Poll: Console sacrifice

[BlindMessiah94]

I hope I can keep my comments "PC" as I try to "console" you.

[small]sorry couldn't resist[/small]

OT: No really, I just wanted to make bad puns.

 

[demoman_chaos]

What I want to see is more games allowing you to use a USB keyboard and mouse on a console. Though I foresee a lot of angry FPS players (angrier than normal), unless the Mouse and controller people are kept separate. An analog stick is no match for a mouse for aiming, even with generous amounts of aim-assist.

 

[Sean951]

I vote we get rid of the phrase "dumbed down." The games aren't necessarily made easier because of consoles, but the game lessened by the lack of a mouse, so they change thing like the menus to be more console friendly even though it wouldn't be too hard to make separate menu systems.

 

[dessertmonkeyjk]

It depends on the game mostly and if the game itself requires exessive control or not. Skyrim definately fits this on exessive.

Captcha: odualizi short
Be on the lookout for a midget named Odualizi... He might have some surger cookies on him.

 

[Cronq]

Let's just keep praying Blizzard stays true to the PC platform.

 

[Atmos Duality]

I have gamepads for my laptop, and that hackeyed shit still drives me nuts.
Console-menus waste space, waste my time, and usually run laggy due to workarounds and applications filling in the missing APIs.
And if you aren't using a gamepad, they're usually infuriating to work with.

I would think after 5+ years of converting 360 titles, someone would start giving a fuck.
Shows what I know.

 

[razing32]

I hate to break it to you, but PC gaming is dead (in the eyes of publishers)

So is rock apparently , but that doesn't stop me from spending any free hours from work on a band I like when it comes through town.

Of course, if you get sick of doing that...

CD Projekt Red
Tripwire Interactive
Wolfire
Valve
Blizzard
ID
Crytek
Croteam
Taleworlds
Reality Pump
GSC Game World
Pandemic (RIP)

just to name a few, are waiting for you with open arms and mouse friendly interfaces.


Love,
A strictly PC gamer since 1996

Thanks. I'll have a look.

 

[madster11]

Know what i hate?

Skyrim works better with my 360 controller than with my keyboard.
It's a damn elder scrolls game and i find myself preferring the controller.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Personally, I much prefer console controls to PC. I play better and I feel better.

Now, bad ports happen... But that doesn't mean console is butchering PC.

 

[Freyar]

Yes, Activision is a good example of how console design damages PC gameplay.

 

[LawyerScumGhost]

(Oh, this is gonna be bad): Modern Warfare 3 is a lazy port where they just forgot that FoV options are quite essential on the PC, especially if you have such a narrow FoV from the start.

That and more.

On Topic now: Yes, bad PC ports annoy the hell out of me, but I think there is a threshold to pass.

For example in skyrim, I know that I can simply install a mod (SKYUI- get it now) to make inventory management easier, and that I can use the favourites menu to keybind my potions and weapons.

However, you are 100% right, there are too many bad PC ports, but most people either don't care or are too lenient...

And of course, games are not only easier to design, but they also sell better on consoles. Few genres are truly designed for PC nowdays.

Thanks for the heads-up on SKYUI, as I plug more and more hours into the game the default inventory system is becoming very tedious.

 

[Joccaren]

Now, bad ports happen... But that doesn't mean console is butchering PC.

Indirectly, they somewhat are.

Consoles sell more games than PCs
Publishers want to sell more games to earn more money
Publishers tell devs to work on console game, then port to PC
Controllers have few buttons. This results in many menus and/or many functions mapped to one key (See Mass Effect 2 for buttons mapped to one key).
Devs are either lazy, or like Ubisoft who don't give a fuck about PC gamers and simply swap over button maps.
PC gamers are left with more menus than necessary, or one button with 20 functions.

Example: Mass Effect 2.
Space Key does god knows how many things. I remapped it to E to be truer to ME1, but this is what it does in a brief outlook:
-Sprint (Should be assigned to shift)
-Take Cover (Should be assigned to ctrl or automatic when running into cover)
-Leave Cover (Should be ctrl, or automatic when moving backwards from cover)
-Use/Activate (Should be mapped to E by default)
-Talk (Should be mapped to E by default, same category as use/activate technically, but your companions standing in front of you is more common than a button being there)
-Climb obstacle [When in cover behind it] (Should be mapped to double tapping the forward button when in cover)
-Sprint in Vehicle. (Should be mapped to shift by default, whilst I believe it was shift was for the speed boost. I've forgotten after screwing around so much with the control scheme to make it work well)

In addition they did not include a quick codex button, nor a quick journal button, forcing menus onto us to get there instead.

This may not seem like much, but take a look at things:
Default:
1 button used for stated controls
2 buttons replaced by menus
Preferred setup:
4 buttons for listed functions
No buttons replaced by menus


This helps a lot because:
-With the one button thing, it always does what you don't want it to do. I want to Vault over some cover then sprint to the next lot, or step backwards from cover then sprint to the next lot. What happens is I either vault over the cover and do nothing, stand up behind the cover and sprint into it, activate that thing near the cover instead of doing anything else, talk to a companion instead of follow the actions I want, vault over cover then take cover on the other side of the cover I vaulted over (Usually the side that the enemy has clear sight at). With 4 buttons each mapped to individual functions, this would not happen. I would be able to use the individual buttons to precisely command my character, and at least two of those problems would be completely eliminated, with the others becoming rarer.
-Waste time searching through a menu every time I want to check my journal or read the codex. I have to open a menu, click Codex/Journal, then search for what I want.
What should happen is I press a designated button and it loads up mu codex or journal, and takes me to the latest entry. The latest entry part is optional. Yes, it is nitpicking, but it is something that has made PC gaming life easier, and less annoying. Not having to go to a main menu every few seconds. I've forgotten whether they included a button for squad level up, but if they didn't than that's even worse. Its like having one of those automatic train ticket dispensers there to sell you tickets, but you aren't allowed to use it and have to go to the ticket office at the other end of the platform instead. Is it a big annoyance? No. Is it annoying? Yes. Does it build up when you take the train every morning and the situation never changes? Yes.

All in all, consoles are indirectly getting PCs bad controls. Directly, they do nothing and the Devs are just being lazy. Indirectly, consoles are what cause this.

For examples of good console ports though, look at Arkham City. Bloody legendary, and fully accommodating some good PC tech (PhysX, 64 bit operating systems, Multi-Core CPUs). Then you get games like Skyrim that actually go so far as to LIMIT how well your computer can run it, enforcing a limit to RAM usage just to annoy you. That is not good design and really is just a 'Up yours' to PC gamers. Consoles aren't responsible for that however, unless it was the devs loyalty to their console fanbase that made them do it to ensure consoles would still get the best experience, but I sure as hell hope that's not true.

Personally, I don't mind consoles, but I think they need to start egging devs to give PCs good ports, and not just worry about their own games. When a PC gamer doesn't care about a console port being bad, they're called an Elitist Prick. Why do consoles think they are exempt from the same, and say 'we aren't dumbing down games', seeing as that is the only thing PC gamers can actually come up with to put as a reason for devs giving them a shit port. Really, we should both be working together and sticking it to those devs who hand out bad ports to either system. Then everyone would be a lot happier.

 

[Aprilgold]

The Console Sacrifice is that indies very rarely come out on either of them. It may go out onto one but not the other. Even very simple Indies very rarely get a release on both PC and console. Indies actually breathe some innovation to genres I like.

And usually badly ported PC games. Also the very big fact that most games that are simple as hell, but would sell like Hotcakes on Steam don't go to Steam. Little Big Planet would sell like fucking hot cakes on steam. But its only on PS3.

Yeah sure Blame the people who play games because the developers can't be bothered to make a decent port,who knows maybe we can blame people eat fish and chips because our soup tastes like crap and claim its got nothing to do with the cook being a lazy git

It is, indirectly, the consumers fault. Name a movie that has so many sequels thats its been bumm raped to hell? Like the Saw movies. The consumer was to blame for constantly buying into each sequel, despite how increasingly bad they got. The film makers could have said no, but the thousands of fandom dollars bought them into the demands for bad sequel after bad sequel.

Console games sell like hot cakes, despite quality = developer and publisher work on terrible gaems to make thousands of $ in revenue.

 

[The Lunatic]

It's just plain lazy to not take the steps for game you've spend months developing, to be equally enjoyable on all platforms.

Yes, it may mean taking a while longer for ensure everything works right, all the option are there and the menus aren't annoying to work through, but, it's simply something you should do.

You wouldn't release an Xbox game that required the use of a 3rd analog.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

The only major limitation that I notice is graphical. Games are mostly made by the limitations of the disks.
PC exclusives can look damn spectacular (i.e. The Total War Series) but let's face it, exclusives on the PC are a rare thing to find these days. By that of course, I mean AAA titles. Especially with this recent piracy hype, developers will look to consoles to make up for any sales losses they expect will occur.


Interface, game controls...Meh, doesn't bother me that much. Apparently the skyrim interface was terrible but I didn't see a problem.

 

[Waaghpowa]

Bad ports are a by product of lazy devs, Consoles are indirectly responsible. It's more than possible to make a multi platform game with proper controls and settings i.e. a GOOD port, but it's either due to laziness or cost constraints generally caused by high development costs. Surely the licensing involved with consoles isn't helping with that much.

Spoiler: Rant incoming regarding consoles and the game industry

People need to get over this exclusivity bullshit. Who cares if a previously PC exclusive dev is making their game for consoles now as well? Exclusive games are one of the worst parts of the industry as it deliberately cuts off a potential player base, generally due to greed. With the exception of severe hardware limitations, there's no reason for a game to be exclusive. All exclusive games are these days is an excuse for a manufacturer to market their console against a competitor.

How many of you have purchased a Playstation/Xbox JUST for 1 or 2 games? That's shit, nobody should have to purchase a whole new console just to play a game they would enjoy. I shouldn't have to purchase a console for a game that could run on my PC.

I don't care if Valve starts making console games, so long as they uphold their high standard of quality. This applies to any dev who would make PC/console games. People should only get pissed off when the quality begins declining because of poor development choices. To me, that's a legit reason to strongly dislike consoles.

 

[nklshaz]

Maybe a bit, but the issues you mentioned are mostly to blame on the laziness of the developers. It's not like consoles are incapable of handling the old style of menus. Radial menus may just be a passing trend. As for control overall, it seems to happen quite a bit in RPG's, but other genres seem fine.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

Consoles aren't really holding PC's back, They help each other out by pushing and pulling, PC pushes tech while consoles try to figure out how to achieve the same result of said tech. It just causes code to become more efficient in general, even if it takes 1 or 2 years of game releases to notice that work.

A lot of us are just tired of lazy ports, respect go both ways and would see an improvement in sales among other things if devs treated PC gamers with a little respect.