Any pc gamers concerned with the way the PC games industry is going?

[bruce9241]

It seems like most of the PC games nowadays are all console ports (made specifically for consoles, x box, ps3, then transferred onto PC).

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but with the lazy coding they do when transferring the game to PC, this can be a huge hassle. Some of the drawbacks of lazy console ports are: mouse/keyboard controls suck, graphics and frames per second is subpar due to bad programming, the game doesn't feel right, the controls have a split second stutter that can be maddening in action type games and more.

I'm pretty scared to buy PC games now. I've tried Grand theft auto 4 and it is atrocious! The game isn't supposed to be on PC and you can tell from the very beginning. Same with Wolfenstein. Infact the only two decent console ports I've played were Street fighter 4 and Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 could have been a better port. They really could have improved the movement controls for mouse/keyboard.

 

[bakemeacookie]

It seems like most of the PC games nowadays are all console ports (made specifically for consoles, x box, ps3, then transferred onto PC).

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but with the lazy coding they do when transferring the game to PC, this can be a huge hassle. Some of the drawbacks of lazy console ports are: mouse/keyboard controls suck, graphics and frames per second is subpar due to bad programming, the game doesn't feel right, the controls have a split second stutter that can be maddening in action type games and more.

I'm pretty scared to buy PC games now. I've tried Grand theft auto 4 and it is atrocious! The game isn't supposed to be on PC and you can tell from the very beginning. Same with Wolfenstein. Infact the only two decent console ports I've played were Street fighter 4 and Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 could have been a better port. They really could have improved the movement controls for mouse/keyboard.

sure if your buying cheap arcade games on the pc. No money in pc arcade games. Most people buy strategy, mmorpg games like wow, everquest, civilization, etc. etc. Stick to consoles if u want to play arcade games with joysticks.

c

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

It seems like most of the PC games nowadays are all console ports (made specifically for consoles, x box, ps3, then transferred onto PC).

Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but with the lazy coding they do when transferring the game to PC, this can be a huge hassle. Some of the drawbacks of lazy console ports are: mouse/keyboard controls suck, graphics and frames per second is subpar due to bad programming, the game doesn't feel right, the controls have a split second stutter that can be maddening in action type games and more.

I'm pretty scared to buy PC games now. I've tried Grand theft auto 4 and it is atrocious! The game isn't supposed to be on PC and you can tell from the very beginning. Same with Wolfenstein. Infact the only two decent console ports I've played were Street fighter 4 and Resident Evil 5. Resident Evil 5 could have been a better port. They really could have improved the movement controls for mouse/keyboard.

Blame Halo lol. This is my main beef with Microsoft; it's not entirely their fault but they sure as hell could do more to improve the situation. They're pumping billions into the Xbox brand and throwing chump change at Games for Windows. Also the main reason I want Sony to end up dominating again. Sony's game quality didn't deteriorate when they dominated the last two generations, while Microsoft is already slacking half way through this one. Microsoft could make PC gaming brilliant if they gave a damn, but instead their main focus is to "crush Sony" and give sloppy seconds to the market that made them.

Another factor is that game development is getting damn expensive. There are only a few (mostly European) devs left that are exclusive to PC. Like Razor said, MMORPG's and RTS's are what bring the most money in to PC gaming. PC exclusive FPS's are a thing of the past now too. Crytek, the company that made Crysis, is no longer PC-exclusive. The way things are going there will never be another game like Crysis. That fucker is still the most impressive looking game and will continue to be until the next consoles are out. Valve (Half Life) and ID (DOOM) also are multiplat from here on out. They will likely have good PC ports because they still at least care about the platform, but the distinction PC games used to have that separated them from the consoles is disappearing. It's foolish though for a company to shit out a half assed PC port of the latest games, because it only encourages piracy. No one wants to pay for a slapdash piece of shit, especially PC gamers whose hobby revolves around building their rigs to play the latest games.

I'd have little to no problem with this trend if there were separate teams for each studio each devoted to a platform, so none got the short end of the stick. If games are going to be cross-platform from now on, at least make sure each version is up to snuff. I'd be happy with that much.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Just saw this trailer, pretty impressive what a talented developer can squeeze out of the consoles-

CryEngine 3 Video Game, Beauty Speed Interaction Trailer HD | Game Trailers & Videos | GameTrailers.com

 

[bakemeacookie]

btw: Develop games for Windows Vista+ (ahem) costs 3x as much. You thought vista was a pos, try developing high end stable games for it. You'[ll need as many c.s. reps as developers!

c

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

btw: Develop games for Windows Vista+ (ahem) costs 3x as much. You thought vista was a pos, try developing high end stable games for it. You'[ll need as many c.s. reps as developers!

c

What about Windows 7? Anyways yeah developing for PC can be more tedious when you take drivers/infinite hardware configs into consideration. It's worth the effort though!

 

[RottenWillow]

Most people buy strategy, mmorpg games like wow, everquest, civilization, etc. etc.

or mystery games. I LOVE those. All I ever play except a few old school arcade games.

 

[bakemeacookie]

What about Windows 7? Anyways yeah developing for PC can be more tedious when you take drivers/infinite hardware configs into consideration. It's worth the effort though!

The othe rproblem is - 75% of game developers train in college and at home to develop games on consoles. This is because it's easier, faster and the gaming industry is bigger.

It's hard to recruit pc developers - PC game developer jobs are always in demand. It's far more difficult, expensive in hardware and very frustrating to develop for games for microcrap's unstable o/s's. Plus companies have to hire way more customer service rep's cuz console games get no tech support calls, but pc games get a zillion.

Ever notice at any gamestop, the console games are always at the front, big placards, postrers. The pc games are the back. That's cuz they know what their money maker is.

c

 

[bruce9241]

I'm also playing Farcry 2 right now. I'm not sure what it was developed for specifically, but it runs fantastic on the PC. I didn't even know it was a cross platform game until I researched it.

I really hope games like Diablo 3, starcraft 2 and the red alert series type of games can really help the PC market with a boost. Those games I just listed just aren't the same on console systems. I remember trying to play Red Alert 1 on the playstation and it was horrendous. 640x480 resolution and lagged like hell.

Best port I've seen so far is probably Street Fighter 4. I have the game and it runs pretty flawlessly on the PC.

I believe one of the reasons most people don't and can't play PC games is because of hardware issues. Your average computer user who wants to enjoy some video games from time to time might not understand his hardware limits. If he were to purchase say Cryostasis and take it home and try to play it, it might not work on his Penitum 3, 256 meg ram machine. He can't return the game either because it's open.

What if the pc industry were to dumb things down a bit? By this I mean they start some sort of project that allows the average pc gamer to check to see if their system will run the game. I know they have the "System requirements" text on the game box, but that isn't enough. The average PC gamer can't read that shit. Maybe if they had a universal website that scanned the persons computer to check their spec and then tells them if they can run the game or not. Example: They go to the website, pick which game they're looking to buy, then allow the webserver to run a hardware scan of their system to determine how good they can run the game, or if they can even run it.

This sort of dumbing down might bring more casual gamers into the pc market. Because lets's face it, if a father buys a game for his child for Christmas, then the child isn't able to play it on the PC because their computer sucks, they're going to be pretty upset with pc games. They're going to be even more upset when they can't return an opened game. Console gaming doesn't have this issue since every game is the same. No room for customization and better graphics etc.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

The othe rproblem is - 75% of game developers train in college and at home to develop games on consoles. This is because it's easier, faster and the gaming industry is bigger.

It's hard to recruit pc developers - PC game developer jobs are always in demand. It's far more difficult, expensive in hardware and very frustrating to develop for games for microcrap's unstable o/s's. Plus companies have to hire way more customer service rep's cuz console games get no tech support calls, but pc games get a zillion.

Ever notice at any gamestop, the console games are always at the front, big placards, postrers. The pc games are the back. That's cuz they know what their money maker is.

c

lol I hear ya loud and clear there. I can see why PC gamers are cynical sometimes. Go to PC forums and half the threads are for some technical issue. It's funny because I've really only had a couple games give me problems at all, and they were both based off dx8. Sound card issues often seem to be the sore thumb for PC gaming also. Usually a quick google search will give you an answer though.
I can see why a lot of developers are attracted to consoles, but to me the pros of PC gaming outweigh the cons by far. Microsoft could make PC gaming so much better than it is. I remember them saying a few years back at E3 that they were going to make PC gaming as simple as putting in the disc and being in the game. Where did that go lol.

I gotta hand it to efforts like Steam and D2D. Brick and mortar stores can have all the console games they want, no need to leave your monitor with digital delivery systems like these.

 

[bakemeacookie]

funny googling "pc game crash" brings up 13 million hits! lol

c

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I'm also playing Farcry 2 right now. I'm not sure what it was developed for specifically, but it runs fantastic on the PC. I didn't even know it was a cross platform game until I researched it.

I really hope games like Diablo 3, starcraft 2 and the red alert series type of games can really help the PC market with a boost. Those games I just listed just aren't the same on console systems. I remember trying to play Red Alert 1 on the playstation and it was horrendous. 640x480 resolution and lagged like hell.

Best port I've seen so far is probably Street Fighter 4. I have the game and it runs pretty flawlessly on the PC.

I believe one of the reasons most people don't and can't play PC games is because of hardware issues. Your average computer user who wants to enjoy some video games from time to time might not understand his hardware limits. If he were to purchase say Cryostasis and take it home and try to play it, it might not work on his Penitum 3, 256 meg ram machine. He can't return the game either because it's open.

What if the pc industry were to dumb things down a bit? By this I mean they start some sort of project that allows the average pc gamer to check to see if their system will run the game. I know they have the "System requirements" text on the game box, but that isn't enough. The average PC gamer can't read that shit. Maybe if they had a universal website that scanned the persons computer to check their spec and then tells them if they can run the game or not. Example: They go to the website, pick which game they're looking to buy, then allow the webserver to run a hardware scan of their system to determine how good they can run the game, or if they can even run it.

This sort of dumbing down might bring more casual gamers into the pc market. Because lets's face it, if a father buys a game for his child for Christmas, then the child isn't able to play it on the PC because their computer sucks, they're going to be pretty upset with pc games. They're going to be even more upset when they can't return an opened game. Console gaming doesn't have this issue since every game is the same. No room for customization and better graphics etc.

I can appreciate a well optimized game developed for a specific console. However I can appreciate a well optimized game developed for PC much more, because it's such a rarity these days lol.

About Far Cry 2, this was a video interview from before they found out the engine could run on consoles-


You're impressed with the game now (and I was too) but when you listen to him talk there and then see the final game, it's clear the game was gimped pretty badly to make it cross-platform. In that video he made it sound like it could outdo Crysis easily.

I agree that there needs to be a more simplified solution in place for making PC gaming more accessible, because it will only lead to more support for it by developers, media, etc. What's interesting though is how PC gaming is becoming almost cult-like because the hardcore pride themselves on knowing their way around the wares and solving every issue they run into, to the point where you wonder if some would almost want it to stay that way, thinking if anyone could do it what would be the point lol.

I think it is possible to have the best of both worlds with PC gaming though, and that is what's frustrating because not enough is being done to revitalize it. There are organizations like PC Gaming Alliance which is a good start but there still has to be more follow through.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

funny googling "pc game crash" brings up 13 million hits! lol

c

Wanna know how to break google? Type in "console game crash" lol.

Have you ever played an RTS on a console though? I mean what the hell. I'm dl'ing the C&C: Red Alert 3 demo on PSN to see what it's like but unless there's kb/mouse support I think it would be pretty toned down from a functionality standpoint.

 

[bakemeacookie]

Wanna know how to break google? Type in "console game crash" lol.

Have you ever played an RTS on a console though? I mean what the hell. I'm dl'ing the C&C: Red Alert 3 demo on PSN to see what it's like but unless there's kb/mouse support I think it would be pretty toned down from a functionality standpoint.

they make rts on consoles???

c

 

[bruce9241]

Wanna know how to break google? Type in "console game crash" lol.

Have you ever played an RTS on a console though? I mean what the hell. I'm dl'ing the C&C: Red Alert 3 demo on PSN to see what it's like but unless there's kb/mouse support I think it would be pretty toned down from a functionality standpoint.

Red alert 3 would suck on a game pad. RA3 is way more micro management based than previous red alerts so I wouldn't even want to try to play it on a game pad. I've watched a few tournament red alert 3 replays. Those people are freaken crazy with their micromanagemetn and strategies. I couldn't imagine being able to do that with a playstaiton controller.

 

[bakemeacookie]

The other problem is: the pc gamers don't buy as many titles as the console guys. Plus many just pirate the games to begin with. Sales of pc titles always suck compared to consoles. Only blizzard figured how to sell millions by creatging wow and making it easy to install and play by nerds, chicks, young, old, everyone.

c

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

they make rts on consoles???

c

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There was also this-
Halo Wars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

but its main criticism was that it was like I said, oversimplified.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

The other problem is: the pc gamers don't buy as many titles as the console guys. Plus many just pirate the games to begin with. Sales of pc titles always suck compared to consoles. Only blizzard figured how to sell millions by creatging wow and making it easy to install and play by nerds, chicks, young, old, everyone.

c

That's the catch 22. Make a shit port, who's gonna wanna drop $50 on it? Or when Crysis came out, people didn't want to drop $50 and find out they couldn't run it. Even with all the piracy though it still sold over a million copies.

 

[bakemeacookie]

Even i'm not stupid enough tot buy a rts on a console!! lol

c

 

[bruce9241]

You know it's funny. I've heard from friends who download games that some games aren't even worth downloading because it's such a horrible console>pc port. Imagine that, a $1.00 dual layer dvd disc not worth using to download a game because it's such a shitty port. Now that's outrageous.

 

[bruce9241]

I'm totally scared to buy games off teh shelf now. I'd have to do massive research before doing so. Last two games I bought were resident evil 5 and street fighter 4; both decent ports. Resident evil 5 could have used work though, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the resident evil 4 port. The resident evil 4 port didn't even have an option to use the mouse. The graphics were horrible and the gameplay sucked. It was pathetic because independent gamers had to develop mods/patches to make the game run correctly. Someone developed a mouse aim program to allowed you to use the mouse in that game. That's pathetic.

 

[mrplunkey]

To answer the original post: No, I'm not concerned with the way the PC games industry is going. I have a girlfriend and live in my own home.

(I KID... just couldn't resist. I like gamers. I have a lot of gamer friends.)

 

[bruce9241]

To answer the original post: No, I'm not concerned with the way the PC games industry is going. I have a girlfriend and live in my own home.

(I KID... just couldn't resist. I like gamers. I have a lot of gamer friends.)

Everyone is a gamer nowadays. Seriously. It's so mainstream. It's not just a nerd thing anymore. Everyone in my college class played some sort of game. It was usually games like Madden football or Halo. Even girls play games now on a regular basis. The Wii made gaming popular with wholesome white suburban christian god fearing famlies. My mom wanted to buy a Wii because she said it might help her lose weight(she played the aerobic type game at a friend's house.) I just told her to go the gym.

 

[mrplunkey]

Everyone is a gamer nowadays. Seriously. It's so mainstream. It's not just a nerd thing anymore. Everyone in my college class played some sort of game. It was usually games like Madden football or Halo. Even girls play games now on a regular basis. The Wii made gaming popular with wholesome white suburban christian god fearing famlies. My mom wanted to buy a Wii because she said it might help her lose weight(she played the aerobic type game at a friend's house.) I just told her to go the gym.

I've been seen playing a computer game from time to time.

Nerds!

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I'm totally scared to buy games off teh shelf now. I'd have to do massive research before doing so. Last two games I bought were resident evil 5 and street fighter 4; both decent ports. Resident evil 5 could have used work though, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the resident evil 4 port. The resident evil 4 port didn't even have an option to use the mouse. The graphics were horrible and the gameplay sucked. It was pathetic because independent gamers had to develop mods/patches to make the game run correctly. Someone developed a mouse aim program to allowed you to use the mouse in that game. That's pathetic.

These are the kind of people who could have good careers in the industry working for a company like Valve or ID. One pitfall can create another better opportunity.

 

[Lumberg]

To answer the original post: No, I'm not concerned with the way the PC games industry is going. I have a girlfriend and live in my own home.

 

[Lumberg]

The Wii made gaming popular with wholesome white suburban christian god fearing famlies. My mom wanted to buy a Wii because she said it might help her lose weight(she played the aerobic type game at a friend's house.) I just told her to go the gym.

I saw some story where Brooke Burke was doing yoga (what's the right preposition here...on? with?) a Wii.

I wanted to try it. Then I remembered it costs like $500.

 

[redsamurai]

I've been seen playing a computer game from time to timeSIZE]

well now you've pretty much got to spill it on whatcha playin......this I gotta hear.




As for PC games, I hope they solve the piracy issue and the developers who don't want to fuck with 360 and P.O.S 3 dev kits come out and show what superior PC hardware is capable of. I was hoping that with games for windows we might see PC's and consoles merge.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

well now you've pretty much got to spill it on whatcha playin......this I gotta hear.




As for PC games, I hope they solve the piracy issue and the developers who don't want to fuck with 360 and P.O.S 3 dev kits come out and show what superior PC hardware is capable of. I was hoping that with games for windows we might see PC's and consoles merge.

Aren't those pretty much two polar opposite statements though?

It would be great to see GFWL become better than Xbox Live. There's no reason PC gaming has to be locked in the basement while consoles get all the glory.

 

[bakemeacookie]

well now you've pretty much got to spill it on whatcha playin......this I gotta hear.




As for PC games, I hope they solve the piracy issue and the developers who don't want to fuck with 360 and P.O.S 3 dev kits come out and show what superior PC hardware is capable of. I was hoping that with games for windows we might see PC's and consoles merge.

... and be ready to pay these developers who can show off what great pc hardware can do, $150,000/year. and make sure you make enough profit to cover that. That's the problem aside from finding these pc gaming developers.

c

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

... and be ready to pay these developers who can show off what great pc hardware can do, $150,000/year. and make sure you make enough profit to cover that. That's the problem aside from finding these pc gaming developers.

c

When PC dev icons like Carmack are saying, "You know, it's really nice making games on the 360", you know it ain't gonna be easy.

 

[redsamurai]

... and be ready to pay these developers who can show off what great pc hardware can do, $150,000/year. and make sure you make enough profit to cover that. That's the problem aside from finding these pc gaming developers.

c

console games are more expensive to produce than PC games from what i understand.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

console games are more expensive to produce than PC games from what i understand.

This is only if the source code originates on PC architecture. 360 dev kits are apparently so easy a caveman could do it.

 

[bakemeacookie]

console games are more expensive to produce than PC games from what i understand.

yes and no:

Ask the Experts: Console vs. PC Development - GameCareerGuide.com

It's like comparing indie film vs $100 million transformers 2. The console games have far bigger budgets for artists, marketing, testing, etc. why? Because the profits and investment is bigger. So budgets are bigger.

With pc games, profits are far less (and many not even making profit) therefore budgets are far less. Enter: Console ports to PC, 1 title a year, and trying to do more with less.

PC Development is great for 3-5 man indie companies wiht small budgets.

c

 

[bruce9241]

I wish they would make another game like Ultime Online for the PC. That would be freaken awesome.

 

[bakemeacookie]

or sierra games like Leisure Suit Larry!

c

 

[bruce9241]

Alright just played Wolfenstein, Batman Arkham Assylum and Day of Defeat world at war.


Wolfenstein and Day of Defeat are the same damn game. Same graphics, same shitty controls and same feel overall. They're both pretty stupid.

Batman Arkham Asylum is okay for the pc. The controls are okay and the ingame game play is decent. It doesn't give you any options to raise or lower graphic options though and the start screen is a total Console>PC port failure. The load screen where you can select the option totally lags. The game is a hassle though since you can't just save the game any time you want. It's a total hassle to do try to check the biographies of npc's you meet in game because you brings you to another screen, which totally lags because it's a console pc port.

Christ, I'm sick of these shitty games coming out for PC. Even a game like Dawn of Discovery 1404 for PC sucks. It's a freaken strategy game which is meant exclusively for pc's, but the game still lags like hell. When you alt + tab, it totally lags.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Alright just played Wolfenstein, Batman Arkham Assylum and Day of Defeat world at war.


Wolfenstein and Day of Defeat are the same damn game. Same graphics, same shitty controls and same feel overall. They're both pretty stupid.

Batman Arkham Asylum is okay for the pc. The controls are okay and the ingame game play is decent. It doesn't give you any options to raise or lower graphic options though and the start screen is a total Console>PC port failure. The load screen where you can select the option totally lags. The game is a hassle though since you can't just save the game any time you want. It's a total hassle to do try to check the biographies of npc's you meet in game because you brings you to another screen, which totally lags because it's a console pc port.

Christ, I'm sick of these shitty games coming out for PC. Even a game like Dawn of Discovery 1404 for PC sucks. It's a freaken strategy game which is meant exclusively for pc's, but the game still lags like hell. When you alt + tab, it totally lags.

? about Batman: AA on PC. I was immediately brought to the setup page for graphics/sound/controls/etc. right after booting it. It didn't lag, the bio/map tab doesn't lag. Gameplay is locked in at 60 fps (probably due to vsync ala Gears of War on GFWL). This is also the best I've seen from Unreal 3. The PC port also gives you an extra game mode and an Nvidia PhysX patch if have one of their cards.
I do think it sucks not being able to save anywhere, but the upside is you never have to worry about losing saves because GFWL stores them on their server. I had to uninstall Gears of War once because of some license expiration issue on Epic's side, and thought I lost all my progress because there's no save folder in either of the two directories. Then later I reinstalled it and I was able to pick up right where I left off.
That's one + that GFWL has over Steam.

 

[bruce9241]

Just played Fallout 3 for PC. Flawless!

Oh crap, I'm not sure if that game was made on console or pc first, but it runs flawlessly for me. It is sure refreshing to play a game like that after having tried so many bad console ports in the past few days.

 

[B0ARDIN087]

Red alert 3 is awful for PC too. So dont worry about hte port being bad. Lags a lot on PC and terribly imbalanced.

starcraft 2 is coming out and will be awesome.

Valve games and others built on the source engine will continue to be played extensively (current ones like Left4Dead were ported but are better on PC)

DotA games and remakes (Heroes of newerth, league of legends) are new games which are commmanding a lot of attention in the PC user players minds.

MMO's will continue to be PC Centric, WoW still has a lot of life left and there is a new one Aion which is played by a lot of people.

In my opinion, console games are far worse, I have a ps3 and an xbox and I can think of only very few games worth buying. They are Street fighter 4, halo 3, madden 10, nhl 10, tiger woods, 10, metal gear solid 4, gta 4, asssasins creed, cod4/5. Now this may seem like a long list, but when you look at it and think that these are they only ps3/xbox exclusives worth buying, thats pathetic. Game dev's put out hundredds of games for consoles, but most of them are awful and wouldn't hold my attention 10 minutes.

 

[mrplunkey]

I'd think the debugging and support costs for console games are a tiny fraction of the cost compared to the PC platform. There's nothing more frustrating than an application that runs flawlessly on one PC and won't even start on another.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Red alert 3 is awful for PC too. So dont worry about hte port being bad. Lags a lot on PC and terribly imbalanced.

starcraft 2 is coming out and will be awesome.

Valve games and others built on the source engine will continue to be played extensively (current ones like Left4Dead were ported but are better on PC)

DotA games and remakes (Heroes of newerth, league of legends) are new games which are commmanding a lot of attention in the PC user players minds.

MMO's will continue to be PC Centric, WoW still has a lot of life left and there is a new one Aion which is played by a lot of people.

In my opinion, console games are far worse, I have a ps3 and an xbox and I can think of only very few games worth buying. They are Street fighter 4, halo 3, madden 10, nhl 10, tiger woods, 10, metal gear solid 4, gta 4, asssasins creed, cod4/5. Now this may seem like a long list, but when you look at it and think that these are they only ps3/xbox exclusives worth buying, thats pathetic. Game dev's put out hundredds of games for consoles, but most of them are awful and wouldn't hold my attention 10 minutes.

+ Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Heavy Rain, God of War 3...all in the ranks of MGS4 at least. Production/quality level unseen in PC games since Half Life 2/Crysis.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I'd think the debugging and support costs for console games are a tiny fraction of the cost compared to the PC platform. There's nothing more frustrating than an application that runs flawlessly on one PC and won't even start on another.

There are other issues as well but yeah that right there is probably in a nutshell why consoles are preferred by so many developers. What do you want to put more of your time into? The actual game or tech support for it.

 

[mrplunkey]

There are other issues as well but yeah that right there is probably in a nutshell why consoles are preferred by so many developers. What do you want to put more of your time into? The actual game or tech support for it.

Yup, especially when you're dealing with Microsoft libraries. One version's work-around can actually manifest itself as another version's bug. Even in you capitulate and use the entire MS development stack top-to-bottom, it can still bite you pretty hard.

Then add on the impact of sypware, viruses, root kits, etc. etc. It's a seriously moving target.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Yup, especially when you're dealing with Microsoft libraries. One version's work-around can actually manifest itself as another version's bug. Even in you capitulate and use the entire MS development stack top-to-bottom, it can still bite you pretty hard.

Then add on the impact of sypware, viruses, root kits, etc. etc. It's a seriously moving target.

That's the nature of the PC. It can either be free form or remove flexibility on the consumer end to increase compatibility. The strange thing is with the last round of consoles you increasingly hear about a certain percentage of people having problems with games/firmware too, which makes you wonder where consoles themselves are headed.

 

[EnderJE]

Nope. Not worried. If it ends up dying, then I'll adjust. I only like FPS on PCs. I never got the joystick and don't have the same flexes on them.

 

[B0ARDIN087]

+ Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Heavy Rain, God of War 3...all in the ranks of MGS4 at least. Production/quality level unseen in PC games since Half Life 2/Crysis.

all in the ranks of MSG4? the best console game in probably a decade? Disagree although maybe worth purchasing. The problem with most console games is with 20 hours of playtime total, may as well rent and beat it. Crysis sucked btw, great graphics. thats it

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

all in the ranks of MSG4? the best console game in probably a decade? Disagree although maybe worth purchasing. The problem with most console games is with 20 hours of playtime total, may as well rent and beat it. Crysis sucked btw, great graphics. thats it

I agree MGS4 was epic, untouchable in terms of presentation and technical innovation on a console, but the reviews for Uncharted 2 are actually better than MGS 4. A lot of the sites that said the first one was "ok" are saying this one is the most impressive all around package they've played on a console. It actually plays similarily to MGS 4 too, with some platforming/puzzle solving thrown in. Then there's God of War 3, which if it's even anything close to the first two, will be untouchable next year.

Crysis is underrated. Case in point, here's a video on Crysis vs. Modern Warfare (something Red Samurai might learn something from too lol, I think I remember him saying Crysis was all just graphics)-


High quality version here-
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

 

[bakemeacookie]

microcrap has a looooong task of making games playable and stable on pc's with normal hardware w/o needing to be a computer scientist before pc games can take off. I can't even remember when the last time I saw a commercial for a pc game on the tee vee.

Translation: not any time soon.

c

 

[B0ARDIN087]

I agree MGS4 was epic, untouchable in terms of presentation and technical innovation on a console, but the reviews for Uncharted 2 are actually better than MGS 4. A lot of the sites that said the first one was "ok" are saying this one is the most impressive all around package they've played on a console. It actually plays similarily to MGS 4 too, with some platforming/puzzle solving thrown in. Then there's God of War 3, which if it's even anything close to the first two, will be untouchable next year.

Crysis is underrated. Case in point, here's a video on Crysis vs. Modern Warfare (something Red Samurai might learn something from too lol, I think I remember him saying Crysis was all just graphics)-


High quality version here-
MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

cod4 was great because of multiplayer, crysis multiplayer is ....


GoW3 isn't out yet, if its good then thats awesome. Still doesn't change the fact there are very few good games for consoles, especially in relation to how many are released.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Multiplayer alone isn't enough to make a game great. If it is then that doesn't say much for the talent and creativity of the gaming industry. Now, if it's integrated well with everything else that makes a game great, then you can't ask for more.

 

[bakemeacookie]

Multiplayer alone isn't enough to make a game great. If it is then that doesn't say much for the talent and creativity of the gaming industry. Now, if it's integrated well with everything else that makes a game great, then you can't ask for more.

WoW is only multiplayer yo.

c

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

WoW is only multiplayer yo.

c

WoW is just madness. Who owns that franchise now, Activision? Talk about getting the goose that lays the golden egg.

 

[UA_Iron]

Too bad microsoft/intel doesnt have a stronghold on hardware too like apple. Then they'd be able to charge 10X for everything.

 

[mrplunkey]

WoW is just madness. Who owns that franchise now, Activision? Talk about getting the goose that lays the golden egg.

I thought Blizzard Entertainment owned them. Those guys did StarCraft, WarCraft, WoW, Diablo I & II and I'm sure I'm leaving others out.

Can you think of another company that had such a good string of titles?

 

[javaguru]

Strategy gamer here..The "Total Wars" franchise has been gold and I can't wait for the next Heroes of Might and Magic title...

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I thought Blizzard Entertainment owned them. Those guys did StarCraft, WarCraft, WoW, Diablo I & II and I'm sure I'm leaving others out.

Can you think of another company that had such a good string of titles?

Maybe not as profitable, but ID (Wolfenstein series, Doom series, Quake series, the upcoming Rage), Valve (Half Life, Team Fortress, Portal, Left 4 Dead).

I just watched a video segment where some gaming industry analyst said Microsoft will eventually abandon the PC for gaming in hopes that everyone will buy an Xbox console. Sad. Until that console can do what a PC does, consumers are getting royally fucked over.

 

[B0ARDIN087]

Multiplayer alone isn't enough to make a game great. If it is then that doesn't say much for the talent and creativity of the gaming industry. Now, if it's integrated well with everything else that makes a game great, then you can't ask for more.

Multiplayer IS enough for a great game. Wow is a good case in point. But just that fact that without multiplayer, your going to have a limited amount of playtime hours. Where as with multiplayer games have exponential amount of playtime

 

[bruce9241]

Just tried Fable on PC. Seems like a pretty good port. The ingame controls are fine. It's just when the options menu or start screen comes up it lags a bit. Slow mouse movement.

 

[bruce9241]

Has anyone played Fallout 3? I played it all day today and it's a great game.

 

[mrplunkey]

Maybe not as profitable, but ID (Wolfenstein series, Doom series, Quake series, the upcoming Rage), Valve (Half Life, Team Fortress, Portal, Left 4 Dead).

I just watched a video segment where some gaming industry analyst said Microsoft will eventually abandon the PC for gaming in hopes that everyone will buy an Xbox console. Sad. Until that console can do what a PC does, consumers are getting royally fucked over.

I think these guys make money on their primary product but also license their engine to a slew of developers who repackage it with their own content.

 

[redsamurai]

I can't wait for the next Heroes of Might and Magic title...

Did someone else pick up the franchise? I thought that company folded...??

Great series though.

 

[bruce9241]

Does anyone know how much the developers of these big gaming companies make per year as salary?

 

[EnderJE]

Has anyone played Fallout 3? I played it all day today and it's a great game.

That's a great game.

 

[B0ARDIN087]

Does anyone know how much the developers of these big gaming companies make per year as salary?

50-80.

But they work 70-90 hours a week nearly every week

 

[bruce9241]

50-80.

But they work 70-90 hours a week nearly every week

Damn that's fucking gay. These guys deserve more.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Yeah game developers these days are much smarter and more talented than film makers who make way more. Eventually this discrepancy will even itself out.


Check this out, Infinity Ward fucking over PC gamers and raising the price-

Infinity Ward Responds To PC Fanboys' Dedicated Server Woes - News - GameInformer.com

 

[Lumberg]

I love those parodies or whatever you call them. My favorites are the ones about Formula 1.

 

[musclemom]

I hope the PC game industry stays strong forever. My son is a game developer just starting out (he's still in college but working for a company already).

That kid is the closest thing I've got to a retirement plan

 

[bruce9241]

Just finished fallout 3. Neat game. I did rush through it though. I only found about 1/2 of the settlements and did about 25 quests total.

I'm currently replaying the game with all the cheats and town markers marked. First time I played I disarmed the bomb in megaton. Now I blew it up haha. It's cool when you blow it up. The guy who pays you to blow it up gives you your own penthouse suite as his hotel. If you decide to disarm the bomb, you live in tiny little piece of shit house within megaton.

 

[B0ARDIN087]

I hope the PC game industry stays strong forever. My son is a game developer just starting out (he's still in college but working for a company already).

That kid is the closest thing I've got to a retirement plan

tell him to swtich to app development. you'll have a much better retirement

 

[musclemom]

tell him to swtich to app development. you'll have a much better retirement

I'm not exactly sure what he does, design, development? Like most parents when it comes to electronic shit and their kids (even though he'll be 25 at his next birthday, he's still my kid) I have NO clue WTF is going on.

He's actually heading a team that's working on a mod for an existing game so all I say is "I'm proud of you son ... follow your bliss ..." He's really happy. That's all I've ever wanted for him. The retirement joke is just that, not his responsibility to take care of me in my decrepitude.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I hope the PC game industry stays strong forever. My son is a game developer just starting out (he's still in college but working for a company already).

That kid is the closest thing I've got to a retirement plan

What will be his focus, programming? Graphical design? Other?

Ahem, weren't you one of those preaching the evils of Xbox etc. here some time ago lol?

 

[musclemom]

What will be his focus, programming? Graphical design? Other?

Ahem, weren't you one of those preaching the evils of Xbox etc. here some time ago lol?

Oh I openly hate the freaking things, no question there. But pagans don't prosyletize, that's what separates us from the conventional religion

One of the reasons I hate them so much is because of my son, believe it or not. He basically spent his childhood addicted to these things. My son going into video games as a career is like a meth addict getting the keys to the lab, sobering up and making a good living at it, if that makes sense.

I think he's got his fingers in all pots, primarily focused on the graphical design but from what he's telling me, he's also doing something in terms of actual game development.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Oh I openly hate the freaking things, no question there. But pagans don't prosyletize, that's what separates us from the conventional religion

One of the reasons I hate them so much is because of my son, believe it or not. He basically spent his childhood addicted to these things. My son going into video games as a career is like a meth addict getting the keys to the lab, sobering up and making a good living at it, if that makes sense.

I think he's got his fingers in all pots, primarily focused on the graphical design but from what he's telling me, he's also doing something in terms of actual game development.

Very strange analogy there, meth head to gaming enthusiast turned developer. There are much worse things to be in this world than the latter!

There is still a very prominent stigmatism with games compared to something like movies or tv, where it's "ok" to sit in front of the tv like a vegatable. At least with games you're using your cognitive brain and some motor reflexes lol.

 

[musclemom]

Very strange analogy there, meth head to gaming enthusiast turned developer. There are much worse things to be in this world than the latter!

There is still a very prominent stigmatism with games compared to something like movies or tv, where it's "ok" to sit in front of the tv like a vegatable. At least with games you're using your cognitive brain and some motor reflexes lol.

When he was a kid, it was like he was an addict and to say it it was unpleasant is the understatement of the year. Getting him to shut the game off, and focus on something real, like school, was a nightmare.

He was like a junkie, I could ramble. I mean, there was no just turning the thing off. I had to pack the thing up and take it to work with me. He would play 24/7 if left to his own devices and often would in the summer, stopping only to eat (he'd even take a handheld into the bathroom). He's changed a lot since then but he was a PITA kid, short and sweet.

 

[B0ARDIN087]

When he was a kid, it was like he was an addict and to say it it was unpleasant is the understatement of the year. Getting him to shut the game off, and focus on something real, like school, was a nightmare.

He was like a junkie, I could ramble. I mean, there was no just turning the thing off. I had to pack the thing up and take it to work with me. He would play 24/7 if left to his own devices and often would in the summer, stopping only to eat (he'd even take a handheld into the bathroom). He's changed a lot since then but he was a PITA kid, short and sweet.

consider the alternatives. you had it easy

 

[bruce9241]

Okay just installed Need 4 speed shift, played it for 5 minutes and am now currently uninstalling it. Possibly one of the worst console>pc ports I've played so far.

Theres no mouse support. You can't use your mouse to navigate through the menus and options and theres no "quit" option. You can't just quit the game. You have to alt+tab out of it, then control+alt+delete just to shut off the game. What a fucking joke.

 

[bruce9241]

Just installed Assasins creed for PC. Game is fine. The port is just average.
The game control sucks though. Keyboard and mouse suck for it. I don't know if it allows controllers though since there weren't any options to turn controller option on.

The game menus are clunky. They're slow and it totally looks like a console to pc port. I really hope this game is controller friendly though. This game looks fun.