Regarding the SA:MP mod, I agree that it is absolute garbage. I love the GTA series more than almost any other franchise, so I was willing to overlook a lot of SA:MP's shortcomings. However, the code is very sloppy and lag makes it almost unplayable. Even when I'd get very frustrated playing it, I'd still drag myself back into another game hoping it was just server lag. It wasn't, and the entire mod needs a complete rewrite from the bottom up. Players warping across the screen, players not able to see damage they are doing to enemies, and rampant cheating are the worst flaws in the mod. Some other wacky bugs include being able to shoot through walls and falling through the ground. Yay!
Okay, here's what happened. Microsoft has an aging game that they know will sell a lot of copies based on its name. However, they also know that the game is aging and will not able to compete graphically with shooters that are coming out very soon. They know that the Halo fanboys will buy this game regardless. They have already made tons of money from this title on Xbox, and therefore it is disposable to them now. Even if most rational people will pass this game by due to its requirements, there are many people who will do anything to play it on a PC.
So, Microsoft has nothing to lose by making this game 'Vista only' and cramming PayToPlay down peoples' throats. It's a win/win situation for M$. The people who must have this game will do whatever it takes to play it, including upgrading their OS and accepting the PayToPlay multiplayer system. And even if most people refuse to buy it, they've lost very little development costs with the conversion and still get thousands of people hooked because it is Halo. Microsoft wins, and we lose.
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