UKTerrorist
Posted by Hotshot at 11:10 15/1/2004.
After the debacle of CXG, now extensively and possibly overly documented, GameSpot have produced a short article about the event with quotes from both the organisers of CXG , who blame VALVe, and from Doug Lombardi who blames....well nobody. He certainly manages to wash his hands of the whole affair, however. CXG's claims that the main cause of upset at the event was Steam downtime appears unfounded, according to Lombardi.
"We did not experience any down time with Steam on Saturday."
Considering news articles such as this and this and this in such a short space of time, it does make you think somebody somewhere has a lot to answer for. You can read the whole article on their site.
Comments
Choke
11:11 15/1/2004
fightclubclan
11:13 15/1/2004
Though valve have f***ed up steam, I dont think its their fault this time. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Boys From The Dwarf
11:19 15/1/2004
11:25 15/1/2004
but i doubt that would hold up in court :) [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
11:28 15/1/2004
cxg are certainly not blameless though, they should have made a decent net connection available to allow the 1200 or so computers at the event to be able to update cs thanks to the impressively intelligent release of a patch on the same day the even started.
they probably only had access to the centres standard phone lines, i think someone calculated that with the bandwidth available, it would take just over 24 hours to update all the pc's at the event.
cpl managed a decent 1.6 tournament, but they sure as hell didn't have the same number of pc's there.
can we blame this on sulph and patrik too? [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
ForsakeN
11:29 15/1/2004
just make sure the next one isnt a shambles :} [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Choke
11:31 15/1/2004
: [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
11:32 15/1/2004
Boys From The Dwarf
11:35 15/1/2004
Sniper's Alley
11:37 15/1/2004
gg 2 meg line :) [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Rush!
11:46 15/1/2004
11:59 15/1/2004
cs was made as an online game so why should it have a lan option? if CXG couldnt sort a suitable net connection in the 6 months that it was planning it then its no one else's fault but their own, yes steam may have been fown for around 4 hours , even tho ole dougie seems to disagree, but thats not long enuf to cancel what should have been a highly professional event that they should have planned for this type of error occuring. Surely if they can freely give out $160,000 to some kids to play a computer game they can sort out a fast enuf connection for 400k downloads to not be a problem?
i doubt valve are liable in court, its just the fat t**tted americans not wanting to admit that the event was pretty much doomed without a semi decent connection
anyway it doesnt matter cos everyone knows it was angel mouz who employed someone to knock the steam systems out over that weekend [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Game2XS.Monkey Magic
12:03 15/1/2004
Last Chance
12:12 15/1/2004
12:12 15/1/2004
12:27 15/1/2004
cs was not invented as an online game, it was invented as multiplayer which means internet AND lan. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Choke
12:28 15/1/2004
12:38 15/1/2004
12:39 15/1/2004
Infinity-eSports
12:42 15/1/2004
cxg didnt have enough pc's to run the tournament anyway nor the bandwidth to run the simultaneous steam connections (512k adsl :o) [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
13:03 15/1/2004
meatyballs
13:11 15/1/2004
Infinity-eSports
13:21 15/1/2004
How hard would it be for cxg, to go onto google; "Cracked 1.6 No Steam" .
Legal issues I guess.. nvm
/rhyzz is ugly [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
13:40 15/1/2004
Its a matter of principle. I cba finding a crack for a game to play on LAN that shud b officially playable on LAN in the 1st instance! [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
euthanasia
13:49 15/1/2004
14:14 15/1/2004
14:46 15/1/2004
15:01 15/1/2004
such bs mine was down and alot of other people's were as well [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
theb0g
15:04 15/1/2004
15:43 15/1/2004
Rush!
15:48 15/1/2004
Its cxg's fault soley. They should have realised this could happen, you base an entire pro cs tourney on the fact steam might just work?! That's really poor business.
They should have either got reassurances from Valve in writing that this wasn't going to happen or not held the tournament at all if they didnt want to take any of the responsibility for something badly going wrong.
Its just basic business sense. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Rush!
15:52 15/1/2004
Vavle will decide where this game goes and if there is no official lan version atm, then thats what the tournament organisers have to work with, or not, as the case may be. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Rush!
15:53 15/1/2004
euthanasia
16:00 15/1/2004
16:08 15/1/2004
Bet they would have f***ed me all up if they had one any way.
Lol looking at those vids of the lads being interviewed those element think hes the diva of cs or sumin [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
16:22 15/1/2004
meatyballs
16:23 15/1/2004
16:37 15/1/2004
Yes, their were some poor organisational decisions made. The core of these were obviously; unpatched XP, late cabling, less than desired security and of course reduced bandwidth (due to viruses).
However, all of these issues are pretty trivial until their put together like at cXg where it caused a nightmare :(
All of these errors or oversights could all of been so easily planned for in advance and anyone that says there wont be another cXg is a retard. =[
cXg went ahead with $10,000 matches because they were still very confident that the sponsors would pay up and why not? "any publicity is good publicity" even if it is bad. cXg made the BBC website with only ONE line refering to the utter shambles it degenerated into.
cXg will come away from this event and have learnt ALOT from their mistakes.
And do you know why all the big teams will turn out in force again? Because instead of $10,000 grudge matches they'll have a shot at $100,000 or more. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
16:38 15/1/2004
Rush!
16:40 15/1/2004
specify [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
16:41 15/1/2004
16:49 15/1/2004
This had to happen to an event at some point. Were America looking for planes flying into buildings before 9/11? You cant plan for everything but as mistakes are made, there learnt from. And that is all that can be expected. And you can bet that the CPL will be covering themselves against these things now too.
imo a significant amount of blame does lie with Valve.
Whether or not the alegations that Valve didnt supply a content server (as they did for CPL) and failed to appear at cXg as contracted to do is true or not.....
It was still completely irresponsible to release a patch so close to a tournament.
Alot of people forget now that Valves main source of income through counter-strike is via LAN centres and royalties paid by companies like CPL and cXg to have tournaments with their games.
Not having a tournament version that doesnt require the net is a disgrace. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
17:11 15/1/2004
Rush!
17:12 15/1/2004
Too right it was, the fact that CXG were relying on steam to be up for when they wanted the tournment is an immense gamble based on the fact that steam has been down so much and has had so many problems.
Once again the ultimate responsibility for an event lies with the organiser. End.
9/11 is completely different to this, you cant compare the two, but i will say that some people would say that that also was down to the US ultimately...
True, you cant, but basics such as Steam and Networking ARE things you can plan for. To me this looks like a tournament which has been run by ppl whos pockets are bigger than their brains.
Its all well and good saying you will learn from your mistakes but first you have to hold your hands up and say it was your fault. CXG are slyly trying to shift the blame onto valve, which isn't right.
By all accounts though CPL already did. They had Valve supervisors there to oversee the steam side of things which they had allegely paid for. CXG didnt and there lies the problem. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Rush!
17:19 15/1/2004
why? please why.
Wake up, in this world you get what you pay for, not what you think you deserve or have the devine right of receiving, especially in business.
Were CXG just hoping to get steam content over the internet for nothing? Yes.
Did they pay for any steam content? No.
Blame in business only lies with someone if they fail to deliver a product or service that someone has paid for. You don't get something for nothing. Therefore total 'blame' lies with CXG. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Rush!
17:20 15/1/2004
17:31 15/1/2004
What you said about the lack of expertise on site is not only ridulous but completely unfounded garbage. There were extremely experienced and qualified networking personel onsite and these guys have overseen many lans before, as you would of known too, had you bothered to even check before making such remarks.
Oh and if CXG had an upstanding agreement with VALVE then they have every right to be passing on the blame ESPECIALLY when CXG would have been PAYING valve royalties for the pleasure of holding a competitive tournament using cs. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
17:39 15/1/2004
well they actually were, the wtc were built to withstand high impact forces such as a plane hitting the building but unfortunatly the buildings inside had been incorrectly designed to cope with it for some strange reason, but compare the likelyhood of a plane being flown into a building and steam being down for a few hours aswell as releasing a patch and there slighly different odds :o
http://hardheads.org/CXG/CXG.html
thats worth a real read and pretty much clarifys that the tournament was doomed in the first place [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
17:45 15/1/2004
euthanasia
17:54 15/1/2004
18:19 15/1/2004
Rush!
18:24 15/1/2004
Look, dont start making things up to try and win an online arguement, its pathetic.
Show me where i said anything about the lack of expertise? oh wait you cant, cos i didnt.
Just read that article Krispy posted, it shows that CXG could hold a p***-up in a brewery never mind mentioning ANYTHING about the steam problems.
Lets just leave it that you are are another one of those Valve forum bashers like so many others, quick to have a go at them, even though they are providing us with a free service. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
19:04 15/1/2004
Specster
19:05 15/1/2004
19:10 15/1/2004
No one can blame valve for trying to make money, but there methods and complete disregard for essentially, their customers leaves ALOT to be desired. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Rush!
19:14 15/1/2004
I never said anything about the admins there being able to do their job, I was talking about the guy running the show, he clearly hasnt got a clue, reading some of the reports ppl have made. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
19:16 15/1/2004
Rush!
19:18 15/1/2004
Only when they start charging for this service can you go around abusing the product provider. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
19:18 15/1/2004
+ refered to [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
19:23 15/1/2004
i said entirely free. refering to LAN centres.
and nor did i say paying for games would necessarily be a bad thing. However, they would have to drastically improve the situation before i would pay to play. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
fightclubclan
19:26 15/1/2004
fightclubclan
19:26 15/1/2004
Rush!
19:29 15/1/2004
This arguement is boring now anyway. Most people have concluded that CXG was badly managed (Joe and Chris Hill) and badly organised.
Its only the Valve bashers that will say any different. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
19:35 15/1/2004
Choke
19:59 15/1/2004
Landed
20:27 15/1/2004
tbh tho, valve have no excuse for not being there.. pretty disrespectful to the cXg and the community... [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
Landed
20:31 15/1/2004
at least the CPL went to the effort of taking things nice n slowly with that structured 10 year business plan... [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
20:58 15/1/2004
20:59 15/1/2004
Quake 3 Arena
Call of Duty
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Enemy Territory
Americas Army
We gonna demand the heads of all the developers of these games? Yes CS would benefit greatly from a LAN only version, but its hardly Vavles fault that someones tourney f***ed up. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
21:13 15/1/2004
That cxg went on to cancel 4 of the other tournaments dispite the hardware and staff left free by the the stopping of the cs tournament say alot about the level of management at the event, and they can't blame valve for that.
Ever wonder how the managed to get so much prize money for it? Could it be they were cutting a few to many corners in an effort to look cool. [ Comment: Report | IP: Logged ]
21:27 15/1/2004
22:27 15/1/2004
02:01 16/1/2004
12:50 16/1/2004