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Will Titanfall 2 still use Azure?
- Thread starter shungokusatsu
- Start date
Huh? Why wouldn't they? The Azure/cloud compute portion of Microsoft is a business in it's own. They wouldn't deny a huge deal to make sure PSN or any other service runs and stays up on their service because of some fanboy ideals.
exmachina64
Banned
Oh, you're right.
I'm sure Microsoft's cloud services division would turn down millions of dollars because "FUCK SONY!"
If the game doesn't use Azure it won't be because MS didn't allow it.
I mean, you can go make an Apple app right now that uses Azure. It doesn't care what the client machine is; it just performs queries, then sends a bill.
They make a lot more money selling azure as a platform agnostic service than they ever will from selling Xbox consoles and exclusive games....
"Yeah let's turn down what could become yet another billion dollar segment so that we can leverage crackdown"
If anything Crackdown is serving as an advertisement to sell Azure to the rest of the industry.
get2sammyb
Member
Why can't they just use Azure on the PS4 if they want to? EA would still have to pay for the service, but I don't see why Microsoft would be against the idea?
Shpeshal Nick
aka Collingwood
That totally explains why Microsoft blocked Sony as an OEM for Windows PCs right?
Only one being naive is you.
Titanfall will use dedicated servers again. Whether it's Azure or not on Xbox One I have no idea. Maybe there'll be a deal in place where part of the marketing is that the Xbox version gets pushed as the "only version powered by Azure"? Who knows.
gamechanger87
Member
I assume you are still too young to look at the big picture here so I will give you some leeway. MS does not think they are competing with Sony. They are competing with Google. Microsoft is a business and has discrete divisions within it it. All of them operate to make money. The Xbox division doesn't make decisions for Azure. Azure is the future of MS. If MS can power all of PSN then they make money on PSN from Azure and still operate the Xbox division. Thus, they win on both ends.
Do you really think that the Xbox division has the ability to say "Hey Azure, don't power Sony's network because we want to sell more consoles?"
Azure is platform agnostic, and MS does not restrict whom uses it.
While I know thats true, I dont see EA as a publisher having a similar use case.
Didnt EA demand to have their own servers back in the 360 days and not to go through XBL so that they could control how they managed their online games?
Im not arguing this is a good thing, more that EA dont seem to really care what their customer base would prefer but what suits them (EDIT: man that comes over wrong) - I cant see why that wouldnt extend to Respawn.
ps3ud0 8)
gamechanger87
Member
MS wouldn't be against the idea. They could give two shits who uses the service. They get a bill from usage.
because sad, pathetic manbabies think Microsoft cares about this "war" against Sony as much as they do.
Wait, do you mean to tell me that Phil Spencer doesn't have the entirety of Microsoft's resources at his beck and call? Tell me it ain't so.
gamechanger87
Member
EA has always wanted to use their own servers and login information for developers that they own. Unless something happened, EA doesn't own Respawn and are just the publisher, taking their cut of the revenue in exchange for distribution and marketing. Respawn still makes all the decisions around the game.
Respawn would not give up control over the development of the game and major decisions like this to a publisher especially after the Activision debacle. Once you let your publisher make all of the back end decisions, you are no longer independent. I don't think that EA has any rights to a cut of the revenue beyond what was agreed to in exchange for marketing and distribution.
EA is going to do whatever they feel is most economical. They might want bring networking in-house, after working the numbers, but there are obvious economical and customer satisfaction reasons to stick with azure.
Yes EA wanted more control during the early days of Xbox live, but the online console was new territory, and they resisted change, like many large companies do. I don't think that says anything about how they will proceed with azure in the future. That was then, this is now. Times have changed.
Also azure doesn't remove EAs ability to manage there online games. It just removed the burden of locating and maintaining the servers. They'd surely still have users pass through their own servers before they get to azure to actually play the game.
You have absolutely no idea what you're taking about. Anyone can use Azure for anything, competitors of Microsoft use it all the time. If Microsoft decided to restrict access to competitor products then they'd severely damage the reputation and confidence in Azure and the business loss in that would be far, far greater than PS4 game servers running on Azure, lol.
Netflix use Amazon AWS despite Amazon being a key competitor, Apple used Azure and Amazon AWS despite being key competitors to both of those companies. I don't think you understand the business model of these cloud computing platforms.
gamechanger87
Member
As I said before Respawn controls the development and IP, EA is just the publisher.
exmachina64
Banned
There is no secret function that can be activated if Azure could detect a Microsoft platform using it versus a competitor's device. That's fundamentally not how cloud services work and would probably violate service agreements between clients and Azure.
Where is your proof that Microsoft runs Azure differently from any other cloud service in that regard?
Cloud services have come a long way since that time. The granularity offered by Amazon Web Services can provide the control a company like EA might want at a significantly reduced cost versus running a server farm.
gamechanger87
Member
Yep. Running a server farm isn't cheap for a variety of reasons. AWS and Azure have built massive ones for controlling a lot more data than EA can throw at them. They have already built these farms and are maintaining them today, there is no reason that EA should want that headache.
I really don;t see any issues at all with Azure being used on other platforms if that's what EA want. It's merely a service that companies pay to take advantage of, there are already many Microsoft and Sony services that are used on the opposition's hardware.
Azure is not a golden chalice for Microsoft, it does't benefit them to withhold it from potential customers. Although Azure may have sold a few consoles to customers on here, the service is not going to have any effect on the console marketplace in the wider world.
Azure is not a golden chalice for Microsoft, it does't benefit them to withhold it from potential customers. Although Azure may have sold a few consoles to customers on here, the service is not going to have any effect on the console marketplace in the wider world.
Well they pay for the servers atm albeit at a discount rate so depends how much it will cost at normal.
Azure is not exclusive to XB1(Thunderhead a subset for XB1 is).
Azure is not exclusive to XB1(Thunderhead a subset for XB1 is).
3rdamention
Member
I remember one time a long while ago, someone asked on these forums if Titanfall would come to PS4 and I said something to the effect of "No because the PS4 doesn't have the cloud!" And I got banned, lol. Good Times! Glad we can talk about this now.
But they will drop this Azuer Cloud stuff on Titanfall 2. Respawn wont be working as closely with Microsoft as it isn't an exclusive. Unless they find some way to use it exclusively on the Xbox 1. I guess they will need to use the consoles' processing to handle the complex grunt A.I. this time.
But couldn't they just make Titanfall 2 without using the cloud, you know, like most console games out there?
But they will drop this Azuer Cloud stuff on Titanfall 2. Respawn wont be working as closely with Microsoft as it isn't an exclusive. Unless they find some way to use it exclusively on the Xbox 1. I guess they will need to use the consoles' processing to handle the complex grunt A.I. this time.
But couldn't they just make Titanfall 2 without using the cloud, you know, like most console games out there?
exmachina64
Banned
It looks like you still don't know what "the cloud" does.
Any cloud service can do what Titanfall did on Azure, there are no special or unique workarounds for the Xbox One and Microsoft exclusive games. There's also no reason that Titanfall 2 can't be on Azure. At no point did Respawn hand over Titanfall to Microsoft and say, "Get it working with Azure." You hire software engineers with experience in handling networking to make a game run on a cloud service.
If Respawn and EA decide to use a service besides Azure, the grunt AI will still be handled by the cloud. Why is grunt AI handled by the cloud? Spoiler: It's not too complex to be ran on your console, it's to have the game running in sync on everyone's system (barring difficulties with your internet connection).
To your last question, no game is being made with "cloud" functionality that is too complex to be running on your system.
Yes, yes, I know people are claiming Crackdown will be running advanced physics calculations in real-time, but we'll see if that materializes in the final product.
Delusibeta
Banned
Titanfall didn't do anything that couldn't be done on Amazon or Google's cloud servers. I would expect them to continue using Azure for Titanfall 2 for all formats, due to familiarity with the platform. Frankly, cloud services have gotten to the state where the specific platform used is an entirely academic distinction for the end user.
shungokusatsu
Member
Isn't Azure pushed as a marketing bulletpoint? I have a feeling they'll drop it entirely and go with another cloud solution.
gamechanger87
Member
Not likely. As has been written about all over this thread, if you read it. Azure is owned by MS thus they can easily offer it to devs. Azure does a lot of stuff that can be done by others. MS has pushed The cloud because they have created tools that make it easy to use. MS doesn't give two shits about who uses it. It's service to make money. TF will likely use it again because they are familiar with it. Why switch to someone else when you don't need to.
PSN could be on Azure if Sony wanted
Azure Team probably wants its margins this time.
Panajev2001a
GAF's Pleasant Genius
I seriously doubt that, considering what they are doing on Azure recently (see full support for Linux based clouds setups)the only thing they understand at Azure is lots of numbers in terms of US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, Canadian Dollar, etc... Azure's mandate is to be Microsoft's next pillar of growth, not their way to win the console war.
Flintty
Member
This would be the best possible outcome, however unlikely
I can see MS doing some kind of deal with EA to get marketing, DLC first etc. and have it run on Azure. This would really sell X1 as the 'best way to play' TF2.
I too am a fan of the A.I so some kind of cloud computing needs to remain for me to fully enjoy the game
Leyasu
Banned
This ain't happening. It will either be on ea's servers or p2p. No way are ea going to pay for azure when they have their own dog turd tier servers.
Side note. Could respawn send someone round to 343 please. These fucking clowns do not have a fucking clue on how to give players outside of America a decent online experience. They really are useless in that department. Titanfall shits all over halo 5 in match quality and set up. Thanks in advance
Side note. Could respawn send someone round to 343 please. These fucking clowns do not have a fucking clue on how to give players outside of America a decent online experience. They really are useless in that department. Titanfall shits all over halo 5 in match quality and set up. Thanks in advance
People need to stop thinking that Azure is some kind of magic fairy world. They're servers in the cloud, that's it. You don't 'lose control' by using Azure, in fact you have a lot more visibility and control of your environment's performance than many datacentres provide. Migrating to and from Azure is a trivial process in any case.
TheHellsLord
Member
If I remember correctly Microsoft is discounting Azure rates for exclusive games (I guess the Xbox division is eating the overhead). So basically: yes, anyone can use Azure but the prices might be higher if you want to do cross-platform with it.
As for moving between cloud services. It greatly depends on what level you target in your development. If you mainly need Virtual Machines and directly target the OS and do everything yourself it's quite easy to move around. If you sit on top of a stack that is managed by the cloud infrastructure of your provider that would have to be replace with another provider's. We don't have that information with regards to Titanfall.
Cloud computing is attractive because you don't have to worry about scaling as much as with on-premise servers. E.g. if on launch day you need 2000 servers and 2 weeks later only 1000 cloud services allow you to do that and only to pay for that. With their own server farms it will be more likely that they won't have the needed 2000 servers on launch day because they'd be unneeded in a few weeks time. The cloud service providers calculate that if one customer isn't using the infrastructure that day another one likely will.
As for moving between cloud services. It greatly depends on what level you target in your development. If you mainly need Virtual Machines and directly target the OS and do everything yourself it's quite easy to move around. If you sit on top of a stack that is managed by the cloud infrastructure of your provider that would have to be replace with another provider's. We don't have that information with regards to Titanfall.
Cloud computing is attractive because you don't have to worry about scaling as much as with on-premise servers. E.g. if on launch day you need 2000 servers and 2 weeks later only 1000 cloud services allow you to do that and only to pay for that. With their own server farms it will be more likely that they won't have the needed 2000 servers on launch day because they'd be unneeded in a few weeks time. The cloud service providers calculate that if one customer isn't using the infrastructure that day another one likely will.
I can't believe people still bring up the whole competitor angle. People seriously still think this?
I hope it does because I always have around 20~ ms to the West Europe DC and they announced they were raising a UK specific DC yesterday.
If not though, no biggie, as long as it does use dedis. If it does use Azure, i'd be surprised if the PS4 version didn't. It'd be a lot more expensive to Respawn developing against two different SaaS cloud platforms.
I hope it does because I always have around 20~ ms to the West Europe DC and they announced they were raising a UK specific DC yesterday.
If not though, no biggie, as long as it does use dedis. If it does use Azure, i'd be surprised if the PS4 version didn't. It'd be a lot more expensive to Respawn developing against two different SaaS cloud platforms.
IINM EA's datacenter capacities are rented as well?
Me and you to. I really hope they release some sort of paper on it.
John Wick
Member
Familienoberhauptvogel
Banned
Hopefully, it's probably the game I had the least but I shot first moments in my life.
Free during development, subsidized on release.
....ahhhh. That's better.
ClivePwned
Member
I hope so, whatever they did with online multiplayer was perfect as far as I am concerned. I still have yet to play a game this gen that worked so well online on PC or console (I double dipped). There were lot fewer "bullshit" moments in TF than any other game I play (CoD, BF). You know, you die when you are killed in a way that makes you say "oh, bullshit!"
Playing CoD now and while it seems a lot better than previous years, it's still not as well done as TF (or even Halo5). I'm waiting to see how Battlefront turns out (That's dedis right)
Playing CoD now and while it seems a lot better than previous years, it's still not as well done as TF (or even Halo5). I'm waiting to see how Battlefront turns out (That's dedis right)
Speaking of clouds and such; our own Jon Shiring will be giving a talk about a lot of this kind of stuff later this week:
http://racksburg.com/multiplayer-games-in-the-cloud/
...and, hey, since you were wondering, he'll be doing a whole separate talk a day or so later at Virginia Tech;
http://www.acm.vt.edu
http://racksburg.com/multiplayer-games-in-the-cloud/
...and, hey, since you were wondering, he'll be doing a whole separate talk a day or so later at Virginia Tech;
http://www.acm.vt.edu
John Wick
Member
Hence they aren't free!
KurtSloane
Banned
Let's make this clear, I am not looking at this from fan boy perspective so let's drop the insults.
I am fully aware Azure is separate from devices at MS, this not news.
You can say it is agnostic, maybe it is, but you won't see PSN on it no matter what.
Listen, stop with the condescension, makes you seem arrogant.
PSN won't be on Azure, the end.
Azure servers where part of the promotion of Titanfall, I don't see something advertised as a benefit for TF when it was exclusive on X1 being used for the multiplatform release of TF2.
You guys can throw insults and derision, we will see what service is used, I'm pretty secure in my opinion.
Flintty
Member
Opinion is fine but you're presenting it as fact. You know for sure that Azure won't be used or is it your opinion that you don't think it will be used?
I personally think it is unlikely but you never know!