This web site now works a lot better on mobile devices. Everything is still here, but there's a different top menu, and some things on the two sidebars have been rearranged a bit. If you can't see something where it used to be, try scrolling down a bit, because it may be way down on the right sidebar. What you see, and how it's displayed, depends a lot on your display and your browser width.

Please check out the site and let me know if you run into any problems.

Note that the TPU stats pages are still not mobile-friendly, and they're likely to stay that way.

Nintendo continues its bullying ways. Their latest move? Taking down fan-made YouTube videos that were created using unofficial tools. Keep in mind that the only reason those unofficial tools were used in the first place was that Nintendo was slow to provide anything official. Will somone please replace the corporate drones in charge of Nintendo with someone who actually plays and enjoys computer games?

(Updated 2015Sep13 to correct a few things.)

As of September 8, the Battlefield 1942 master server we've all been using since Gamespy went away has been moved to a different IP address. Initially it looked like this would be temporary change, but they later announced that the change was permanent. The old IP address will continue to work, but the service operators recommend using the new one (94.23.196.155).

If you haven't already done so, you'll have to use whatever method you used previously to switch to the new master server (at 109.71.69.254), to switch to the new server at 94.23.196.155. In my case, I modifed my gaming PC's HOSTS file:

#109.71.69.254 master.gamespy.com
# New IP circa 2015Sep11:
94.23.196.155 master.gamespy.com

I also changed the HOSTS file on the TPU server, so players should be able to join and the server should update its status on various server trackers as before.

In related news, the server list at http://master.bf1942.sk/ is back online.

I just posted a new link in the Site Features section of the left sidebar: Server Status. The linked page describes all the methods by which you can find out what's going on with all the JDRGaming game servers. Check it out!

Update: I accidentally left the new page flagged as a draft. The problem has been fixed. Sorry about that.

The JDRGaming web site is now running on the JRC web server, Foghorn. As you may be aware, Foghorn also hosts the TPU Battlefield 1942 server, as well as the JDRGaming Battlefield 2 server and the JDRGaming Minecraft server.

This move solves several problems, including the recent flakiness of the shared hosting (provided by A Small Orange) where it previously resided. However, the move also has at least one negative consequence. Previously, if Foghorn was down for some reason, I would update the JDRGaming site with an explanation. Now, when Foghorn is down, the JDRGaming site will be inaccessible.

To get around this limitation, when the JDRGaming site is inaccessible, I will post status updates on the TPU Facebook page, the TPU Google+ page, the JDRGamingStatus Twitter feed, and the TPU IRC channel on GameSurge.

Previously, when I posted a status update to the JDRGaming site, I would also post links to that update on the TPU Facebook page, the TPU Google+ page, and the JDRGamingStatus Twitter feed. So it's not a very big change, but it does mean that you'll have to remember to check one of those other sources for information when the JDRGaming site is down.

Update 2015Aug29:

The TPU stats were down for a few hours while the move was taking effect, but they should be back up and running with the most recent information now.

The server monitor function has been taken offline for technical reasons. Hopefully that will be temporary.

A couple of months ago, XFire went offline. Because of this, all player widgets and other links to XFire resources have been removed from this site.

A recent Linux update on the server is causing a few problems, and the BF2 server is down at this time. I hope to have it back up and running in the next day or so. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Update 2015Jul31 7:27am PST: the BF2 server is back up!

A new version of Minecraft was announced on July 29 by Mojang. Version 1.8.8 fixes several security issues. The JDRGaming Minecraft server is now running version 1.8.8, and the Minecraft page on this site has been updated with the latest information.

A recent post on The Verge reports that game developers are increasingly less likely to include split-screen multiplayer in their games. According to the article, the main reason for this is that split-screen gaming doubles the hardware resource requirements of a game.

In fact, while the hardware resources required for split-screen are greater, the difference is usually not that large. That's because a lot of the work being done by the console only needs to be done once, not multiple times. Of course, this depends on the quality of the programmers and the development process used. If split-screen is added to a game as an afterthought, it's likely to be much less efficient.

But the real reason game producers are moving away from split-screen is pressure from management, which sees split-screen gaming as lost revenue. If I can go to my friend's house and play a split-screen game with him, that's one less game sold. Game producers would much rather force us to each buy a copy of the game and play on two separate consoles. The extra expense involved (multiple copies of a game, multiple consoles, multiple online gaming subscriptions) is great for game producers, but a crappy deal for people who just want to play games with their friends.

In any case, this trend is certainly sad. As noted in the Verge article, some of the best gaming experiences come from playing alongside friends in the same game, while sitting next to each other on the couch. It's a much more social experience than online gaming.

Of course, some games will always include the ability to play with and against friends on one screen. Many sports games, like EA Sports' NHL Hockey series, have always allowed this kind of play, and they typically do it without even needing a split screen. This no doubt contributes to the long-term success of such games.

User self-registration for jdrgaming.com has been disabled temporarily. If you would like a user account, please contact me via email: jrivett@jdrgaming.com.

Another new version of Minecraft was announced on June 5 by Mojang. Version 1.8.7 fixes several security issues. The JDRGaming Minecraft server is now running version 1.8.7, and the Minecraft page on this site has been updated with the latest information.