The point was to be able to circumvent import rules on game consoles rather than computers. Officially it was something like "playstation computer entertainment system". Sony was saying 'look it even runs linux like a regular computer!'. That tack of course did not work.
You are mistaken. Any PS2 Linux kit owning/PS3 yellow dog running user knows that it was Yabasic on the PS2 that was the attempt to evade the import duty. It failed but the duty was removed shortly thereafter...BEFORE Linux on the PS2 was ever released and most certainly before there ever was a PS3.
Now, as a practical matter they shouldn't be allowed to remove the functionality from the device once sold.
They didn't, it's your choice to perform the firmware update. If you don't you lose PSN (their service their rules) but can keep OtherOS no problem. In fact, the update warns you in no uncertain terms that doing it WILL remove OtherOS functionality and asks you to confirm, not just once, but TWICE that you want to do it.
He's not being bigoted when Eastern/Central Europe has had a reputation for not respecting IP rights and pirating everything they can get their cheapskate hands on for decades. Many of the big C64/Amiga Pirate groups were Euro-based.
It's why the cheap "home computer platforms" like the C64/Sinclair machines/and whatever they had in Poland, Russia and Romania survived in Europe long after the US/Canada market became more console centric...the major reason was the "free games" a la "why should I buy a console when I can get as many free games as I want on the Amiga"....and then US developers began avoiding the C64/Amiga/ST markets like the plague...thoug Euro-devs too poor or to partisan to go console kept the Amiga alive for a while, just like their modern successors are helping to sustain the PC gaming market today.
They aren't costing the industry any sales, because they will never buy anything anyway, so just forget about them.
They DO cost the industry sales because they're the ones ripping the content and supplying it. How many of those game torrent sites are in in.ru,.ro, or perhaps.th domains? Americans and western europeans usually don't take the time/trouble to do it, because they have cultures that mostly respect intellectual property.
Focus on getting the customers that would pay for their games, but currently don't due to pricing and DRM. There are tons of those...
Sure the slashdot crowd moans and groans about DRM, and the non-americans among them complain about price...but most people don't give a damn. At US $60, games are cheaper than they ever been fo rthe content you get.
All they have to do is sell the games cheap and DRM-free to turn pirates into customers.
You do know the Humble indie bundle was pirated even though you could set your own price, and that even some of the people who bought it, paid a dollar or less for it. Simply put, there's too many Eurotrash and Second World pirates out there who simply aren't willing to pay for ANY intellectual property.
And that 60 dollar game, taking inflation in account, costs less than games of the past did, and offers more content.
A few of the games from the bundles, have had console releases.
But really, no one gives a fuck about indie gaming...they say they do for geek cred, but the majority run out and buy the newest "call of the battlefield of resistance honor" when it comes out. No one really wants puzzle clones designed by some well meaning aspie dude living in his grandma's basement. They want games with REAL art, that that will require a team, perhaps a small team, but the days when 1 guy in a garage could effectively compete are over. And if any of those indie teams are smart, they'll sign a deal with a bigger dev house or publishing house ASAP if they're any good.
Sure Minecraft may have been downloaded X amount of times, but how many of those just got it because of the hype, messed with it a bit, and never touched it again.
I've seen the inverse of that, I have a HDTV that only properly reports EDID over HDMI. Hook up a PC with VGA and you mgiht get 800x600 or 720x400 or something else weird, which will require custom xorg.conf (In LInux) or Nvidia display settings (in Windows) to fix....but HDMI will give you proper 1440x900 with no tweaking.
Some of the things you want are already in the PS3 (perhaps the 360 as well)
No network or remote authentication required for ANY single game. Yes, network play is fine, however it should NEVER be a requirement (knows that's certain entities would like to take it to that as a DRM requirement
That's how it works with the PS3.
Off console local network backup for bought/saved games (I purchased them, I should be able to save them. Unless they want to keep it in permanently in the 'Cloud' for free. very doubtful...)
You can backup to USB storage, and you are allowed to re-download as many times as you want.
Previous console game compatibility (really think all those games are going to vanish with the release of the next Gen console? Right....)
I has a CECHE model PS3...so yes.
Media streaming support from local and remote media shares, services (locally, be it my Myth-TV, Media Center, another console; remote being podcasts/audio feeds, Netflix, Hulu, PBS, etc...
The PS3 does DLNA, and supports VUDU, Cinemanow, Hulu Plus, Netflix and Sony's own video service.
Here's the nightmare scenario for Microsoft and Sony, and why both of them tried to retrofit motion controls into their console:
Considering Sony had motion control on the PS2 BEFORE the Wii came out, I wouldn't exactly call it "retrofit" The only reason the PS2 didn't have a wand controller to go with the eyetoy is the hardware in the Eyetoy and the PS2 it'self wasn't quite up to it. You can google PS2 wand controller demos
Huh? I don't know how you got the impression I work for Snowblind, I don't.
And nobody cared if BGDA cleaved exactly to the ruleset, only anal-retentive basement dwelling D&D nerds care about "watering down the brand" It wasn't intended for just D&D fans, but for also for people who had never played tabletop D&D at all as well.
D&D fans didn't want a Diablo clone with better graphics.
That was my point. Snowblind made a more technologically sophisticated game than Blizzard did on the PC, on a "weaker" platform.
That's how you make sequels - it is not how you make good games.
Sequel does not automatically mean "bad game made only to cash in on yearly roster updates, like sports games" Each of those Bethesda games wone various game of the year awards.
I would rather they never bother with console games and stick to PCs, because there are too few developers like them left on PC any more and for those of us that prefer the PC for our gaming... we can't afford to lose them.
You do know that Blizzard was once originally a console centric developer: Lost Vikings, Rock n Roll Racing, Blackthorne? Why they went all PC snobby I'll never understand.
God I hate Blizzard! Just quit "exploring" and do the damn port. We know Diablo style game play works because of 14 years of Diablo-clones on the consoles, we also know controls won't be an issue for the same reason....just do the damn port. And quit insulting us!
And for god's sake, hurry up already...you lazy incompetent bums. If you ever hope to be a console developer like you used to be, you'll have to learn again how to work hard, and NOT goof off and actually finish the damn games on schedule and on time. That means, a sequel takes 2 -3 years, maybe 5 if you really want to push it. Look at Bethesda:
Oblivion: 2006 Fallout 3 (using a modified Oblivion engine, and sometimes referred to as Oblivion with guns): 2008 Skyrim (using a modified version of the Fallout 3 engine and sometimes called Fallout 3 with swords) 2011
That means if you do release D3 in 2012...D4 should be out in 2014 or 2015, just modify the D3 engine....that's how you get things done.
I wouldn't want to play a first person shooter with a controller, tho. Aiming is atrocious with a fidlle stick.
It seems to depend on the game, though I am not a big FPS person. Given the choice in my console FPS's I use a hybrid control system: My left hand holds the left part of the Dual shock for analog movement. (I can't stand WASD, not even in non-FPS games), but my right hand is on the usb mouse. The problem is, a bunch of games don't support that. HL on the PS2 does, but Orange Box on the PS3 doesn't, which pisses me off to no end. It's okay in portal, but not in HL2.
I wouldn't want to play SC2 or HoMM with a controller because, well, my mind would simply implode.
Controlling an RTS with a pad is actually easier than using a pad with an FPS. Sure if the game has mouse support that will work mostly better, but the game will be playable with the pad. It won't be like games like the PSone version Alien Resurrection which I consider unbearably unplayably difficult without the PSone mouse. Of course, I may just have sucked at the game, others might do better with the standard dual shock.
And it also pisses me off that Sony hasn't ever created a method to emulate the PSone mouse with a connected USB mouse for PSone games. Because the PS3 doesn't have old-style Playstation controller connectors you can't use it with the PS3 (or the BIG ass dual Analog flightstick thingy with the PSone version of Mechwarrior 2)
I've heard good things about it, but I haven't played it, it's not on PSN yet, probably not ever....bastards.
They don't have keyboards so they can't type in chat
They DO have 3 things....on-screen keyboards, phone style chatpads you connect to the controller....and support for USB (and Bluetooth) keyboards. It's not an issue at all. Any PS2/PS3 player worth their Dual Shock knows to hook up a keyboard for a game that really uses text chat.
I don't want to use any form of voice chat with complete strangers. I live in Europe and we have an awful lot of different languages over here and most of the people try to speak English with varying levels of success. And there's always the shrill voices of kids which I'd rather not deal with. That's not fair from me but that's why I prefer to get on Vent with friends.
In the console diablo-clones that I have played with network play, all used voice chat...but you could always set up private games with just friends, or mute people as needed. But I can understand how you feel.
Also I don't think console players will be able to compete with PC players due to the limits of controllers.
That might be the case for some genres, but for an action oriented Diablo style game...probably not. Even Blizzard themselves has been testing out controllers and say they work well, and that some of their testers prefer them to mouse and keyboard for the game. As I said, the "problem" of controlling a Diablo style action-rpg on the consoles was solved....14 years ago....with Diablo on the PSone.
And to be honest I'm not too fond of console players. That's propably unfair, but hey, it's just my opinion. Not a big deal.
I'm not sure why you're comparing the engines, as they didn't even come out on the same generation of graphics hardware..
So you're telling me that the PS2, which came out in Oct of 2000 was more powerful than a PC that came out in that same year? You might not want to tell that to the console haters commenting on this article. Need I remind you of D2's minimum system specs?
Windows: Single-Player System Requirements:
- Windows® 2000, XP, or Vista* - Pentium® 233 or equivalent - 32 MB RAM - 650 MB available hard drive space - 4X CD-ROM drive - DirectX compatible video card that supports 640 x 480 resolution (800 x 600 for the expansion)
Multiplayer System Requirements and Options:
- 64 MB RAM - Open Battle.net game Creators and TCP/IP game Hosts: 128MB RAM recommended (256MB RAM in games with over 4 players) - 950 MB available hard drive space - 28.8 Kbps or faster modem - Up to 8 Players over TCP/IP Network or Battle.net® (Requires low-latency Internet connection with support for 32-bit applications)
So you're basically telling me that Blizzard couldn't do what BGDA did on the PS2 in 2001, on the PC in 2000?
Diablo 2 was also a much better game than DA,
It was? Have you played both?,quote>and people actually still play it, so they must have done something right.
One of the reasons people still play it is because it's still available on the retail shelf, even at Wal-Mart, and the fact that there is no sequel yet, because Blizzard is a bunch of lazy fools who STILL won't directly admit that D3 would make a very good console game and until VERY recently, bashed consoles any chance they got, even though the company's origins were in console development.
If you could still find BGDA 1 or 2 (or CoN 1 or 2) on the retail shelf, (Or PSN) I bet you people would still be playing them.
The console interface doesn't work anything like the PC interface because it was designed with game pads in mind. The Torchlight developers themselves believe the console interface is superior, but they refused to consider it for PC users because it is apparently too much work for them. Options frighten developers.
Blizzard stated a some months ago that they've been testing gamepads with the D3 builds they have and were surprised how well it worked... Which seems rather dumb, don't they remember D1 on the PSone or ever play ANY PS1/PS2/PS3/xboxfoo Diablo-clone? They also stated that some of their testers actually preferred the console style controls and that it was more fun that way. (and more comfortable than hours upon hours of mouse clicking)
Ascaron, the Sacred 2 developer said pretty much the same thing, that PS2/360 pads just suited the game better and it was more fun that way.
Real Time Strategy games do not transfer over easily to consoles mainly because the controls required are not there.
The funny thing is, every RTS on the PSone supports the PSone mouse! Yes there was such a thing. They games didn't sell in blockbuster amounts, so as far as I know there aren't any for the PS2...on which controls wouldn't have been a problem at all, even if they wanted to keep them PC style (The PS2 has USB ports for a reason) I don't have Red Alert on the PS3 to see how it controls.
Depending on how complicated the controls are for D3 will determine how well it can be transferred to console. I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard drops console support if they cant get the controls right.
They might want to take a look at this game for ideas.
but boring sucky turn-by-turn advancement is not core to the rogue experience.The devs chose realtime because it was better, and it didn't suddenly stop being roguelike as a result.
I wouldn't go around saying any of that to Nethack players if I was you, especially the "boring sucky turn by turn" bit. Bui let me point you to wikipedia:
"The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. "
Then enters TES5 and it's like the consolization of this game has grown by orders of magnitude. Now you can't change the default WASD keys for some aspects (e.g.: map), no more modding!
Well console players have nothing to do with them making WASD unchangeable since we don't use it. And I do believe that TES5, usually called Skyrim, already has mods.
They've removed all the complex "stats" that made the game too difficult for console users who can barely figure out their power button and lame ass controller. THATS RIGHT they removed the damn stats from an RPG to make it easier for console users.
They took the visible stats out, because too many people were gaming the stats and not playing the game organically, and letting their character develop naturally as they played. Which was their goal with TES4 in the first place. They didn't want people bunnyhopping everywhere to raise their athletics, repeatedly stealing an item and putting it back to raise theivery or finding an NPC that stands still, crouching behind a hedge and then walking back and forth to raise stealth. In other words, they did what they did to discourage the anal retentive min-maxers, not to "dumb it down" for console players.
There have been plenty of console RPG's with tons of stats so don't blame us for Bethesda finally cracking down on stupid basement dwelling RPG min-maxers.
To help elucidate the level of intellect we're dealing with here, last time I went on this rant, some little wet-behind-the-ears over eager console-tard tried to argue that his xbox controller was superior to keyboard/mouse for FPS.
Might have been me, but what I actually said, that analog stick was better than WASD for movement, and that while mouse aiming makes headshots easy, it's also very unrealistic. Also I said that given my druthers, I'd play with analog stick in the left hand, mouse in the right, which is how I played quake II on the PSone, Half-Life on the PS2 and Deus Ex on the PS2. That way I got the best of both worlds.
Mac people just don't give a shit about ancient, decrepit, painfully obsolete machines... like Macs with 32-bit Intel CPUs.
I thought the Intel switch happened after 64-bit CPU's became standard. And weren't the Power Macs 64-bit?
Mentioned by the Linux obsessed geek press, yes. Advertised, I don't think so. Not even mentioned on the box.
The point was to be able to circumvent import rules on game consoles rather than computers. Officially it was something like "playstation computer entertainment system". Sony was saying 'look it even runs linux like a regular computer!'. That tack of course did not work.
You are mistaken. Any PS2 Linux kit owning/PS3 yellow dog running user knows that it was Yabasic on the PS2 that was the attempt to evade the import duty. It failed but the duty was removed shortly thereafter...BEFORE Linux on the PS2 was ever released and most certainly before there ever was a PS3.
Now, as a practical matter they shouldn't be allowed to remove the functionality from the device once sold.
They didn't, it's your choice to perform the firmware update. If you don't you lose PSN (their service their rules) but can keep OtherOS no problem. In fact, the update warns you in no uncertain terms that doing it WILL remove OtherOS functionality and asks you to confirm, not just once, but TWICE that you want to do it.
I don't like the binary blobs for because they 1) break when I get automatic updates that include a kernel
Install the rpmfusion repo and then
yum install akmod-nvidia
and never have to worry about a kernel update breaking the driver again. It's that easy.
He's not being bigoted when Eastern/Central Europe has had a reputation for not respecting IP rights and pirating everything they can get their cheapskate hands on for decades. Many of the big C64/Amiga Pirate groups were Euro-based.
It's why the cheap "home computer platforms" like the C64/Sinclair machines/and whatever they had in Poland, Russia and Romania survived in Europe long after the US/Canada market became more console centric...the major reason was the "free games" a la "why should I buy a console when I can get as many free games as I want on the Amiga"....and then US developers began avoiding the C64/Amiga/ST markets like the plague...thoug Euro-devs too poor or to partisan to go console kept the Amiga alive for a while, just like their modern successors are helping to sustain the PC gaming market today.
and also that the former soviet satellites are full of cheapskate pirates.
They aren't costing the industry any sales, because they will never buy anything anyway, so just forget about them.
They DO cost the industry sales because they're the ones ripping the content and supplying it. How many of those game torrent sites are in in .ru, .ro, or perhaps .th domains? Americans and western europeans usually don't take the time/trouble to do it, because they have cultures that mostly respect intellectual property.
Focus on getting the customers that would pay for their games, but currently don't due to pricing and DRM. There are tons of those...
Sure the slashdot crowd moans and groans about DRM, and the non-americans among them complain about price...but most people don't give a damn. At US $60, games are cheaper than they ever been fo rthe content you get.
Most game buyers take into account the fact that they'll get some money when selling the game second hand.
Hmmph, only those "Dudebro" "I only play sports games or brown shooter of the week" gamers, that started growing in numbers with the Xbox.
REAL gamers don't trade in games.....they keep them...and still have the original manuals.
All they have to do is sell the games cheap and DRM-free to turn pirates into customers.
You do know the Humble indie bundle was pirated even though you could set your own price, and that even some of the people who bought it, paid a dollar or less for it. Simply put, there's too many Eurotrash and Second World pirates out there who simply aren't willing to pay for ANY intellectual property.
And that 60 dollar game, taking inflation in account, costs less than games of the past did, and offers more content.
even if that means it looks like an old Commodore 64 with GEOS
Geos had some things even current OS's don't have, like drag and drop printing.
A few of the games from the bundles, have had console releases.
But really, no one gives a fuck about indie gaming...they say they do for geek cred, but the majority run out and buy the newest "call of the battlefield of resistance honor" when it comes out. No one really wants puzzle clones designed by some well meaning aspie dude living in his grandma's basement. They want games with REAL art, that that will require a team, perhaps a small team, but the days when 1 guy in a garage could effectively compete are over. And if any of those indie teams are smart, they'll sign a deal with a bigger dev house or publishing house ASAP if they're any good.
Sure Minecraft may have been downloaded X amount of times, but how many of those just got it because of the hype, messed with it a bit, and never touched it again.
I've seen the inverse of that, I have a HDTV that only properly reports EDID over HDMI. Hook up a PC with VGA and you mgiht get 800x600 or 720x400 or something else weird, which will require custom xorg.conf (In LInux) or Nvidia display settings (in Windows) to fix....but HDMI will give you proper 1440x900 with no tweaking.
Some of the things you want are already in the PS3 (perhaps the 360 as well)
No network or remote authentication required for ANY single game. Yes, network play is fine, however it should NEVER be a requirement (knows that's certain entities would like to take it to that as a DRM requirement
That's how it works with the PS3.
Off console local network backup for bought/saved games (I purchased them, I should be able to save them. Unless they want to keep it in permanently in the 'Cloud' for free. very doubtful...)
You can backup to USB storage, and you are allowed to re-download as many times as you want.
Previous console game compatibility (really think all those games are going to vanish with the release of the next Gen console? Right ....)
I has a CECHE model PS3...so yes.
Media streaming support from local and remote media shares, services (locally, be it my Myth-TV, Media Center, another console; remote being podcasts/audio feeds, Netflix, Hulu, PBS, etc...
The PS3 does DLNA, and supports VUDU, Cinemanow, Hulu Plus, Netflix and Sony's own video service.
Here's the nightmare scenario for Microsoft and Sony, and why both of them tried to retrofit motion controls into their console:
Considering Sony had motion control on the PS2 BEFORE the Wii came out, I wouldn't exactly call it "retrofit" The only reason the PS2 didn't have a wand controller to go with the eyetoy is the hardware in the Eyetoy and the PS2 it'self wasn't quite up to it. You can google PS2 wand controller demos
When's the last time you ran unsigned code (even for homebrew games) on a console that hasn't been hacked?
I could do it right now. PS2 Linux kit, I has it.
Huh? I don't know how you got the impression I work for Snowblind, I don't.
And nobody cared if BGDA cleaved exactly to the ruleset, only anal-retentive basement dwelling D&D nerds care about "watering down the brand" It wasn't intended for just D&D fans, but for also for people who had never played tabletop D&D at all as well.
D&D fans didn't want a Diablo clone with better graphics.
That was my point. Snowblind made a more technologically sophisticated game than Blizzard did on the PC, on a "weaker" platform.
That's how you make sequels - it is not how you make good games.
Sequel does not automatically mean "bad game made only to cash in on yearly roster updates, like sports games" Each of those Bethesda games wone various game of the year awards.
I would rather they never bother with console games and stick to PCs, because there are too few developers like them left on PC any more and for those of us that prefer the PC for our gaming... we can't afford to lose them.
You do know that Blizzard was once originally a console centric developer: Lost Vikings, Rock n Roll Racing, Blackthorne? Why they went all PC snobby I'll never understand.
God I hate Blizzard! Just quit "exploring" and do the damn port.
We know Diablo style game play works because of 14 years of Diablo-clones on the consoles, we also know controls won't be an issue for the same reason....just do the damn port. And quit insulting us!
And for god's sake, hurry up already...you lazy incompetent bums. If you ever hope to be a console developer like you used to be, you'll have to learn again how to work hard, and NOT goof off and actually finish the damn games on schedule and on time. That means, a sequel takes 2 -3 years, maybe 5 if you really want to push it. Look at Bethesda:
Oblivion: 2006
Fallout 3 (using a modified Oblivion engine, and sometimes referred to as Oblivion with guns): 2008
Skyrim (using a modified version of the Fallout 3 engine and sometimes called Fallout 3 with swords) 2011
That means if you do release D3 in 2012...D4 should be out in 2014 or 2015, just modify the D3 engine....that's how you get things done.
I wouldn't want to play a first person shooter with a controller, tho. Aiming is atrocious with a fidlle stick.
It seems to depend on the game, though I am not a big FPS person. Given the choice in my console FPS's I use a hybrid control system: My left hand holds the left part of the Dual shock for analog movement. (I can't stand WASD, not even in non-FPS games), but my right hand is on the usb mouse. The problem is, a bunch of games don't support that. HL on the PS2 does, but Orange Box on the PS3 doesn't, which pisses me off to no end. It's okay in portal, but not in HL2.
I wouldn't want to play SC2 or HoMM with a controller because, well, my mind would simply implode.
Controlling an RTS with a pad is actually easier than using a pad with an FPS. Sure if the game has mouse support that will work mostly better, but the game will be playable with the pad. It won't be like games like the PSone version Alien Resurrection which I consider unbearably unplayably difficult without the PSone mouse. Of course, I may just have sucked at the game, others might do better with the standard dual shock.
And it also pisses me off that Sony hasn't ever created a method to emulate the PSone mouse with a connected USB mouse for PSone games. Because the PS3 doesn't have old-style Playstation controller connectors you can't use it with the PS3 (or the BIG ass dual Analog flightstick thingy with the PSone version of Mechwarrior 2)
...and don't forget Bastion.
I've heard good things about it, but I haven't played it, it's not on PSN yet, probably not ever....bastards.
They don't have keyboards so they can't type in chat
They DO have 3 things....on-screen keyboards, phone style chatpads you connect to the controller....and support for USB (and Bluetooth) keyboards. It's not an issue at all. Any PS2/PS3 player worth their Dual Shock knows to hook up a keyboard for a game that really uses text chat.
I don't want to use any form of voice chat with complete strangers. I live in Europe and we have an awful lot of different languages over here and most of the people try to speak English with varying levels of success. And there's always the shrill voices of kids which I'd rather not deal with. That's not fair from me but that's why I prefer to get on Vent with friends.
In the console diablo-clones that I have played with network play, all used voice chat...but you could always set up private games with just friends, or mute people as needed. But I can understand how you feel.
Also I don't think console players will be able to compete with PC players due to the limits of controllers.
That might be the case for some genres, but for an action oriented Diablo style game...probably not. Even Blizzard themselves has been testing out controllers and say they work well, and that some of their testers prefer them to mouse and keyboard for the game. As I said, the "problem" of controlling a Diablo style action-rpg on the consoles was solved....14 years ago....with Diablo on the PSone.
And to be honest I'm not too fond of console players. That's propably unfair, but hey, it's just my opinion. Not a big deal.
It does seem a bit unfair, may I ask why?
I'm not sure why you're comparing the engines, as they didn't even come out on the same generation of graphics hardware..
So you're telling me that the PS2, which came out in Oct of 2000 was more powerful than a PC that came out in that same year? You might not want to tell that to the console haters commenting on this article. Need I remind you of D2's minimum system specs?
Windows:
Single-Player System Requirements:
- Windows® 2000, XP, or Vista*
- Pentium® 233 or equivalent
- 32 MB RAM
- 650 MB available hard drive space
- 4X CD-ROM drive
- DirectX compatible video card that supports 640 x 480 resolution (800 x 600 for the expansion)
Multiplayer System Requirements and Options:
- 64 MB RAM
- Open Battle.net game Creators and TCP/IP game Hosts: 128MB RAM recommended (256MB RAM in games with over 4 players)
- 950 MB available hard drive space
- 28.8 Kbps or faster modem
- Up to 8 Players over TCP/IP Network or Battle.net® (Requires low-latency Internet connection with support for 32-bit applications)
So you're basically telling me that Blizzard couldn't do what BGDA did on the PS2 in 2001, on the PC in 2000?
Diablo 2 was also a much better game than DA,
It was? Have you played both? ,quote>and people actually still play it, so they must have done something right.
One of the reasons people still play it is because it's still available on the retail shelf, even at Wal-Mart, and the fact that there is no sequel yet, because Blizzard is a bunch of lazy fools who STILL won't directly admit that D3 would make a very good console game and until VERY recently, bashed consoles any chance they got, even though the company's origins were in console development.
If you could still find BGDA 1 or 2 (or CoN 1 or 2) on the retail shelf, (Or PSN) I bet you people would still be playing them.
The console interface doesn't work anything like the PC interface because it was designed with game pads in mind. The Torchlight developers themselves believe the console interface is superior, but they refused to consider it for PC users because it is apparently too much work for them. Options frighten developers.
Blizzard stated a some months ago that they've been testing gamepads with the D3 builds they have and were surprised how well it worked... Which seems rather dumb, don't they remember D1 on the PSone or ever play ANY PS1/PS2/PS3/xboxfoo Diablo-clone? They also stated that some of their testers actually preferred the console style controls and that it was more fun that way. (and more comfortable than hours upon hours of mouse clicking)
Ascaron, the Sacred 2 developer said pretty much the same thing, that PS2/360 pads just suited the game better and it was more fun that way.
Real Time Strategy games do not transfer over easily to consoles mainly because the controls required are not there.
The funny thing is, every RTS on the PSone supports the PSone mouse! Yes there was such a thing. They games didn't sell in blockbuster amounts, so as far as I know there aren't any for the PS2...on which controls wouldn't have been a problem at all, even if they wanted to keep them PC style (The PS2 has USB ports for a reason) I don't have Red Alert on the PS3 to see how it controls.
Depending on how complicated the controls are for D3 will determine how well it can be transferred to console. I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard drops console support if they cant get the controls right.
They might want to take a look at this game for ideas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltH5D5AzPic
Or this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OOrDPou_Mg
That last is a PS2 game from 2001 that D3 resembles doesn't it.
Or this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suqacR6jU1U
Or putting it in other words, controls simply won't be an issue, since Blizzard solved the basic problem.....14 years ago.
but boring sucky turn-by-turn advancement is not core to the rogue experience.The devs chose realtime because it was better, and it didn't suddenly stop being roguelike as a result.
I wouldn't go around saying any of that to Nethack players if I was you, especially the "boring sucky turn by turn" bit. Bui let me point you to wikipedia:
"The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roguelike
Then enters TES5 and it's like the consolization of this game has grown by orders of magnitude. Now you can't change the default WASD keys for some aspects (e.g.: map), no more modding!
Well console players have nothing to do with them making WASD unchangeable since we don't use it. And I do believe that TES5, usually called Skyrim, already has mods.
They've removed all the complex "stats" that made the game too difficult for console users who can barely figure out their power button and lame ass controller. THATS RIGHT they removed the damn stats from an RPG to make it easier for console users.
They took the visible stats out, because too many people were gaming the stats and not playing the game organically, and letting their character develop naturally as they played. Which was their goal with TES4 in the first place. They didn't want people bunnyhopping everywhere to raise their athletics, repeatedly stealing an item and putting it back to raise theivery or finding an NPC that stands still, crouching behind a hedge and then walking back and forth to raise stealth. In other words, they did what they did to discourage the anal retentive min-maxers, not to "dumb it down" for console players.
There have been plenty of console RPG's with tons of stats so don't blame us for Bethesda finally cracking down on stupid basement dwelling RPG min-maxers.
To help elucidate the level of intellect we're dealing with here, last time I went on this rant, some little wet-behind-the-ears over eager console-tard tried to argue that his xbox controller was superior to keyboard/mouse for FPS.
Might have been me, but what I actually said, that analog stick was better than WASD for movement, and that while mouse aiming makes headshots easy, it's also very unrealistic. Also I said that given my druthers, I'd play with analog stick in the left hand, mouse in the right, which is how I played quake II on the PSone, Half-Life on the PS2 and Deus Ex on the PS2. That way I got the best of both worlds.