Update
We just received an email from MWEB CEO Rudi Jansen, who is directly involved in the process.
Apparently, the hold up is on Gameservers side. They are activating servers at a rate of 800 per hour, so it is only a matter of time before we get out turn.
Original
Just yesterday we reported that everything was on track for a smooth Black Ops PC server launch last night. Feedback from MWEB assured us that as long as Gameservers activated in time, our local Black Ops servers should be up and running shortly after midnight.
Unfortunately this was not the case and it seems that there are no active local servers up and running at this time.
Background
A few months ago, Black Ops publisher Activision announced that all dedicated servers for the PC version of the game would be handled by Gameservers. At the time, Gameservers were not present in SA, but thanks to our vocal community, they approached MWEB to set up a deal.
MWEB became the exclusive hardware hosts for the Black Ops PC servers in SA. This means that all Black Ops servers will run from one of two MWEB data centres. Other ISP’s and private individuals are free to rent servers directly from Gameservers, but they must be run via the MWEB data centres.
Current situation
As the game went on sale shortly after midnight last night, it was believed that Gameservers would activate the Black Ops servers.
However, come launch time, iGame’s technical team found that the Rcon (control console) which controls individual dedicated servers was not working properly. It was impossible to configure servers, or even name them. An iGame representative suspects that a port is being blocked somewhere, or that they are simply not being allowed to connect.
iGame opened up a support ticket with Gameservers explaining the problem. A Gameservers representative gave the following response:
“We apologize for the delay here. We are currently phasing installations. Due to the nature of the process I cannot give you an ETA. That said, I will assign this ticket to a support group that will provide you with updates when they are available.”
We have also spoken to a representative from local clan Vympel Vega, who is also renting a server from Gameservers. Vympel Vega is also unable to configure the settings for their server via the built in console.
What it means for gamers
This means that there are currently no local Black Ops servers up and running. We are hoping that the problems will be sorted out today sometime, or at the very least, before the weekend.
In the meantime, PS3 and Xbox 360 gamers should be able to play the game online without any issues, as the console versions of the game do not use dedicated servers.
MWEB was unable to comment on the situation at the time of publication.
Discuss the current MWEB and Gameservers situation in South Africa on the MyGaming forum.
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