» Sat Jul 18, 2009 5:44 am The first part of this post is more of a comparison between the PC and the console. For the answer to how the console is destroying the PC, skip to the end. The rest of the post is supporting details.
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1. Companies are in control, users have no say in how the system works
Firstly, I don't like how consoles are very simple to use and have virtually no real customization.
The simple nature of the system (Put a disk in and that's it) draws in a (very large) number of uninformed people who are very susceptible to psychological control tactics. In common English: This means the 'controller' (Microsoft), does things to make people think they are in control of the system ("I can change the color of my Avatar!)". Whereas in reality, Microsoft actually controls everything that matters 'behind the scenes'.
This means that you can't put music on it with a network connection unless Microsoft says so (and they haven't, you still need to use a CD).
This means you can't browse the web on it unless Microsoft says so.
This means you can't play a game online, or do voice chat with multiple people unless you give money to Microsoft
And those are just two examples of features many people would love to have, and the system doesn't. And since Microsoft has complete control over features, the feature doesn't go in unless they put it in.
And sometimes they do put features in, such as Facebook and Twitter. But, of course Microsoft makes you pay for it.
Why? Because they can.
Why doesn't a community member write a free program/app to do it (Like Firefox)? Because they can't.
Oh, and here's a good one: Why doesn't Microsoft do something nice for a change? Because they don't have to, and they don't want to. And above all: BECAUSE IT WON'T MAKE A PROFIT
Are PCs any better at this?
For user control and customization, yes. PCs are considerably better. PCs have programs to do what the operating system doesn't. PCs can have different hardware, and operating systems and software. However the price to pay for all this freedom, is that it also gives people the freedom to do things that destroy the platform (ex. piracy).
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2. The community can be awful
The community being 'awful' is subjective, I know. And also, not everyone in a community is bad.
When I say 'bad people' in a community, I mean the sort of people who I generally do not like. People's opinions of others can vary. I will say mine here:
An example of a person who I don't like to play with is:
- Someone who is racist, insulting or outright rude
example: "Get out of there you p***y, come and fight like a man. You are one stupid n***er, noob-tube me again and I'll beat you up you f***king hobo."
- Someone who stubbornly supports an unjustified belief/opinion (and often speaks as if that they are right and everyone else is wrong, and what they say is truth), usually with subjective evidence, such as:
Idiot: "the snipers for stupide noobs who cant play the gaym"
Player: "Actually, the sniper takes a lot of skill to use"
Idiot: "No it dusint you peece of s**t, it's a noob weppin"
Player: "Prove it"
Idiot: "Its a noob weppn becuse i hate it, and its for noobs. i cant even shoot wit it."
Idiot: "anyway i dont have to lisen to you u nerd"
This type of player is usually described as a 'troll'
Also, the console communities seem to be mostly conformist (read: If it's not 'cool' to think something, don't think it. If playing WoW is for 'nerds', then anyone who claims to play WoW will get flamed for being a 'nerd'.
And stereotypes are also prevalent in these communities. Anyone who sounds like a 12-year-old on voice is suddenly insulted, just for being younger. Sometimes younger people are very immature on games, and therefore it has become a stereotype that ALL 12-year-olds are immature, and even the smart ones get flamed.
I am 14 (Don't kick me of the site please), and do I sound immature to you?
Are PCs any better at this?
Well, on PC I have mostly played the Battlefield games online (2142, BC2, BF2, etc.), and occasionally Crysis/Crysis Wars, but not much as it's overrun with hackers half the time.
The PC community is pretty good on the games I've played. That's not to say it's perfect. Even the PC community has some of 'those people' I described above. But I don't see those often, even on voice chat. But I often see those who take the game way too seriously and throw hissy fit at all their teammates if they lose.
Also, the PC doesn't have as many players as consoles, so consoles are better in the sense that their community is larger.
But, the PC community would probably be a lot larger if they didn't get the short end of the stick so often. I bought Need For Speed Hot Pursuit (The new 2010 one) for PC, and it's a good game. But the problems it has on the PC are entirely due to the ass-kissing dance that EA is doing for the consoles.
For instance, I don't remember the last time there was an online event for that game that wasn't exclusively for the PS3 and Xbox 360 players, and the lack of support for PC players in that game is terrible. There was no anti-aliasing for the first three weeks or so, for Christ's sake! There are also a few hackers, and EA does jack squat to fix it.
But I did notice with that game, that as soon as the console players complained of a problem, it was responded to the next day. And then when the first three pages of the forums were full of PC complaints and issues, EA staff finally replied... Three weeks later! Well... actually, EA staff did post during the three weeks of problems, but it was about the Xbox 360/PS3 event.
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3. How the consoles kill the PC
You may wonder what is wrong with creating and marketing a successful product. Nothing, actually. The problem in the console situation is that the console market pulls in a HUGE amount of customers from the PC market. They do this with their psychological marketing and control tactics, among other things.
Gamers are drawn in by the simplicity and the illusion of control that the console gives them. Also, in popular culture, computers are for 'nerds', and consoles are 'gangster' or 'cool'. I don't mind the console industry growing, but I think that developers, and especially publishers should try hard to balance the customers between the platforms.
Then, the PC gamers have a thriving community, and so do the console gamers. The console gamers would have less players, perhaps. But I am certain that there would still be more than enough people playing console games. Publishers and developers might make less money, but they would still make a lot, and they would be supporting the PC market at the same time, and have an extra thriving community of customers.
So, to balance customers (In the context of Crysis 2):
1. The visual demonstration
Don't make a 1-video tech demo that combines PC and Console footage. That is confusing and doesn't show off the engine well. Instead, make 3 videos, with all the same footage, but on different platforms. Like this:
Crysis 2 Tech Demo - PC
Crysis 2 Tech Demo - Xbox 360
Crysis 2 Tech Demo - PS3
Then, you will show off how good it is for each system.
2. The marketing
Don't start off every single speech about the Cryengine with how well it can scale to PS3 and Xbox 360 (And then go off into a string of PS3 footage). We know that already, and that is definitely not the most important thing about the engine. Instead, talk about actual features of the engine, and the gameplay. Talk about things that show off the engine, not the platform.
3. Release a demo
Yes, a demo (Or a beta). On all 3 platforms. Multiplayer, singleplayer, whatever. Release it, and make it free. Or if you want to give people a better incentive to pre-order, say that if you pre-order it you get the beta. At least that's a better incentive than:
"If you preorder, you have a chance of maybe getting a limited edition"
The demo will allow people to see what they like and don't like about the game, on their platform. And whatever you do, DO NOT try to market the game on a certain system any more than another one. That is BAD. Also, demo games are fun, and increase publicity among people. If I show my friend a video of the game, it isn't as good as letting him play my beta copy. If he plays it and loves it, he's more likely to buy it.
