline undesirable opponents. The
> filters let you Auto-Decline opponenets with Poor Ratings, No
> Keyboards, or lets you filter the type of gameplay(exhibition or
> street) challenges. This will cut down on the number of times you
> will have to decline an opponent for whatever reason. NBA2K1 supports
> up to 4 players per Dreamcast. ---NBA2K1 gets an 9 out of 10 rating
> online.
>
> ---QUAKE 3 ARENA
> As I mentioned before, QUAKE 3 ARENA has no local servers. This means
> that my connection at anytime before 10pm has been unacceptable,
> riddled with frequent interrupts. In January, the release of the
> ethernet adapter will eliminate all these problems. There are tons of
> opponents to play at any time online. 4 player deathmatch only is
> supported. Quake 3, despite the interruptions, is still fraggin'
> awesome. This is a highly addictive game that every Dreamcast owner
> should buy.
> ---QUAKE 3 ARENA gets a 9 out of 10 rating online.
>
>
> ---4x4 EVOLUTION is an SUV/Big Truck racing game that allows for 4
> player races via SegaNet. In fact, You can race against PC and Mac
> owners of the game too. So far, all of my races have been very lag
> free with my connection rating saying "local", so I'm assuming that
> there are servers in Denver. There are people who race online with
> this game, and then there are races you can enter, where everyone
> ignores the checkpoints and just offroads. This game hasn't received
> as much press as Sega's first party titles but it has a large online
> community and is a total blast.
> ---4x4 EVOLUTION gets an 8 out of 10 rating online.
>
> ---STARLANCER Starlancer is a space combat sim where you are the pilot
> of a heavily armed spacefighter. Offline, Starlancer is reminiscent of
> Colony Wars for the Playstation, where the player is involved in an
> ongoing battle between good and evil. Online, Starlancer is all about
> Deathmatches. Up to 6 people can join a game at a time, and matches
> are easily found and created on Gamespy servers. Ping has been
> excellent, but this game only came out Nov 24th, so there aren't a
> ton of opponents yet.
> ---There are 6 different game types to choose from online : Asteroid
> Arena(standard deathmatch), Tag Bomb, Nuclear Threat, Dark Reign and
> Vampires. Games can be played in standard or team format.
> ---STARLANCER is much more of a niche game but the ability to have 6
> players in a game, and the beautiful graphics elevate it above niche a
> tad. The controls are simple and flying your ship is a breeze. If you
> love space combat games, this is a no brainer.
>
> STARLANCER gets a 6.5 out of 10 rating.
>
>
> ---POD SPEEDZONE Pod Speedzone is a futuristic car racing game with
> combat elements thrown in. 3 Power-ups can be found on the
> tracks-Turbo, Mines(rear) and a Wave(forward)attack. There are 6
> tracks and 8 cars to choose from. The tracks are laden with multiple
> routes and interactive environments(obstacles and creatures that will
> try and stop you). Pod's framerate is a rock solid 60 FPS, even while
> online. POD is still a brand new release the online community needs
> to grow. Unfortunately, even though there's nothing inherently bad
> about POD, it manages to remain stuck in the doldrums of utter
> averege-ness. This averege-ness might assure that Pod's online
> community remains small.
>
> --POD SPEEDZONE ONLINE RACING gets a 6.0 out of 10 rating.
>
>
> --SPEED DEVILS ONLINE RACING
> Speed Devils is the latest racing game to hit SegaNet. It is basically
> a graphically enhanced version of last year's Speed Devils racing
> game. The biggest difference being the online play of the game. In a
> unique twist, all of your car upgrading must be done online. The only
> way to boost your character, cash and car is on the internet. When
> you first log on, you are given $10,000 and 2 cars you can buy with
> that. Then it's off to the races as you attempt to earn more cash to
> purchase upgrades for your car and its parts. If you damage your car
> in the race, you just blow some of your hard earned cash to repair
> the damage, or you will suffer a serious performance hit. As you win
> and upograde your car, it will begin to evolve. More chrome and
> flashy parts like bull-horns will be added, giving your a kick ass
> look. --There are a ton of people online playing Speed Devils and the
> competition is fierce. If you know someone with the game, you might
> want to make your own room and spend time boosting eachother's cash
> and experience points so you can get some of the faster cars in the
> game. There a ton of Clans out there racing and they all have top of
> the line speedsters, so this technique will get you ready to race
> them. --Speed Devils Online does have an offline racing option. You
> can race opn any of the tracks with any car in the game. It's good
> for practice but the true game is meant to be played online. Online
> is whwre you earn the money and experience to advance in the game.
> You can bet other racers for cash or vehicles. There is a track (New
> York) that can only be played online.
> --Speed Devils plays very well online, with little lag, but expect to
> see some warping and lag sometimes. Expect to blow many hours onoine
> with this game making a name for yourself on the circuits.
> --SPEED DEVILS ONLINE gets an 8.0 out of 10 rating
>
>
> ---SEGANET gets a 9.75 out of 10 rating.---
> Never has it been so easy to get a game going against a human
> opponent. The games are highly playable, and it is easy to filter
> out the potentially laggy games. I hate playing console football vs a
> computer, and with SegaNet I will never have to again.
> If you are a gamer and you don't have a Dreamcast to play online with,
> you are a fool.

I GOTTA SAY I FUCKING HATED THE DREAMCAST, BUT THE ONLINE SERVICE THEY
HAD WAS AWESOME.

--

.