Multiplayer action has been heating up the past few weeks with the release of the Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta. Whether racking up kills on Team Deathmatch or capturing plenty of loot in Plunder, lots of people have enjoyed the game modes offered in anticipation of the game's release this November. One question that gamers have in the case of any online multiplayer is whether or not the game will feature dedicated servers., and on Naughty Dog's Twitter page, that idea has been shot down.

 

 

"We're not going to have dedicated servers, made that decision a long time ago. Plus, we built the current player host-client structure," said Naughty Dog on their Twitter account. The developer made the comment in response to someone constantly asking whether or not that the game will feature dedicated servers. 

 

"The cost delta between dedicated and non-dedicated is huge long term. Eventually someone will say it costs too great and shut them down," continued Naughty Dog. "My personal hope is that by keeping costs down and a strong enough community, we could be in a position to consider 4+ years of uptime."

 

Certainly, there will be people who will be frustrated by this fact and may lose interest in the multiplayer altogether. However, if Naughty Dog can live up to this claim and actually support the system for 4 years, then I say that this is quite a smart move on their part because the payoff outweighs the sacrifices made.

 

But even if it is a peer-to-peer connection, the game runs rather smoothly for a game set in that structure. It's not like the Call of Duty series where your ping can be just a tad bit slow, which ultimately costs you your life. In Uncharted 3, it takes plenty more bullets to take down someone, plus the game more relies on the element of surprise and positioning. 

 

The beta has been an absolute blast and if the final product is as polished as the beta has been, the multiplayer could very well last a long time. Of course, Naughty Dog needs to live up to its word and try their best to keep the game relevant for as long as they can. Otherwise, this decision not to go with dedicated servers can be a disservice to the fans of the Uncharted series.

 

With the series being one of the best right now, I have faith that Naughty Dog will indeed do their best to provide plenty of content and support for a couple of years. If you have been loving the multiplayer action of Uncharted 3 so far, then you will be able to get your hands on the final product on November 1 this year.