"Game X was dumbed down for consoles"

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OtherSideofSky

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Zhukov said:
Well, to be fair, some games do actually get simplified in order to accommodate the console control scheme and perceived (I said perceived, don't kill me) tastes of console owners.

A prime example would be Deus Ex: Invisible War.

However, for the most part it's just a case of people bitching. Any time something, anything, changes, someone somewhere will be pissed off about it. And some of those someones will post about it on the internet.
Actually, the primary "dumbing down" that happened in that game was the mind-bogglingly retarded script, which managed to be bad enough to completely eclipse just about every other part of the game. The infamous sentry persuasion scene is a prime example of this.
 

The Random One

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It means that the game has different controls so it can be more easily played on a controller, and lacks easy access to certain actions that could be easily mapped to a keyboard.

It may also mean that the gameplay has been made with the previous limitation in mind, i.e. even though on the PC you can quickly switch between several weapons the game doesn't force you to do that because it's also made for consoles and on the console you can't switch quickly.

Furthermore, it may mean that some great gameplay element has been simplified to a large extent because it required usage of menus or other UI element that was better fitted to a mouse and/or keyboard than to a controller, that is, an entire dimension of the game or one of the game's element is removed so it works better on consoles.

Lastly, it may mean the game has features designed to fix problems with gameplay on consoles that are not necessary on PC, such as auto-aiming.

There, I answered. The rest of you can go home now.
 

valleyshrew

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The annoying thing is there's no reason for most games being dumbed down due to the hardware. It's just they think the audience prefers more hand holding on console. Not the case. The new deus ex is an example. The original would work fine ported to modern consoles. The new one has added "click x to takedown", regenerative health, highlighted interactive objects, a cover system and more that are nothing to do with being on console. These things are examples of dumbing down, though they can be good if used sparingly, they are becoming pervasive such that the more engaging or immersive alternatives are lost. Another example is the loss of dedicated servers, and the loss of both text chat and radio commands such that console multiplayer becomes a lot less communicative, even though there is voice chat most only use it with their own friends. Console is capable of having everything PC has, they can even plug in a keyboard and mouse and put in mod support if they choose to do so. All that's different is lower quality graphics.
 

EvilPicnic

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The problem is not 'dumbing down'. The problem is poor quality control in porting and multi-platform releasing, and that cuts both ways.

Companies care so much about launch-day sales that when a game is ported to another platform (often months later) it isn't optimised for that system. That includes redesigning controls for consoles (menus! So many fucking menus!) as much as it does keyboard shortcuts for PC games.

Are consoles where the money is at the moment? Of course, and that hits PC players hard. But that doesn't mean there aren't some brilliant PC games out there that console players are missing out on because the devs don't have the designing talent to streamline their convoluted and messy control systems.
 

Blaster395

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There is a difference between simplicity and depth that most people do not recognize.

Many PC gamers seem to believe that simplicity lacks depth. However, many simple games are also difficult to master (such as chess, easy rules, insane strategic depth)
 

Scars Unseen

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"Dumbed down" is a catch phrase used to describe changes to interfaces, technical specs and gameplay elements. It rarely has anything to do with anyone being dumb(other than occasionally the developer/publisher), so I laugh when people take offense to the term. In the case of PC to console changes. the most common "dumbed down" complaints boil down to the following:

1) An interface is optimized for consoles, thus making UI navigation pointlessly tedious for PC users who are accustomed to being able to assign actions, menus, etc to hotkeys of their choosing. Especially annoying due to the relative ease with which this could be optimized for each platform differently.

2) Graphics and/or AI are designed for the lowest spec device, which is almost always a console. This makes games look somewhat bad in comparison games that are designed with PCs in mind, though of course good art direction trumps technical advancement.

3) Gameplay elements are changed for reasons related to the console platform, either real or perceived by the developer/publisher. Auto-aim is an example of a change due to real limitations, as controller sticks are not as precise as a mouse. Making challenges easier, reducing data available to the player, and removing non-core gameplay elements are changes made because the developer feels that it will appeal to a larger audience, rightly or not. Since that larger audience is perceived to be on consoles, the blame is often placed on that audience, again, rightly or not.
 

C95J

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Apr 10, 2010
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I have always thought about this as well. I know for a fact that I have more fun on consoles than playing on my PC (for various reasons), and sometimes I just can't help but think: "Why do some PC gamers have to sit and complain about this kind of stuff, just have fun with the damn game!!". The "High and mighty" attitude that you were talking about is the problem with this I guess. Just because the game isn't as complex as it should be doesn't mean it suddenly becomes boring, or less fun.

Note here that I am not taking stab at PC gamers in general, I don't care if you prefer a PC or console for gaming, hell I love them both anyway, this is just towards the gamers that constantly complain, make threads etc...
 

Amondren

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Its like this. Play the Sims 1 on console for the gamecube now play it on the PC which was more fun?
 

player3141

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When I say "dumbed down for consoles" I mean that is has simplier controls and lesser graphics. I don't mean it as an insult to the console gamer's intelligence, but as an insult to the hardware that is used to game.
There are a lot more buttons on a keyboard than a controller, a game like Crysis wouldn't work on the console, not to mention, it wouldn't be able to run it anyway because of the hardware, consoles have little ram, weak processors and average graphics cards. Also, for whatever reason, console developers think that you can't hold more than two weapons because it would be too hard to switch between. B.S., Valve made it work, and they hate consoles.
 

Riddle78

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Made far simpler for the sake of the more limited console platform. My prime example would be Supreme Commander 2 compared to Supreme Commander 1.

SupCom 1 had a linear tech level system,though T2 units never went obsolete. SupCom 2 has a research tree that simply applies global upgrades. That's one major difference. Don't get me into construction and economy.

It could also mean that the game was simplified in some aspects in order to meet a certain demographic.

Mass Effect 1 gave you infinite ammo and tons of skills. It's clearly intended to be primarily an RPG of the classic variety,with some shooter action. Wheras Mass Effect 2 featured (very) limited ammo,and few skills. It was primarily a Third Person Shooter with light RPG elements. Two entirely different demographics.
 

Manoose47

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Console limitations aside, Dumbing down certainly occurs in modern games, Mainly due to the fact that Gaming has become so popular and so big that its not just immersion loving nerds playing games anymore, its joe soap and the other guy... you know the one.

Anyways my point is that Modern games demand less of you; and do more for you because thats what suits the larger market, an obvious example would be re generating health in shooters, GPS and fast travel in rpg's as a aforementioned immersion nerd, these things bother me severely.

So in a horrible way games have become much easier, but also much less timeless and much less replayable. Its sad because modern games now have to do everything for the player, because some gamers don't have an imagination, i mean floating head speech is virtually gone! :(

Because games studios put more effort into scripting every scene or voicing every line of dialogue they actually spend less time developing the other aspects of the game, and end up having to restrict the size of the gameworld, or what you're able to do in it.

So i wouldn't say its that games are dumbed down for consoles, i'd say games are built with consoles in mind for the larger market, and as a result the PC releases of modern games are an afterthought...

If games were designed exclusively for formats we'd all be much happier, and that's a fact.
 

EzraPound

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Wolfram01 said:
EzraPound said:
Wolfram01 said:
I think it's really a game by game situation. One could argue that Crysis 2 was dumbed down for consoles, because they had to make levels smaller/less open since consoles don't have enough power and RAM to load up great big open and sprawling levels.
Uhhh. . . Far Cry 2 already managed to render sprawling environments pretty effectively in a console FPS. Had Crysis 2 featured a sandbox the graphics would've probably had to have taken a bigger hit, but I wouldn't blame the linear levels on console limitations per se.
Well my evidence for that is an interview with Crytek CEO

Whether that's the reason why, all this time later, I don't know.
Dude's full of shit. He also claimed piracy forced Crytek's hand to develop primarily for consoles because the game would've sold five times as many copies otherwise--something no piracy charts support, and that would've made it as popular as The Sims (note for Cevat: just someone pirates your game, doesn't mean they would've bought it).

Crytek developed Crysis 2 primarily for consoles because they wanted money, is the simple truth. The same goes for open-ended environments--lots of X360/PS3 games have already managed them, from Just Cause 2 to Far Cry 2 to Oblivion. But that doesn't mean that they're more commercial than Call of Duty's rail-shooter approach.
 

SageRuffin

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Dec 19, 2009
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Man... a lot of responses, the comments as varied as the people posting them.

I guess I'll stick to fighting games. I think I'll suffer a lot less ridicule since they've always been made for consoles (at least to my knowledge).
 

S3Cs4uN 8

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Luthir Fontaine said:
PC gamers who say they want to use more of their brain can come over here

http://www.paradoxplaza.com/

I recommend victoria 2-its awsome, EU3-is less complex but still fun, sword of stars- has a changing tech tree which makes every game different, and if you can get a hold of it Crusader Kings makes you really care about your ruler.

:)
or they could play Dwarf Fortress or the mod for DF, Kobold Camp both a rather difficult games filled with "Fun"
 

Atmos Duality

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Mar 3, 2010
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"Dumbing Down"
Blatantly adding artificial difficulty scaling, cutting features (relative to gameplay we've had in the past) to meet the limits of a technologically inferior system, or otherwise pander to a wider/less experienced market.

It happens. I can provide several measurable examples (and an entire gameplay mechanic), and I've heard a lot of excuses for those.

However, complaining about it is pointless. Simply put; as long as the Console market remains dominant, games will be designed with the console audience in mind. PC games are a secondary market at best in the mainstream, barring certain genres.
 

Shydrow

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Feb 8, 2010
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Based on the game and what the design goals and gameplay goals are for it and how controllers and systems would handle it.
 

SeriousIssues

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...I liked the Orange Box better on xbox. My laptop just overheats and is hard to control compared to a controller.