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Why are server browsers so rare in shooter nowadays? Are they expensive or it’s simply just devs catering to compfags with shitty matchmaking algorithms?
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>visti alta-fruta.net
>404
>my face when i have no face
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Can't allow someone to make a server where racism is allowed
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>>736350697
console players will have an aneurysm if they see a server list
theyre also more suited for larger player count servers so you can have the map always running with quick join/leave, technology to have more than 10 players in a non-battle royale game has been lost.
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>>736350697
Server browsers are basically free since most (if not all) servers are community server that developers dont have to pay for
The reason why server browser is a rarity now because developers want a homogenised experience for all the players for better control over them (chat moderation, monitisation, etc.)
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Like everything, a myriad of factors.
Pic related, consolidation of forums, IRC channels/servers and other voice comm. programs into discord.
Reduced computer literacy as everything becomes 1-button functionality due to low barriers of entry (imagine asking your average steam user to reinstall windows XP and associated drivers for instance).
Regarding compfagging, just adding a 'find game' button and queuing instead of actually thinking for a few seconds what kind of server map, game rules, and other random pluggins breaks the average player's smooth brain today.
It was fun when I could spin up a game server on an old computer and whip up an improvised community of regulars.
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>>736350697
They prevent matchmaking. Most normies want to have matchmaking because they want to "fight people equal to their skill level", which is a complete scam but statistically most people like it and that's why matchmaking is used as a strategy because it maximizes the amount of time you will come back to the game. not having matchmaking and just having a server browser can be programmed fast, there is almost no effort involved. There's also other reasons, such as possible escape from the ecosystem of the game itself
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>>736350697
cause if you have dedicated servers you can have custom content and that would cut into precious microtransaction sales
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>>736350697
>Are they expensive
They are the opposite.
But player run servers mean things like mods and maps that the publisher can't charge you for, and not choking that out would be bad capitalism.
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>>736350697
you can't monetize 3rd party servers and sell subscriptions
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>try to play CSS
>the entire server list is fake servers that redirect to russian 64 players de_dust2 24/7 server or empty servers
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Can't sell cosmetics when server owners can just mod them in
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Because people want "play" button that lets them simply play the game as it was intended.
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>>736351879
>>736351818
>>736351763
>>736351725
>>736351347
You're making an assumption that you will be able to mod in maps and other stuff straight out of the aether, but that's really only the case if the game itself supports it and offers these tools. Even TF2, CSS, CSGO, etc has types of servers where you just are not allowed to do that, because Valve can lock it completely down.
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>>736350697
>>736351347
Setting up a server wasn't THAT easy and running a PC 24/7 wasn't something everyone was able to do. Ofc there are/were paid services for this. p2p, steam network and Discord are why servers mostly disappeared. You can just get friends on Discord or wherever else and connect throught p2p and steam network without any crazy setup. Even big old games got these features like Quake 1-2 remasters, Blood, Duke Nukem 3D remasters, CS, CSS, HL, HL2DM etc...
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>>736350697
Three reasons.

The first is it's more expensive because now they have to host the server names which isn't much but is more data, they likely have to moderate server names and if they have descriptions and or banners now there's even more money into it.
Secondly because now they can't use shitty matchmaking practices. They can't rotate you through matches so that you never go on a losing streak, they can't put you in easier matches for a few games after buying a skin and so on.
Finally server browsers are a way to gauge popularity which causes a death spiral as people notice the lobbies dropping, which causes more people to quit and repeat.

So you've got something that's more expensive, can get in the way of algorithms to push players to buying skins and can impact the viability of the game.
It's a hard sell to decision makers.
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>>736350697
GET OFF ME WOW
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>>736350697
Can't let people have unsanctioned fun without corporate rules controlling them
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>>736352547
>The first is it's more expensive because now they have to host the server names which isn't much but is more data
Literal nonsense lmao
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>>736350697
Holy shit every single answer is fucking wrong and retarded my god.

Server browsers and discrete server binaries were simply the only viable way to do things in the past, but as time went on they posed serious problems for PC developers. Publishing the server binary exposed the code to reverse engineering which made developing cheats or just cribbing code very easy and made any exploits a danger to anyone running the servers. It also took control of the game's public image away from the publisher - there's nothing they can do to stop someone from hosting "niggerfaggots death camp and 24/7 de_dust"

When cloud hosting and microservices became cost effective it was a no-brainer to switch over to hosting an elastic cloud. No exposed code, total control over the game's image, and no one will have to spend any time hosting a new server or navigating a browser just to play.

Matchmaking research and manipulation was a downstream effect of the move to microservice hosting, not the cause.
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>>736355817
Nice made up answer of nonsense.
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>>736350697
Zoomers don’t get how to navigate it
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>>736350697
>Why are server browsers so rare in shooter nowadays

Because when the games population dies and the devs move on they don't want you to play it anymore. Battlefront 2 for a lot of people in the world is just completely dead, but the Kyber project - that creates a new network for the game with a server browser - keeps it alive. Allowing me finally to get really drunk, listen to podcasts, and have a blast(er) again.
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>>736356041
Oh hey look another retarded answer
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>>736355817
You don't need server binaries to reverse engineer a game. People reverse engineer mmos or games like diablo 3 all the time.
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>>736350697
>Why are server browsers so rare in shooter nowadays?
Lost technology.
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>>736357117
Anon every mmo "reverse engineering" project is just a massive code leak that's pretending so they don't get sued.
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>>736357391
Retarded take, a guy reversed engineered TESO from scratch over 2 years posting his progress on github and on videos
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>>736351312
Console games used to use server browsers though, unreal 2 and championship, and rainbow six 3 had them on the og xbox, nobody ever had any problem finding a match back then.
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>>736350697
Server browsers are much cheaper. However it makes it harder to sell people microtransactions, or even the game itself because servers that allow pirated copies pop up.
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>>736350697
leftists hate that community servers of like minded people would just ban them so they had to destroy the server browser for their social poisoning to work
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>>736357391
Not every. MANGOS for WoW is clean project.
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>>736350697
Because people just don't use them.

Like people will say "oh it's because they can't then sell you MTX and other shit," but then you look at TF2 and the whole game is defined by MTX and it has dedicated servers and mods n' shit

But you know what else TF2 showed?

That if you were forced to actually use a server browser in this day and age, then people will claim the game is dead, and 300k people will sign a petition begging it to be "saved" by restoring match making

It's just not worth the time it takes to slap it together. Nobody uses them anymore.
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>>736350697
For some reason people find this confusing these days? I don't get it, It's just a list.
What are these people going to do when they have to open Excel or do taxes? Have a mental breakdown?



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