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SegaNet Becomes A Reality
by Jeremy Horwitz for Gamers Today
For Sega, September began with a bang - the sort of explosion that will either rock the entire video games industry or cause the hasty demise of a game company that is risking everything left in the bank. Coinciding with the release of the new football game NFL2K1 -the 2001 edition of Sega's NFL football franchise-Sega formally launched SegaNet, the official Internet Service Provider (ISP) of the Dreamcast, a service that allows Dreamcast owners to browse the Web and play certain DC games online against human opponents elsewhere in the country. Through a partnership with AT&T, SegaNet access is available practically nationwide.
Most Dreamcast owners have had ample opportunities to get acquainted with the SegaNet Web Browser, which is now in its second full revision. (DC systems ship with version 1.0 of the Browser; versions 2.0 and 2.1 are available either through issues of the Official Dreamcast Magazine or from Sega.) The Browser is fully functional and robust, enabling reasonably painless Web surfing through any standard television set and performing as well for browsing as the pre-hard disk versions of WebTV. A separate keyboard can be purchased for those who prefer to type rather than joypad-in their URLs. Those DC owners who purchased their systems during the summer and sampled the SegaNet ISP free of charge were also entitled to a $50 rebate from Sega, effectively dropping the Dreamcast's price to $149.99 or less across the U. S. At the beginning of September, Sega ended the rebate and officially reduced the DC price to $149.99-half the price of Sony's upcoming PlayStation 2.
As of today, Sega has its initial elements in place: an inexpensive games console, a largely national ISP, and a small quantity of Internet-ready software. The first Net-ready title, the quirky but fun puzzle game Chu Chu Rocket, was released a few months ago and attracted only modest international interest to Sega's online services. Chu Chu was developed as a stopgap title to satisfy Net-ready Dreamcast gamers (e.g., it was given away for free in Europe) and not expected to light the world on fire. Sega's second title, however, is poised to start the networked gaming revolution-in America, at least. NFL2K1 is squarely aimed at the sports game fanatic, a category of gamer that is less likely to adopt a new system at launch but highly likely to buy when the machine's price drops and sports titles are noticeably better than whatever they have at home.
Predictably, NFL2K1 offers aesthetic improvements over its Dreamcast predecessor, NFL2K. Though its characters and stadiums look largely similar to last year's version, they've been given slightly more rounded (and therefore less boxy) edges, a more consistent frame rate, and plenty of new animations. Players are more likely to dance around believably after a touchdown and individual members of the crowd are animated, rather than static images. The audio, too, has had a few kinks ironed out, and play-by-play announcing is smoother, more analytical, and more television-like than before. Though some football game fans, such as myself, would have preferred a more radical revamp of the game's graphics, what's here is unquestionably an improvement and will certainly satisfy most people.
The real changes to NFL2K1 are under the hood-a slightly more sophisticated computer opponent, but more importantly, the option to play across the SegaNet ISP against the diverse array of human opponents lurking in all of the nooks and crannies of the American subcontinent. In essence, NFL2K1 takes two separate Dreamcasts, their separate televisions, and players, and connects them to one another via the Internet so that a hard-core Buffalo Bills fan located in Buffalo, New York, can square off against a San Francisco 49ers fan located in San Francisco, Palo Alto, or anywhere else in the country. Unlike personal computer networking, which requires relatively sophisticated typing, computer knowledge and experience, SegaNet gaming is supposed to be as easy as a 6-button gamepad as with a keyboard.
As it was designed for play by those with no previous Internet experience, use of NFL2K1's SegaNet interface is an interesting lesson in the simplification of networked gaming technology for the masses. Every DC system includes a 56.6kbps modem, but actual connection quality varies from phone line to phone line and NFL2K1 plops you into a chat room and informs you automatically of the quality of your connection and that of prospective opponents. You can pick a partner with a connection speed equal, superior or inferior to your own, with the caveat that networked game play will be best where both connections are equal and high. A slower connection on either end is more likely to lead to "lag," or a delay between the sending of one side's controller data to the other side's Dreamcast. In testing the SegaNet service with NFL2K1, this led to only two messed-up plays in the course of a full game with a 33.6K-quality connection-not too bad for a modem-to-modem networked game.
Rivalries between friends are unquestionably going to be played out over the NFL2K1 online network, but Sega is hoping that strangers will connect to one another through the service, as well. To facilitate discussion and the "human dimension" of game play, chat between opponents is available before, after, and even during the game-users of Dreamcast keyboards can type out taunts, compliments or ideas for the other side to read after a play has ended. Real fans will also be impressed to hear that online roster updates are another component of Sega's online plans-whether you're playing in online or offline mode, NFL2K1 can use downloaded season data to replace the August 2000 data that was shipped on the NFL2K1 disc.
Perhaps, the only objectionable part of the online content model Sega's offering is the pricing structure. If you want to play online, you'll have to pay not only for the game disc but also for the SegaNet ISP service, which costs $19.99 each month. That's a lot of money for a limited hour and otherwise functionality-restricted Internet access, unless you plan to play a lot each month against faraway friends. Although it's unlikely that Sega would consider doing this, SegaNet should be discount or give away Net access with the purchase of one or two games each month.
Though reactions to SegaNet and the NFL2K1 service will undoubtedly vary from person to person, it's clear that Sega's offering is a step in the right direction: easy-to-use, relatively affordable online gaming with plenty of features that take advantage of Internet connectivity. Because of the stability of the Dreamcast platform as a standard for game development, online DC gamers can look forward to a more stable experience from machine to machine than can PC gamers, who continue to experience unpredictable results based on their individual configurations. DC owners with modems are already having better online football experiences than PC gamers with broadband connections. Now, it's time for basketball...
