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The Thrill Is Gone But We Are Not
written by ibleedv20
http://www.omnilinkit.com

That's B.B.King The Thrill is Gone

King's 1970 cover of "The Thrill is Gone" became his biggest hit and just as King used

his unique vibrato style to place his stamp on the piece the CODPC Communuty has made it's

mark by standing fast and united in it's refusal to accept the MW2 release and it's lack of

dedicated servers support.

I think it is safe to say at this point That with the community petition standing near

150,000 and IW's clear statements describing our community as an impediment to their

PC market aspirations.....The Thrill is Absolutely Gone.


Like many marital rifts where one party wants to move on to greener pastures,IW clearly

hopes this pasture is paved with gold.Even without the community that steadfastly spent

it's money where it's mouth was.


So what will be the outcome of this seperation?


For the community there doesn't seem to be much in the outcome other than what we already

have.And that is COD4 and CODWAW.Thats 2 completely patched games running strong and steady

with a vibrant mapping and modding community.Hey thats not so bad ! Considering CODWAW is

only 1 yr old and COD4 still draws.

So the question becomes what do we do with what we have if there is no aspect of the IWnet

model for us gravitate to ?


What we need is a renewal of what we have already at least until we reach the point of

incluson with IW or the next game release with Treyarch


And if the competitive community is to be a driving force then there will

have to be a renewal of itself with a focus on accessibility and presentation.With CODWAW

that task could be made somewhat easier and the presentation made more interesting

With the use of CODTV to stream matches.In addition to the live matches replays should be

made available throughout the community.



Competitive gameplay is a subset of the

PC gaming community and it's impact is limited by the lack of multimedia presentation.

Not everyone can be Part of the competitive scene as a player

It is my opinion that without competitive gaming being a spectator sport then this will only

fracture the community further.


And what of the Mappers and modders? Mappers and Modders have the ability to keep the

game fresh for the players .

While modding and the CC can go hand in hand,only a few mods end

up being recognized as premiere mods for competition.

For the more creative mappers and modders out there with creative ideas that even qualify

as gamefeatures your continued map and mod support is a lynchpin in preventing the loss of

game interest




I think it is reasonable to expect some # of traditional COD gamers to move on to

other games or purchase and play MW2 and this fractures the community even further.

So what can be done to help this community stay vibrant and active during a trying time of

transition and adaptation.

1 Clans Communities and news and information sites should continue to invite console gamers onto their sites by keeping open
forums with a willingness to shool the entry gamer.Remember we have the advantage of free play in a challenging economy.

2 The CC must decide to work toward reaching the general gamer.A product not sold is a product not bought.Accesibility means community networking,Multimedia presentation,Education with terminology and competitive strats.

3 CODtv should be supported,used and it's matches recorded for community dissemination.The use of CODtv as a community asset needs to be in place and working before Treyarch's next release.

4 Mappers and Modders must realize that they are needed now more than ever to help keep our games fresh and playable until new games come our way.Whether it be an IW product,Treyarchs next release or a new game embraced by some significant portion of the community.

5 The community needs be be self actualized. we need a clear understanding that a community willing to petition with 150,000 signatures and use it's wallet to make a statement will come of age by surviving into the next game cycle.This community is about to be highlighted in contrast to a new community built around a marketplace,IWnet.Ultimately IWnet will cost the gamer to play.This community is one with some degree of disposable income.It is a proven fact.We rent or purchase servers,maintain webspace,build or upgrade PC's,purchase gaming accessories.Simply by surviving we more desirable

6 We need to continue to use all the latest technology and applications relating to communication.Skype,Twitter,Xfire,TS,Ventrillo,Facebook,Streaming content,Instant Messaging and soon CODtv.These are the tools that bind the community.

7 It's important to know that we are the gaming generation that uses it all and the real bifurcation that IW has mentioned is the one that they want to create between us and the next gamers coming into their marketplace.Their business model is their business.It is our business to sell ourselves as a commodity to be courted instead of pushed aside.Only a community that has matured and is self aware can accomplish this.


On Nov 10 there will be a global server shutdown in protest of the lack of dedicated servers support.Yet on nov 9th we will do what we do best.Prior to the server shut down is community play day .show IW what we do best.We play.

Great post, keep fighting the good fight. I hope you've sent this to the proper email addresses over at ATVI/IW.