3 replies to this topic

[D V Devnull]

Hello there, PGI Staff...

While I was getting ready to apply MWO's v1.4.249.0 Patch today on my "Windows 7" system in order to resume being able to play, it happens that I noticed an increase in the Minimum System Requirements that are indicated for MWO from "Windows 7" to "Windows 8.1" as what would be needed. Thankfully the Patch Process on this "Windows 7" system went okay, and I've so far been able to Login and start poking around my stuff once more. However, this has left me rattled that you might decide to dump all of your "Windows 7"-based MWO players out the door in the nearby future, and I really hope that is not something which will be coming. The last dump of players on an old OS ended up hurting the Player Base size, and it left me trying to hope it would not happen again.

I am therefore left to ask the following... Is this sudden 2021-12-14 alteration to the Website some kind of extremely premature change, or an accidental error on displayed Minimum Windows Version numbers, or is something else going on here? What is the future for those of us on MWO who play on a "Windows 7" system at this time, being as the worldwide economy has changed in a manner which makes it much harder to upgrade an old system and/or buy a new one which would be properly compatible with MWO at all? Please tell me you are not going to arbitrarily dump more of the Player Base out of the game forever, seeing as MWO really can not take another damaging hit like that?

~D. V. "wonders why the 2021-12-14 Minimum Windows Version bump when player loss is bad" Devnull





[One Micro-Edit by the Post Author because of one word they missed while typing the post... Sorry!!!]

Edited by D V Devnull, 14 December 2021 - 04:13 PM.

[martian]

D V Devnull, on 14 December 2021 - 04:12 PM, said:

While I was getting ready to apply MWO's v1.4.249.0 Patch today on my "Windows 7" system in order to resume being able to play, it happens that I noticed an increase in the Minimum System Requirements that are indicated for MWO from "Windows 7" to "Windows 8.1" as what would be needed.

What is the future for those of us on MWO who play on a "Windows 7" system at this time, being as the worldwide economy has changed in a manner which makes it much harder to upgrade an old system and/or buy a new one which would be properly compatible with MWO at all?

~D. V. "wonders why the 2021-12-14 Minimum Windows Version bump when player loss is bad" Devnull

Windows 7 is a relatively old OS.

Its Mainstream support ended on 13. I. 2015.

Its Extended support ended on 14. I. 2020 - two years ago.

It is more secure for common users to run their PCs with some up-to-date OS, so I can not really blame PGI for recommending their clients to use a newer OS.

Edited by martian, 15 December 2021 - 03:07 AM.

[MegaBopper]

Martian,

In spite of the fact that all of what you have said is true it would be appropriate to remember:

There is a huge difference between "recommending" and "requiring".

The world technology situation has led to shortages in equipment and skyrocketing prices that seem to be targeted at opportunistic gouging. Most simply cannot afford the resulting impact.

At this time with all that is going on in the world people who have their real life priorities straight can not for the most part spend their hard earned income on computers and software because there is just too much else that must be seen to for mere survival. The vast majority of people cannot just junk what they have and go get "the latest and greatest" for the convenience of arrogant elitists. The truth is that a great many are still using older equipment and software levels. Making a move like chopping off the low end would in fact be a blow to the community of MWO as has been seen in the past.

History has shown that when profit making by always changing things just for the sake of changing becomes more important than consideration for the many others who are "not at the top of income and/or technology" they take the brunt of the disadvantages and sometimes outright damages that occur as a result.

Too often technology in its "race to the future" fails to properly consider that regular users of technology who are not at the forefront of development are unable to keep up with those that are more concerned with how great their accomplishments are or how much profit they can make by forcing change. This has always been one of the greatest problems that exist when being more concerned with constant technological advancement fails to take the rest of humanity into proper consideration.

In spite of the number who have been able to upgrade I am fairly certain that a large number have been unable to do so for perfectly valid reasons in the larger scheme of things. I do believe that dropping support for Win 7 users at this time would result in a serious number of current players being unable to continue to participate in playing in MWO.

Please keep this in mind,

Megabopper

Edited by author for clarity.

Edited by MegaBopper, 15 December 2021 - 08:15 AM.

[martian]

MegaBopper, on 15 December 2021 - 07:58 AM, said:

In spite of the number who have been able to upgrade I am fairly certain that a large number have been unable to do so ...
...
I do believe that dropping support for Win 7 users at this time would result in a serious number of current players being unable to continue to participate in playing in MWO.

What stats, documenting the use of the various versions of the Windows OS by the MechWarrior Online players, do you have?

Edited by martian, 15 December 2021 - 01:13 PM.