Servers for 21 Sierra games shutting down
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Oct 8th 2008 at 10:00PM }
The list is populated by titles that are from a few years back, but there are some goodies on there. No reason was given for the closure, but obviously Activision-Blizzard didn't want to pay the electric bill for them anymore. The full list of titles scheduled for online closure can be found after the break.
[Via Eurogamer]
- Alien vs Predator 2
- Arcanum
- Caesar IV
- Dark Reign 2
- Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom
- Empire Earth
- Empire Earth 2
- Empire Earth: Age of Conquest
- Ground Control
- Ground Control2
- Homeworld
- Homeworld: Cataclysm
- No One Lives Forever 2
- Red Baron
- Sanity
- Star Trek: Armada
- SWAT3: EE
- SWAT3: GOTY
- The Incredible Machine
- Tribes 2
- Vampire
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sigma8 @ Oct 8th 2008 10:08PM
This is pretty bad. Given the reduced number of players/servers for these older games, how much effort could it possibly take to consolidate these master servers onto one machine? I can't imagine it takes much to keep these up.
I guess I can't blame Sierra (since they're defunct) but this is not endearing me to the new owners, especially given that Homeworld and Tribes 2 are top games in my book. I can't speak for all the games in that list, but I've heard great things about the Ground Control series as well.
KeenCommander @ Oct 8th 2008 10:11PM
This is lame, publishers should keep hosting servers as long as someone's playing the game. It's part of what you bought when you spent that $50 - at least if it's an advertised feature.
I guess that's the good thing about XBox Live...
aaron @ Oct 8th 2008 11:02PM
that is crazy about tribes.... hopefully they release the source or something so somebody else could take over.... tribes is one of those games that the community could run.
yojimb0 @ Oct 8th 2008 10:11PM
What!? To my knowledge, tons of people still play and love tribes 2... :'( A sad day, to be sure.
WTangoFoxtrot @ Oct 8th 2008 10:14PM
Homeworld, Star Trek Armada and No one lives forever. wow, i suddenly want to play these games again.
You shall be missed....
Cicadymn @ Oct 8th 2008 10:20PM
I absolutely adored AvP 2 and Tribes 2. I couldn't get enough of those games. I wanted to play them lately, but they wont even let me buy a key for them anymore. Now I see why.
Good days, good games.
Thanatos @ Oct 9th 2008 1:01AM
Me and my friends still play AvP2 at our LANs, Usually half of our total time is spent on Survivor Mode. Such a great game. TAKE NOT GAME DEVELOPERS WE NEED A AVP3!!
Cicadymn @ Oct 9th 2008 1:07AM
When I stopped playing AvP 2 (had to get a new OS install and lost my AvP 2 CD key) my biggest complaint where the abundant hacks. But I would kill for an AvP 3. The choices in predators, aliens, and marines were fun as hell! Not to mention when you found a good server where you started off as a face hugger. Dear lord that was so fun. I have many fond memories, had some guy scream his brains out because as I stalked him with an alien, he new I was there, but he couldn't find me. Turned his flashlight on me just in time to watch me chomp his face off.
Said it scared the bejeesus out of him and I just laaaauuugggghed. I've never had so much fun in online games (except for maybe TF2) as I did with AvP 2 and Tribes 2.
Gogamer had a deal on tribes vengeance for like twelve hours. Right before I bought it, it ended. I was a sad panda. Still don't know how it is. But I doubt it reached the fun that was Tribes 2.
Desi_D @ Oct 8th 2008 11:17PM
I beta tested Homeworld. Ah, the memories. :-(
BigD145 @ Oct 8th 2008 11:25PM
This is exactly why I hate DRM and web based DRM activation schemes. Have I, and others, not said this before? Every company you fawn over will eventually go under or do some weeding of servers and you'll get issues like this. All parts or some of the parts of the games you "own" will eventually be defunct. Look at this and remember.
Tag @ Oct 9th 2008 12:05AM
This has nothing to do with DRM. This is for the games' online servers for multiplayer.
gcountach @ Oct 9th 2008 12:20AM
@Tag: I think he's referring to the fact that activation servers could just close one day on the basis of them not wanting to pay the power bills on them anymore, and suddenly that 50 dollar game you bought goes from working to not working with a flip of a switch.
madphilb @ Oct 9th 2008 12:30AM
May have nothing directly to do with DMR in this case, however, what would happen if Valve either closed it's doors or decided to shut down the servers to Half-Life 2.
All copy protection is crackable, that's the up side... and hopefully it won't take long for the community to develop hacks and work-arounds for the servers to keep some of these titles up and running for the old-school fans.
Thanatos @ Oct 9th 2008 12:57AM
Holy Shit! Homeworld still had servers up!
Metal Geario 360 @ Oct 9th 2008 2:34PM
Aye HomeWorld was great! The music the scaled to size battles, but, i stopped playing that yeaars ago.
I too am surprised that they had servers going.
thiefStolePotion @ Oct 9th 2008 9:42AM
NOO!
anything but homeworld...
why! this has been the worst week ever!
AwesomeTown @ Oct 9th 2008 10:05AM
If a game is still being sold (i.e. not abandonware), then there should be servers. If they are shutting down servers, then it cuts out a major portion of the game, and they should make it available for free. But maybe I'm just crazy.
John @ Oct 9th 2008 8:55PM
Dammit!
Homeworld?! Star Trek Armada!?!?!
They better make us a new Homeworld...
Jakka @ Oct 9th 2008 11:58AM
So they're just master servers? Does that mean that ordinary people can still host their own games?
Kino @ Oct 10th 2008 12:19PM
Aw. I really like AvP2.
StuScotsLazyEye @ Oct 9th 2008 12:53PM
Homeworld 2 and Tribes 2, classics from a better era of gaming.
RIP!
Sean Benton @ Oct 9th 2008 3:01PM
The effects will probably be different depending on the game. If I remember, you have to login to a master server to play Tribes 2, so that one will probably die.
For most of the other games, I assume you will still be able to connect if you know the IP address or use a 3rd party matchmaking service, such as Gamespy.
ben @ Nov 7th 2008 10:51PM
Gosh! I can't believe all the hundreds of people who still played Empire Earth 1:Art of Conquest are going to be without their favorite game. That game was awesome! Sierra you suck!...balls
chad @ Nov 27th 2008 12:29AM
=( ... this makes me sad. I loved playing the original Empire Earth over multiplayer. I just redownloaded the game to my computer to play it again since it's been a couple years since i have, and found this on the internet. I think the older games are sometimes still better than some of the newers PC games. For instince, i still love and play the original Roller Coaster Tycoon. The graphics are still good enough for me! But i guess it was bound to happen, so now i'll just play xbox live more...