This week we’ve got all three hosts back to get down to business. This was a full show with lots of content from news, to flashbacks and listener game ideas. We didn’t get a history segment this week, we just had two much information to cover. Here is the news for the week:
- Activision CEO thinks EA is a failure
- Another version of You Don’t Know Jack is coming
- Atari creating the new Atari Go initiative
- Direct 3D 10/11 support coming to Linux
- Microsoft admits PC Gaming could use some attention
This weeks gaming podcast question of the week: What do you think will spur on PC game developers, is it Microsoft’s concept of “showing developers there is a market” or do they need more inspiration?
Now here is another interesting video game for the Atari 2600, the game Dragon Fire consisted of two game screens, one which you ran across a bridge while fireballs were shot at you, you had to duck or jump over the fireball. This screen was a side-scroller style screen (although it doesn’t actually scroll), at the other end of the bridge was a castle door which you’d enter to get to the next screen.
When you finished collecting all the treasure an exit would pop up in the corner and you had to run to it without being burned by the fireballs, that dragon would turn from left to right nearly instantly too! Then, you’d jump into the exit and be back on the bridge again, but this time it was harder. You could die up to 7 times before the game was over (just to show you how hard it is, they gave you a bunch of lives).
@Activision CEO thinks EA is a failure:
I do liked this from the article:
“Critics would argue that’s not the case; former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment earlier this year and signed a publishing deal with EA.” Ha! 🙂
I think Activision is scared of EA’s Medal of Honor. Why don’t they say “we’ll always have better games than EA”?
@You Don’t Know Jack: dunno. Trivia games don’t enjoy the sales and advertising other games have. While educational, I don’t see it having the “Angry Birds” viral spread.
@Atari creating the new Atari Go initiative:
… I don’t get it. Basically Atari gets some money from re-publishing their old IPs. And they expect that what, Popcap will decide to run along? Come on …
@Direct 3D 10/11 support coming to Linux
Now this is interesting! I know that one reason why John Carmack (ID Software) went for OpenGL was portability. That reason might no longer be valid. The other reason would be performance, but I am pretty sure that they’re close enough that it is no longer a major deciding factor.
The main factor would be then the speed of programming the game. Oh, I can’t wait to hear a reply from Carmack 🙂
Derrick, wine runs good. People play COD4 on Wine 😀 .
@Microsoft admits PC Gaming could use some attention:
In one of your earlier shows, you mentioned that it is kinda stupid for Microsoft to focus just on the XBox, since both the PC and XBox are platforms “owned” by Microsoft.
This news post basically say you were right 🙂
SP = Single Player
@Question of the week:
Money and confidence.
I mean distribution can be covered with Steam, there are free (or very cheap) high end game engines available, so the only thing you’ll need is money and confidence.
Yes, your games will be pirated. But then again, yes, you need to have the confidence that you will make a truckload of money despite the piracy, if you make a good game.
You’ll need the money to eat something, other than macaroni and cheese, while the game is in development.
@Activision CEO thinks EA is a failure:
I do liked this from the article:
“Critics would argue that’s not the case; former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella founded Respawn Entertainment earlier this year and signed a publishing deal with EA.” Ha! 🙂
I think Activision is scared of EA’s Medal of Honor. Why don’t they say “we’ll always have better games than EA”?
@You Don’t Know Jack: dunno. Trivia games don’t enjoy the sales and advertising other games have. While educational, I don’t see it having the “Angry Birds” viral spread.
@Atari creating the new Atari Go initiative:
… I don’t get it. Basically Atari gets some money from re-publishing their old IPs. And they expect that what, Popcap will decide to run along? Come on …
@Direct 3D 10/11 support coming to Linux
Now this is interesting! I know that one reason why John Carmack (ID Software) went for OpenGL was portability. That reason might no longer be valid. The other reason would be performance, but I am pretty sure that they’re close enough that it is no longer a major deciding factor.
The main factor would be then the speed of programming the game. Oh, I can’t wait to hear a reply from Carmack 🙂
Derrick, wine runs good. People play COD4 on Wine 😀 .
@Microsoft admits PC Gaming could use some attention:
In one of your earlier shows, you mentioned that it is kinda stupid for Microsoft to focus just on the XBox, since both the PC and XBox are platforms “owned” by Microsoft.
This news post basically say you were right 🙂
SP = Single Player
@Question of the week:
Money and confidence.
I mean distribution can be covered with Steam, there are free (or very cheap) high end game engines available, so the only thing you’ll need is money and confidence.
Yes, your games will be pirated. But then again, yes, you need to have the confidence that you will make a truckload of money despite the piracy, if you make a good game.
You’ll need the money to eat something, other than macaroni and cheese, while the game is in development.
I read my comment, and man, it’s full of spelling mistakes. Be gentle when reading this next week 😐
I read my comment, and man, it’s full of spelling mistakes. Be gentle when reading this next week 😐
Note to Bobby Kotick: EA has Bioware, Epic and Harmonix. They also copublish with Valve. They just got into a deal with Insomniac and Crytek I’d consider those guys pretty “big”.
I don’t see any of them running away from EA like Infinity Ward did.
Note to Bobby Kotick: EA has Bioware, Epic and Harmonix. They also copublish with Valve. They just got into a deal with Insomniac and Crytek I’d consider those guys pretty “big”.
I don’t see any of them running away from EA like Infinity Ward did.
Hey, you guys had a pretty decent imitation of an Aussie accent going there at the start of the episode. Very impressive, since the Americans I know usually end up just saying “G’day” with an American accent 😛
@QOTW
I don’t think Microsoft can “kick-start” the pc gaming market by themselves. Actually, I think the pc market is doing ok as it is, but it’s not bringing in the massive dollars like the consoles are which is what Microsoft wants. For that to happen, there needs to be a number of big releases, both Hardcore and Casual.
But I am glad that the Age of Empires series isn’t dead. I was worried when Microsoft disbanded Ensemble Studios.
By the way, all these new listeners made me remember the first time I heard your podcast (around episode 150 I think). For some reason, as I was listening to you guys, I had this picture in my head of you three in a small recording studio in some skyscraper in San Francisco, looking down onto the city. Over the next few episodes, I came to realise that that was slightly inaccurate 😛
Hey, you guys had a pretty decent imitation of an Aussie accent going there at the start of the episode. Very impressive, since the Americans I know usually end up just saying “G’day” with an American accent 😛
@QOTW
I don’t think Microsoft can “kick-start” the pc gaming market by themselves. Actually, I think the pc market is doing ok as it is, but it’s not bringing in the massive dollars like the consoles are which is what Microsoft wants. For that to happen, there needs to be a number of big releases, both Hardcore and Casual.
But I am glad that the Age of Empires series isn’t dead. I was worried when Microsoft disbanded Ensemble Studios.
By the way, all these new listeners made me remember the first time I heard your podcast (around episode 150 I think). For some reason, as I was listening to you guys, I had this picture in my head of you three in a small recording studio in some skyscraper in San Francisco, looking down onto the city. Over the next few episodes, I came to realise that that was slightly inaccurate 😛
Hi!
So, question of the week. I’m not sure I understood the question, but since that’s often the case, I won’t worry about it. To be honest, I can’t imagine Microsoft losing a whole lot of sleep over the PC gaming industry. I mean, they need to “support” it in the sense that if their operating systems won’t allow companies to run viable games on it and make money doing so, then that might result in more people going to Mac, or Linux, or mobile apps.
Then again, do they care? They do have the XBox 360, after all. It’s doing pretty well, last I heard. I doubt they would want to do anything that would take anything away from that cash cow, especially since if another success story like “Plants Vs. Zombies” or “World of Goo” comes out, that doesn’t mean they’ll see more revenue from it. Those are games played by people who have a computer anyway and figure they might as well play games on it while they’re at it.
I think if Microsoft is going to worry about anything on the PC side, it should just be making sure that Windows isn’t as annoying, bloated, resource-hogging, buggy, etc. It shouldn’t try to mimic its success on a “closed system” like their console, because it’s just an exercise in frustration. And until you can go to Best Buy and buy new cases, video cards, and processor chips for one’s XBox, that dichotomy’s not going away.
That said, maybe they could encourage game companies to not make games that cater to the lowest common denominator (*cough* consoles *cough*) — as one person’s streamlined is another person’s dumbed down (*cough* Civ 5 *cough*)
Anyway, I seem to be having a coughing fit, so… goodnight.
Hi!
So, question of the week. I’m not sure I understood the question, but since that’s often the case, I won’t worry about it. To be honest, I can’t imagine Microsoft losing a whole lot of sleep over the PC gaming industry. I mean, they need to “support” it in the sense that if their operating systems won’t allow companies to run viable games on it and make money doing so, then that might result in more people going to Mac, or Linux, or mobile apps.
Then again, do they care? They do have the XBox 360, after all. It’s doing pretty well, last I heard. I doubt they would want to do anything that would take anything away from that cash cow, especially since if another success story like “Plants Vs. Zombies” or “World of Goo” comes out, that doesn’t mean they’ll see more revenue from it. Those are games played by people who have a computer anyway and figure they might as well play games on it while they’re at it.
I think if Microsoft is going to worry about anything on the PC side, it should just be making sure that Windows isn’t as annoying, bloated, resource-hogging, buggy, etc. It shouldn’t try to mimic its success on a “closed system” like their console, because it’s just an exercise in frustration. And until you can go to Best Buy and buy new cases, video cards, and processor chips for one’s XBox, that dichotomy’s not going away.
That said, maybe they could encourage game companies to not make games that cater to the lowest common denominator (*cough* consoles *cough*) — as one person’s streamlined is another person’s dumbed down (*cough* Civ 5 *cough*)
Anyway, I seem to be having a coughing fit, so… goodnight.
Okay, so I just did some research after the fact, and see that Plants vs. Zombies is available for the 360 (and for that matter, World of Goo is available for the Wii), so those weren’t the best examples. o_O
Okay, so I just did some research after the fact, and see that Plants vs. Zombies is available for the 360 (and for that matter, World of Goo is available for the Wii), so those weren’t the best examples. o_O
Kinda getting off track from the podcast, but as a fan of the series since Civ 2, I actually really like civ V. I don’t think it has been “dumbed down” at all. They just took out some of the ‘unfun’ stuff like stack of doom, etc and replaced it with some really cool new mechanics like 1 unit per tile, ranged units, hexagon tiles, empire wide happiness, and an improved modding system and interface. I does need a few patches though, to fix some bugs and balance issues.
But everyone has different preferences and I know quite a lot don’t like civ 5, but I guess that’s expected since it’s quite a big departure for the series.
Kinda getting off track from the podcast, but as a fan of the series since Civ 2, I actually really like civ V. I don’t think it has been “dumbed down” at all. They just took out some of the ‘unfun’ stuff like stack of doom, etc and replaced it with some really cool new mechanics like 1 unit per tile, ranged units, hexagon tiles, empire wide happiness, and an improved modding system and interface. I does need a few patches though, to fix some bugs and balance issues.
But everyone has different preferences and I know quite a lot don’t like civ 5, but I guess that’s expected since it’s quite a big departure for the series.
@Activision CEO thinks EA is a failure
The same guy, Kotick, who said he wanted to take the fun out of making games thinks he knows how to create better working environments than his rivals? The same company that lost the heads of their most successful franchise (+ numerous other key personal) recently to EA thinks his employees are happier?
@QotW
For the most part i just ignore Microsoft and steer well clear of any games that force me to login to both steam and their games for windows live platform. Bragging about making 3 new titles available on their crippled version of steam is hardly likely to change my stance. But here are some ideas for them.
– Make a good cross platform system for pc and xbox developers to implement so I can co-op with my console friends in games released on both platforms. (I get that versus may be an issue as different controls systems can really ruin game balance but co-op would be a nice start).
– Go DRM free on AAA titles. Set a stance for others to follow with going drm free. Pirates will always pirate but consumers will be grateful and be encouraged by a better product.
– Hand over their old catalogue to good-old-games so i can re download some of the classics with no drm.
– Hire, Finance and/or Market some of the exciting indie developers and create a new generation of pc development studios.
– D.O. N.O.T. turn one of my favourite RTS franchises (Age of Empires) into a grindfest, facebook and twitter spamming, social mmo-rts. Freaking sell the IP to a respectable pc developer and let them make a worthy sequel rather than insulting the fans of the series. (And FU for disbanding ensemble…)
– Put up or shut up!
@Activision CEO thinks EA is a failure
The same guy, Kotick, who said he wanted to take the fun out of making games thinks he knows how to create better working environments than his rivals? The same company that lost the heads of their most successful franchise (+ numerous other key personal) recently to EA thinks his employees are happier?
@QotW
For the most part i just ignore Microsoft and steer well clear of any games that force me to login to both steam and their games for windows live platform. Bragging about making 3 new titles available on their crippled version of steam is hardly likely to change my stance. But here are some ideas for them.
– Make a good cross platform system for pc and xbox developers to implement so I can co-op with my console friends in games released on both platforms. (I get that versus may be an issue as different controls systems can really ruin game balance but co-op would be a nice start).
– Go DRM free on AAA titles. Set a stance for others to follow with going drm free. Pirates will always pirate but consumers will be grateful and be encouraged by a better product.
– Hand over their old catalogue to good-old-games so i can re download some of the classics with no drm.
– Hire, Finance and/or Market some of the exciting indie developers and create a new generation of pc development studios.
– D.O. N.O.T. turn one of my favourite RTS franchises (Age of Empires) into a grindfest, facebook and twitter spamming, social mmo-rts. Freaking sell the IP to a respectable pc developer and let them make a worthy sequel rather than insulting the fans of the series. (And FU for disbanding ensemble…)
– Put up or shut up!