Battlefield 2 is currently enjoying a 91% average rating, and with good reason. However, the excellent in-game experience is really being hampered by the Gamespy powered server browser.
While I can understand the allure to the production management of using a pre-existing in-game server browser solution, rather than paying for the development in-house, it doesn’t stop me from being annoyed at the situation. Gamers have come to see “Powered by Gamespy” as a warning sign that the in-game server browser will be, at best, tolerable.
It’s not hard to see why third-party server browser software like All-Seeing Eye or Qtracker are still quite popular, despite the fact that nearly all modern online games ship with in-game browsers.
In the end, however, I feel sorry for Digital Illusions CE, as they’re the ones being blamed by less knowledgeable gamers for the travesty of the in-game browser, when the decision most likely came not from the developers, but from the producer, Electronic Arts.
As a DICE employee, thank you 🙂
Yes, I’m also a DICE employee and it’s nice to know that some people think about these things a bit deeper. So thanks 🙂