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Japanese Devs Talk 360 Development
Japanese developers have had the chance to work with the Xbox 360, and as Gamespot reports, there are mixed feelings over there. From the article: "...but even with Microsoft's development tools and strong technical support (another aspect for which the developers had kind words), there are still a number of issues game makers face. Many developers consider the system's graphic capabilities 'double-edged.' The Xbox 360 can handle much better looking graphics than previous consoles, but it also requires a lot more effort in development."
Is it so surprising that Microsoft really has an interesting providing developers with good tools and support?
This Space for Rent.
I'm no fan of Microsoft, but to be fair, the complaint about the 360 having better graphics but being more difficult to develop for is going to apply to ALL of the next-gen consoles.
Increasing programming complexity is becoming an issue developers must tackle regardless of platform. With the move to dual core chips, software is going to have to move to be pervasively multithreaded in the future. I know it took me some time to learn how to program (and think/design) in a threaded fashion - and to quit making stupid synchornization mistakes, race conditions, etc. If anything, as a programmer I welcome these new requirements, as it helps me differentiate myself from less skilled programmers. Like everyone else, these game developers are going to have to learn to cope.
..but even with Microsoft's development tools and strong technical support (another aspect for which the developers had kind words)
I find Visual Studio to be one of the worst development environments in existence, and I have never gotten useful technical support from Microsoft. On Windows, one can at least work around that with third party tools, but for something like Xbox 360, the need to use Microsoft tools and to rely on Microsoft support is a big strike against the platform.
There have been a lot of posts in the 360 threads about how the choice to use DVDs for storage (compared to Sony's Blu-Ray discs or HD-DVD) didn't matter. Nobody will fill up a dual layer DVD! Impossible! Doom 3 is only 1.5 gigs!
From the article:
"The volume of data in Enchant Arms won't fit into a single DVD. It's an RPG, so we're thinking it would be inevitable that we release it on two discs," says Takeuchi. "But to be honest, that's even looking grim."
Whoops!
Many developers consider the system's graphic capabilities 'double-edged.' The Xbox 360 can handle much better looking graphics than previous consoles, but it also requires a lot more effort in development."
This is why the capabilities of new consoles aren't fully explored until the 2nd or 3rd generation of games for that console.
I think that press releases like this (I don't really think it's anything but a press release) are intended to keep us from being underwhelmed when the 360 hits the market.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Wow, another day, another article being used to try and bring down the Xbox 360. Is this seriously going to be happening every day till the PS 3 launches? Every 24 hours there's another article griping about something related to the Xbox 360. I mean, I know we're all supposed to just hate MS and anything they release, but come on. This is ludicrous. From reading today's thread, everyone is pissed about not going to either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. Wow, Microsoft is being punished for not trying to force an unproven standard down everyone's throat. And can we stop the comparisons to when the PS2 chose DVD. The situations are very different. When the PS2 came out, DVD's were a standard backed by all of the major consumer electronics companies. Everyone was for it. It's not like they were taking some risk. By not picking either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD, MS isn't going to get stuck forcing people to use what could ultimately become a dead standard. And no, multiple disks aren't going to kill anyone. Some of the most popular games for the PS and PS2 were multiple disks. It's not less immersive, and is it really so hard to get up and change once as you play through? (You don't boot off the first disk when you load a game from the second disks save point) Why don't we stop trying to nitpick every little thing about the console. Wait, here's a better idea, let's actually wait till the console releases? Seeing as how very few people have even touched a 360, it seems a bit premature to talk about it like we're experts. And while we're at it, why don't we treat all three systems fairly. I don't see daily articles about the PS3 or the Revolution. Oh that's right, not much is being said because they aren't even close to being released.(Which means that the 360 is the new DC because releasing early = teh l0ssz0rs) But since they aren't MS, everyone knows they are clearly superior. Bah.
Slashdot...it's like Fox news, but without the biased sl...or maybe not.
I think things are going to rough until good middleware emerges maybe 6 to 12 months after the 360 launches. The PS2 was difficult to get a handle on at first too, but eventually developers got it as their knowledge and tools improved. It's really a big open question though as to whether the 360 and the PS3 could have been designed to be easier to develop for and have greater performance potential. It will be interesting to see how hard or easy the Revolution will be to develop for, but I think from here on out, most developers will be more dependent than ever on smart and capable middleware. Oh, that middleware is really going to be expensive too!
Hopefully, a year after launch we'll all be complaining about all of the sequels and ports on the 360 rather than glitches and buggy games!
To the making of books there is no end, so let's get started
While indeed the increased performance and data processing capabilities of the next-gen consoles demands more and better art and content judging by expectations, leveraging middleware like UE3 or Renderware takes a lot of stress of the devs, allowing them to be very near to the cutting edge technology-wise allowing more ressources to be spent on design and content.
Additionally, to make use of the increased processing power without increasing costs and needed time too much I expect procedural content to experience a quite significant rise in popularity. UE3 even supposedly contains tools for static and dynamic procedural content creation, which while leveling the content quality a bit allows for more content which benefits teams without all the manpower they'd need. And procedural content tools have a lot of research and development yet to be done to improve their quality, but it will happen. I think game development will be more about giving all the content a context and designing an experience again.
Oh, well, whatever happens, I think it's going to be interesting.
If MS is providing decent tools, the real problem is developer laziness...Learning a new toolset may be a daunting task, but without that kind of advancement we would all still be programming in assembly. The only way for us to advance technology is to build on our predecessors achievements.
(This is assuming that the tools provided are powerful and useful)
Now all of those who modded me down and flamed incessantly about the fact that I have worked directly with developers who are working on these new systems and they all hate them and grumble with distaste when mentioned can pucker up to my chocolate starfish.
Everyone said my claims were unfounded and that MS's new toolkits and XNA were SOOOOO easy and would make their system a snap to code for... WRONG!
This is not just Japanese dev's, it is just that the JApanese have no loyalty to the Xbox so they aren't afraid to speak out. EVERY SINGLE dev in the U.S. that I've spoken to has told horror stories of the 360 and PS3 and the fact that no one will be utilizing the multi-cores for much of anything major. The budgets are unbearable for production and the timetables are so extended that super-long game delays and very small releases over the consoles life are going to be the norm.
The Revolution however, cannot be lumped into this as it is set to use very familiar toolsets, familiar hardware, and is going to bring developers with great titles but small teams, budgets, and timeframes running in droves to Nintendo. I don't care what side of the argument you are on, Nintendo is poised to make one of the biggest comebacks ever. Cheap, tried-and-true hardware, excellent dev tools, and a willingness to court back the lost dev's and new/individual developers as well.
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