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In Search Of The Continuous Gaming Platform
Thanks to The Register for its Faultline-reprinted analysis discussing the concept of making games that are playable on multiple hardware devices. The analyst argues: "Games writers now need to move on a generation to what we shall call 'continuous immersive absorption' into a game. That means that the play should... have elements that are played on a big home based screen, have elements of play that are ideal for a mobile gaming platform or phone so that it is portable on trains and cars and even the playground, and it should have communication elements that see players interact." The piece goes on to churn out much general analysis, but is the concept that "[Game]play should be able to proceed on the home platform, and on mobile platforms, and on your PC at work or school" a viable or attractive one?
So it's not bad enough when developers release games unoptimised for three home console systems at once instead of optimising for one of them, now they should spread their resources even thinner and try to cram in totally different platforms as well? Isn't it hard enough to come up with meaningful content for the GC-GBA connection to show that this won't hold up?
Exactly what we need. I'll explain....
I used to work with a guy that was thrilled he could IRC from his Palm V with a nokia phone and the right cord. All he did (even after getting fired) was chat on IRC. At home. At work. On the bus to work. Even sometimes (I swear to God) while driving. So I don't like the idea of providing the same basic fantasy world IN COLOR to people. Nonstop disconnected reality. The ONLY positive spin I can possibly put on this is:
1) It will weed out the idiots that get addicted to stupid stuff so they will lose their jobs so people that actually WANT to work will have some jobs to fight over.
2) There will probably be a small cottage industry that springs up to deal with this new addiction also creating jobs.
That's all I got.
For every annoying gentoo user, are three even more annoying anti-gentoo crybabies. Take Yosh from #Gimp for example.
Do people who write for the register live even remotely near the real world?
This acticle seems to have been written by a 12 year-old, it reminds me of the mario levels I used to draw on paper back when I was a kid. I would say, "Look how easy it is to design games!"
Personally I believe a world populated with Taco shaped video game consoles will be the next generation of gaming. Either that or a Lay-z boy that with a build in gaming rig all on wheels.
"I am a kernel in the linux army"
"[Game]play should be able to proceed on the home platform, and on mobile platforms, and on your PC at work or school" a viable or attractive one?
HUH? Why do we need games at work or school? Or in the car for that matter? Don't we have enought real world problems to deal with as is?
If anyone should be so bored as to need this type of game, they should instead look around them and see what can be done in the real world to improve it's environment.
Animal Crossing. It's a completely pointless game that eats up hours and hours of time on the GameCube. Your goal is to get furniture for your house doing various things about a town. Plug in the Game Boy Advanced and you can ride a boat to an island. The island is then loaded onto your GBA and you can play Animal Island, a near tamagotchi style game, to get even more furniture and pointless crap for your house on the main island. (It's also handy for duping said pointless items). I find it an interesting way to expand the play away from the home unit, I just wished it was a better game. I lost interest in the game itself a long time ago, the only really good thing to come of it is the NES games.
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There's some good ideas here. Think "Puzzle Pirates". Or imagine, for example, that you could craft items in Star Wars Galaxies while sitting on the bus with just your phone. This provides a way to buff your character without commiting as much sit-down gametime - and provides a new source of content for mobile gamers. This is certainly a marketable idea.
To those who would ask "Does the world really need this?", the answer starts off with "you're stupid and lost" and ends with "you can disable games.slashdot.org".
Let's not stir that bag of worms...
Not only would the architectures have to be totally different between the various platforms, but the gameplay crafted to the input as well.
Therefore, you're essentially creating an entirely unique game for each type of platform: handheld, phone, console, and PC - and just sharing parts of the saved games in between.
Which of course assumes there is some sort of common, user-friendly, data link between these platforms -- which of course does not currently exist.
The only place where this is remotely feasible is with online persistent worlds - because most devices (PCs, consoles, PDAs, phones) have an existing mechanism for internet communications.
In those cases, sure, it could be neat. But its more a plan for leveraging an already-profitable license to new platforms than a concept applicable to the average next-gen title.
And until a user-friendly common data interconnect is widely available for these platforms, publishers will be much better off crafting unique, disconnected games for each platform.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
Animal Crossing does just this. You play on the GC, can play another expansion on the GBA called Animal Island. And finally, you can trade stuff with people online with passwords. You can even travel between towns if your friend brings their game cart over. Of course, real online play might be interesting, but where Animal Crossing really excels is independent and unique development where friends only get short glimpses into what makes your town (or your house decor).
I don't know of any other GC-GBA linkup that's worth it. More platforms will probably just mean buying more games with cheesy tie-ins (the Metroid Prime/Fusion link was hardly worth it just to play the original Metroid again..especially since they could have just given you playing Metroid for free..there was no real integration). So, the theory is nice, but in reality independent RPG development on a handheld probably won't mean a lot unless there's a sweet bundle (GC-GBA cable + gba cart + gc game + broadband adapter (since the online factor is really what can suck people in)) to make it actually work, and I don't see people jumping over themselves to spend $80+ on such a bundle. Maybe if the PSP's media is dirt cheap and PSP allows free connection to PS2...
Eurohacker European paranoia, gun rights, and h
Cool concept, bad idea. I think the biggest problem with this idea is that the transfer of data between multiple systems, makes it incredibly vulnerable to exploitation. For a game that spans multiple platforms like this to be any fun at all, it sounds as if it WOULD need to be a multiplayer game, and we all know how exploitation can ruin multiplayer games.
Let's build this and send it to those overproductive types in India and China.
One game to rule them all type thing. Or other bizarre macho stuff. Sounds kind of boring, probably more diversity and innovation would be better.
Being able to play a game on your computer, then to continue to play exactly the same game miniaturized on your mobile phone while going to school is a very nice idea said as such, but the author seems to completely forego the real problem of making the same game playable on multiple formats. For this kind of feat to be possible, you would need all the systems which are being aimed at (most probably computer, console, portable gaming systems and mobile phone) to use the same format for games, which in my opinion is just impossible for several reasons. If that stage is passed, you then have to pose the problem of the game being able to adapt itself to all these different systems, without having it too underopzimized proportionally in each form it is usable as.
As I have said, I beleive the problem of each system using the same format for games is most probablyy impossible to solve. I cannot conceive how it can be possible to create a format which is both usable on each system and powerful enough for the variety of systems it has to face. You just have to take a look at the diversity of the gaming platforms the author wishes the ideal game to aim for to see that this imaginative idea will have to stay just that, an imaginative idea. Personal computers are continually evolving, gaining megahertz by the second, and it is a platform which can harness incredible power; computers are out-of-date in three to six months, and it is just about the same thing for their games' graphics. Whereas computers are getting more and more powerful as time goes along, consoles are only released every few years and do not benefit of the same continual evolution that computers do, and as home consoles have to keep price reasonable not to push consumers away, they are virtually out-of-date when they leave the production factory. As for portable gaming systems, they obivously cannot boast too much power as they have to stay portable. This may change a bit as minituarization of material goes on, but not to the point of havinh the power of a computer in a pocket. Finally, mobile phones are primarily communation tools and not gaming tools, but as the emphasis is put on the phones having better support for games, one can notice the abundance of the latter growing quickly; but mobile phones have to stay portable phones, and overhauling the power of the integrated graphics for gaming would surely mean producing heavier phones aimed at a more special sector of the market and not at the everyday user.
I cannot see how one could actually think it is possible to create a game which could expand over so many systems. You would need a format which would be compatible with machines from the size of a pocket calculator to that of a television, and that would be able to support information compatible with everyone of these systems. If you were able to solve that problem, which is very unlikely, then you would surely be halted when it comes to developing a same game which would have to run on both systems with enormous power and systems with less than a hundredth of the power of the latter. It is just unconceivable, as you would need a common format, the tools to develop the same software on all these systems and for it to be able to harness enough power of each system to be up-to-date when it comes to graphics and gameplay.
Though the author's idea is just pure fantasy, I think we can certainly approach a level of interactivity and interoptability between the currently available gaming platforms which have a lot of possibilities. Of course, I am talking about Nintendo's GameCube/GBA connectivity features (me, biased? No way! :o), which I think have the potential to allow a satisfying level of interactivity between games on both format if the usage is pertinent enough. You do not need to stretch your mind much to find a lot of possible features with this, though it still means having to develop a game separately for each system. By the way, Nintendo were not the first to throw themselves into the 'connectivity' ide
"Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely unintentional side effect" -- Linus Torval
Well the relative worth is negliable, but in Legend of Zelda : Wind Waker you can use(or have someone else use) Tingle, who is called from the GC game and interfaced on the GBA, aside from giving you power ups, it also allows you to find hidden items and areas and hints.
Also, the Pac Man vs. game is pretty cool as well
But that being said, I'll agree that the potential is far from being fully used.
Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!
Yeah, or it could all be developed in the same language, if a C compiler was available for all the machines.
Slashdot is jumping the shark. I'm just driving the boat.
this sounds like a great way to make money of course ("Buy cellphone X and serive provider Y to unlock more SW: Galaxies content and exciting gameplay!!"), but i'm not sure the gamer benefits as much as do the corporations. how does this add to the gameplay experience, other than simply multiplying a beloved franchise's content? Animal Crossing was neat, and i havnt yet played FinalFantasy Crystal Chronicles, but as far as i can tell not even Nintendo has answered this question despite a sustained effort for a few years. people want a new experience, not new variations on a theme.
Assume 2 things
a)That most players want to follow the optimal strategy in a game.
b)To encourage adoption of cross platform content, success in one platform will aid another in a unique way(eg the foozle can only be obtained on the GBA, and the whatsit on the GC)
You end up with a situation where to fully explore the game, I have to play it on multiple platforms, which I may or may not own, possibly buying multiple versions across these platforms. This isn't a gaming innovation, it's a cheap marketing strategy
Worried you might not keep your virginity forever? Try new Linux(TM), guaranteed twice as effective as LARPing
Yes, but weren't you Romero's bitch anyways? LOLROFLLMAO
Great sig, it brought back that whole movie.
What fake dog poop?
God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
Available in many forms, including a real deck of cards you can play anywhere and any time, even when the power's out.
Sehr geehrter Toilettenbenutzer!
And we all know how well that went over.
That Jesus Christ guy is getting some terrible lag... it took him 3 days to respawn! -NJ CoolBreeze
if future game consoles were laptop-like, but not as expensive as a real laptop computer.
take them anywhere, play anywhere, as long as the battery lasts, or plug it into the car lighter, etc.
sure there are accessories that can do that, but it would be better if consoles were sold already portable, with a 15"+ lcd screen.
Another option of course is to have all of the secondary content (again, mini-games and such) built as some kind of portable binary, like Java or CLR. That way you could run it on assorted other systems.
Basically this will only be highly desirable (enough to sell all kinds of different stuff) in long-running games. If we had some kind of really epic version of the sim* games where all of the games were included in one all the way down from simant up to simgalaxy, this kind of access to the games would be useful. Being able to look in on a game which might need to be running more or less constantly in order to get enough CPU time (a PC does not cost that much these days after all) when you're riding the bus to work (some places, driving isn't worth it) or just waiting in line somewhere would be pretty neat. Wireless internet is getting cheaper all the time, I can get Unlimited GPRS for $19.99/mo at which point it's a better deal than a dialup connection assuming that I'm going to be using it someplace with decent signal, or I have a use for low-speed mobile internet - like downloading maps for navigation. You can get CF GPRS cards so right now one could have a pocketpc with a full time internet connection. Damn, that sounds pretty nice actually, I wish I had more money. I have a paypal account and I accept donations :)
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Life will be less than peachy though when your friend hits me with his car while using IRC. Ouch.
If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
Yeah and have fun changing your code for each platform.
I remember reading about a MMORPG a while ago whose server was completely independent from the client, so the client game could be graphical, or text-based, or whatever. It *might* have been Wyvern, but I'm not certain.
Anyway, it's a really cool idea, if someone could do it right and have a client for every available platform while retaining whatever makes the game fun.
Yeah, because everyone knows it's the language that matters, not the libraries. Maybe if they ported Linux and X to all the platforms...
(Of course it's on topic. I mentioned Linux, and this is Slashdot.)
Slashdot is jumping the shark. I'm just driving the boat.
I've never played Galaxies, so I don't know what the crafting system looks like. I can imagine it being portable and fun, but it sounds like it just isn't. That's sad either way.
I think you're right on in most of your analysis. I don't see games being truly portable across platforms in the way some people are imagining. If this is "Continuous Gaming", then it's doomed - at least for the foreseeable future. Most modern games are tied to the strengths of their target platform.
I do think, though, that there's good potential for online, persistent games (which more and more games will be) to offer some forms of play across a variety of platforms. This could take the form of playing puzzles to craft items or perhaps a stripped down player vs player fighting system (or who knows what). In any case, I think there's cases where this could definitely make sense - especially for projects that are already very large, such as the big MMORPG's. It could provide a way to get another headline feature without disrupting core gameplay.
I don't know to what extent this is viable - but I'll bet we'll see a few attempts made initially, as the novelty will have value on its own (as it has with the GBA-GC connectivity).
Let's not stir that bag of worms...
This is an interesting idea, if they do it right. What irritates me about attempts at spreading gameplay over other devices -- such as the PocketStation component of Final Fantasy VIII -- is that you have a disadvantage if you don't own every piece of hardware under the sun. What if I don't want to buy a GBAXtreme256 (or whatever) to "play another, subordinate, but essential part of the game [on the train]"?
I don't want to need multiple systems just to play a game.
It's strange, I try to post an article about one of my works here, but slashdot didn't accept it. The theme was very close to this one, but covers something concrete - my puzzle game "Devet". Anyway, it was my first attempt to create an original puzzle game. My goal was to keep the rules as simple as I can, without going boring while playing. After designing the rules, I create a JavaScript version, just to try how it is. Maybe my estimation wasn't the most objective, but I found the game interesting enough to continue to work on it. To work not for gameplay changing, but for implementations for as much platforms as i know. Then I wrote a version for my PDA - Casio PocketViewer (the implementation was coded in C). Then I bought Nokia 3510i with J2ME and I code the game for it. I implement two sizes of the art in case the screen of the device is big enough to handle the bigger art. After that, a friend of mine with Palm try the J2ME version and says that the controls are not good for a touch-screen device. I add pen support in that version, and here it is - PALM version and UIQ version of the game :)
After few questions for savegame and highscore keeping on PC (which wasn't a good idea to implement in JavaScript version), i wrote in C again, with the help of excellent SDL library, version for Windows. Because the portability of SDL, the game was compiled also for MacOS X, Linux and BeOS without any recoding.
And here it is - my most multiplatform game :)
If someone wants to take a look, here it is : http://devet.tuzsuzov.com
When the GBA came out, my first thought was that an RPG should come out that had both a GBA cartridge and GC disc, and would either copy the saves from a memory card to the GBA cartridge, or simply use the GBA as the memory catridge, and the game would be the EXACT SAME GAME on both systems, only one would have better graphics.
Actually now that I think about it, I also wished that they had made a totally 3D version of the regular Pokemon game built into Pokemon Stadium, when that game came out. Er... I mean my little brother wished it... yeah... little brother....
What the hell is the argument AGAINST this type of game? That person who obsessively plays a game to the point of getting fired would have done that anyway, only with 2 different games, and now it's just one. It doesn't REQUIRE (in my example) you to have both pieces of hardware, the game can be enjoyed with either, or with both.
Although knowing developers, they probably would put shit you need 30 pieces of hardware to "unlock"...
Anyway, I really don't see where all the negativity is coming from here.
I thought I was the only person to think of this... :)
I like the idea that I would be able to take a monster or chocobo or whatever out with me in a portable environment and train it to become a better monster/chocobo/whatever.. I would totally do that.. I did it with the chao and Sonic Adventure 2.. That little VM came with me EVERYWHERE.. Of course, with the newer portables I wouldn't be surprised to see some game interconnectivity..
THe main problem I see with what apparently is being suggested is that video game consoles are always going to have some kick ass graphics and portables are always going to be ultimately portable == lesser graphics.. I think it's going to be more a thing of game connectivity like we see in Sonic Heros...
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