[bf1942] OT: NFSHP2

[Ryan C. Gordon]

> Since everything is off topic currently :)  Ryan, has EA mentioned anything
> about porting Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 dedicated server to linux?  I
> wouldn't think there would be a huge need for this, but thought I would ask
> :)

You have to understand the way that EA works. It's big. VERY big. The
people that manage MOH:AA are completely different from the ones that
manage Battlefield 1942, and, while I can't verify this personally, I get
the impression that the two groups haven't even met.

The people that hooked me up with EA to do Battlefield are completely
different than the ones that hooked me up with EA to do MOH:AA. It wasn't
even a recommendation from one department of EA to another.

So the short answer is: no, they haven't mentioned it. The long answer is,
no, they haven't mentioned it, but it's possible that the NFSHP2 group
doesn't see a value in a linux server, and/or hasn't heard of me. I
haven't heard of them, so I guess that's okay.  :)

As for whether there IS a value to a Linux server...it has very little to
do with charity or popularity or technical issues and everything to do
with money. If the availability of public dedicated servers drive retail
sales of the client, you can bet your ass EA will want one. This is
clearly valuable for games like MOH:AA, bf1942, ut2003, etc...I haven't
played a Need for Speed game in years, but it's just two or three friends
racing on a LAN, it's a harder sell. If an ISP can make the argument that
they could put up a bunch of servers and have 1000 clients skate on them
at once, that sounds tastier to a game publisher.

That being said, getting to play with the source to a Need for Speed game
sounds damned tasty to me.  :)

Medal of Honor was ported because Dekard over at GameAdmins.com cold
called me, and 2015 (and later EA) thought it was a good idea. Things do
work like that on occasion, believe it or not. Need for Speed could
possibly work like that too.

--ryan.