Please see this thread I wrote earlier. When I started writing it there were 0 posts, by the time I was finished it got overlooked, modded to a 2. However, I think it presents the possible otherside to your comment.:(
I'm sorry, but I still stand by my original statement. As for all of the games you've mentioned, yes they are intellegent games ported to a console, however, they never achieved the amount of commercial success that they did on a PC because they appeal to a nitch more commonly found in PC gaming. Warcraft, Diablo, and Warzone 2100, while considered revolutionary for the PC market, have enjoyed very little success on consoles. While one may argue that this is due to the interface (controller vs mouse), I'd have to argue it's because the casual gamers, who usually stick to consoles, prefer less intellegent games.
As for the GTA series, while long and opened ended, requires almost little to no intellegence to master and finish. Countless buddies of mine stop by all the time to get their "GTA fix", buddies who gawk and laugh at my video game addiction. A common discussion regarding my console gamer friends usually sounds like: "Dude, that game looks like it's for geeks. Are you playing Dungeons and Dragons?! Whatever, I'm going to play GTA for awhile. Hand me a beer since you're so close to the fridge (at which point I've now tuned them out)" Most of them have progressed in it farther than myself and have much less gaming experience. Both of my younger brothers, ages 14 and 15, have managed to finish GTA3 and get 100% completion. However, I highly doubt either of them could best a skilled opponent in AoM, get the same enjoyment out of Neverwinter Nights that I (and the rest of the PC gaming community)do, or complete Ghost Recon on a reasonable difficulty setting. They do love their PS2 and the games it offers, and could best me in Tony Hawk Pro Skater any day of the week.
Look at the best selling games for the PS2 as opposed to PC games. On the PS2 games like "WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth", "Grand Theft Auto", "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance", "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", and "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" dominate the list as opposed to the PCs more intellegent games like "Mafia", "AoM", "NWN", "Asheron's Call 3", and "Starfleet Command". Yes, I realize that NWN is going console, like Mafia, but both gained the majority of their success through PC gamers. Consoles have the advantage of having a larger audience, therefore nitch games that have a good reputation can enjoy moderate commercial success without being as revolutionary as their PC counterparts.
I'm not saying intellegent consoles gamers don't exist. What I'm saying is that they're in the minority. The best selling console games are usually watered down in both content and gameplay because of their targeted audience and accessibility to younger gamers. Generally console games that have depth to them are PC ports rather than devoloped intentionally for the console. When an intellegent PC game amasses huge amounts of commercial success, the consoles usually want a piece of the action. However, I can't really think of any instance where a PC port has enjoyed the same success it did on its original platform, as revolutionary PC titles always seem to have a lukewarm reception when ported (ie Warcraft, Doom, C&C, Ghost Recon, The Secret of Monkey Island, etc).
Back in the day, cartridge games weren't so watered down, devolopers had more freedom, and more games were targeted towards an older more mature audience. Do you remember how difficult the original Final Fantasy was to complete? Might and Magic? Swords and Serpents? Deja Vu? Metal Gear? Zelda? Games like this aren't really found on consoles anymore, at least in their original difficulty and form. When I purchased my SNES, I blew through games like toilet paper, finishing them in a matter of days, as opposed to my NES games which took me an average of 1 month. I even wrote Nintendo a letter (what a geek, right) saying how pissed off I was at the ease of these games. Thanks to Nesticle, playing these games 10 years later they're still just as difficult as before. I finished Final Fantasy 7 in 3 days. Just 3 days! Finishing Final Fantasy 1, 2, or 3 in that amount of time is impossible (1 especially), along with most NES games. They're just harder.
It's probably sick to be able to write about video games in this kind of depth, knowledge, and detail on the subject. I actually go out and have a life, surprisingly. Video games are today's interactive literature, just an underappreciated form. Any major of liberal arts should share my passion, at least in my opinion.
Anyway, that's just my two cents. Time to get back to the Metaphysics. Thanks again for taking the time to read my comment. I apologize for the age reference, I made a poor assumption (along with spelling errors) and got called on both.;)
I'm sorry (I know I'm beating a dead horse with this article), but console games are less intellegent than PC games. I've played (and finished) both Carnage Hearts and Final Fantasy Tactics (I was 18 years old when I finished it about 3 or 4 years ago) and I'm sorry, but I still contend that console games are geared towards a less mature, intellegent gamer. Length doesn't constitue the maturity level to which a game is geared, rather depth of plot and gameplay. For instance, Age of Mythology has almost no plot but the multiplayer component uses huge amounts of planning and strategy in order to best your opponent. I doubt a game of such high quality and so in depth would enjoy the success it has on consoles.
Instead, moreso as of late, console games are designed for more casual and younger gamers. I grew up on the Final Fantasy series (FF 1, 2, and 3, not the PS ones). In reality the gameplay isn't very "in depth" per say, but relies on a somewhat intellegent storyline coupled with endless hours of gameplay. Younger gamers aren't necessarily less intellegent, but aren't willing to invest the depth of thought and gameplay PC games make you exert. I think what attracts younger gamers to the Final Fantasy series is that it doesn't insult their intellgence while not being truly in depth and difficult in the to play. Anyone can pick up the game and pick up the learning curve in about 15 minutes. The intricate, well told stories give the illusion of being an "intellegent" game.
As for FF Tactics, it's really just a "kiddie version" of Tactics Ogre. It only uses a few characters at a time and the storyline makes about as much sense as a Fillini film (ask your mommy). By the end of the game my party had become so powerful that winning battles wasn't even a question coupled with the fact major characters can't die, as when they do the game ends. In Tactics Ogre, all of your characters can die for good, and when they do the game continues. The storyline is very in depth and reflects the choices the gamer makes throughout the game. 3/4ths of the game, you may realize, due to some of your poor choices, that the story isn't unfolding like you want it to. Winning a long battle gives you a bittersweet feeling, as sometimes you win a very difficult one but lose a character you've become quite attached to. Tactics Ogre is perhaps the most intellegent game I've ever played on a console, however, it only celebrated minor amounts of commercial success.
I'm sorry, as a very "hardcore" gamer, I've played countless amounts of console RPGs and PC games, and I find the console versions to be the "kiddie" ones, aimed at casual gamers. The length of gameplay and hours spent on a game dosen't constitute the overall intelect exerted to be successful at it, it just means it's a long game with a lot of secrets.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my two cents and disagree with it anyway.
its not what google finds but more what it doesn't
on
Googling For Dates?
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· Score: 5, Insightful
That's very interesting. The other day a less computer saavy buddy of mine came over looking for some techincal assistence, gleaming over the new PC he'd just purchased and hooked up to the internet. Since he's not very "connected", I decided to play around with his head a little, telling him that you could find out anything about a person through this magical search engine called "Google". To prove this to him I ran his name (not a common one) through it, not really expecting anything. Low and behold it came up in the form of a.txt file from a job he hadn't held in about a year. Along with his own name came his father's name and email address (who is a Labor Relations manager, a field that can get heated), his mother's name and where she went to high school, and countless other miscellaneous tidbits of information about him and his family.
What surprised me most, however, was the information that didn't surface. While all of this trivial information found it's way to my monitor, the information I would have expected to appear didn't. A few years ago, during a low point in his life, he'd manage to amass quite a criminal record: a few semi-violent crimes (bar fights constitute assult) and an attempted felony, he had even been associated with a large hate group. None of that surfaced in my googling.
I guess the moral of the story is googling your date isn't exactly the most acurate way of checking his or her background if you're into that type of thing. I'm glad this information didn't surface in his case, as he's put his past behind him and started a new life. I don't think "ex-neo nazi skinhead" sends potential dates the right message on a first date. He's told his current girlfriend, but only when the relationship was a point where he felt okay in doing so, and she accepted it.
Alan M. Ralsky Telephone: 248-926-0688 Current email address: amr777@comcast.net
Address : 6747 MINNOW POND DR Property ID: 18-31-177-002 City/State/Zip: W BLOOMFIELD MI 48322-2663
Owner Name : RALSKY ALAN M Latitude : 42.5460 Taxpayer Addr.: 6747 MINNOW POND DR Longitude : 83.4284 City/State/zip: W BLOOMFIELD MI 48322-2663 Census Tract: 1566.00 Block Group : 9 City/Vill/Twn : WEST BLOOMFIELD Subdivision : BLOOMFIELD PINES SUB NO 2 School Dist : WALLED LAKE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS Prop Category : RESIDENTIAL Land Use : SI SUBURBAN IMPROVED, TOWNSHIP ONLY
There's not really much of a "war" per say going on between PC games and consoles. It's like saying that there's a war going on between fans of rap music and fans of rock music, it's two different audiences that even sometimes listen to both. It's not like anyone is going to stop producing rock music because (ugh) rap is more popular. Usually when a game enjoys large amounts of success on one platform they bring it over to the other one (ie. Final Fantasy 7 and Tony Hawk to PC, Ghost Recon to consoles)
PC games are geared towards a more intellegent, connected, hardcore gamer, focusing on genere's like RTSs, MMORPGs, and online shooters (many of which have adopted Counter-Strike's turn based system over "run and gun"). Could you picture Warcraft III having nearly as much success as it did on a PS2? America's Army? Ghost Recon? Neverwinter Nights? These games require a more mature, dedicated gamer, willing to invest large amounts of time into their video game addiction. Often times that is why the PC gaming experience is also so rewarding.
You have console gamers: dropped $150 on a cool new console, picked up GTA: Vice City or Madden 2002, they want to chill out for a night, not invest hours into creating a cool new scenario, role play as a dungeon master, devise real life military tactics only to wait 10 minutes to shoot maybe 1 person, or have a 2 hour game of Warcraft. They want to see Tommy Vercetti use swear words and shoot people.
It's a totally different market, geared towards different types gamers. The reason console games outsell PC games is simply because there's a lot more casual gamers out there. However, as long as there's always intellegent gamers out there, there will always be a market for intellegent games.
Yeah but I think Linux users go for quality over what appeals to the masses. Take for instance Clive Barker's "Undying", a game that wasn't very commercially successful but is outstanding, I'd imagine it would have more commercial success, due to it's high quality and innovation, on a platform used by more computer savy people who are concerned getting quality software. Many times high selling games aren't quality games, (Survivor, Britney's Dance Beat, James Bond: Nightfire, etc) marketed to appeal to the masses and sell rather than provide a quality long term gaming experience.
However, your point is well taken, I would love to see games like WCIII or Medal of Honor for Linux, but I'd imagine they have deals with Micro$oft not to devolop on the Linux platform.
No, that analogy would be like Rembrant painting a picture and then Van Gogh painting a picture of the same thing but using a very different style to do it. However, essentially Rembrant came up with the idea to paint the picture in the first place. Wolfenstein 3d would be, in your analogy, the Rembrant of FPSs. Very few companies actually come up with their own ideas, but rather innovate on exisiting ones, due to the fact that they're sure a quality FPS will sell over attempting to create an entirely new genre and not to use huge amounts of resources to devolop new engines.
The point that I'm making is that most free lance modders don't have the time, money, and resources to create new original content, so they just modify existing content, much like larger video game companies. The majority of FPSs primarily use the Lithtech engine, Quake and Quake III engines, or Unreal engine. I'm willing to bet that the Doom III engine will set the new standard after it's released.
And yes, you are correct, Half-Life does not use the Lithtech engine (Blood, Shogo2, Global Operations, NOLF2[jupiter], yadda yadda), but a modified Quake engine. It was about 3am and I wasn't thinking clearly due to finals.;)
Right now just about every FPS out there plays off of the Quake 3 or the Lithtech engine, the only difference is they pay royalties to ID or Sierra. Very few companies use their own original content. Counter-Strike, using Halflife's Lithtech engine, written by a group of gamers, has made Sierra a boatload of money and revolutionized the FPS online gaming industry. Long after it's release date, people are still interested in purchasing Half-Life due to the Counter-Strike mod.
I'm sorry, but users creativity can be a huge asset to the company producing the product and to the products users. I bet Half-Life wouldn't have sold as well as it did if there was no CS mod. The best way, in my opinion, to keep a game fresh it to let people design for it. Games like Age of Empires II, Medal of Honor, and Half-Life have had such long lifespans because of the freedom users get to create for them, keeping them fresh, on the shelf, and most importantly, selling.
I know that praising any of Micro$oft's products on/. is flamebait but...
The creators ofAge of Mythology have been very good at implementing tools and utilites for fans to create their own scenarios and campaigns. This is somewhat of a surprise from Micro$oft, who isn't exactly a big supporter of anything that gives their users much room for freedom or input in their software, (I assume that it saves them money for fans to devolop certain parts of the game in this instance without giving them enough freedom to truly modify it), but I'm surprised that it's easier to customize than Blizzard's WCIII. With Ensamble promoting fan websites by handing out "fan site web kits" I've found it very easy to find about 4 or 5 websites that offer quality custom single player scenarios for download. Some of the best campaigns I played for Age of Empires II were written by fans, many of them even rivaled Ensamble in quality. What's ironic is that I'm actually enjoying a Micro$oft because it's so easy to implement user modifications into.
This act of cowerdace drew the line. As a member of the US military, I look foward to serving the United States and helping retaliate against this vicious act. The United States military aren't cowards like these terrorists, we won't be bombing innocent civilians...
Oh really? And what nation IS innocent? It's been said that a soldier has the advantage of being able to look his enemy in the eye... but not today. This was an act of pure cowerdace.
I agree. I've been playing Final Fantasy VI and IV on my SNES emulator lately, and I think Square has forgotten a lot of the elements that made Final Fantasy so great. Gamers spent countless hours in VI and IV (II and III American version) walking around HUGE caves, fighting 255 battles to uncurse a shield, etc. Final Fantasy VII, which I sort of enjoyed, had a great storyline and great graphics, but I finished it in a week.
I spent at least three weeks finishing FFVI on my emulator, and I already know all the secrets!
The gold chocoboo and the weapon quests were cool and all, but I really feel it lacked the depth of previous Final Fantasys. By the end of FFIV and FFVI you're attached to the characters, and you really do want to see what happens to them after the "big battle".
FFVIII was just terrible, and I didn't even waste my time with IX. Anyway, I think a game that was a good mix between old and new was the little famed "Xenogears". The graphics aren't final fantasy, but the story line is execellent and it's difficult enough to quench even the best gamer's RPG thrist. Also, if you can deal with sub par graphics, Tactics Ogre is the best RPG ever made. The characters are unique, deep, and the story line changes based on the decisions you make. It's extremely difficult, but the ending makes it well worth the 200+ hours you'll spend playing it. (It plays like FF Tactics)..:The God in the Machine:.
Okay, here's something to think about:
Last year, my book of about 1,000 CDs got stolen along with my car, stereo, and other misc items. After this happened, I replaced most of the collection with MP3s off the internet (because I doubt that the insurance company or the RIAA was going to replace my collection w/o recipts). Now my new car only has a tape player, so I actually buy tapes instead of CDs. Now according to the recent court decision, you're paying for "intellectual property", not the actual CD itself. So when I buy a tape, am I entitled to an MP3 backup? Also, since my CDs were stolen, and I paid for this "intellectual property", shouldn't I be entitled to a way to restore this "intellectual property" which was taken from me?
The difference between web advertsing and TV advertising is impulse buying. I know from first hand experience that web buying isn't impulsive 90% of the time (not to say that I haven't logged onto Ebay and bought something "random" once or twice), but generally I go on the 'net knowing exactly what I want and how much I want to spend to aquire it. When I go to the mall, however, I usually somehow come home with more stuff than I wanted and less money in my pockets then I had hoped for.
Also, I don't think I've ever purchased one item that I found about through a banner ad, nor do I know anyone who has. Everytime you click on one of those, 20 more ads come up. There's tons of revenue to be made on the internet, it's just comapnies have a harder time utilizing impulse buying. In other words, God forbid, people may actually be buying things they want, instead of buying the crap coorperations would like to shove down everyone's throat!
Slashdot Mirror
Please see this thread I wrote earlier. When I started writing it there were 0 posts, by the time I was finished it got overlooked, modded to a 2. However, I think it presents the possible otherside to your comment. :(
found here
I'm sorry, but I still stand by my original statement. As for all of the games you've mentioned, yes they are intellegent games ported to a console, however, they never achieved the amount of commercial success that they did on a PC because they appeal to a nitch more commonly found in PC gaming. Warcraft, Diablo, and Warzone 2100, while considered revolutionary for the PC market, have enjoyed very little success on consoles. While one may argue that this is due to the interface (controller vs mouse), I'd have to argue it's because the casual gamers, who usually stick to consoles, prefer less intellegent games.
;)
As for the GTA series, while long and opened ended, requires almost little to no intellegence to master and finish. Countless buddies of mine stop by all the time to get their "GTA fix", buddies who gawk and laugh at my video game addiction. A common discussion regarding my console gamer friends usually sounds like: "Dude, that game looks like it's for geeks. Are you playing Dungeons and Dragons?! Whatever, I'm going to play GTA for awhile. Hand me a beer since you're so close to the fridge (at which point I've now tuned them out)" Most of them have progressed in it farther than myself and have much less gaming experience. Both of my younger brothers, ages 14 and 15, have managed to finish GTA3 and get 100% completion. However, I highly doubt either of them could best a skilled opponent in AoM, get the same enjoyment out of Neverwinter Nights that I (and the rest of the PC gaming community)do, or complete Ghost Recon on a reasonable difficulty setting. They do love their PS2 and the games it offers, and could best me in Tony Hawk Pro Skater any day of the week.
Look at the best selling games for the PS2 as opposed to PC games. On the PS2 games like "WWE Smackdown! Shut Your Mouth", "Grand Theft Auto", "Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance", "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", and "Tony Hawk Pro Skater" dominate the list as opposed to the PCs more intellegent games like "Mafia", "AoM", "NWN", "Asheron's Call 3", and "Starfleet Command". Yes, I realize that NWN is going console, like Mafia, but both gained the majority of their success through PC gamers. Consoles have the advantage of having a larger audience, therefore nitch games that have a good reputation can enjoy moderate commercial success without being as revolutionary as their PC counterparts.
I'm not saying intellegent consoles gamers don't exist. What I'm saying is that they're in the minority. The best selling console games are usually watered down in both content and gameplay because of their targeted audience and accessibility to younger gamers. Generally console games that have depth to them are PC ports rather than devoloped intentionally for the console. When an intellegent PC game amasses huge amounts of commercial success, the consoles usually want a piece of the action. However, I can't really think of any instance where a PC port has enjoyed the same success it did on its original platform, as revolutionary PC titles always seem to have a lukewarm reception when ported (ie Warcraft, Doom, C&C, Ghost Recon, The Secret of Monkey Island, etc).
Back in the day, cartridge games weren't so watered down, devolopers had more freedom, and more games were targeted towards an older more mature audience. Do you remember how difficult the original Final Fantasy was to complete? Might and Magic? Swords and Serpents? Deja Vu? Metal Gear? Zelda? Games like this aren't really found on consoles anymore, at least in their original difficulty and form. When I purchased my SNES, I blew through games like toilet paper, finishing them in a matter of days, as opposed to my NES games which took me an average of 1 month. I even wrote Nintendo a letter (what a geek, right) saying how pissed off I was at the ease of these games. Thanks to Nesticle, playing these games 10 years later they're still just as difficult as before. I finished Final Fantasy 7 in 3 days. Just 3 days! Finishing Final Fantasy 1, 2, or 3 in that amount of time is impossible (1 especially), along with most NES games. They're just harder.
It's probably sick to be able to write about video games in this kind of depth, knowledge, and detail on the subject. I actually go out and have a life, surprisingly. Video games are today's interactive literature, just an underappreciated form. Any major of liberal arts should share my passion, at least in my opinion.
Anyway, that's just my two cents. Time to get back to the Metaphysics. Thanks again for taking the time to read my comment. I apologize for the age reference, I made a poor assumption (along with spelling errors) and got called on both.
I'm sorry (I know I'm beating a dead horse with this article), but console games are less intellegent than PC games. I've played (and finished) both Carnage Hearts and Final Fantasy Tactics (I was 18 years old when I finished it about 3 or 4 years ago) and I'm sorry, but I still contend that console games are geared towards a less mature, intellegent gamer. Length doesn't constitue the maturity level to which a game is geared, rather depth of plot and gameplay. For instance, Age of Mythology has almost no plot but the multiplayer component uses huge amounts of planning and strategy in order to best your opponent. I doubt a game of such high quality and so in depth would enjoy the success it has on consoles.
Instead, moreso as of late, console games are designed for more casual and younger gamers. I grew up on the Final Fantasy series (FF 1, 2, and 3, not the PS ones).
In reality the gameplay isn't very "in depth" per say, but relies on a somewhat intellegent storyline coupled with endless hours of gameplay. Younger gamers aren't necessarily less intellegent, but aren't willing to invest the depth of thought and gameplay PC games make you exert. I think what attracts younger gamers to the Final Fantasy series is that it doesn't insult their intellgence while not being truly in depth and difficult in the to play. Anyone can pick up the game and pick up the learning curve in about 15 minutes. The intricate, well told stories give the illusion of being an "intellegent" game.
As for FF Tactics, it's really just a "kiddie version" of Tactics Ogre. It only uses a few characters at a time and the storyline makes about as much sense as a Fillini film (ask your mommy). By the end of the game my party had become so powerful that winning battles wasn't even a question coupled with the fact major characters can't die, as when they do the game ends. In Tactics Ogre, all of your characters can die for good, and when they do the game continues. The storyline is very in depth and reflects the choices the gamer makes throughout the game. 3/4ths of the game, you may realize, due to some of your poor choices, that the story isn't unfolding like you want it to. Winning a long battle gives you a bittersweet feeling, as sometimes you win a very difficult one but lose a character you've become quite attached to.
Tactics Ogre is perhaps the most intellegent game I've ever played on a console, however, it only celebrated minor amounts of commercial success.
I'm sorry, as a very "hardcore" gamer, I've played countless amounts of console RPGs and PC games, and I find the console versions to be the "kiddie" ones, aimed at casual gamers. The length of gameplay and hours spent on a game dosen't constitute the overall intelect exerted to be successful at it, it just means it's a long game with a lot of secrets.
Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read my two cents and disagree with it anyway.
That's very interesting. The other day a less computer saavy buddy of mine came over looking for some techincal assistence, gleaming over the new PC he'd just purchased and hooked up to the internet. Since he's not very "connected", I decided to play around with his head a little, telling him that you could find out anything about a person through this magical search engine called "Google". To prove this to him I ran his name (not a common one) through it, not really expecting anything. Low and behold it came up in the form of a .txt file from a job he hadn't held in about a year. Along with his own name came his father's name and email address (who is a Labor Relations manager, a field that can get heated), his mother's name and where she went to high school, and countless other miscellaneous tidbits of information about him and his family.
What surprised me most, however, was the information that didn't surface. While all of this trivial information found it's way to my monitor, the information I would have expected to appear didn't. A few years ago, during a low point in his life, he'd manage to amass quite a criminal record: a few semi-violent crimes (bar fights constitute assult) and an attempted felony, he had even been associated with a large hate group. None of that surfaced in my googling.
I guess the moral of the story is googling your date isn't exactly the most acurate way of checking his or her background if you're into that type of thing. I'm glad this information didn't surface in his case, as he's put his past behind him and started a new life. I don't think "ex-neo nazi skinhead" sends potential dates the right message on a first date. He's told his current girlfriend, but only when the relationship was a point where he felt okay in doing so, and she accepted it.
Anyway, that's my two cents.
If you haven't already heard...
Taken from http://www.spamhaus.org
found here
Alan M. Ralsky
Telephone: 248-926-0688
Current email address: amr777@comcast.net
Address : 6747 MINNOW POND DR Property ID: 18-31-177-002
City/State/Zip: W BLOOMFIELD MI 48322-2663
Owner Name : RALSKY ALAN M Latitude : 42.5460
Taxpayer Addr.: 6747 MINNOW POND DR Longitude : 83.4284
City/State/zip: W BLOOMFIELD MI 48322-2663 Census Tract: 1566.00
Block Group : 9
City/Vill/Twn : WEST BLOOMFIELD
Subdivision : BLOOMFIELD PINES SUB NO 2
School Dist : WALLED LAKE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS
Prop Category : RESIDENTIAL
Land Use : SI SUBURBAN IMPROVED, TOWNSHIP ONLY
There's not really much of a "war" per say going on between PC games and consoles. It's like saying that there's a war going on between fans of rap music and fans of rock music, it's two different audiences that even sometimes listen to both. It's not like anyone is going to stop producing rock music because (ugh) rap is more popular. Usually when a game enjoys large amounts of success on one platform they bring it over to the other one (ie. Final Fantasy 7 and Tony Hawk to PC, Ghost Recon to consoles)
PC games are geared towards a more intellegent, connected, hardcore gamer, focusing on genere's like RTSs, MMORPGs, and online shooters (many of which have adopted Counter-Strike's turn based system over "run and gun"). Could you picture Warcraft III having nearly as much success as it did on a PS2? America's Army? Ghost Recon? Neverwinter Nights? These games require a more mature, dedicated gamer, willing to invest large amounts of time into their video game addiction. Often times that is why the PC gaming experience is also so rewarding.
You have console gamers: dropped $150 on a cool new console, picked up GTA: Vice City or Madden 2002, they want to chill out for a night, not invest hours into creating a cool new scenario, role play as a dungeon master, devise real life military tactics only to wait 10 minutes to shoot maybe 1 person, or have a 2 hour game of Warcraft. They want to see Tommy Vercetti use swear words and shoot people.
It's a totally different market, geared towards different types gamers. The reason console games outsell PC games is simply because there's a lot more casual gamers out there. However, as long as there's always intellegent gamers out there, there will always be a market for intellegent games.
Yeah but I think Linux users go for quality over what appeals to the masses. Take for instance Clive Barker's "Undying", a game that wasn't very commercially successful but is outstanding, I'd imagine it would have more commercial success, due to it's high quality and innovation, on a platform used by more computer savy people who are concerned getting quality software. Many times high selling games aren't quality games, (Survivor, Britney's Dance Beat, James Bond: Nightfire, etc) marketed to appeal to the masses and sell rather than provide a quality long term gaming experience.
However, your point is well taken, I would love to see games like WCIII or Medal of Honor for Linux, but I'd imagine they have deals with Micro$oft not to devolop on the Linux platform.
... and Saddam Hussein is hoping that the United States will port him over some technology to use in the up coming war with Iraq... ;)
No, that analogy would be like Rembrant painting a picture and then Van Gogh painting a picture of the same thing but using a very different style to do it. However, essentially Rembrant came up with the idea to paint the picture in the first place. Wolfenstein 3d would be, in your analogy, the Rembrant of FPSs. Very few companies actually come up with their own ideas, but rather innovate on exisiting ones, due to the fact that they're sure a quality FPS will sell over attempting to create an entirely new genre and not to use huge amounts of resources to devolop new engines.
;)
The point that I'm making is that most free lance modders don't have the time, money, and resources to create new original content, so they just modify existing content, much like larger video game companies. The majority of FPSs primarily use the Lithtech engine, Quake and Quake III engines, or Unreal engine. I'm willing to bet that the Doom III engine will set the new standard after it's released.
And yes, you are correct, Half-Life does not use the Lithtech engine (Blood, Shogo2, Global Operations, NOLF2[jupiter], yadda yadda), but a modified Quake engine. It was about 3am and I wasn't thinking clearly due to finals.
Right now just about every FPS out there plays off of the Quake 3 or the Lithtech engine, the only difference is they pay royalties to ID or Sierra. Very few companies use their own original content. Counter-Strike, using Halflife's Lithtech engine, written by a group of gamers, has made Sierra a boatload of money and revolutionized the FPS online gaming industry. Long after it's release date, people are still interested in purchasing Half-Life due to the Counter-Strike mod.
I'm sorry, but users creativity can be a huge asset to the company producing the product and to the products users. I bet Half-Life wouldn't have sold as well as it did if there was no CS mod. The best way, in my opinion, to keep a game fresh it to let people design for it. Games like Age of Empires II, Medal of Honor, and Half-Life have had such long lifespans because of the freedom users get to create for them, keeping them fresh, on the shelf, and most importantly, selling.
I know that praising any of Micro$oft's products on /. is flamebait but...
The creators ofAge of Mythology have been very good at implementing tools and utilites for fans to create their own scenarios and campaigns. This is somewhat of a surprise from Micro$oft, who isn't exactly a big supporter of anything that gives their users much room for freedom or input in their software, (I assume that it saves them money for fans to devolop certain parts of the game in this instance without giving them enough freedom to truly modify it), but I'm surprised that it's easier to customize than Blizzard's WCIII. With Ensamble promoting fan websites by handing out "fan site web kits" I've found it very easy to find about 4 or 5 websites that offer quality custom single player scenarios for download. Some of the best campaigns I played for Age of Empires II were written by fans, many of them even rivaled Ensamble in quality. What's ironic is that I'm actually enjoying a Micro$oft because it's so easy to implement user modifications into.
At the rate the music industry is going, it seems like soon they're just going to implement your "RIAA fee" in your taxes.
Does she really believe that a warning label would have saved him? Apparently he followed all the episipsy warning labels to the T...
This act of cowerdace drew the line. As a member of the US military, I look foward to serving the United States and helping retaliate against this vicious act. The United States military aren't cowards like these terrorists, we won't be bombing innocent civilians...
Oh really? And what nation IS innocent? It's been said that a soldier has the advantage of being able to look his enemy in the eye... but not today. This was an act of pure cowerdace.
I agree. I've been playing Final Fantasy VI and IV on my SNES emulator lately, and I think Square has forgotten a lot of the elements that made Final Fantasy so great. Gamers spent countless hours in VI and IV (II and III American version) walking around HUGE caves, fighting 255 battles to uncurse a shield, etc. Final Fantasy VII, which I sort of enjoyed, had a great storyline and great graphics, but I finished it in a week. I spent at least three weeks finishing FFVI on my emulator, and I already know all the secrets! The gold chocoboo and the weapon quests were cool and all, but I really feel it lacked the depth of previous Final Fantasys. By the end of FFIV and FFVI you're attached to the characters, and you really do want to see what happens to them after the "big battle". FFVIII was just terrible, and I didn't even waste my time with IX. Anyway, I think a game that was a good mix between old and new was the little famed "Xenogears". The graphics aren't final fantasy, but the story line is execellent and it's difficult enough to quench even the best gamer's RPG thrist. Also, if you can deal with sub par graphics, Tactics Ogre is the best RPG ever made. The characters are unique, deep, and the story line changes based on the decisions you make. It's extremely difficult, but the ending makes it well worth the 200+ hours you'll spend playing it. (It plays like FF Tactics). .:The God in the Machine:.
Okay, here's something to think about: Last year, my book of about 1,000 CDs got stolen along with my car, stereo, and other misc items. After this happened, I replaced most of the collection with MP3s off the internet (because I doubt that the insurance company or the RIAA was going to replace my collection w/o recipts). Now my new car only has a tape player, so I actually buy tapes instead of CDs. Now according to the recent court decision, you're paying for "intellectual property", not the actual CD itself. So when I buy a tape, am I entitled to an MP3 backup? Also, since my CDs were stolen, and I paid for this "intellectual property", shouldn't I be entitled to a way to restore this "intellectual property" which was taken from me?
The difference between web advertsing and TV advertising is impulse buying. I know from first hand experience that web buying isn't impulsive 90% of the time (not to say that I haven't logged onto Ebay and bought something "random" once or twice), but generally I go on the 'net knowing exactly what I want and how much I want to spend to aquire it. When I go to the mall, however, I usually somehow come home with more stuff than I wanted and less money in my pockets then I had hoped for. Also, I don't think I've ever purchased one item that I found about through a banner ad, nor do I know anyone who has. Everytime you click on one of those, 20 more ads come up. There's tons of revenue to be made on the internet, it's just comapnies have a harder time utilizing impulse buying. In other words, God forbid, people may actually be buying things they want, instead of buying the crap coorperations would like to shove down everyone's throat!