[bf1942] Anyone have a popular non-ranked server?

[Mike Swain]

I don't think you will find a multinational corporation which 
plays fair and act's to promote competition for itself. It's the governments
job to provide for a free and fair market so the smaller companies have a
chance and prices are kept competitive. However, the current government 
(at least in the US) does not go out of its way to limit the power and influence 
a large multinational corporation has over its own market (i.e. artificially inflated 
cost of energy via Enron).
In the case of game hosting, its not really an industry "in and of itself" as is 
the case with hardware manufacturers. Game hosting companies rely on the 
game makers to allow for its existence. The only thing game hosting companies 
can do is to try and influence the game makers and the only way that is going to 
happen is to act in unison.  

>>> ScratchMonkey<ScratchMonkey at MatureAsskickers.net> 8/23/2005 11:41:00 AM >>>
--On Tuesday, August 23, 2005 11:08 AM -0500 Mike Swain 
<mjswain at charter.net> wrote:

> My biggest concern is that other game companies will start moving in this
> direction if  they see EA having success which could be the beginning of
> the end for all you game hosting companies  :(
>
> Those of you who are now participating in EA's ranked server program may
> be reaping  some short term benefits but I think you are failing to see
> the bigger picture.

An interesting parallel to Microsoft's relationship to hardware vendors. MS 
has long had an agreement that's essentially "if you want our OS to run on 
your hardware, you have to exclude our competitors". I wonder how long it 
will be before we see something like that come out of EA?