Video game social networks

[Modded Matt]

Activision's first significant venture into the social network sphere--Call of Duty: Elite--deploys this November alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, it is by no means planned to be the last such endeavor.

Activision's services and ongoing content strategy is and loaded.


"We believe that a 24/7, year-round services strategy that broadens the game experience beyond just playing is going to be a necessity," Activision's digital vice president Jamie Berger said in a new interview with MCV.

"Right now, it's an option, but in three to five years, it won't be. To support a diverse player base, you will have to have a services and ongoing content strategy. I don't see how games are going to manage without that…Elite is about Call of Duty being bigger than ever five years from now and laying the groundwork for that."

Elite will officially launch alongside Modern Warfare 3 on November 8. The service will have free features and a premium component that is priced at $50 a year and comes included with the $100 Hardened edition of the game. Those who subscribe to Elite will gain access to all 20 pieces of downloadable content that will be released for the game--a $60 value.

The movement toward connected gaming is already apparent both with Activision and competing publishers. On top of Elite, it is likely Bungie's first title with Activision will offer a social network, as the company did with the Halo series through Bungie.net.

Outside of Activision, Electronic Arts is cementing a foothold in social networks for its games as well. The publisher is rolling out EA Sports Football Club for FIFA 12 and Battlelog for this October's Battlefield 3, which itself is based on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit's Autolog network.

[Hazer]

Soo.....

Pay for your ISP monthly,

Buy a $60 game....

Pay $120 a year for Live....

And now pay $50 more for this COD Elite....

Just to play online? I'm sorry, can I get a 'WTF?' on up in here?

I wanna play Counterstrike Source now, which is practically for free and much better online FPS.

[PsychoticWolf]

Soo.....

Pay for your ISP monthly,

Buy a $60 game....

Pay $120 a year for Live....

And now pay $50 more for this COD Elite....

Just to play online? I'm sorry, can I get a 'WTF?' on up in here?

I wanna play Counterstrike Source now, which is practically for free and much better online FPS.

"WTF?" Granted. I agree Hazer this is just crazy now.

[frenulem - No.5417]

$120 a year for XBL? it's £45 here

[toadzilla]

Activision's first significant venture into the social network sphere--Call of Duty: Elite--deploys this November alongside Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. However, it is by no means planned to be the last such endeavor.

Activision's services and ongoing content strategy is and loaded.


"We believe that a 24/7, year-round services strategy that broadens the game experience beyond just playing is going to be a necessity," Activision's digital vice president Jamie Berger said in a new interview with MCV.

"Right now, it's an option, but in three to five years, it won't be. To support a diverse player base, you will have to have a services and ongoing content strategy. I don't see how games are going to manage without that…Elite is about Call of Duty being bigger than ever five years from now and laying the groundwork for that."

Elite will officially launch alongside Modern Warfare 3 on November 8. The service will have free features and a premium component that is priced at $50 a year and comes included with the $100 Hardened edition of the game. Those who subscribe to Elite will gain access to all 20 pieces of downloadable content that will be released for the game--a $60 value.

The movement toward connected gaming is already apparent both with Activision and competing publishers. On top of Elite, it is likely Bungie's first title with Activision will offer a social network, as the company did with the Halo series through Bungie.net.

Outside of Activision, Electronic Arts is cementing a foothold in social networks for its games as well. The publisher is rolling out EA Sports Football Club for FIFA 12 and Battlelog for this October's Battlefield 3, which itself is based on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit's Autolog network.

matt you forgot about the  bf3 social site thats free and doesnt require u to pay for it

[PsychoticWolf]

Outside of Activision, Electronic Arts is cementing a foothold in social networks for its games as well. The publisher is rolling out EA Sports Football Club for FIFA 12 and Battlelog for this October's Battlefield 3, which itself is based on Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit's Autolog network.

No Check it out he mentions it Toad. also BF3 SO CAN'T wait!

matt you forgot about the  bf3 social site thats free and doesnt require u to pay for it

[Modded Matt]

The EA games requires an activation code or payment to play online if you purchase the games second hand or rent.

[toadzilla]

The EA games requires an activation code or payment to play online if you purchase the games second hand or rent.

yeah but the social netowkr is free of charge   

[FOOKz™]

LOLOLOLOLOL One more reason why Halo is still my favorite games.

[geraldrubalcava]

i have COD elite(beta) and i have not payed a single dime... dude, its mostly free. unless you want to buy into a competition with prizes then its not. plus

COD mw3 =60 dlls

cod:mw3 Hardened = 100dlls =cod elite free + all map packs...  so for 40 dollars i get to upload videos longer that 30 seconds and get 15*3 and prizzes.... hum seems fare.

And for the free version, its just like a bonus to the regular game

[GhoSt]

People are so quick to shun elite off, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO PLAY ONLINE.
activision's endeavors with elite are overall improving the gaming experience for the free player.
I have a beta account, and everything featured in the beta, that most of the public have seen will be free for ALL players when the app goes live on mw3 release.

If however you enjoy cod, and you know you are going to clock a fair few hours on cod, you can get the premium elite. This premium, contrary to popular belief, does not involve you paying a yearly subscription for access to stats. It gives the more competitive cod fan access to real life prizes in competitions, all the dlc (maps, spec ops missions all which can still be purchased of the marketplace as in previous cod titles), ect.

Sure this is going to make activision money, they are a business and have employees that have families to feed like everyone else.
If you honestly believe this will be detrimental to gaming, after actually understanding what the elite service is, then please post your argument

Btw FOOKz the idea probably spawned from bungie.net, who provided the original xbox online stats service and the charged for the bungie pro which gave more devoted members a few perks.
Also @ toadzilla all the social network stuff in elite, incl. clans is free.

[geraldrubalcava]

yes!!!! lol ive bin playing arround with elite and they also confirmed that for mw3 , you can upload 30 sec  HD videos for free, and if you pay for premium it lifts that cap! lol you can basically get a full game without having a HD PVR. saving you like 150 bucks! lol

and COD elite is pritty sweet! lol. it even calculates how long it will take you to prestige at you current playing rate. the free elite its great as it is. you can even search for people psn or gamertag there and ask them to join clans and stuff. awesome!  heat maps, your custom classes, statues , leader boards, et, all free.

[MeltedCrayons]

People are so quick to shun elite off, YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY TO PLAY ONLINE.
activision's endeavors with elite are overall improving the gaming experience for the free player.
I have a beta account, and everything featured in the beta, that most of the public have seen will be free for ALL players when the app goes live on mw3 release.
....

All I read was, "It's still a waste of money." If that was your point, it was crossed.

yes!!!! lol ive bin playing arround with elite and they also confirmed that for mw3 , you can upload 30 sec  HD videos for free, and if you pay for premium it lifts that cap! lol you can basically get a full game without having a HD PVR. saving you like 150 bucks! lol

and COD elite is pritty sweet! lol. it even calculates how long it will take you to prestige at you current playing rate. the free elite its great as it is. you can even search for people psn or gamertag there and ask them to join clans and stuff. awesome!  heat maps, your custom classes, statues , leader boards, et, all free.

It's also free in your Combat Record. Why would I need to log into a website to see the exact same thing?

[GhoSt]

That was not my point at all, I am truly apologetic if it came off that way, I am not a writer by nature.
I am also not trying to start an argument here, I am just stating the pure facts.

Elite contains far more than a combat record, this threads title will tell you that. I am not going to list them off since if anyone here is still querying elite I would expect they would at least have the common courtesy to find out what it is they are commenting on.  Its up to you weather you want use elite or not. If you think getting more bang for your buck is game breaking then don't buy the game.

I am not trying to take a personal stab at anyone here.
Just trying to get people educated on they things the complain about.

[PsychoticWolf]

I just want to say LOL. First because no one was really trashing or shunning Elite.

[GhoSt]

That is why I stated I wasn't taking a stab at anyone here, I am mostly talking about the general views on elite.
As I said I am not the best writer, I was under the impression shun can mean reject something.   
Btw I replaced trash above as that wasn't a good choice of words.

I am sorry, it just seems that people seem to premise elite on mis-information.

[Hazer]

I just want to say LOL. First because no one was really trashing or shunning Elite.

Actually, I am.

The details of what is free and what is not free appear to be muddled in this post. But that matters not. Your justification arugement is actually the justification on why I bash in the first place. Saying that the purchased versiono f elite saves you money in access to map downloads and other functions is exactly the problem.

I am saying, you should not have to pay a goddam dime after purchasing the game.

Live should be free.
Maps should be free.
Recording and stats should be free.

All of these options existed for every addictive online FPS 10 years ago, and you never had to pay anything more than the game and your ISP. And the connections were much better.

I consider it unnacceptable that to pay anything more than $60 to enjoy a game.




But thats just me.

[PsychoticWolf]

Actually, I am.

The details of what is free and what is not free appear to be muddled in this post. But that matters not. Your justification argument is actually the justification on why I bash in the first place. Saying that the purchased version of elite saves you money in access to map downloads and other functions is exactly the problem.

I am saying, you should not have to pay a goddam dime after purchasing the game.

Live should be free.
Maps should be free.
Recording and stats should be free.

All of these options existed for every addictive online FPS 10 years ago, and you never had to pay anything more than the game and your ISP. And the connections were much better.

I consider it unnacceptable that to pay anything more than $60 to enjoy a game.




But thats just me.

Yeah Totally. I don't believe spending more after I purchase a game, I mean The DLCs are pushing it really. Half of the DLCs should have been included into the game from the start. But I wasn't aruging about anything. I was just saying No one was really Bashing Or talking  . Other than stating their opinion

[Modded Matt]

The details of what is free and what is not free appear to be muddled in this post. But that matters not. Your justification arugement is actually the justification on why I bash in the first place. Saying that the purchased versiono f elite saves you money in access to map downloads and other functions is exactly the problem.

Not only is it muddled in this post, its muddled everywhere. None of you know 100% what will be free and what will not. How many times have we seen Beta's that completely remove or add features after the beta is over before official release. Everyone arguing about what is free and what is not is completely missing the point of the article. the article is merely stating that these companies are making an entrance into the social networking epidemic.

ATM the only official statements that can be made is that there will be a paid service of some kind (Market strategy suggests that there will be a reason to force players to buy into it to enjoy the things they are accustom to (business management 101)

fact: if you dont buy an EA game new, you must pay an additional $10 to play on line..


I am going to open this post back up after the game releases and we will just see what is what. Regardless its BS to have to keep covering these added costs.

[GhoSt]

Everyone arguing about what is free and what is not is completely missing the point of the article. the article is merely stating that these companies are making an entrance into the social networking epidemic.

ATM the only official statements that can be made is that there will be a paid service of some kind (Market strategy suggests that there will be a reason to force players to buy into it to enjoy the things they are accustom to (business management 101)

fact: if you dont buy an EA game new, you must pay an additional $10 to play on line..


I am going to open this post back up after the game releases and we will just see what is what. Regardless its BS to have to keep covering these added costs.

actually the information on what is included and what is premium is right here http://www.callofduty.com/elite/whats-included.html

[Tracey]

I am saying, you should not have to pay a goddam dime after purchasing the game.

Live should be free.
Maps should be free.
Recording and stats should be free.



I consider it unnacceptable that to pay anything more than $60 to enjoy a game.


But thats just me.

Me too! ..I dont mind paying for live since last.fm/espn/cnn news are free with live. Like you said, after $60 I'm done.

 I refuse to buy MW2.5 (aka MW3) and their "elite" crap. IMO this is just MW2 with new maps and we all know(most of us anyways) how much of a piece of s*** that was. I generally keep all of my COD games but my MW2 got ebay-canned 6 months in and I dont miss it one single bit. I honestly think the only way anyone enjoyed that MW2 horsecrap was if you were a glitcher/cheater/camper. F that, get out from behind the freakin bushes people and shoot your d*** gun! lol

[Nevbox]

Activision's services and ongoing content strategy is and bulls**t!

Heard about this a while back it is outrageous!

Oh well I will just stick to BF3

[Tracey]

..thank god some of you are getting BF3, I'm gonna need new friends for it since just about all of mine (including Matt) are gonna fall to the scam of MW2.5 

[MeltedCrayons]

That was not my point at all, I am truly apologetic if it came off that way, I am not a writer by nature.
I am also not trying to start an argument here, I am just stating the pure facts.

Elite contains far more than a combat record, this threads title will tell you that. I am not going to list them off since if anyone here is still querying elite I would expect they would at least have the common courtesy to find out what it is they are commenting on.  Its up to you weather you want use elite or not. If you think getting more bang for your buck is game breaking then don't buy the game.

I am not trying to take a personal stab at anyone here.
Just trying to get people educated on they things the complain about.

We're not arguing. It's a conversation.

Elite Premium comes with these features:

- 20 Pieces of DLC over a 9 month period -- $60 value.
- Access to daily and monthly competitions.
- Able to 'level up' their clan status.
- Expert strategy and tips on guns, perks and maps.
- You get to watch, "Elite-TV".


Yearly Subscription Cost: $49.99
Or, you can purchase 'Hardened Edition' for $100, and it is free.



Anything Activision puts out, is certainly not 'a bang for your buck' (Guitar Hero anyone?). How are you so oblivious to that? -- In order for me to get the 'full expierence' of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, I must pay a bare minimum of $100 for an annual product. 20 Pieces of DLC over a 9 month period, which they have already tallied up to be $60. Implying, the DLC has already been made; so, why is it not already in the game? Quite apparently, as much time has went into this  DLC as they did the entire game.


It is the same as the Combat Record... Why would you need to consistently check your stats, when it can be done in the game to begin with. An app for a phone? Seriously? The next thing you know, they're going to make people buy "unique" killstreaks with Microsoft Points/Playstation Network Cards.


Call of Duty Elite:


Combat Record:


Elite:


Combat Record:




I have more photos, if you somehow still believe they're not one in the same. Call of Duty Elite is just a TAD bit more comprehensive; mostly just a few more small details. It would also be common courtesy to not assume I don't know what I'm talking about.

EDIT: Why can I not put photos into a spoiler tag?

[Modded Matt]

the spoiler tag has issues on this version of the forum software.

[PsychoticWolf]

Me too! ..I dont mind paying for live since last.fm/espn/cnn news are free with live. Like you said, after $60 I'm done.

 I refuse to buy MW2.5 (aka MW3) and their "elite" crap. IMO this is just MW2 with new maps and we all know(most of us anyways) how much of a piece of s*** that was. I generally keep all of my COD games but my MW2 got ebay-canned 6 months in and I dont miss it one single bit. I honestly think the only way anyone enjoyed that MW2 horsecrap was if you were a glitcher/cheater/camper. F that, get out from behind the freakin bushes people and shoot your d*** gun! lol

I enjoyed Playing MW2 more than Black Ops. Black ops was total failure wrapped with the COD name. I never Cheated Glitched or Camped in MW2 If that is how you enjoyed it then that just sucks. cause I had lots of fun in that game Hardcore Mode was awesome I also Loved the Third Person mode in mw2. I was totally disappointed to play black ops. Sure it had balance issues but those were quickly fixed. I Rather play COD4 than Black Cops.






EDIT

I am a Battlefield Gamer anyways. Can't wait for BF3 wooooooooooooooot

[Nevbox]

..thank god some of you are getting BF3, I'm gonna need new friends for it since just about all of mine (including Matt) are gonna fall to the scam of MW2.5 

Yeah not going any were near mw3, already playing the bf3 beta. Really good

[TwisTtheTwiTcH]

Ah! I just seen a magazine for this today at Game Stop.

I just started the BF3 Beta today, and I've gotten back into the swing of normal life.


[spoiler]Oh yeah, I'm back full time now. Surprise?[/spoiler]

-TwisT

[Tracey]

I enjoyed Playing MW2 more than Black Ops. Black ops was total failure wrapped with the COD name. I never Cheated Glitched or Camped in MW2 If that is how you enjoyed it then that just sucks. cause I had lots of fun in that game Hardcore Mode was awesome I also Loved the Third Person mode in mw2. I was totally disappointed to play black ops. Sure it had balance issues but those were quickly fixed. I Rather play COD4 than Black Cops.






EDIT

I am a Battlefield Gamer anyways. Can't wait for BF3 wooooooooooooooot

I'd rather play cod4 over black ops, mw2 and 3 and BF3! COD4 imo is THE greatest game ever!

[GhoSt]

there is a slightly different play style to each cod.

Cod 4- balanced fast pace reaction shooter.
mw2- Fast paced reaction gaming like cod 4, but kill-streak based.
BO- Slow paced, accuracy shooter.
mw3- Going to play like mw2, but less based around the killstreaks.

I honestly couldn't care less about the antipathy directed towards the series, I have had so much fun with these games. Even if they are similar, I get my moneys work clocking at least 10days playtime on each.
Wish people still played cod 2 online, that game is so fun.

[Crumbz]

BattleField 3 FTW!

Gunna have to go and buy Battle Field 1 and 2 though... Played them but never them.

[PsychoticWolf]

BattleField 3 FTW!

Gunna have to go and buy Battle Field 1 and 2 though... Played them but never them.

Battlefield 1 and 2 you can skip. Get BadCompay 2 and play that online. Battlefields don't really have that big of a storyline. Battlefield Bad Company 1 & 2 have the storyline. Anything other than Bad Company in the battlefield games don't have a deep Storyline

[Nevbox]

Btw Battlefield 1 & 2 hold no link, but battlefield 2 is a pretty sweet game!

[PsychoticWolf]

Btw Battlefield 1 & 2 hold no link, but battlefield 2 is a pretty sweet game!

Are you talking about Battlefield 2. Not Bad Company right? cause I have BF1&2 Plus the expansion packs. Very sweet online but gets dull after awhile.

[Nevbox]

Are you talking about Battlefield 2. Not Bad Company right? cause I have BF1&2 Plus the expansion packs. Very sweet online but gets dull after awhile.

Yes BF1 and BF2 and if you get bored play BF2 mods like:
AIX (not balanced well but good coop)
Project Reality (amazing)

[PsychoticWolf]

Yes BF1 and BF2 and if you get bored play BF2 mods like:
AIX (not balanced well but good coop)
Project Reality (amazing)

Oh shoot they have mods out? or are they the "hacked Servers"?

[Nevbox]

They are like new games, kind using bf2 as a base, bit like a texture pack with new features.
Mods should of been part of BF BC2, but EA thought they wouldn't be able to sell DLC. It is the general view of developers.

Here are some links:
http://www.strategyinformer.com/pc/mods/battlefield2/mod.html
http://www.realitymod.com/
http://www.aixtended.com/

[Nevbox]

Why do you  say BO is slow paced?