Rockstar Games Develops Connection Between Flash Gaming, Nintendo DS

An anonymous reader writes "It's been a long-talked-about but never fully realized aim of developers, publishers and format holders to create a game that runs on multiple platforms, but connects and exchanges assets between them — e.g. you play a game as an FPS on a console/PC but control it as an RTS on mobile devices. Now, Rockstar Games seems to have cracked it, on a small scale, with news that a new Flash game will allow PC gamers to generate in-game cash — true to form for GTA-creator Rockstar, it's through 'money laundering' — that is then transferred to its new Nintendo DS title, Chinatown Wars. GameSpy's online technology seems to be responsible for this latest gimmick, but most interesting is the idea that this could allow an interface between platforms like the iPhone and consoles as well. How long until an indie developer creates an MMO that has different interfaces for PC and mobile?"

Comments

Rockstar is like Vegas

[mcrbids]

This makes for an intersting twist, but it's a twist where a viedeo game comes closer to reality.

I work as a software engineer. How much of my work day deals with things that are 'real'? How much do I manipulate any physical things at all? Unless you include the copious amounts of fresh-ground coffe I swirl each day, the answer is: next to none. I write software that solves a puzzle presented by our clientelle.

If what I do is manipulate information used by other people, how is that functionally different than MMO video games, which are themselves a shared information experience? Usually, in a game you solve a puzzle presented by the game creators or by other players.

Sure, at work there's money attached, and the problems are 'real' in that the karma you earn (or burn) applies to your physical person and not an avatar, but the differences are blurring fast.

Re:Interplatform compatibility

[Yeef]

That isn't a technical problem, but a bureaucratic one. Rock Band was originally planned to have cross-platform play, but neither Microsoft or Sony would allow it.

EA uses their own servers (rather than the Xbox Live servers) and I've heard that they actually have to add code to STOP players from different platforms from connecting with each other (I guess they use the same servers for all platforms).