Is it even possible to get netplay on dos?
you younguns don't remember the day of spending 30 hours mucking with DOS IPX drivers so you could play Descent on Kali over dialup
good fucking times, man
Good fucking times.
Also, basically what Brandino said is true. Also, if you have any concerns, when the power went out at Mikado - they booted up v1.05 in Windows XP. So I think your good on PC requirements. Furthermore, computers are more powerful now but Melty is mostly the same (as far as technological requirements). It should be even easier to run the game off PC's with streams, especially since we mostly know what we're doing when we get ourselves in for a tourney. USB Polling rates, screensavers over, sleep mode off, whatever. Easy. I will personally pack up and bring my computer to events to play. It's about the same amount of effort it takes to lug a TV and set up a stream from the TV as it does to set a bunch of options and carry my PC to tournaments.
Why don't you guys think of this from a company position too? MBAA has been hacked (but thankfully, not leaked, and if it has it's not widespread). So, the company has to face a potential failure in that department. It's hosted by two companies (Ecole and TypeMoon) and they don't have the resources for a PS3 release. People want netplay, though, it's the only way a fighter survives these days (in terms of money, not the competitive scene). How to kill like 15 birds with one stone? PC release. It's cheap, easier, and bundling it with Carnival Phantasm is a fucking GLORIOUS idea. That way they can expose more people to it (from whoever buys Carnival Phantasm will also buy Melty, and then try it) and if the arcade gets leaked people still have a reason to own it, if they buy Carnival Phantasm they will have it. This avoids potential failure, exposes more people, and leaves future development options open.
Honestly, arcades get all priority in Japan as far as the scene is concerned, and yet you got a way to get an update. Sure, it's not the ideal PS3 console release. Sure, it's not like Melty will ever be Tekken/Super Street Fighter level of popularity game. Sure, it won't be in EVO again because it's run on computer, but you got it. The only differences between us and an actual arcade is we only have to lug our computers for a weekend and back. Is it a bitch? Yes. But this scene is strong enough and has a dedicated enough hardcore base to actually handle that.
If you believe this sort of good blessing is somehow a bad thing (not to mention for a game I KNOW half of you won't even pay for), your nutshit crazy. Mauve even came out and said he'd work on the netplay already. TypeMoon made a business decision that wasn't heartless to the foreign market, but still within all the circumstances and capabilities.
We're a hardcore dedicated scene for a reason. It's because we have people dedicated enough to bring out their PCs and setup the tournaments. And like Brandino said, we know the drills and now people won't have to bitch about modding to try the game. What part of this is bad exactly? Just because having a tournament is a little bit more of a chore?
You're all so lucky. Quit your bitching.