PC Gaming isn't Dead!
spellman23
NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">At least according to EA</div>Authoritative Link:
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27543/Dragon_Age_Producer_Dedicating_Resources_To_Distinguishing_PC_Console_Versions_Paid_Off.php" target="_blank">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27543/D...ns_Paid_Off.php</a>
Turns out not doing stupid ports from console to PC and vice versa makes people buy the game. Whodathunk?
<a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27543/Dragon_Age_Producer_Dedicating_Resources_To_Distinguishing_PC_Console_Versions_Paid_Off.php" target="_blank">http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27543/D...ns_Paid_Off.php</a>
Turns out not doing stupid ports from console to PC and vice versa makes people buy the game. Whodathunk?
Comments
<img src="http://www.cinemarts.com/itemimages/item_3906_1.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
Both are fallacious, since piracy rates do not necessarily represent lost sales, and second because a whole chunk of games are traded second-hand or online today.
So yeah. Elvis lives.
I can't see the actual effects of piracy or 2nd hand trade making any big impact if the product simply has too little first hand sales. Low piracy losses would actually mean there's even less potential market for the PC games.
The interpretation of online sales is a big deal though, you're absolutely right on that.
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_514" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_514</a>
From what I've heard it's the exact opposite.
PC development is, all things considered, an open platform, thus cheaper to develop for. You don't have to license SDKs if you don't want to. You don't have to give royalties for anyone for the privilege of making a game on their system.
PC development is, all things considered, an open platform, thus cheaper to develop for. You don't have to license SDKs if you don't want to. You don't have to give royalties for anyone for the privilege of making a game on their system.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Conversely however you have to make it work on every possible hardware configuration, whereas on a console you get a specific configuration and that's all you need to test it on, and also the console manufacturer doesn't just take your money, they actually give you stuff to help develop on their platform. Testing on many hardware configurations and later support patches all cost money, so what consoles take in licensing fees they give back in reliability.
Consoles are generally easier I think, at least in terms of development. You don't have to worry about hardware incompatibility and you can be sure of how the game will run, but they do have limitations on what you can make for them because all games need to be licensed. With PC you can make anything you like.
In hindsight I guess this is kind of obvious, it's not like they'd go "NO ###### YOU, YOU CANT MAKE GAMES ON OUR PLATFORM"
Hardly the issue today that it was 12 years ago. Things have become pretty standardized. You only have two graphics chipsets to worry about (three if you decide to support the morons using Intel on-board) and sound solutions literally come packed up and ready to go.
The biggest challenge is optimizing memory use and multi-threading, but that problem doesn't go away on 2001 Xbox 360 technology either.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->With PC you can make anything you like.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
On the other hand, since you can just fill a game with moronic moments a 9-year-old thought would be cool, actually making GAMES is a lot easier on consoles.
Infinity Ward brainstorming sessions probably sound a lot like: "AND THEN IN THIS PART, A NUKE BLOWS UP, THROWING THE TRAIN YOU'RE ON THROUGH THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WHICH COLLAPSES ONTO THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER. THEN YOU JUMP INTO THE OPEN CANOPY OF AN F-35 AND DROP ALL YOUR BOMBS ONTO THE TERRORISTS AND YOU WIN"
Aaaactually some companies actually do. Nintendo in particular used to be quite strict with what you were allowed to make on their consoles.
Infinity Ward brainstorming sessions probably sound a lot like: "AND THEN IN THIS PART, A NUKE BLOWS UP, THROWING THE TRAIN YOU'RE ON THROUGH THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WHICH COLLAPSES ONTO THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER. THEN YOU JUMP INTO THE OPEN CANOPY OF AN F-35 AND DROP ALL YOUR BOMBS ONTO THE TERRORISTS AND YOU WIN"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bt-1bv164I" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bt-1bv164I</a>
Wrong company.
And vault over a cruise missile :p
And vault over a cruise missile :p<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Oh yes he did!
But restricting content to follow some guideline isn't like outright demanding money from devs for the right to develop a game on the platform.
I was under the impression that all console manufacturers charge developers to develop, or at the very least publish, games?
Nintendo are even more despotic in that regard.
Demanding money from developers and published games is what console companies do in general. It's why they sell consoles at a loss (well, Sony and Microsoft do).
And vault over a cruise missile :p<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yeah, that's basically just cause, also known as 'walking out of the fireball: the game'.
<!--quoteo(post=1759872:date=Mar 18 2010, 06:12 PM:name=Align)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Align @ Mar 18 2010, 06:12 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1759872"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->But restricting content to follow some guideline isn't like outright demanding money from devs for the right to develop a game on the platform.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
No, it's in addition to it, the PS2 for example requires you to buy a license, but you're fairly free to develop what you like. Nintendo (at least they used to, don't know about now) also enforce strict guidelines as to content, as well as demanding a license fee.
You'd probably get a development kit which helps you to understand the architecture and some of the development consoles which will play anything, but you can't just go and make a game and get a publisher, you need a license too.
Infinity Ward brainstorming sessions probably sound a lot like: "AND THEN IN THIS PART, A NUKE BLOWS UP, THROWING THE TRAIN YOU'RE ON THROUGH THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WHICH COLLAPSES ONTO THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER. THEN YOU JUMP INTO THE OPEN CANOPY OF AN F-35 AND DROP ALL YOUR BOMBS ONTO THE TERRORISTS AND YOU WIN"<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Uranub is the guy from Zero Punctuation, just with a sound synthesizer to make him sound British and pretends he's in Oz. I swear it :p
It better be in slowmotion though. Please tell me there's slowmo. And <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXbhfwHorlI" target="_blank">different angles</a> (sorry for crappy quality)