Man vs. Machine vs. First-Person Shooter World Record

Game Rant

By Rob Keyes

Published Jan 31, 2012

MuchDifferent sets world record with the help of 999 players of the browser-based FPS 'Man vs. Machine.' Here's how the battle played out.

Battlefield 3 is one of the best recent examples of how video game consoles are lagging further and further behind the PCs in power and what video games should be able to do in 2012 and beyond. Graphics and larger environments aside, it's the number of players in an online match that really defines the Battlefield experience.

PS3 and Xbox 360 players can only play up to 24 players where players on PC can play up to 64. Big difference? What if you could play with 1000 players? That's exactly what's possible in Man vs. Machine, a game that set the world record for number of players in an online FPS match.

The previous record for number of players in an online FPS battlefield was set by Planetside which brought in 600 players. Swedish tech company MuchDifferent set out to both destroy that record and use the event for a great cause.

MuchDifferent is a non-profit organization and players of Man vs. Machine - a browser-based title - had the opportunity to pay $29 to guarantee themselves a spot in the world record attempt. Those who didn't pay could still partake in a first come, first serve basis. All of the money earned from the event goes to Engineers Without Borders.

The event took place over the weekend where after a little bit of playtesting and dividing the players into the Man and Machine teams, the game began. The official number of players reached 999 and the best part of all, is that the game worked smoothly. Check it our for yourselves with the following in-game video taken from the event:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNN_J0g5fmQ

Team Man took a beating (spawn-camping Machines!), but everyone had fun. How often to you get to partake in an online war? It's examples like this that really make us hope for bigger and better things with next-gen consoles. How fun would it be to have an online mode in Call of Duty, Battlefield or any other shooter where you can play with player counts in the triple digits?

Below are screenshots taken from players who participated:

[gallery exclude="128181" columns="2"]

Follow me on Twitter @rob_keyes.

Source: The Escapist