The console-cash-cow is killing PC gaming. There is no other way to look at it.
And when gaming web sites are encouraging folks to get consoles, and pimping console-only games, they are not helping PC mod makers by doing so.
So..., IMO, if you wanted to start 'the next PU', or 'the next BU', create a site that is dedicated to PC games and PC modding Only.
This would gain my suppport in a big way. And probably the support of many other PC gamers and mod makers as well.
Consoles and Chaos
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Zachariah
- Chaotic Dreams Team
- Posts: 2331
- Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2003 5:25 pm
- Location: Wherever Dreams Go Stale.
I agree here too. though im split.
I really love PC game community. Its fun, open, interesting, and a hell of a romp. but im torn. I love the mods and such, the mapping, the extra content, everything I can get with the PC that I cannot get on the Console.
however, I dont see the situation as being as dire as many people see it. I dont see it as consoles Killing PC's. I dont like the whole expanding the demographic movement, losing the hardcore, however, I see it more as trading an old manual transmission truck for a new automatic. I lose control, but the automatic is so much less of a hassle and doesnt break down as much. Consider my current situation. I have a high end gaming PC, I Love it. It makes games pretty, and It makes nice noise. However, It crashes. It has stability problems. This may just be my setup. Its not very reliable, But My PS2 and Gamecube dont crash. For the money I invested in this machine, I could have bought all three systems and a Big steaming pile of triple A 50 dollar titles. Money is a factor. When you compare the 1 grand gaming pc (far more if you want it top of the line or upgrade it regularly) that'll do you good for 2 years or so before you want to replace it, verses the 150-400 dollar console, which stays capable of playing the newest games for a general lifespan of 5 years,then theres no real reason to wonder whats happening to PC games. Its not just the software or the game makers, the hardware is a big factor.
and in the case of BU, I dont see that as such terrible coverage of the UE3 on PS3/xbox (if thats what you were referencing there Flagg). Consider that those machines handle the UE3 At a pretty much solid and spiffy framerate(unless the tech demos are prerendered) I for one am glad to see coverage of UE3, nomatter what format. For the price of my next intended upgrade, I could buy any of the next gen consoles and be satisfied till the next console generation.
I will miss the lack of interest and support for the PC community, and I know that supporting consoles wont help the situation any. But if the PC modding community suffers because of these huge, I will accept that as that. The mod community is already looking to suffer in the future as technology jumps by leaps and bounds. I can see game releases and technology complexity demands quickly causing mod developers to lag behind to such a degree that by the time they finish their mod( a high quality one mind you) the interest in the game could have already ebbed away to the point that noone other than hardcore supporters would ever play it. We're talking free time volunteer workers competing with multi million dollar game companies with staffs of 20 or 30 times that of an average mod team.
I would love to see PC interest swell again, I love the ability to create mods and such, but you will not see me boycotting Consoles anytime soon. My pocketbook cant handle keeping in the PC game forever.
[EDIT] I have a gaming PC to play games.If PC interest falls off the charts I will miss the ability to do the modding part, and to get the free stuff. But ultimately I am in it for the games, and IF the console can deliver the games as effectively and fun as the PC, at a fraction of the overall price and stress, then Im not going to complain. at the rate of console growth , I wouldnt be surprised if the whole shmeer goes full circle, and by the time this console generation is crusty, the next round has those content creation things that we fear losing.
I really love PC game community. Its fun, open, interesting, and a hell of a romp. but im torn. I love the mods and such, the mapping, the extra content, everything I can get with the PC that I cannot get on the Console.
however, I dont see the situation as being as dire as many people see it. I dont see it as consoles Killing PC's. I dont like the whole expanding the demographic movement, losing the hardcore, however, I see it more as trading an old manual transmission truck for a new automatic. I lose control, but the automatic is so much less of a hassle and doesnt break down as much. Consider my current situation. I have a high end gaming PC, I Love it. It makes games pretty, and It makes nice noise. However, It crashes. It has stability problems. This may just be my setup. Its not very reliable, But My PS2 and Gamecube dont crash. For the money I invested in this machine, I could have bought all three systems and a Big steaming pile of triple A 50 dollar titles. Money is a factor. When you compare the 1 grand gaming pc (far more if you want it top of the line or upgrade it regularly) that'll do you good for 2 years or so before you want to replace it, verses the 150-400 dollar console, which stays capable of playing the newest games for a general lifespan of 5 years,then theres no real reason to wonder whats happening to PC games. Its not just the software or the game makers, the hardware is a big factor.
and in the case of BU, I dont see that as such terrible coverage of the UE3 on PS3/xbox (if thats what you were referencing there Flagg). Consider that those machines handle the UE3 At a pretty much solid and spiffy framerate(unless the tech demos are prerendered) I for one am glad to see coverage of UE3, nomatter what format. For the price of my next intended upgrade, I could buy any of the next gen consoles and be satisfied till the next console generation.
I will miss the lack of interest and support for the PC community, and I know that supporting consoles wont help the situation any. But if the PC modding community suffers because of these huge, I will accept that as that. The mod community is already looking to suffer in the future as technology jumps by leaps and bounds. I can see game releases and technology complexity demands quickly causing mod developers to lag behind to such a degree that by the time they finish their mod( a high quality one mind you) the interest in the game could have already ebbed away to the point that noone other than hardcore supporters would ever play it. We're talking free time volunteer workers competing with multi million dollar game companies with staffs of 20 or 30 times that of an average mod team.
I would love to see PC interest swell again, I love the ability to create mods and such, but you will not see me boycotting Consoles anytime soon. My pocketbook cant handle keeping in the PC game forever.
[EDIT] I have a gaming PC to play games.If PC interest falls off the charts I will miss the ability to do the modding part, and to get the free stuff. But ultimately I am in it for the games, and IF the console can deliver the games as effectively and fun as the PC, at a fraction of the overall price and stress, then Im not going to complain. at the rate of console growth , I wouldnt be surprised if the whole shmeer goes full circle, and by the time this console generation is crusty, the next round has those content creation things that we fear losing.
fine points.
i have to admit its becoming harder to justify upgrading my pc. only my love of cs and ut won it the last time.
i think the pc modding community will settle out as the technology does. i mean in the past year or so we've went from games like ut2004 to games like hl2 and doom3, which blew apart the standards of games, and also use extremely complicated and detailed assest. also we've had the introduction of hugely fast 64bit cpus and now memory in teh gbs is common, so thats been a huge improvemnt. Also the announcement of 512mb (yes, 512mb) gfx cards has kinda allowed games developers to really let loose, so the standards in game design themselves are accelerating very very fast. argh. :/
even mapping requires a huge leap in skill terms to learn things like maya etc, that simply were'nt needed a few years ago to produce good maps. What with polys ever increasing i feel that myself, am being edged out, because i quite simply dont have excessive experience using 3d modeling tools such as max, to make the newer uber detailed models that players expect. i mean, you have to be pretty serious to make a 1million poly skin for a model and then transfer it onto some other model. that takes serious knowhow.
so, until technology settles out a bit (eg once the cpus hit the 8gb gfx 512mb etc mark, they dont quite know how to get faster/bigger than that yet..thatll give us some time to catch up) i reckon the mod community will loose out a bit, cos to be honest games and new techs are coming out far faster than ppl can even start mods. which is gay.
to be honest tho, im still a pc hardcore guy. for one reason. the mouse and keyboard combo in gun games. nothing can beat a mouse and a keyboard for 1st person shooters, which is all i play really. until the ps2/3 gets a mouse, im stuck to pcs, even if they do eat all my money....
PS i doubt very much the pc will ever be killed by consoles, as the more consoles try to outmatch pcs, the more they become pcs...
i have to admit its becoming harder to justify upgrading my pc. only my love of cs and ut won it the last time.
i think the pc modding community will settle out as the technology does. i mean in the past year or so we've went from games like ut2004 to games like hl2 and doom3, which blew apart the standards of games, and also use extremely complicated and detailed assest. also we've had the introduction of hugely fast 64bit cpus and now memory in teh gbs is common, so thats been a huge improvemnt. Also the announcement of 512mb (yes, 512mb) gfx cards has kinda allowed games developers to really let loose, so the standards in game design themselves are accelerating very very fast. argh. :/
even mapping requires a huge leap in skill terms to learn things like maya etc, that simply were'nt needed a few years ago to produce good maps. What with polys ever increasing i feel that myself, am being edged out, because i quite simply dont have excessive experience using 3d modeling tools such as max, to make the newer uber detailed models that players expect. i mean, you have to be pretty serious to make a 1million poly skin for a model and then transfer it onto some other model. that takes serious knowhow.
so, until technology settles out a bit (eg once the cpus hit the 8gb gfx 512mb etc mark, they dont quite know how to get faster/bigger than that yet..thatll give us some time to catch up) i reckon the mod community will loose out a bit, cos to be honest games and new techs are coming out far faster than ppl can even start mods. which is gay.
to be honest tho, im still a pc hardcore guy. for one reason. the mouse and keyboard combo in gun games. nothing can beat a mouse and a keyboard for 1st person shooters, which is all i play really. until the ps2/3 gets a mouse, im stuck to pcs, even if they do eat all my money....
PS i doubt very much the pc will ever be killed by consoles, as the more consoles try to outmatch pcs, the more they become pcs...
"All i know is my gut says maybe"
Amen.to be honest tho, im still a pc hardcore guy. for one reason. the mouse and keyboard combo in gun games. nothing can beat a mouse and a keyboard for 1st person shooters, which is all i play really. until the ps2/3 gets a mouse, im stuck to pcs, even if they do eat all my money....
I've got a friend who got an xbox recently, and I just couldn't understand why he wanted to go to something that's so much worse (graphically and controls wise anyway) than his PC. It turns out he just wnated something he could take with him when he visited his grandma, and when I think about it, I can see his point. Portable is one thing most PC's aren't.
Reality is that part of imagination we all agree on.
Non-portal PC? Sinve I've have been traveling a bit, I have looked at this issue... Prices are dropping considerably on some things. For example, 17" Flat screen (lighter and easier to carry than a CRT) is in the high $100 now and a 19" is in the high $200. Then there are the small form factor systems that are fairly new... basically its an extra large shoe box. I've seen some of those that are sturdy /w handle. Very portable. Their prices are coming down but rather high if you gave it a comparison to a standard case. Basically a decent gaming portal PC (non-laptop) is around $600-$700 ... that needs less of a money tree than a gaming laptop.
Components are continuing to get smaller and smaller... The small form factor systems are likely to become more common in the new couple of years.
Components are continuing to get smaller and smaller... The small form factor systems are likely to become more common in the new couple of years.