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Topic: Bad News - F355 is offline

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mad_pic666
unknown
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:01 pm
quote : #1
profile : pm
Posts: 26
Hello,

following bad news i have read at the homepage

Notice for Terminating "F355 Challenge" network service on Dreamcast.
December 29, 2005

Thank you for your continued support on Dreamcast software "F355 Challenge".
We unfortunately decided to close network service of "F355 Challenge" due to technical issue. It will no longer be available on January 16, 2006 noon (Japan time).

We really appreciate your long-term support on this service.
We hope you keep enjoying "F355 Challenge" offline mode and other SEGA titles.

look at:

http://www.f355-challenge.jp/arcade_dc/us/index.html
 
pakkitman
rank 41
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:09 pm
quote : #2
profile : pm
Posts: 1039
Has anyone tested if this is true? It should be offline now if the post is correct. I really really hope it isn't.
  _________________
TC Titans here I come! (Remember the Titans, yeah that's right)
Check out my collection!
mcmonkey
rank 44
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:10 pm
quote : #3
profile : pm
Posts: 1314
Type: PAL
its a bit of a kick in the gnads if it is, complete shock, well at least its been played
  _________________
Pretty music wot i has made:
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segadreamcaster
rank 37
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:13 pm
quote : #4
profile : pm
Posts: 811
Type: NTSC-U/C
Ouch thats some nasty news there and I am really suprised nobody noticed this earlier as it seems the news was posted last month....it won't really effect me persoanlly as I never played it online (although I did want to give it a go at some point but never got around to it)...but im sure that those who did play it will miss it greatly...really really sad Sad

Yeah I just did a test on it myself and when it tries to register you the connection drops, so it seems to be true... Sad

Did anybody ever manage to do enough research on this to be able to do anything about this? If not then perhaps we need to strick while the irons hot to see if anyone at sega will help out?

Cheers, Craig
  _________________
Game Names:

PSO = Ryo or SEGADCER
Q3A, Starlancer
Max Pool = Segadcer
4x4 Evo = Segadreamcaster

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mad_pic666
unknown
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:17 pm
quote : #5
profile : pm
Posts: 26
you can believe me!

just klick on the link, it the official homepage!
 
pakkitman
rank 41
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 5:23 pm
quote : #6
profile : pm
Posts: 1039
I think a written petition is in order, or at least try to contact them. After all, the reason they gave for taking down the servers was "technical problems". Madpics, I wasn't doubting you but rather the message, after all, DC gamer's have often been told that games were going to be taken offline and they weren't or at least not for a long time.
  _________________
TC Titans here I come! (Remember the Titans, yeah that's right)
Check out my collection!
lordnikon
rank 87
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:01 pm
quote : #7
profile : pm
Posts: 5902
Type: NTSC-U/C
Ok, I have got to get some sleep, I have been up for way too long working and can't stay up anymore. Its unforunate this news just hit when I was about to crash. I will be able to deal with this information when I wake up, 6 hours from this posting. I desperatly need to get some rest.

This is sad news indeed. I also would like to thank TAO for taking pictures of F355 Challenge's online screens way back when. Also I believe I have packets logged on another machine. Hopefully I do, I can't say for certain.

When I wake up I will post a proper news thread, with information on possible reasons for the termination of the service, as well as potential courses of action. Plus some other related information.

*sigh* I am really dissapointed right now Embarassed

P.S. When Kizzy, Le Spank, and some of the other F355 regulars catch this info, it is going to be bedlam up in here.
  _________________
I'm already numero uno on Dark Helmet's hit list...
Kizzy
rank 9
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:26 pm
quote : #8
profile : pm
Posts: 101
I am gutted by this news! I today sent Macnet F355 and was looking forward to giving him a game, now that will never happen.

Before I played F355 I was not really a fan of driving games, this completely changed my mind. For about a year I used to make excuses to my ex girlfriend that I had to go home early to do some work. I was actually just going home so I could catch the last couple of races on Tuesday and Thursday nights, too be honest I think I thought more of this game than I did of her!?

A lot of you out there never played the game online, but many did make the effort. It was tough to do well online because of the very high standard of racers, some of these people just made your jaw drop at their amazing skill. What I liked was the fact that they were a friendly lot of people who played the game, they always passed on tips for driving and how to get better lap times.

I have never been so fond of an online game, I loved the fact that you had no idea who had won the race until you sat back and watched the replay. This was a clever way to get around the problem of dial-up connections and slow modems, but it kind of turned the game into a great spectator game too. What was also handy was you could pick up tips from better drivers by watching their line and braking distances.

Many of you on this site were probably sick of me ranting about people not playing this game online, I just wanted more racers and a kind of social meet up. F355 used to bring up some great conversation points after a Tuesday or Thursday session.

I have not tested the game to see if it is offline, my Dreamcast is at the bottom of my bag all packed away for my trip to Spain and France. I was looking forward to playing F355 whilst over there. If someone has tried it online, do let us all know if it is down.

I really wish I had played this game more the last few months, time has been a issue, plus not been at home during the busy Tues/THurs meets.

A big thanks to all those folks I raced against! Brockstrongo, Le Spank, I , Fuka, JMC , Helga and loads more people besides, I shall miss being blind drunk and still getting a first or second place, or being sober as a judge and coming badly last!?

All the best!

Kizzy
 
maurice x
rank 7
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 6:43 pm
quote : #9
profile : pm
Posts: 72
yes f355 is offline i tested it.

gasp* kizzy sumed it up pretty well, f355 was so unique that out of all my xbox and ps2 games this was the game i played and enjoyed the most.

however, i don't think it's fair to give up without a fight! i will nag sega to bring it back, let's put up a petition, i believe there's still a remote chance that sega might change it's mind if there is enough demand.

like kizzy said what made this game great wasn't just the gameplay but the people you played with, damn we had some good races.

let's do our best and try to bring it back online.
 
Kizzy
rank 9
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 7:09 pm
quote : #10
profile : pm
Posts: 101
Just sat back drinking a beer and thinking I am a saddo coz that at 37 years old I could get p#ssed off that a stupid computer game could cause me upset? I am not gonna cry about it, just have a very long sulk.

I play Forza online and Toca Race Driver 2 online at a friends place. They are great games, but they don't tickle my scrotum like F355 does/did?

I do hope that something can be done to bring it back online, but I doubt that would happen? Fingers crossed just in case!

I just hope that I was not part of the demise of this game, about 8 regulars met up on Tues/Thurs, but sometimes numbers were down to 3 or 4. I hope the decision to take it offline was not a lack of players and just a so called tech issue? Quite a few people lacked dial-up and numbered dropped.

Few games in my life I have put so much time into, as many of you know F355 was a hard game and required a lot of practice. It had serious addictive qualities matched by superb graphics, a real pleasure when those qualities meet. I am more impressed by game play than graphics, as an "Old Fart" on this website I was brought up with crap graphics on games. So in the late 70's early 80's games had to have a good hook to get you playing more and more.

F355 is in my top ten all time favourite games, I have probably played more games than most people on this site, partly down to my age and partly down to the fact that a major part of my living is selling games. If all games had been as good as F355 I would have never got any work done. Part of the boring thing about selling games is having to test the crap ones, a very boring occupation when that is the case!

I will go and have a nose on Helga's F355 site to see what is being said about this awful news.

On the plus side we still have a game that is playable with a link cable, this should still give a few of us the drug we crave!

Anyway, it will be nice to see what comments people have regarding this game. There are others obsessed with getting a 1:06 on Long Beach, few of us could do it, but it felt good!

The bad side of this game was there was no lobby, also no easy way to speak to other racers, but let's face it, it had to has some faults because in my opinion it was pretty well perfect!

Kizzy

Posted Wed Jan 18, 2006 2:20 am:

maurice x wrote:
yes f355 is offline i tested it.

gasp* kizzy sumed it up pretty well, f355 was so unique that out of all my xbox and ps2 games this was the game i played and enjoyed the most.

however, i don't think it's fair to give up without a fight! i will nag sega to bring it back, let's put up a petition, i believe there's still a remote chance that sega might change it's mind if there is enough demand.

like kizzy said what made this game great wasn't just the gameplay but the people you played with, damn we had some good races.

let's do our best and try to bring it back online.


Yes, count me in having a nag about it going offline. I will not have much internet connection for a while. I will get a phone line put in the house in France, I have access in Spain so I will do my bit with the rest of you.

Maurice X, a great racer! I remember you starting and like most of us you were not very good. But you seemed to pick the game up quicker than most and were kicking my backside in races in a short amount of time. You have made loads of effort to keep people playing this game. A lot more than I did over the last few months, thanks for that!

Totally gutted about this happenning, I thought this game was "The One That Got Away", the one that the powers that be forgot to flick the switch on. Such a great shame! I will miss my number 19 White Ferrari, I hate white cars but for some strange reason chose that colour (Probably drunk!?)

Kizzy
 
Kbuzz
rank 23
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 8:51 pm
quote : #11
profile : pm
Posts: 473
Type: NTSC-U/C
very bad news. I love this game so much, and just got my steering wheel with force feedback setup mainly for this game. But was never able to connect with my jp copy =/

I sure hope we can convince the right people, and bring this game back online.
  _________________
Pso: Kingbuzzo lvl 80
QUake 3: [OC] Kingbuzzo
kingofgrills
rank 33
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 10:58 pm
quote : #12
profile : pm
Posts: 707
F355 Challenge has been the most rewarding driving game I have ever played, and it has offered me an incredible online experience. I've loved racing against many of you, Nikon included, and I just vowed to race online more often this year. With that in mind I just went to the official homepage for inspiration only to be kicked in the nuts. I seriously read that message and then raced over hear to see if it was true. Sadly, it appears to be.

OMFG, I think I am going to throw up.
  _________________
Gamespy ID: Kingofgrills
Online with: 4X4 Evo, Starlancer, Quake III: Arena, and PAL PSO V. 1

How are my little crackers doing today?
keiblerfan69
rank 8
Posted:
Tue Jan 17, 2006 11:00 pm
quote : #13
profile : pm
Posts: 81
Well this sucks. I'm glad I was able to experience this game 3 times online. Even if I did have to use a bootleg copy since I was broke. Well this isn't a good way to start off the year. I say start a petition.
 
Blast
rank 43
Posted:
Wed Jan 18, 2006 1:56 am
quote : #14
profile : pm
Posts: 1285
Type: Pal
Bad news indeed Sad I never did play this online, I did hook up a few times but no one was online. F355 wasent realy my cup of tea but I would have played it a lot more I reckon had chat been included. Such a popular game would have bennefited greatly from a chat option.

Laters
  _________________
Now have a working PC DC server courtesy of Segadreamcaster. Bring on the DC on line games yeeee haaa.
mcmonkey
rank 44
Posted:
Wed Jan 18, 2006 3:00 am
quote : #15
profile : pm
Posts: 1314
Type: PAL
looks as if the rankings is down aswell (unless that part of the site is only accesable by DC)
  _________________
Pretty music wot i has made:
http://grandcanonicalensemble.bandcamp.com/
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