Steam versus Origin versus dedicated game server

[smunier]

My son would like to play pc games with his friends - BC4, Creed, and others. We are newbies playing on line with friends. Looking at Steam versus Origin, which is better service? Does not drop connections, little down time, wide range of games at a reasonable price, and great customer service support?

Also, I like to know what type of bandwidth and/or internet speed would I need? Sorry about the lingo if I'm not saying or asking the right questions. Like to know the typical setup on my son's pc to connect to Steam/Origin and/or dedicated servers....

Lastly, are there any dedicated rental servers for these games? Is this something that would be better than Origin or Steam? I do know it will be pricey...

I'm willing to take suggestions or other ideas. Some of my son's friends do not have xbox
consoles. That would probably make it easier for all of them to connect and play online together if they had an xbox.

Thanks,

Sonya

 

[Byte70]

Hi! Steam is definitely better and more supported than Origin. Any average internet should be fine, I use to play multiplayer games on 2-8 Mbps.

 

[EthanG]

-You really don't get a say on what service you will be using for the games. If EA makes the game, you will be playing it on their platform, Origin. As for Steam (assuming you like to purchase digitally), it'll be your bread and butter for all non-ea games. They have every major game that is released and runs their incredible steam sales twice a year. You can also purchase redeemable "keys" through 3rd party sites that run their own sales regularly (greenmangaming.com being one).
- When it comes to the server aspect, you're really just tied to the servers that are offered in the games. Steam/Origin (neither has a noticeable downtime) doesn't really play much of a role in individual stability.
-Any 3mbps/1+ internet connection will do for strictly gaming, assuming you aren't doing too much on the network. If other people are streaming and surfing while you plan on gaming i would shoot for 15-30mbps, whatever is in your price range.
-Dedicated server rentals are out there for the few games that still offer it. They are relatively cheap for smaller/private servers and you'll just have to google servers for whichever game you happen to be playing.

 

[smunier]

-You really don't get a say on what service you will be using for the games. If EA makes the game, you will be playing it on their platform, Origin. As for Steam (assuming you like to purchase digitally), it'll be your bread and butter for all non-ea games. They have every major game that is released and runs their incredible steam sales twice a year. You can also purchase redeemable "keys" through 3rd party sites that run their own sales regularly (greenmangaming.com being one).
- When it comes to the server aspect, you're really just tied to the servers that are offered in the games. Steam/Origin (neither has a noticeable downtime) doesn't really play much of a role in individual stability.
-Any 3mbps/1+ internet connection will do for strictly gaming, assuming you aren't doing too much on the network. If other people are streaming and surfing while you plan on gaming i would shoot for 15-30mbps, whatever is in your price range.
-Dedicated server rentals are out there for the few games that still offer it. They are relatively cheap for smaller/private servers and you'll just have to google servers for whichever game you happen to be playing.

Thanks for the info -

if Ubisoft develop Creed, then which platform would it be tied to - Origin or Steam? We are a family of four, so anyone and everyone is streaming in our household. I'll check to make sure we have least 15-30mbps.

If my son plays on Steam/Origin, why would he get disconnected or not be able to connect? Is this there problem or ours? He has a brand new laptop (CyberpowerPC Fangbook Evo HX7-150 Gaming Notebook) that has been really great. I think it's setup correctly and bloatware has been removed on it. Does Origin/Steam ever delete your games? I think I read somewhere that one of them deletes them after 6 months?

Could you name a few good private servers that I can trust. I've goggled, and I'm not sure if I'm on the right path and what to look for...

Thanks Ethan

 

[EthanG]

-You really don't get a say on what service you will be using for the games. If EA makes the game, you will be playing it on their platform, Origin. As for Steam (assuming you like to purchase digitally), it'll be your bread and butter for all non-ea games. They have every major game that is released and runs their incredible steam sales twice a year. You can also purchase redeemable "keys" through 3rd party sites that run their own sales regularly (greenmangaming.com being one).
- When it comes to the server aspect, you're really just tied to the servers that are offered in the games. Steam/Origin (neither has a noticeable downtime) doesn't really play much of a role in individual stability.
-Any 3mbps/1+ internet connection will do for strictly gaming, assuming you aren't doing too much on the network. If other people are streaming and surfing while you plan on gaming i would shoot for 15-30mbps, whatever is in your price range.
-Dedicated server rentals are out there for the few games that still offer it. They are relatively cheap for smaller/private servers and you'll just have to google servers for whichever game you happen to be playing.

Thanks for the info -

if Ubisoft develop Creed, then which platform would it be tied to - Origin or Steam? We are a family of four, so anyone and everyone is streaming in our household. I'll check to make sure we have least 15-30mbps.

If my son plays on Steam/Origin, why would he get disconnected or not be able to connect? Is this there problem or ours? He has a brand new laptop (CyberpowerPC Fangbook Evo HX7-150 Gaming Notebook) that has been really great. I think it's setup correctly and bloatware has been removed on it. Does Origin/Steam ever delete your games? I think I read somewhere that one of them deletes them after 6 months?

Could you name a few good private servers that I can trust. I've goggled, and I'm not sure if I'm on the right path and what to look for...

Thanks Ethan

-You can download and install the Assassin's Creed series ( assuming that's what you mean by Creed) on steam, but you'll still need their Uplay software to play the game... EA and Ubisoft are stubborn and force you to use their own platforms.

-Games that are "purchased" will not be deleted at any time and I've never heard anything like that before. They occasionally have "free weekends" where you can play a full game for a set amount of time.

- I've never looked into private servers really before, but a few names i've seen over the years are http://www.nfoservers.com/ and http://www.gameservers.com/ . Both have a long and reputable history.

-It would be best to post problems about your son's connectivity issues in a new post with all relevant details.