Wii U - Friend Codes are NOT dead.

[DZComposer]

NOE Marketing Manager Rob Lowe confirmed our worst fears about Wii U's online:

"If you look at 3DS and the online of that you'll get an understanding of where we're going with Wii U and we're taking that even further.

"We can't talk about the details yet as Mr Iwata will announce those slightly later. But with the online of 3DS it's obviously a massive leap on from where we were with DSi and DSi XL. It's smooth, robust, it doesn't drop in and out.

"The friend code system has also been refined. It still exists but in the same way that you'd need to pair up with friends on PSN or Xbox live. Now it's much closer to that kind of online gaming experience than what it was before.

"We always try and strike a balance. Because we do have more younger consumers than any other hardware manufacturer or games brand we need to protect them while also making it as accessible as possible for the more active and hardcore consumers to go online.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-13-wii-u-3ds-online-closer-to-psn-xbl

If Nintendo REALLY wants core gamers on Wii U Friend Codes MUST GO.

At least it appears that you can get notified if someone friends you now, a step in the right direction, but still, we need to be able create named accounts. It's easier to find your friends that way than with bullshit PRNG-generated codes. Also, you could tie multiple systems to an account like that, as well as your club Nintendo account. I really don't understand why Nintendo doesn't do this.

Sometimes I feel like Nintendo is stuck in the 1990s, when the Internet was new and people thought things like Friend-code based connections were cool. It's 2011. Friend Codes are NOT cool.

Apparently it is for "protecting kids." It's called parental control features. Heck, link it to Club Nintendo. You can already create a family account at Club Nintendo. Let that account be the master of the children's accounts and let that master set parental controls based on ESRB rating or Genre. The master could also monitor all friends and log communications.

I was really hopeful when Nintendo sought outside help for online, but it looks like they waned to drive the bus instead of listening to what their consultants/partners were saying. That or they hired consultants/partners who also don't know how to do online gaming.

[Wolf O'Donnell]

That's really pathetic of them.

I'm guessing Mr. Blunt was wrong?

Speaking to MTV, Ubisoft producer Adrian Blunt confirmed that users will make individual accounts on the Wii U; when asked would it be "Equivalent to a gamertag on Xbox Live," Blunt replied,"Yeah, exactly."

http://wii.ign.com/articles/117/1174844p1.html

I'm just wondering. Perhaps it won't be so bad with the Friend Codes...

[DZComposer]

I think I'll trust someone at Nintendo over someone at Ubisoft.

If you can assign an alias to your friend code, I won't be as upset about it. Because then it would make friend codes more like STEAM_IDs (STEAM_0:1:25513774) in the sense that they're the unique identifier, but you can find people by alias.

The bare minimum things it needs:

1. Aliases - finding people by Friend Code sucks. Steam would suck if you had to find people by STEAM_ID.

2. Automatic notification when someone friends you

3. Communicate with friends. Perhaps a use for the annouced vidchat? Though I'd like audio chat and IM messaging as well.

4. Let us join friends playing games we own if the game allows it.

5. Allow us to friend someone we meet during a game (have parental controls on this, though)

[Guest Mr. Nintendo]

I was not really pleased when I heard that FCs were coming back again. It sorta makes me wonder if Nintendo even cares about the core gamers.... (Betcha they don't)

I think if FCs were gone for good on their next console/handheld, it would attract at least some core gamers and sorta prove Nintendo is not "just for casuals".

10 bucks says that Nintendo will bring back FCs for their next console/handheld.

[LoneWolf]

[Sabre]

For what it's worth, I prefer valves way of doing it. I don't like name squaters or people who start a fresh account because they want a name change.

[Fox-Shot]

I honestly don't mind it, it did well in Call of Duty: Black Ops on the Wii (Pinpoint number for offline users, instant friending ingame and through match history). I'd rather have a neatly organzed xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx number than going through and trying to search through aliases and real account names. (It never seems to work weather I type in an alias or the actual account name on Steam searches) So long as you get a name and can search by it as well, I don't see a huge problem.

[Sabre]

You can just enter the steam id if that's a problem.

[Fox-Shot]

You can just enter the steam id if that's a problem.

While I could ask, very rarely does the standard person know their Steam ID number, since it's a more hidden, so the first time round, I probly wouldn't know of it. It needs to be more open and easier to find. And at that point, it's basically what the WiiU is going to do, as long as the WiiU allows searching by alias.