Every night the world holds its breath hoping that the next update on the DOJO is an announcement that Brawl will have online support. Even in the event of such an update, some would still hold reservations because of Friend Codes. At the Nintendo media briefing at E3, Reggie suggested that perhaps Nintendo has been taking online play seriously all along. Before you can be disappointed, and before you can want more, it would be wise to understand what’s been done.<!--more-->
Friends Codes are the 16 digit identification tags that act as gametags for the Nintendo online universe. Friend Codes are slightly different between the Wii and the DS. Because the DS lacks a centralized memory unit, each online game on the DS is assigned a different Friend Code. It would be quite taxing to memorize so many numbers, but in most cases, you don’t have to. Like phone numbers, these codes are stored once and for all. The DS also comes with nifty features that allow players to swap Friend Codes after playing locally. The bottom line is, if you know the person in real life, exchanging codes is easy. And if you only know them through some other means, then you would simply use whatever means of communication that suits you to exchange the info. Friend Codes on the Wii can be consitent from game to game because each Wii has a code. Think of it like a social security number. You can change your name, but you can’t change your SSN.
Even though the Friend Code system isn’t as convenient as some may desire, they’re only used for playing matches with specific people. You don’t even have to see a single code if you only want to play random people online. Right now, I’m playing Planet Puzzle League DS, and I have no idea what my code is.
Nintendo introduced this code system to protect the gamers. I know what you’re thinking. Why would people like you and me need the protection when we can bench press 250+ pounds and stop bullets with the wave of our hands. The truth of the matter is, everyone can’t be super humans.
There are a lot of “kids” playing Nintendo games. I know what you’re thinking. It’s ridiculous to think something bad is going to happen to a kid just because they play a Nintendo game online right? You misunderstand me. I think it’s a good thing that Nintendo restricts options like voice chat in random online battles. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard kids talking “smack” online over xbox live. Personally, I would have a lot more respect for my fellow gamers if I never hear them speak. Though a little smack here and there is fine in my book, when the talk turns racist or vulgar I have a problem with the whole system. I wouldn’t make such a big deal about it if these incidents were rare or even uncommon. But it seems that every time I log in, someone is overly obnoxious. There’s something about the internet that brings the worst out in people.
Fortunately with the Wii, Nintendo gives control to each individual developer. This means that if you have a beef with the way your game turns out, take it out on the developer and not on Nintendo or Friend Codes. As we speak EA is trying to set up the internet play for the next Madden game to include voice chat with random players. Also, for Fifa, EA is setting up a system so that Wii gamers can enjoy all the online features and modes that the other Fifa’s is known for. To do both of these things, Friend Codes may be circumvented altogether.
Now for a small list of some standard or expected online features
<ol>
<li>Entering random matches</li>
<li>Setting up matches</li>
<li>Connecting with friends</li>
<li>Leader boards</li>
</ol>
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/62.jpg" title="62.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/62.jpg" alt="62.jpg" /></a></p>
Mario Strikers Charged comes out in the U.S. July 30th. Though Pokemon Battle Revolution was the first online game on the wii, Mario Strikers Charged is the first one with more standard features and play. This game features random matches, ranked matches, match creation, Friend invites, and leader boards. What’s special about the leader boards is that they reset every three months. This simulates a “season” giving players a fresh chance to make it to the top every three months instead of easily being buried by that guy who played non stop for the first week the game was released. Beyond this, Mario Strikers Charged has co-op team play. Two players per Wii can team up and battle for a total of four players online.
In order for multiple people in the household to have their own records, the developers decided to create a separate Friend Code system. This allows the players to make multiple accounts on one Wii. While this may initially seem like a step in the wrong direction, this decision will ultimately give the gamer more options.
So it looks like despite all the fears and complaints, there’s noting wrong with Friend Codes. Each developer determines how they want their online play to be and makes adjustments accordingly.
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg" title="news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg" alt="news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg" /></a></p>
Have you check <a href="http://www.nintendowifi.com/gaminghub/PlanetPuzzleGamingHub.jsp" target="_blank">NintendoWifi.com</a> lately? This site tracks your game data in interesting and unique ways. It shows which cities have the most activity, your playing habits over 2 weeks, and how you stack up to the competition. Just like how each developer determines what features their games will offer, the same holds true for the website support. Tonk Hawk DS allows players to select high score replays online. The next time their DS connects online, the video is downloaded for viewing. On the Metroid Prime Hunters site, players can see a visual representation of their Friend Network. This floating rotating graph shows how your friends and rivals are connected to each other. And beyond this, the site allows other webmasters to link data directly from Nintendo. This allows other sites to link to player profiles that update in real time.
Just think, if Brawl has an online mode, it could be unlike anything we’ve seen on any other console or computer. By linking online web support and the ease Friend Codes, a new system can be created blending how people connect to each other while playing the game and not. What if you could simply click on KirbyKid on one of my blog entries to automatically be set up with a match with me online? Oh the possibilities.
Friends Codes are the 16 digit identification tags that act as gametags for the Nintendo online universe. Friend Codes are slightly different between the Wii and the DS. Because the DS lacks a centralized memory unit, each online game on the DS is assigned a different Friend Code. It would be quite taxing to memorize so many numbers, but in most cases, you don’t have to. Like phone numbers, these codes are stored once and for all. The DS also comes with nifty features that allow players to swap Friend Codes after playing locally. The bottom line is, if you know the person in real life, exchanging codes is easy. And if you only know them through some other means, then you would simply use whatever means of communication that suits you to exchange the info. Friend Codes on the Wii can be consitent from game to game because each Wii has a code. Think of it like a social security number. You can change your name, but you can’t change your SSN.
Even though the Friend Code system isn’t as convenient as some may desire, they’re only used for playing matches with specific people. You don’t even have to see a single code if you only want to play random people online. Right now, I’m playing Planet Puzzle League DS, and I have no idea what my code is.
Nintendo introduced this code system to protect the gamers. I know what you’re thinking. Why would people like you and me need the protection when we can bench press 250+ pounds and stop bullets with the wave of our hands. The truth of the matter is, everyone can’t be super humans.
There are a lot of “kids” playing Nintendo games. I know what you’re thinking. It’s ridiculous to think something bad is going to happen to a kid just because they play a Nintendo game online right? You misunderstand me. I think it’s a good thing that Nintendo restricts options like voice chat in random online battles. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard kids talking “smack” online over xbox live. Personally, I would have a lot more respect for my fellow gamers if I never hear them speak. Though a little smack here and there is fine in my book, when the talk turns racist or vulgar I have a problem with the whole system. I wouldn’t make such a big deal about it if these incidents were rare or even uncommon. But it seems that every time I log in, someone is overly obnoxious. There’s something about the internet that brings the worst out in people.
Fortunately with the Wii, Nintendo gives control to each individual developer. This means that if you have a beef with the way your game turns out, take it out on the developer and not on Nintendo or Friend Codes. As we speak EA is trying to set up the internet play for the next Madden game to include voice chat with random players. Also, for Fifa, EA is setting up a system so that Wii gamers can enjoy all the online features and modes that the other Fifa’s is known for. To do both of these things, Friend Codes may be circumvented altogether.
Now for a small list of some standard or expected online features
<ol>
<li>Entering random matches</li>
<li>Setting up matches</li>
<li>Connecting with friends</li>
<li>Leader boards</li>
</ol>
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/62.jpg" title="62.jpg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/62.jpg" alt="62.jpg" /></a></p>
Mario Strikers Charged comes out in the U.S. July 30th. Though Pokemon Battle Revolution was the first online game on the wii, Mario Strikers Charged is the first one with more standard features and play. This game features random matches, ranked matches, match creation, Friend invites, and leader boards. What’s special about the leader boards is that they reset every three months. This simulates a “season” giving players a fresh chance to make it to the top every three months instead of easily being buried by that guy who played non stop for the first week the game was released. Beyond this, Mario Strikers Charged has co-op team play. Two players per Wii can team up and battle for a total of four players online.
In order for multiple people in the household to have their own records, the developers decided to create a separate Friend Code system. This allows the players to make multiple accounts on one Wii. While this may initially seem like a step in the wrong direction, this decision will ultimately give the gamer more options.
So it looks like despite all the fears and complaints, there’s noting wrong with Friend Codes. Each developer determines how they want their online play to be and makes adjustments accordingly.
<p align="center"><a href="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg" title="news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg"><img src="http://smashboards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg" alt="news-2005-09-19-wifi.jpeg" /></a></p>
Have you check <a href="http://www.nintendowifi.com/gaminghub/PlanetPuzzleGamingHub.jsp" target="_blank">NintendoWifi.com</a> lately? This site tracks your game data in interesting and unique ways. It shows which cities have the most activity, your playing habits over 2 weeks, and how you stack up to the competition. Just like how each developer determines what features their games will offer, the same holds true for the website support. Tonk Hawk DS allows players to select high score replays online. The next time their DS connects online, the video is downloaded for viewing. On the Metroid Prime Hunters site, players can see a visual representation of their Friend Network. This floating rotating graph shows how your friends and rivals are connected to each other. And beyond this, the site allows other webmasters to link data directly from Nintendo. This allows other sites to link to player profiles that update in real time.
Just think, if Brawl has an online mode, it could be unlike anything we’ve seen on any other console or computer. By linking online web support and the ease Friend Codes, a new system can be created blending how people connect to each other while playing the game and not. What if you could simply click on KirbyKid on one of my blog entries to automatically be set up with a match with me online? Oh the possibilities.
