Team Fortress will not have cross-platform play, but Valve plays it that way
by Ross Miller 
{ Jun 19th 2007 at 5:55PM }
Shacknews has a rather exhaustive preview of Valve's Team Fortress 2, coming to PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as part of the Half-Life 2: Orange Box collection (also available via Steam, natch). One interesting note at the end of the article states that the Valve offices, who are working on the Xbox 360 and PC versions (PS3 version is being done by EA UK), "regularly play cross-platform multiplayer games." However, the studio's Doug Lombardi said that the final game will not have cross-platform because it "introduces more problems than it is worth." He continued to say that if Valve were to implement cross-platform that it would be part of the initial game design.
Orange Box, which includes Half-Life 2, Episode One, Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2, is due out October 9.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ken @ Jun 19th 2007 6:02PM
"introduces more problems than it is worth."
Can also be read as:
"consolers would get pwned hardcore by PC gamers because the keyboard/mouse setup is a lot more accurate than a controller will ever be."
jay @ Jun 19th 2007 6:12PM
Too true, Ken.
I suspect there might also be problems with user created maps, mods and such.
Ken Is DUMB @ Jun 19th 2007 6:19PM
Can also read as:
Ken is DUMB! So it wont work!
Matt B @ Jun 19th 2007 6:24PM
You are right Ken. I would "pwn" the consolers from my PC.
Smoke_Dawg_187 @ Jun 19th 2007 6:24PM
I'm definately going to get this for my Xbox 360, although I did buy Half-Life 2 when it became backwards compatible, I'm still going to get this. I can't wait to see what kind of graphic bump it got from the original Xbox version.
Seroth @ Jun 19th 2007 6:24PM
Microsoft should just allow us to use keyboards and mice in games already...
Ken @ Jun 19th 2007 6:30PM
PC Gamers > Consolers
That's why.
:D @ Jun 19th 2007 6:35PM
Any which way, this game will still be amazing.
Gamer XoverY @ Jun 19th 2007 6:44PM
Its a damm shame....When is their going to be true Multiplatform online gaming..2009 or 2010.
@Ken
Console onwers would get pwnd and reowned and then repoed....but still lets give them a fricken chance to get wasted first.
@Jay
Yeah that would be a problem...but hacking on halo 2 just proves that their are cheaters willing to do anything no matter what type of system some thing is run on...
@Everybody else about to post....I hope Elder Scrolls 5 is MMO-Multiplatform in the future (just wishing I guess).
Triforceowner @ Jun 19th 2007 7:00PM
Ken... I can own too many people in Halo PC. When I played Halo 2 on Xbox 360... well I got owned. Thus proving PC Gamers aren't always better than consolers.
copa @ Jun 19th 2007 7:02PM
The real problem with cross platform is it requires you to lock into Live Anywhere for Windows. Now, suddenly you can only provide matchmaking and cross-platform support to Vista owners that have a Gold subscription.
It's a non-starter.
Frank East @ Jun 19th 2007 7:10PM
pros of 360
-orange box with HD goodness
-no shitty user created mods,plugins ect
cheaters are very rare-(personal) prefere 360 controller, not as accurate though
-NO STEAM !!!!
-NO GOD DAMN STEAM !!!!
-splitscreen?
-0 bugs or hardware problems
-rumble yeah !
cons of 360
-Paying £40 to play online when PC/ps3 gets it free!
-no dedicated servers, only user created.
-no 'good' server plugins (ban ftw)
-360 cooling fan
-12 year old kids (ruined GoW for me)
-unrealiable hardware (rings of death ftl)
-20gb hard drive?
Jake @ Jun 19th 2007 7:11PM
It wouldn't be fair for a game built for kb/m twitch aiming to be played against someone using a controller, unless certain measures were taken. It is best to keep them separate. I don't even like playing those kinds of games on console. I'd much rather play a more tactical shooter on a console than PC, though, for some damn reason.
But seriously, why not have kb/m support for all of these PC shooter ports that the 360, and PS3 for that matter, are getting? Games built for kb/m just don't play right when they are ported to analog.
SeriousSean @ Jun 19th 2007 7:29PM
Too bad Valve isn't going cross platform with PC and PS3. It would so be so nice to see all the 360 tards whom love paying for peer to peer gaming get the shaft.
AndrewNeo @ Jun 19th 2007 7:37PM
I wonder if they did it that way because on the Xbox, multiplayer is going to be handled by Live, and they would have had to implement Live for Windows in their games to do cross platform..
Otis Whitaker @ Jun 19th 2007 7:38PM
I'm getting sick of developers not using this, and stupid selfish fanboys defending and agreeing with them. You know what? I hate you all.
Don't any of you fucking game for fun at all? AT FUCKING ALL?
I have some buddies that don't game on consoles, but game on PCs, and I want to fucking play games with them online, but I can't, due to this competitive cock pradling attitude by some of you assholes, and some of these developers.
What's wrong with a disclaimer saying that using a controller would put you at a disadvantage, and having Console only, PC only, and Mixed servers optional? Problems solved. But no. That's too much effort, and god forbid the idea of playing just to have fun enter into the mindset of you competitive minded jerks.
Giolon @ Jun 19th 2007 8:11PM
I'd be willing to wager the reason that they're not doing cross platform is because they'd be forced to integrate the game into MS's Games for Window's Live service. Now that's a hassle...
J.Goodwin @ Jun 19th 2007 8:26PM
The problem it introduces is that since 360 would be hooked to live, they would have to use live on windows PCs, which they have already ranted about, so they won't do it.
It's not a "problem" except that they don't like GFW Live.
Otis Whitaker @ Jun 19th 2007 8:30PM
Moreover, the games would have to be Vista exclusive also, wouldn't they?
SeriousSean @ Jun 19th 2007 8:42PM
Ofcourse they did it to avoid Live Anywhere. Microshaft still hasn't budged for 360 gamers and given everyone access to peer to peer gaming and it's obvious they just want to back door everyone with live anywhere. As soon they get a large amount of devs stuffing that trash in their games then they'll start squeezing in the charges. They should stick with advancing DirectX and that's it.
They're just turning it into a uninformed rich kid paradise where everyone throws their money away. Then they try to say it's giving gamers choice. What kind of choice is it to either allow yourself to be taken advantage of or go without? God I hope they burn!
They must really think most 360 gamers are totally retarded. How long before you Xbots wake up? How many times do you have to be kicked in the balls before you stand up for yourselves?
Shon S. @ Jun 19th 2007 8:50PM
That's funny, it comes out on my birthday,which is the same as john lennon's if he were alive, i'm sure none of you care. I wish it did have cross platform because I would have wanted to see the look on the pc gamers face when I pwn him on my ps3.
TiaMaster @ Jun 19th 2007 9:44PM
Its a shame that everyone so far is apparently completely oblivious to the fact that Shadowrun is cross-platform - allowing me to "pwn" (god I hate using little nerd terms) PC users regularly.
Spiza @ Jun 19th 2007 10:13PM
no serious PC gamers are probably playing shadowrun. Yes, people can still suck with keyboard mouse.
O_o @ Jun 19th 2007 10:38PM
Ah Shadowrun. Does anyone even play that game on PC? The game tries to balance the difference in controls by adding forced auto aim.
Not only does that help the console controllers with easier aiming but also render the PC version with awkward controls to the point that it is really not playable.
2ez @ Jun 20th 2007 2:18AM
Yep, Shadowrun is absolute gimped shit on the PC. Game developers honestly do not know how to make good, competitive games anymore... its a shame, really.
All these games cater to the console players who think that they're "extreme" and "hardcore" with their 360s, but in the end they're all twiddling their thumbs with their huge ass hit boxes and autoaim. Yeah, hardcore to the max.
Grey Fox @ Jun 20th 2007 4:18AM
Still mad about no Black Box.
kabes @ Jun 20th 2007 8:13AM
PS3 version outsourced....obviously won't compare to the originals that Valve is doing for 360 and PC.
mastafool @ Jun 20th 2007 9:09AM
" PS3 version outsourced....obviously won't compare to the originals that Valve is doing for 360 and PC."
Not just outsourced, but outsourced to EA.
Yuck!
DrXym @ Jun 20th 2007 11:58AM
People wondering about the outsourcing should consider this - The Source engine has been written exclusively by Valve for DirectX. All the bitching from Valve about the PS3 probably stem from their own shortsightedness in coding a game engine to DirectX in the first place. So they outsource it to EA to port Source to the PS3. EA are old-hands at producing cross-platform engines, so perhaps this is why they outsourced.
The following is speculation but sounds reasonable. Maybe the deal is that EA ports the engine for Valve, keeps the revenue from the PS3 version, plus gets a cheap / free license to use Source in their own titles. It remains to be seen if the PS3 version sucks or not of course but it would make sense if this is what was happening.