>Trust me, not worth answering or asking. I know a couple people in the >Quake business, and there is little money to be made there. Perhaps not if one is a game vendor, but as an ISP, I see interactive low-latency apps (Games, Netmeeting, CU-seeme, NetPhone) as a major value added service that one must stress if one wishes to be viewed as a "premium" service. >Quake players do not pay their bills. ;-) No pay, no play. :) >So are you arguing that Ascend SHOULD spend money to devise a work-around >so that Quake works properly with Nat? Sure! On a Pipeline by Pipeline basis, this makes sense as an >>>optional<<< configuration parameter: a) NAT makes sense, since it conserves IP space, and makes for cleaner DNS. b) "Power Users" (those most likely to play games) tend to have more than one machine, and the motivation to network them together. They also tend to buy new hardware more frequently, and buy top-of-the-line gear much as "audiophiles" bought stereo equipment in the 60s and 70s. Minor advantages DO sell boxes. Look at stereos, video equipment, and other consumer electronics for multiple examples. c) NAT tends to be used by these "power users". (Sometimes without the knowledge of their ISP!) d) Why not make NAT work with specific "killer apps"? If no one does a decent job of supporting it, the vendor that does so has a "niche advantage" over the others. e) This does not only apply to Quake. It applies to client applications in general. Remember, it was not too long ago that the concept of a "web server" was applied only to pre-prints of physics papers with figures, and was therefore a non-issue at most sites/domains. Even the Secretary General of the UN is 65% water. james fischer jfischer@supercollider.com ++ Ascend Users Mailing List ++ To unsubscribe: send unsubscribe to ascend-users-request@bungi.com To get FAQ'd: <<A HREF="http://www.nealis.net/ascend/faq">http://www.nealis.net/ascend/faq</A>> </PRE> <!--X-MsgBody-End--> <!--X-Follow-Ups--> <!--X-Follow-Ups-End--> <!--X-References--> <!--X-References-End--> <!--X-BotPNI--> <HR> <UL> <LI>Prev by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg10368.html">(ASCEND) Digital Modem Use</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by Date: <STRONG><A HREF="msg10375.html">Re: (ASCEND) Quake/QW and Pipeline 75 and NAT</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Prev by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg10385.html">Re: (ASCEND) Quake/QW and Pipeline 75 and NAT</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Next by thread: <STRONG><A HREF="msg10369.html">Re: (ASCEND) Quake/QW and Pipeline 75 and NAT</A></STRONG> </LI> <LI>Index(es): <UL> <LI><A HREF="maillist.html#10376"><STRONG>Main</STRONG></A></LI> <LI><A HREF="thrd226.html#10376"><STRONG>Thread</STRONG></A></LI> </UL> </LI> </UL> <!--X-BotPNI-End--> <!--X-User-Footer--> <!--X-User-Footer-End--> </BODY> </HTML>