Topic: Reggie says some things about Friend Codes again. Internet explodes.

[Adrock]

So, here's the part from the Wired interview

Fils-Aime: Friend codes are about making sure, in a connected experience, that a consumer has a great experience. What we mean by that is that when you're playing with a friend, you are provided full functionality with the WiiSpeak microphone, you can talk to your friend, or in a game like Animal Crossing you can invite friends into your town — but there's a recognition that for players that you don't know, what we don't want is a situation where either consumer is having a negative experience. The trash-talking that happens now online is a prime example. For us, friend codes are about making sure that the consumer has a.

I've come to terms with the fact that Friend Codes are here to stay. I wonder, though, if Nintendo really believes in this system or if they support it because it's too late to offer an upgrade/alternative (this generation anyway).

I generally avoid playing online with the Wii and DS mostly because the experience ranges from okay to horrible though I blame the servers more than Friend Codes for that one. I've used both Xbox Live and Playstation Network and the only thing I really miss on Nintendo Wi-Fi is a persistent friends list that tells me what others are playing. I guess that also negates the game to game Friend Codes. I don't think that compromises Nintendo's vision of a "great, positive, connected experience."

[KDR_11k]

There's nothing in the console preventing the game developer from providing an alternative matchmaking system and Nintendo could easily decide "we'll drop FCs from all future games" and do it. It's not a technical limitation. I think they are genuinely worried about the GIFT though the sacrifice may be a bit much.

[Morari]

All they really need to do is drop GAME-SPECIFIC Friend Codes and just use the system's code instead. One unified code and everything is solved.

[Flames_of_chaos]

There's nothing in the console preventing the game developer from providing an alternative matchmaking system and Nintendo could easily decide "we'll drop FCs from all future games" and do it. It's not a technical limitation. I think they are genuinely worried about the GIFT though the sacrifice may be a bit much.

Actually it's a manditory requirement by Nintendo if a developer wants to use Nintendo Wi-Fi, EA got away with it by using EA nation, but they use EA nation on all platforms even Xbox Live. Capcom got away with Monster Hunter G and presumably 3, because they are using dedicated servers for the two monster hunter games, and it will require a subscription ticket that one must purchase using Wii Points.

[KDR_11k]

Yes but it's not a technical restriction that makes Nintendo keep using them.

[BlackNMild2k1]

What Nintendo should have done, is require each player make a personal Mii. That personal Mii would be like your online handle, and when you select your Mii when you turn on the system you just input your password like you are logging in. Now that your Mii is logged in you have full access yo your friends list across the board. It would be like MSN(for lack of a better example) where now that I'm logged in I can see everyone of my friends and what they are doing. Now whatever game I put in, my friend list is automatically used.
If there are multiple people on the same system, then all they have to do is log in to access their friend codes(& your My Nintendo Account), and now we have a ton of "known" people to play games with.

This would be another reason for people to transfer their Mii to their wiimote and bring it to a friends house, because it would allow them to access their friend codes on another system (& maybe even temporarily access VC/WiiWare games on a friends system).

I think this might be the solution Nintendo is looking for.
Parental controls can even be implemented where the parental Master Miis can block the other/certain Miis from being able to add new friend codes or even play certain games without the Parental lock code. Completely family safe, and only need to input friend codes once. Maybe with Wii2

[NWR_pap64]

At this point, I've come to accept friend codes, no matter how cumbersome they can be. It seems to have worked for Nintendo, especially with claims that "NINTENDO GAMES ARE FUR THE PEDOPHILES!". The City Folk argument was destroyed by the friend codes.

[TJ Spyke]

I have gotten used to individual FC's (I still don't like them though). I am just disappointed that Nintendo basically went back on their word. They said that the Wii system itself would have a friend code so that people wouldn't have to register FC's with individual games.

[Flames_of_chaos]

I have gotten used to individual FC's (I still don't like them though). I am just disappointed that Nintendo basically went back on their word. They said that the Wii system itself would have a friend code so that people wouldn't have to register FC's with individual games.

When did Nintendo claim that?

[BranDonk Kong]

I refuse to accept friend codes as being necessary, because they're not. Console friend codes should be the only requirement, and once you've exchanged them with your friend, then all online games should work between said friends.

[TJ Spyke]

I have gotten used to individual FC's (I still don't like them though). I am just disappointed that Nintendo basically went back on their word. They said that the Wii system itself would have a friend code so that people wouldn't have to register FC's with individual games.

When did Nintendo claim that?

Well, I don't know if they flat out said thay. They did imply it though when asked about Wii friend codes.

[DAaaMan64]

Look I'm sorry but XBL >>>>>>>> Friend Codes

[KDR_11k]

XBL is aimed at a completely different audience.

Also XBL costs money to actually play on so... FAIL.

[Plugabugz]

Wouldn't having a universal online system based around the system code mean it would have to be centralised ala XBL?

[DAaaMan64]

XBL is aimed at a completely different audience.

Also XBL costs money to actually play on so... FAIL.

Hmmph at least it has a real time friends list and you can just get into a mic convo with those people without a problem. I thought the audience Nintendo was going for was community and communication, hence the MII channel.

[Adrock]

Playstation Network is free and it works better than Nintendo Wi-Fi. Most people don't even need/want all the bells and whistles of either Xbox Live or Network. The persistent friends list would do just fine.

[Morari]

Steam is free and much, much better... DRM aside.

[DAaaMan64]

Playstation Network is free and it works better than Nintendo Wi-Fi. Most people don't even need/want all the bells and whistles of either Xbox Live or Network. The persistent friends list would do just fine.

Ya I mean, I'd be satisfied with that, at least a friends list that I could Invite people to games, etc.  Like steam.

Something real important, is USERNAMEs not FCs.

[KDR_11k]

Steam is free and much, much better... DRM aside.

Then again all these services have DRM on their downloadable stuff anyway.

[ThePerm]

friend codes have ruined my experiences, i'm either too lazy or too busy, its too much of a hassle.  I don't like dealing with it, so i don't. I really wanted to play with all of you. Especially with Smash bros, i have never connected with any of you. Their network was slow and didnt work for one, and two i think my window eventually passed. When i did try to play with people like unclebob they were busy, or it didn't work. I've played with actual friends, but we organized by talking over the phone. Which i think is too much for connecting online. I never had any problems connecting to play games on the other 2 systems. N64 this ain't. Its not the play with a bunch of friends console. Neither was gamecube, but gamecube had single player games I wanted to play. Actually i take that back there was a slew of fighting games on gamecube. I was younger though and my friends were a lot less busy with life. So it was easier to get together.

[DAaaMan64]

Perm is right on this.

[Dasmos]

No he's not. He's talking from a purely personal standpoint from his own experiences. I've had the complete opposite experience. My friends and I have played multiplayer games far more in this generation than any other thanks to the Wii. Both online and offline.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Yeah Perm, give up gaming.

[DAaaMan64]

I should start coordinating with my friends via my roomates 360, it'd probably still be easier.

[Ian Sane]

As paranoid as it sounds I think the real reason Nintendo does friend codes is because they don't like using other company's ideas.  Since they were late to the online party all the logical obvious ways of doing online gaming had already been taken up.  So they had to come up with a weird ass way to do it so that they could do it a unique "Nintendo way".  Sounds crazy?  Nintendo ALWAYS does this.  Look at anything they do.  Either they invented it and do it almost perfectly or it's an established idea being done in a weird ass unique but borderline idiotic way that attempts to fix a problem that never existed in the first place.  Nintendo uses friend codes to "improve" the "broken" online model the competition was using that was obviously fatally flawed because Nintendo did not have any input in it.

Nintendo: we invented it or pretend that we did.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Nintendo: We either take gaming 2 steps forward or 1 step back...

[KDR_11k]

As paranoid as it sounds I think the real reason Nintendo does friend codes is because they don't like using other company's ideas.  Since they were late to the online party all the logical obvious ways of doing online gaming had already been taken up.  So they had to come up with a weird ass way to do it so that they could do it a unique "Nintendo way".  Sounds crazy?  Nintendo ALWAYS does this.  Look at anything they do.  Either they invented it and do it almost perfectly or it's an established idea being done in a weird ass unique but borderline idiotic way that attempts to fix a problem that never existed in the first place.  Nintendo uses friend codes to "improve" the "broken" online model the competition was using that was obviously fatally flawed because Nintendo did not have any input in it.

Nintendo: we invented it or pretend that we did.

You mean like how they ditched WiFi and used a completely proprietary protocol that requires custom routers and all that? Or how they made the Wii use proprietary memory cards because standards like SD cards aren't invented by Nintendo? How they never added a second analog stick to their controller because Sony already did that?

[Ian Sane]

You mean like how they ditched WiFi and used a completely proprietary protocol that requires custom routers and all that? Or how they made the Wii use proprietary memory cards because standards like SD cards aren't invented by Nintendo? How they never added a second analog stick to their controller because Sony already did that?

I'll give you the second analog stick but even then Nintendo turned it in a stubby nipple stick.

WiFi wasn't Nintendo being goofy?  At the time wireless routers were not as common as they are now.  Meanwhile Nintendo had just spent years making up excuses for not supporting online gaming because not enough people had broadband.  But they jumped in with a wireless ONLY model for a console that requires a TV to even work and pretty much doesn't benefit from being wireless in any way at all.  Last gen they assumed we were all backwards hicks using dial-up and then next gen they assumed we were all on the cutting edge with wireless networks.  The fact that Nintendo didn't put an ethernet jack on the Wii is Nintendo being weird just because.

And the SD Card thing?  Do I have to spell out how fucking stupidly they executed that?  Yeah they used someone else's invention BUT they made sure to do in a weird ass unique Nintendo way that everyone hated.

There's always some little weird ass goof up... unless Nintendo completely invented it themselves.  Thus I figure friend codes are the same way.  "We have to assume the way it has been done before is broken and thus must fix it the NINTENDO WAY!"

[Morari]

Wireless routers have been commonplace for the last several years. They've been fairly inexpensive and growing in popularity ever since 802.11G hit its stride. I do think that it would have made more sense to have had only an ethernet port as opposed to only WiFi, but you can't claim that the spectrum and/or equipment has ever been anything close to esoteric during the console's existence. The limited security protocols provided by the Wii have always been more worrisome than anything else. Besides, those USB to ethernet adapters were provided for quite a while by Nintendo themselves. They weren't very expensive at all, and still aren't even if you have to purchase third-party ones nowadays instead.

If nothing else, Nintendo's decision saved me from buying a second router as I'm well out of open ports on the current one. On the flip side, there are only two devices connected to it wireless.

[Halbred]

I avoid online Wii games precisely because of the friend code system. Mario Kart Wii is the exception, but that's because the multiplayer works so wonderfully. Smash Bros. Brawl online is a shot in the dark and fails more often than it works. So I don't play it online.

I'll say this, though: The PSN is the way to go. It's free, it has system-specific codes, it tells you when people are online and when they get offline, it tells you what game they're playing, and it tells you if you've been invited to a game.

The trash-talking argument is silly. Just implement an option where you can mute particularly irritating individuals (like every other company does) and you're good.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Then again, PSN doesn't have Mario Kart.