Dedicated Servers Arrive for Aliens vs Predator

First-person shooters and online multiplayer gaming go hand in hand like eggs and bacon, butter and toast.

Rebellion's recent launch of Aliens vs. Predator for the PC offered no means of setting up a dedicated server, however the developer promised that the feature would be implemented in a future update. Gamers wanting butter on their AvP-branded toast would just have to wait.

Monday Rebellion jumped on the Steam forums and revealed that the dedicated server client is now available. Gamers and admins interesting in setting up a server will find the feature via the "tools" tab in the Steam client. For those that already downloaded and installed the game, the feature will simply be added to the existing install folder. PC gamers who have not already installed the game will need to download around 15 GB of data.

"One install is required per machine, and multiple instances of the server executable can be run simultaneously – the server currently requires the Steam client to be running, only one steam client/log on is required per machine regardless of the amount of instances you run, and the Steam account used to log on does not need to own a copy of the full game," the post reads. "Please refer to the dedicated server readme for more information and help, in particular the known issues section. A server command guide is also available in the installation folder."

Currently the PC version of Aliens vs. Predator is scoring a 72-percent average over at Gamerankings. The console versions aren't scoring as well, with the Xbox 360 version currently landing a 67-percent average score while the PlayStation 3 version is racking in a 68-percent score.

GameSpot said in its review that, while the multiplayer is fun and the close-up kills are "wonderfully gross," the game features awkward and inconsistent controls, poor level design, and is loaded with "small but deadly flaws." Although IGN wasn't quite as harsh, the site said that the game's presentation isn't up to par with current FPS games. IGN also said that the gameplay mechanics have issues, and a lack of maps and expandability holds back the multiplayer aspect.