No dedicated servers for BioShock 2
Un/ranked matches not separated either.
2K Marin has revealed that BioShock 2 will not support dedicated nor LAN servers on PC.
"There is always a finite amount of time for the development of a game," explained the developer on the Cult of Rapture website. "Bringing multiplayer to BioShock was a daunting task between the tech (there was no multiplayer support in the codebase from the first game) and the expectations of the community.
"Either you try to do everything and so nothing feels finished or you focus your efforts to do a smaller number of things really well like an accessible online experience. We chose to spend the time we had creating a solid game foundation and unfortunately that did not include LAN play or dedicated servers."
BioShock 2 will not separate online matches into ranked or unranked affairs, either. But you will be able to use a lobby area to invite friends into your four-man team, and the game's matchmaking system will keep you together and pit you against teams of similar leaderboard rank and connection speed.
You'll also be able to create private matches for you and your friends to practice in without the results being recorded. Private matches will be capped at 10 players.
"We felt like having just one giant place to meet players would be easier for getting better matches, and it is very important to us that we never split your parties. We want you to make friends, play with your friends, and compete with your friends," added the developer.
2K Marin has also decided not to implement a 'kick' option to boot unfriendly players and 'griefers' from matches.
"There is no kick option as we felt like it often leads to more unfair kicking than fair kicking. We hope that because there are a variety of player goals and a multitude of options for ranking up and killing, the player will always feel like he or she is gaining something in a match with mean people and griefers," explained the developer. "If you do get matched up with one of those people, please report it, leave that game, and we'll try to smooth out the online experience as best as we can."
BioShock 2 will be released on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on 9th February - yes, a Tuesday.