Celtic Heroes

Let's talk about it...

"Hey Regenleif, what is going on with Net Neutrality? I heard they are removing the regulations, why?"

The reasoning behind the removal is quite valid: the current regulations require ISPs to extensively prove that they are following the regulations, which gets really expensive for small-time ISPs. So, to promote competition between ISPs and help the small-time ISPs, the FCC is voting to remove regulations on net neutrality!

Think of it like the Auction House tax: for those noobs who try selling Connacht Bows for 45g, the tax is pretty significant! But for those mordris-craps who repeatedly putting up reaper rings for 15m base, one sale brings in so much cash the tax is afterthought.

"Oh, that sounds pretty fair.... So what is everyone talking about with slow traffic and fast traffic?"

Well, currently ISPs cannot limit the speed of individual services. You can pay for higher overall bandwidth, but your ISP can't make CH load faster. Without these regulations, one of several things will happen:
1. ISPs will offer faster Celtic Heroes as part of competition (ex: choose Verizon over ATT because Verizon makes CH load faster)
2. ISPs will get paid by OTM to make CH load faster (and the costs will likely be made up from higher plat costs)
3. You will pay the ISP extra to get faster CH

"But CH works fine atm, why would I want it faster?"

To allow some internet traffic to move faster, you must throttle other traffic. So while logging into troll pit may be nice and smooth right now, you' might find yourself losing troll locks to those pesky european folks who get to see it spawn a few milliseconds earlier.

"I've seen a lot of infographics about how I'll have to start paying extra for services. Where does that come into play?

Well, the Net Neutrality regulations treat the internet as a single entity: you pay the ISP for internet access, and you can access everything. Without the regulations, ISPs are allowed to block traffic to sites, therefore able to charge consumers for access to Facebook, Netflix, Nuada, etc.

I can almost see the advertisements...
Access to Morrigan, Taranis, and Epona: +$8.99
Access to Balar, Donn, Nuada, and Rosmerta: +$1.99
Sole Access to Sulis, Gwydion, and Rhiannon: subtract $14.99 from your bill

From the infographics, many make it seem like ISPs are immediately going to jump to this business model, but I highly doubt it. There has been so much resistance to Net Neutrality that I'd bet any ISP touting "internet access, not limited access" will get flooded with business. Google has been vehemently for net neutrality... If Comcast decides to go against open internet access, they will become fueled by customers with nowhere else to go instead of customers that want to stay with Comcast.

"Isn't it a good thing to only pay for services you use? I only ever log Arawn to hang out while the other servers come back online..."

Yes, I agree actually. I'd rather pay $30 and not have Facebook, Twitter, thepiratebay, Nuada, Herne, Sulis, and HBO than $60 with services I never/rarely use. I also expect several solutions to pop up circumnavigating the costs (VPNs, proxy sites, CNAME sites, etc) in the interim between "ISPs can do whatever they want" and "ISPs stocks tank so investors make them revert to net neutrality business models".

"Alright, so will the end of net neutrality actually affect me much?"

No one knows: some say it will, some say it won't, some say it depends on your location/provider-options. Personally, I don't expect much to change.

Well Regenleif and Bitey, the issue with both your post and your image is that no one said it would be reduced. No one said “just video” would be $9.99 a month

I’ll just use Netflix as an example. The consumer pays to access the internet, and Netflix pays tons to the ISP for the bandwidth they use, and what the ISPs want to do is tell the consumer and Netflix, “Well, even though you paid for that 100Mb connection, unless you pay us to connect you to Netflix (or the consumer) you’ll have to pay for a fast lane otherwise it’s only going to be low quality”

From what you’ve said Regen, it sounds so pro consumer! Help out the small business, right?! Until you realise that any internet startups won’t be able to access any customers, because they can’t compete with Amazon, YouTube and Netflix.

The internet is a utility. People need access for modern life. If you don’t think ISPs will switch to whatever business model will yield them the highest income I don’t know what utopia you live in but I’d ike to move there. Especially when most of us live in world where big businesses will make deals and put up their prices together for larger profits, and try and buy eachother out (which thankfully the EU trade commission stops a lot of)

We live in a glorified plutocracy.

I don't see it as people jumping to immediately start charging for services. More like, they'll do it the shady way and pay the ISP's to slow down the connection in order to make you want to use and then pay for their service. Like companies lobby politicians to do their dirty work for them.

I don't see it as people jumping to immediately start charging for services. More like, they'll do it the shady way and pay the ISP's to slow down the connection in order to make you want to use and then pay for their service. Like companies lobby politicians to do their dirty work for them.

that's a good point. I didn't think about that. For example, it's rumored that Disney is going to launch their own movie streaming service for their own content. When that does launch, say they pay Comcast to slow down Netflix for everyone because Netflix is their direct competitor. No one knows about this though so they think it's Netflix's service and they leave Netflix.

Or another example, maybe Verizon wants to start charging more for mobile game data. Order and Chaos is from a big gaming company, so they pay the fee to make their game function as normal. Celtic Heroes is from a smaller studio, and they can't pay the fee, so their speeds slow down and it dooms the game.

Additionally, it will make smaller indie companies harder to find and compete with larger corporations. Net Neutrality is important.

It's a systematic way to create monopolies in a "capitalist" driven economy.

Yep, I agree Tadaah :/

Saying the rules are being torn down to help promote ISP competition is just a mask for other affairs.

With regard to Netflix though, I do think consumers like Netflix far more than Comcast: if Netflix puts out a banner saying “Sorry, but Comcast customers will be experiencing delays due to the repeal of Net Neutrality, please switch to another provider”. I expect that to hit Comcast really hard.

I guess we’ll see... all up to the corporations (and the Supreme Court, if they come in clutch) now.

Seems Robert and Bitey have already covered all the bases on my opinion of the topic.
At the end of the day these are large corporations with one goal, revenue. When you look at the figures and spread these companies have paid to lobby for this change it is mind blowing.
I agree that it is nice to think this would promote competition for other companies but Verizon etc have got to the position they are at by crushing competition.
(With the history books showing the dirty and horrible tactics they have used along the way)
It is frustrating as a European (*Horribly reminded of brexit*) to see this happening across the pond when the internet is such an integral part of every day life.

I am not optimistic about Net Neutrality surviving in this age of greed and corporations, will be massively surprised if congress comes through for the people.

Real life isn't a film where the good guys somehow manage to win, real life is black mirror.