New PS3 details emerge...

[metadigital]

I just flicked through this month's PC Gamer looking for something else (The Ballad of Leeroy Jenkins) and there is Bill, page 18, and a big spiel on the future of gaming. It seems that Longhorn and Xbox 360 both support Micro$oft's XNA development platform (which utilises new hardware), so all Xbox peripherals will work on Longhorn PCs and it should be a lot esier to develop games for both platforms ...

[Child of Flame]

I just flicked through this month's PC Gamer looking for something else (The Ballad of Leeroy Jenkins) and there is Bill, page 18, and a big spiel on the future of gaming. It seems that Longhorn and Xbox 360 both support Micro$oft's  XNA development platform (which utilises new hardware), so all Xbox peripherals will work on Longhorn PCs and it should be a lot esier to develop games for both platforms ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

If Billy was really smart, he'd figure out a kosher way to allow PC gamers to play Xbox 360 games on their rigs. After all, that would only lead to increased profits for MS since they take a loss on every piece of hardware sold, the profits are all in the software.

 

If he made Xbox 360 software readily available on the PC (most likely via a method of patching that filled in the neccessary peripheral requirements, and changed the control scheme), then he'd have both PC gamers playing his games, and people that didn't want to fiddle around with a PC (console gamers) at the same time.

 

I imagine if done correctly you could even save on resources that would be taken up selling PC versions of games. And don't tell me it's not possible, there's already at least some overlapping code, anyone who's looked at the .ini file for Deus Ex Invisible War knows this.

[alanschu]

The game development process would still need to do extra coding for compatibility testing and whatnot, at which point you might as well just release that PC game because that's what you have now.

 

While easy to port, I think the architectual differences between the XBOX 360 and PC limit simply enabling the XBOX 360 games to run on the PC.

[Darque]

I think that the installed base alone will ensure that some games still get made for PC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

A smaller and smaller number.

[Kor Qel Droma]

I just flicked through this month's PC Gamer looking for something else (The Ballad of Leeroy Jenkins)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

sorry but I had to post it again...

http://www.wimp.com/leeroy/

[Darque]

PC gaming has been 'dying' for the past decade, boohoo whine whine whine.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Buy a console, then you won't be so unhappy

[Child of Flame]

The game development process would still need to do extra coding for compatibility testing and whatnot, at which point you might as well just release that PC game because that's what you have now.

 

While easy to port, I think the architectual differences between the XBOX 360 and PC limit simply enabling the XBOX 360 games to run on the PC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

I would think you could probably find a way to slip it all into some sort of patch.

 

The real savings though, would be in the post production. Only one version means only one type of packaging, manuals, etc.

[alanschu]

I think that the installed base alone will ensure that some games still get made for PC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

A smaller and smaller number.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

True, but as it stands its still the most viable platform for genres like FPS, RTS, as well as God games like Simcity, Spore, Civilization/Alpha Centauri.

 

Also, the new consoles coming out are going to be both expensive to develop on for smaller developers, and more complicated. I see the PC recieving the bulk of the attention from smaller developers.

 

I can't see games like the Total War franchise, as well as a deeper RPG like Baldur's Gate or [hopefully] Dragon's Age, or a customizable game like NWN doing as well on a console than on the PC.

 

 

I'll be the first PC gamer to admit that things are on the decline quantity-wise for the PC. But even still, companies like Midway (which historically have been console only) have moved into the PC market despite the shrinking marketplace. Same goes for Namco. THQ has also ramped up development. PC Gamer had an interesting inerview with THQ, Namco, and Midway as to why they've ramped up production.

 

Steve Allison of Midway comments that "The PC has a great economic model. We don't pay any first-party hardware fees. There are some games that will always be huge sellers on PC and not make sense for console. Why shouldn't we try to create and/or publish these?".

 

 

 

Also, I noticed that PC games did quite well at the last E3 for the non-platform specific awards.

 

Best of Show: Spore

Best Original Game: Spore

Best Hardware/Peripherel: PS3

Best Action Game: F.E.A.R.

Best Action/Adventure Game: Twighlight Princess

Best Fighting Game: Soul Calibur 3

Best RPG: Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

Best Racing Game: Burnout Revenge

Best Sim: Spore

Best Sports Game: Madden NFL 06

Best Strategy Game: Company of Heroes [ohboyohboyohboy :D :D]

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game: We Love Katamari

Best Online Multiplayer: BF2

Special Commendation for Graphics: Killzone

 

Bolded games are PC games. Italicized ones are PC games that also are coming out on a console. Underlined games are the game I'm most looking forward to

 

Ignoring the "Best PC Game, Best PS game" etc. categories, PC games were tops in 8/14 categories. Although admittedly the italicized games were the ones that I know are also coming out for console.

 

I was surprised by the PC platform's performance, given they didn't have the usual suspects (ala Doom 3 and Half-Life 2) to go with anymore. And it also includes nothing being shown from Bioware, as well as no STALKER: Shadows of Chernobyl.

 

I'll admit though, I am biased. And the genres where PC did poor in the nominations are genres that I don't care for (like Fighting games).

 

I'm looking forward to the upcoming year as a PC gamer

[Darque]

There will never be another Alpha Centauri though.

 

Heck, the only thing "sid" did on the first one was lend his name, Brian Reynolds did all the work.

 

No telling where he's at or what he's doing now.

 

And I don't want a few PC game, I want a few GOOD PC games

 

As it stands I'm now buying Console to PC games at a 10:1 ratio

[alanschu]

I'm buying PC games at an infinite ratio

 

 

I'm finding that despite there being less games, they're tending to be better quality games IMO.

 

I think it's what PC developers have to do now.

 

 

As for Brian Reynolds, I'd imagine he's working on his sequel to Rise of Nations, Rise of Legends

[Darque]

That's that Steampunk RTS right?

[alanschu]

I believe so. I didn't care for Rise of Nations that much (not my kind of RTS), so I haven't been following Rise of Legends very much.

 

It's quite a spin away from the original Rise of Nations however. And Reynolds does seem to have quite the Midas touch when it comes to games he makes (Rise of Nations did what it set out to do very well....I'm just not its target audience).

 

 

Looking forward to Civ 4 from Sid and Co. I like how they went with Alpha Centauri's Social Engineering style for its governments, allowing for more mixing and matching. The focus on a fun atmosphere will be appreciated after Civ 3.

[Darque]

It'll take more than social engineering for CivX to equal AC.

[alanschu]

What would it take? :D

 

The Social Engineering was one of my favourite parts of SMAC, so I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

 

I'm still adopting a wait-and-see policy however.

[Darque]

It would take "all" the inovations AC had.

 

Social Engineering AND Custom Units (this is all that comes to mind at 6am)

[alanschu]

You were a big fan of the atmosphere of SMAC weren't you?

 

 

Having said that...I wonder why they don't go with custom units anymore.

 

I wonder if there was an AI balance issue that I didn't notice.

 

 

Also, it could be perhaps that the units that should be in a game like Civ don't lend themselves as well to the customize option as well as SMAC. The chassis and whatnot was pretty much the same for all units of a particular type, with the weapon and the armor being different. It probably would make less sense to have something like that [specifically like that] in Civ 4.

 

However, I think it would be neat if you could customize say you're cavalry once you can get Cavalry. And have a variety of Cavalry units and whatnot. And when you discover tanks, you can customize your tanks and so on.

[metadigital]

I just flicked through this month's PC Gamer looking for something else (The Ballad of Leeroy Jenkins) and there is Bill, page 18, and a big spiel on the future of gaming. It seems that Longhorn and Xbox 360 both support Micro$oft's  XNA development platform (which utilises new hardware), so all Xbox peripherals will work on Longhorn PCs and it should be a lot esier to develop games for both platforms ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If Billy was really smart, he'd figure out a kosher way to allow PC gamers to play Xbox 360 games on their rigs. After all, that would only lead to increased profits for MS since they take a loss on every piece of hardware sold, the profits are all in the software.

 

If he made Xbox 360 software readily available on the PC (most likely via a method of patching that filled in the neccessary peripheral requirements, and changed the control scheme), then he'd have both PC gamers playing his games, and people that didn't want to fiddle around with a PC (console gamers) at the same time.

 

I imagine if done correctly you could even save on resources that would be taken up selling PC versions of games. And don't tell me it's not possible, there's already at least some overlapping code, anyone who's looked at the .ini file for Deus Ex Invisible War knows this.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The game development process would still need to do extra coding for compatibility testing and whatnot, at which point you might as well just release that PC game because that's what you have now.

 

While easy to port, I think the architectual differences between the XBOX 360 and PC limit simply enabling the XBOX 360 games to run on the PC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I always though Billy was making a cut-down pc for gaming with his Xbox.

 

It is the next parketing step, in a mature market (just look at Intel and their diversified CPU models, e.g. the Graphics Processing Unit), and one thing that M$ is definitely good at is marketing. (Remember it was Billy who had the then ludicrous goal of "a computer in every home" ...) So, next step is to carve up a mature market into smaller niches: the home entertainment pc, the gaming pc, the internet refrigerator, the home security sentinel, etc, etc ... so people need more than one pc, with lots of lovely M$ software to talk to each other ...

 

The biggest hurdle will not be technical. It will be making decent games that aren't just copy-and-paste ports from the console and its limited feature set. (I can see any resolution / alternate configuration actually taking a performance hit, because of poor programming strategies causing ugly contingency handling.)

[Musopticon?]

Rise of Legends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not participating much, this has gone out of hands.

[Lord Tingeling]

I just read this thread from start to finish.

 

Between Baley's incessant spamming, rampant console-whining, and Darque's "The End is Nigh!!!" spam regarding computers, I think what little is left of my sanity has taken a blow from which it will never recover.

 

All is woe.

 

 

...That said, speaking of Civ... am I the only one who has problems with the new 3D look of Civ4? A 3D civ is just... wrong, IMHO.

[Darque]

You were a big fan of the atmosphere of SMAC weren't you?

 

Yup

 

Having said that...I wonder why they don't go with custom units anymore.

 

Because Sid is a weenie.

 

I wonder if there was an AI balance issue that I didn't notice.

 

I wouldn't think so

 

Also, it could be perhaps that the units that should be in a game like Civ don't lend themselves as well to the customize option as well as SMAC.  The chassis and whatnot was pretty much the same for all units of a particular type, with the weapon and the armor being different.  It probably would make less sense to have something like that [specifically like that] in Civ 4.

 

However, I think it would be neat if you could customize say you're cavalry once you can get Cavalry.  And have a variety of Cavalry units and whatnot.  And when you discover tanks, you can customize your tanks and so on.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

You could do it SMAC style.

 

Instead of giving you Spearmen, Bronze working could give you Bronze Armor (i.e. 2 def) Then you just slap it on a unit to get your "Spearmen"

[alanschu]

I was thinking more in terms of the movement types (horses, chariots, vehicles, etc), but even then you could still do it I guess.

[Darque]

They could do that as well.

[alanschu]

I'd suspect someone somewhere probably felt the custom units either lacked flavour or was too cumbersome

 

Boo...

[EnderAndrew]

PCs won't die out, but PC gaming seems to be on the decline however and I expect the trend to continue. And I expect handheld and mobile phone game sales to rise.

[alanschu]

I thought I heard someone on this forum mention a quote from a developer stating how murderous it was to develop a game for a cell phone.