Halo: Combat Evolved Muliplayer Servers Shutting Down

[Adam91]

 

Halo: Combat Evolved for the PC and many other games that are hosted by Gamespy are set to be shut down on May 31st. Gamespy issued an announcement on their site confirming that their online servers for all games that they host will soon cease to be in service.

 

"Effective May 31, 2014, GameSpy will cease providing all hosted services for all games still using GameSpy.

 

If you have any questions about how this impacts your favorite title please contact the game’s publisher for more information.

 

Thanks for a great ride!  - See more" 

 

This action gamespy has taken will effect hundreds of games and thousands of gamers who use their services as it will all come to an end next month. After this news broke out many are hoping their Gamespy hosted games will then move to steam in the future. 

 

What do you think about this news, does this effect your gaming life?

 

Do you play Halo: Combat Evolved on PC?

 

 

Source: Gamespy

This post has been promoted to an article

[BeckoningZebra1]

Though I never played Halo CE on the PC, and this doesn't really affect me, it's sad to see this game along with many others go offline for good. I doubt Microsoft will allow yet another Halo game on steam, but you never know...

[Drizzy_Dan]

I don't play it on PC either but I know of people who do and this is going to cause some backlash I think. 

[Buns]

WAIT THIS IS BAD

 

This means Halo CE PC AND SWBF1/2 might be shutdown multiplayer wise for good :c

 

 

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Caboose The Ace]

This sound silly but...

 

Maybe MS paid Gamespy to shut Halo ce down so they could launch it on steam !

 

(You got to remain optimistic)

[Buns]

This sound silly but...

 

Maybe MS paid Gamespy to shut Halo ce down so they could launch it on steam !

 

(You got to remain optimistic)

Wait so MS who owns the rights to Halo CE PC paid a company to shut down so they can close down the gamer servers to DOZENS of games INCLUDING STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 2 just so they can release it on steam?

 

How is that remaining optimistic? People will loose their jobs, some games will loose their servers.

 

MS could put Halo CE on PC right now they don't need Gamespy to shut down to do so. :/

 

That is really pessimistic to me man....

[Caboose The Ace]

Ah well Bnus it may kinda suck but ...

 

You got to hope....

 

[sovietbacon]

:/ hopefully MS/343 will patch it over to steam.

[Allan Brown]

I still play both Halo PC and Custom Edition. Sad to see it go, hopefully direct IP will still work or some other workaround.

[Twinreaper]

Direct IP will work.  Gamespy only hosts a "Master" server list.  When you run a dedicated server, that server can still be connected too.  The problem is, without a way for a collective of gamers to see the servers or people hosting them, they won't know where to go to connect to them.  In the case of bigger clans like PQC or CñR, they have sites dedicated to their PC clans and you can get the server info there.

 

This is going to cause quite a lot of backlash as the PC community for Halo CE is still larger, even larger than Halo 3 and possibly Reach right now.  Gamespy isn't directly to blame for this, as they were bought out by another company last year.  It was reported back then, that the Halo servers as well as many others were being shutdown, or being shutdown in the future.  Microsoft as a whole is not "Pro PC Gaming" at all, in fact they even began issuing service announcements stating that the GFWL platform would be ending.  They want to focus on the 2 big cash cows they have, ignoring the "little people" who made them so successful.  Halo would not be anywhere near the household name it is now, without the PC gamers out there who have been fragging and sniping since 03'.

 

As for Steam, it is likely to not happen.  Unfortunately, Gamespy is integrated into the game itself and cannot be removed.  It could however theoretically be altered to point to a different host IP for the server list.  Since this has not been tested by the community, it would seem logical to assume that a certain type of program or "version" of the host list application would have to be used, or rather Steam would have to use a "Legacy Software" branch to pull it off.  Either way, Halo CE PC will still live on as long as we have Direct IP connecting.  It's the one thing that has kept Halo 2 PC behind and always a second runner.

[Buns]

Direct IP will work.  Gamespy only hosts a "Master" server list.  When you run a dedicated server, that server can still be connected too.  The problem is, without a way for a collective of gamers to see the servers or people hosting them, they won't 

As for Steam, it is likely to not happen.  Unfortunately, Gamespy is integrated into the game itself and cannot be removed.  It could however theoretically be altered to point to a different host IP for the server list.  Since this has not been tested by the community, it would seem logical to assume that a certain type of program or "version" of the host list application would have to be used, or rather Steam would have to use a "Legacy Software" branch to pull it off.  Either way, Halo CE PC will still live on as long as we have Direct IP connecting.  It's the one thing that has kept Halo 2 PC behind and always a second runner.

So if said servers do go down. Will there be any possible option of a bypass?

 

I know in the Battlefield 2 community some modders are looking for a way to bypass this issue. Don't know if it is 100% possible. 

[Twinreaper]

Yes there is.  Iirc the servers are SAAP based, and there are a few members who have created a global server for Halo CE.  However, I'm not sure what would be involved in setting Halo towards the new global server.  I'm assuming it would require a simple hex edit of the exe or accompanying dll files in the install directory.  Said edit would likely just be a new IP pointing edit, or we may have to resort to a bypass via add-on dll's.

[Jªvª]

Well there are things in the works to help the situation, but the biggest problem which isn't so much the server listing is the CD Key verification that is also included in the client and dedi software that the master server also handles. Although easlier patchable to ignore it, but can cause minor issues with the hash system which is used for banning in the standalone versions of multiplayer. Phasor itself can be scripted to fix that; while SAPP, Gandanur, etc can intiate its own system.

[Twinreaper]

Java!  Long time no see my friend!  I was just thinking about the cd-key implications of the list and server.  Doesn't really bother me since I have a legit key and copy with me still.  Although yes, I guess that does raise questions for those who cannot buy the game anymore and the server runners.  How is work with Phasor these days?  I haven't really touched anything server or client for Halo in quite some time.

[Jªvª]

Yeah no kidding, long time no see. Phasor still running strong, abit slow but working around my hectic schedule. As for the CD Key thing it will effect everyone really since the CD Key is linked to a unique hash, which are ways around that (SAPP basically does it already). But also causes people that know how the system works to bypass it easlily even with introducing an IP-Hash based system. So basically now its a no win situation with it and basically causes a few issues to arise mostly.

[Twinreaper]

I wasnt sure how the hash was generated. I thought it was generated based on the machine. That is good info to know. So if we play post server downage, will we admins still have a way to effectively ban players?

[Patxi]

We, players of Halo Custom Edition, currently have a petition going for Microsoft and 343 Industries to get Halo Combat Evolved and Custom Edition to Steam so the servers dont die. There are over 10K players daily on Custom Edition alone, Halomaps website, largest custom maps library, has over 29,425,188 Downloads with a community since 2004 alive and kicking delivering new content every day, we even ported Halo 3, Halo Reach, Halo 4 weapons and textures to the old blam engine, since we really havent got an engine update, only a community made engine that extends the polycount and a few physics enhancements. If you guys wish to sign the petition that would be amazing.

 

409 more votes to reach the 8K ^.^

[nobody]

im new here- i just created an account just for this ;D hehe

 

sooo

SAVE HALO!!!!!!!: http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/steam-adopt-halo-combat-evolved-custom-edition-multiplayer#share 

The community for Halo Full Version and Custom Edition is still alive and it would only increase if it were to be added to the Steam marketplace and server lists. Gamespy is shutting down their servers so Halo needs to be saved! There is roughly 10k~ unique players that still play the game online and a percentage of that 10k~ still play competitively. Any form of support is welcomed!

If anything is to happen, at minimum a master server update or a new master server by steam or any other affiliated company would work as well!

Also, if you have a server on Halo FV or CE, please put the link to the petition in your message's of the day to raise awareness! 

PLEASE SIGN THE PETITION FOR THE FUTURE OF HALO COMBAT EVOLVED.

IT IS AN AWESOME GAME, ONE WHICH I AM SURE YOU HAVE ALL PLAYED AT LEAST ONCE IN YOUR LIFETIME(S).

EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HALO, SEEN, TOUCHED, OR EXPERIENCED THE JOY AND EXHILARATION OF PLAYING SUCH A MIGHTY, POWERFULLY EPIC GAME THAT HAS REVOLUTIONIZED THE ART OF MULTIPLIER GAMING, CLICK ON THE LINK AND SIGN THE DAMN THING 

AND

THEN

SHARE

IT

!

[Arcwave]

Sad to see this go

[Jªvª]

I wasnt sure how the hash was generated. I thought it was generated based on the machine. That is good info to know. So if we play post server downage, will we admins still have a way to effectively ban players?

 

Yes, players can still be bannable. With that said though, players can also bypass the ban more easily if the so called player knows how to change the hash when the Master Server goes down. Example now is how SAPP bypasses it via a memory patch, I can hop into a SAPP server and if they ban via the normal way (not IP Ban) I could still get into the server by simpleing changing the hash base. On normal servers that pubicly broadcast with Gandanur, Phasor (without a script patch or disableing the hash check), standalone you can't do that due to the dedi phones home to verify the Hash is valid and is associated with a legit CD Key on the Master Server.

[Twinreaper]

So it would seem then, that we need to come up with a way to generate a base player hash or another form of ID, that is taken from the machine it is installed on then?  Wait....huh?  Ok, what I mean is, perhaps there is a way to patch the game, that generates a hash or ID based on the unique environment or the PC.  This would allow us to track players and it would not be so easy to fake, if we include some kind of encryption behind the generation of the ID, similar to the map signatures found on maps?