Now that Monster Hunter 3 is announced as a Wii exclusive, there's been some speculation that this game might be the first to "circumvent" friend codes, because it really hinges on group play, and friend codes can be somewhat unwieldy. Will there be some kind of solution to this?.
We're still discussing that; we don't have anything to announce today. But the way that we think about friend codes is, when folks are online, and they want to play, they typically want to play with their friends. And so, they want to keep it to groups of people they know. We've seen, in the feedback we've gotten, that people don't mind the friend codes. They like them, because it keeps them playing with the friends that they do know, and it keeps their games "undisturbed," if you will.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: ShyGuy on October 25, 2007, 03:25:56 PM
The friend code is a pain to type in though.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: IceCold on October 25, 2007, 03:29:34 PM
Doesn't EA have something that goes around Nintendo's system?
Title: RE:Wii love friend codes
Post by: darknight06 on October 25, 2007, 03:45:55 PM
EA uses their own servers, that's why you don't need Friend Codes with their games.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: KDR_11k on October 25, 2007, 08:34:10 PM
Monster Hunter is going to be M rated, friend codes really don't belong there. Assuming those codes are meant to stop pedos there's really no need for them in an M rated game and I don't see any technical reason for requiring those codes.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Adrock on October 25, 2007, 08:36:22 PM
Yeah, I don't think EA has the Nintendo Wi-Fi symbol on their games either.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Smash_Brother on October 25, 2007, 08:46:59 PM
I personally don't understand why we don't just use our Nintendo.com login names and then use our Mii identities from there.
If you have a 5 letter username, it's easier to type than a friend code and yet it works on exactly the same principle: if you haven't entered theirs, it doesn't matter if they've entered yours.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Adrock on October 25, 2007, 10:07:17 PM
Quote I personally don't understand why we don't just use our Nintendo.com login names and then use our Mii identities from there.
Because that would be infinitely more useful, user-friendly, and logical. Have you learned nothing from being a Nintendo fan?
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Spak-Spang on October 26, 2007, 01:48:38 AM
Truthfully the friend code is NOT a problem. The problem is entering friend codes for each game. I had no problem entering the friend codes for my Wii to trade messages, Miis, and eventually play online games with friends. I even really like the idea of limited random online battles and then full fledge battles with your friends and all the options. What I have a major problem with is entering them for each game.
In that interview Nintendo talked about giving parents the tools to parent and how important that is. Well Nintendo it is much harder to see who you are allowing to play online with your kids in each game than it is to just have one friend list. And with one system friend list you leave it up to the responsibility of the parent, and you make it easier for the non-gamers to understand how to play online games. Please just revert to using the system friend list.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Michael8983 on October 26, 2007, 02:04:33 AM
Friend codes do make the online play process more difficult but, truthfully, that's exactly why Nintendo is implementing them. It may take a LITTLE more effort on our part but if it protects the younger fans and keeps pedos from easily contacting them, it's worth it. I mean there may still be incidents but at least Nintendo will be able to safely say friend codes weren't exchanged over their own network. Nintendo's idea of online play seems to be random battles with no communication and some degree of communication only when friend codes that are unique to each individual title are exchanged outside of the Wii network (in person, on a forum like this, etc...). It's not everyone's ideal and it's not XBox Live but it works. Besides, it's FREE.
Title: RE:Wii love friend codes
Post by: Spak-Spang on October 26, 2007, 02:14:26 AM
Quote Originally posted by: Michael8983 Friend codes do make the online play process more difficult but, truthfully, that's exactly why Nintendo is implementing them. It may take a LITTLE more effort on our part but if it protects the younger fans and keeps pedos from easily contacting them, it's worth it. I mean there may still be incidents but at least Nintendo will be able to safely say friend codes weren't exchanged over their own network. Nintendo's idea of online play seems to be random battles with no communication and some degree of communication only when friend codes that are unique to each individual title are exchanged outside of the Wii network (in person, on a forum like this, etc...). It's not everyone's ideal and it's not XBox Live but it works. Besides, it's FREE.
True, and if Nintendo could just use the Wii System Friend Codes it would be no problem. It would basically be as difficult as saving a friends cell phone number, or E-mail address once. And if that friend turned out to be a jerk you can quickly delete that friend from one single list to end contact on all games.
I like the friend codes. Not only does it protect kids, it protects me from stupid junior high kids, and allows me an easier time to find my friends to play with online. I think it is a great compromise for Nintendo to give random battles with less features and allow us to communicate and such with friends using friend codes, but it needs to be easier than a code for each game...and Nintendo knows this as well, since in that same interview he/she talked about meeting in how to simplify the process.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Kairon on October 26, 2007, 05:47:26 AM
It's strange but Nintendo DOES use the Wii system friend codes... just not in cases where you actually PLAY with each other. For example, Metroid Prime 3? Instantly uses your Wii System Codes... but you can't play online together, just exchange tokens. With games where you DO play together, i.e. Mario Strikers Charged, then you do see game-specific friend codes. Hmmm...
Yeah, it's only the game specific friend codes that are a real concern to most.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on October 26, 2007, 09:14:07 AM
Friend Codes are like cactus rape.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: IceCold on October 26, 2007, 09:31:47 AM
Hey! Cactus rape is strangely enjoyable..
Title: RE:Wii love friend codes
Post by: Spak-Spang on October 26, 2007, 09:55:38 AM
friend codes are nothing like Catcus rape. I mean friend codes is the tedious process of entering a specific code for your friends to play games online with Nintendo products or to communicate using Wii messaging.
Catcus rape involves finding a catcus with a large enough hole to fill, and with little to no catcus thorns around said hole. It will probably be wise to bring tools to ensure all hidden or missed thorns are properly removed, and ALWAYS, ALWAYS wear a condom.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: vudu on October 26, 2007, 10:18:21 AM
Cactus rape is the sincerest form of saying I love you.
... or something like that.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: UltimatePartyBear on October 26, 2007, 10:20:56 AM
Doesn't this all depend on which one's doing the raping?
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: NinGurl69 *huggles on October 26, 2007, 10:23:06 AM
^ Smart.
Title: RE: Wii love friend codes
Post by: Spak-Spang on October 28, 2007, 02:04:05 AM
Here is the message I sent Nintendo about Wii Friend Codes. I actually got a form letter back saying they would send it to the appropriate department, but truthfully I know it will probably never be read...but it made me feel better. I tried to be very professional and convincing, just in case it is read by anyone with any real power to bring it up to the managers and decision makers.
Posted To: Nintendo <nintendo@noa.nintendo.com> Subject: Webform: Wii > General Questions / Feedback
Nintendo, thank you for a great product in the Wii. I have really enjoyed playing the Wii. But, I have a few concerns. In a recent interview with Gamasutra you talked about Wii friend codes and online play. First let me say, I agree that friend codes are important because you do need to provide a way to connect with just your friends and a means to protect younger players from the trash that can occur with online gaming. I don't think friend codes are the problem, but entering them for each game is a hassle and counter-intuitive to the Wii philosophy of being simple, fun for everyone. Right now you have a Wii System friend code that would perfectly allow users to easily and quickly edit and revise their friend list for all games. This seems to be the easiest and best way to implement friend codes. It is better for the gamers and better for the parents. If parents have a means to watch one single friends list and only allow it to be edited after entering parent codes, then they can easily monitor the games their children are playing and with whom. But if they have to monitor 5 different games, then it becomes more difficult...and what if the parent finds a friend communicating inappropriately, then they have to edit that friend out of each game, instead of once with the Wii system friend list. Also in the same interview you spoke about the virtual console and the limited space on the Wii to store games. I understand the philosophy about being able to re-download games that you already purchased, so you don't have to physically keep them on your Wii, but in practice it isn't practical for many. I have bought over 20 virtual console games, and I can't fit them onto my Wii. But if I take my Wii to a friends house I want to make sure I have access to those games. I have carefully, taken them and saved all virtual console games to the SD card, which I can swap back and forth. The problem is this is a pretty tedious and long process. Even just moving one game over and then deleting takes a lot of time. If you can make firmware that can allow us to access the SD card with like an SD channel and play VC games right off the SD card that could help. Or give us a firmware update that supports 3rd party USB hard drives, and allow the players to decide how to store the files. I know you are nervous about hackers...but surely there is a good compromise that can be made. Finally, I do not know if this is possible, but is there a way to use the Wii to emulate the Gamecube mode...even access the Gamecube components so we can play Gamecubes within the Wii menu, and potentially with the Virtual Console controller. As it is right now it is quite hard to find new Gamecube controllers, and I want to be getting Wii controllers instead of buying Gamecube. It just seems if it is at all possible it would be a good idea. Thank you for listening to my concerns. I am writing you this because I am very satisfied with the Wii and continue to hope the best for your games and company. But, I also want my voice heard, to help your marketing make decisions about the future of your products. Thank you,
