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The Secret World: Xbox 360 Version Stalled = Good?
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
Funcom's Ragnar Tørnquist recently let it be known that development on The Secret World was primarily focused on PC rather than on the XBox 360. In today's The Secret World column, MMORPG.com Lead Writer Bill Murphy takes a look at that revelation and opines that it's actually a good thing. Read on!
In his own words, Ragnar’s reasoning is thus: “We are focusing on the PC version right now. That is our primary market and we want that version to be as good as possible.” And who can argue with that? SOE’s recent DC Universe Online is often hailed as a much better game on the PS3 while the PC version gets ripped because of its console centric UI and controls. Could something that’s sounding as complex and frankly “out there” as TSW really straddle the two platforms? I think it’s highly likely that both versions would suffer in the process of trying to make each work respectively.
Read more of Bill Murphy's The Secret World: Xbox 360 Version Stalled = Good?.
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I had no idea they were planning a 360 version, guess I should read up more. I am releaved, now that I know they were, that they are focussing on the PC version. I'm not sure the world is ready yet to pay a subscription to Micro$oft and TSW.
Also, couldn't agree more about the DCUO PC Game, I played in on my PC and it was so generic. Most of the keys on my keyboard felt like they were being ignored, except when I had to use their inadequate chat functions.
MMO's should be prioritized toward PC and consoles secondary, at least for now. As the movement builds with solid games being converted realistically and intelligently to consoles, then we can start developing with a focus on both or consoles.
Not going for a multi-platform development course is always the best news to hear about an MMORPG, especially since it brings a number of unneeded limitations to the table that are there to fit a game into a console platform, consoles that in the meantime are already 5-6 years old.
I don't think that The Secret World in its current state is a good fit, the Investigations for example require internet research and investigation which is a lot less a natural fit when people are console gaming on their tv.
If they do it, and this applies to all MMO's I think (still am amazed how FFXI was implemented 1 on 1 for console and PC alike) then they should do it like happened with Everquest, where Everquest on the console is a different game than it was on the PC.
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
DCUO failed so miserably at that. Leave it to SOE to try and save money by making identical games for both. The ONLY reason for making a PC game identical to a console game is if they are both on the same servers (and maybe not even then, although Console gamers would QQ). If they're their own seperate worlds, then they need to be modeled for their medium period.
And suddenly I'm interested again.
I've yet to enjoy a multi platform MMO.
Why do these developers even announce a console version? It never happens ( unless it's primarily made for console like DCUO). This is very good news btw, but why even open the door to the controversy by announcing a version that will likely never happen? Baffles me.
I actually think somehow Microsoft is involved. In almost all these cases it's a planned XBOX 360 release that gets cancelled. I'm guessing that Microsoft spends time trying to recruit games to the XBOX and that in the development stage everyone thinks it's a great idea. Then reality hits.
I never heard that they were even considering making TSW a console port. I would have thought after the fiasco of AoC, they wouldn't even consider it. Given Funcom's history, I was going to wait *at least* until 6 months after launch before trying TSW anyway, but if this was yet another MMO designed to be a console port, I would skip it entirely.
Of course its a good thing. Not only have console ports been holding back the technological advancement of PC games for the past few years, but it looks like game devs have decided that hand held gaming is going to be the next step in technological progress anyway.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
*shudders* great now we get to see crappy ports to my iPhone and Androids for 5 years, before they realize oh hey this won't work yet.
Well I am not sure about the process to PS3.. but its not incredibly involved to port from PC to Xbox 360. There is a lot of overlap between those two platforms.
However, I am glad they decided to focus on just the PC becuase I don't even have a console and don't plan on having one. Hopefully they stay focused on development and not what kind of "for cash" items they can add to TSW...
360 version of this game?????
just nip it in the bud early, it'll save them alot of trouble.
otherwise:
"ey guys remember when AOC was to be a Console port??"
and multiply that times 1000.
Yes it is good so they concentrate on one thing at a time.
It won't be a console port. The UI will be done from the ground up specifiacally tailored for the console.
Signs point to a release date on the horizon. They officially dropped 360 on AoC right before release as well.
I'm pretty sure it won't come out ever. Remember when they said "AOC WILL BE ON 360 AS WELL AS PC, BUT WILL BE RELEASED AT A LATER DATE" then it never happened?
While this certeainly isn't news, we've known this for a while, I think it's a good move and makes a lot of sense. They need to focus on one version of the game, doing their best to live up to the hype and deliver on all of their promises. If things go well, as I'm hoping they will, they can then look at expanding to a console.
Yeah they say they are focused on the PC version but the question remains if the PC version will get shorted in some form or fashion for the counsel version. While they might be targeting the PC version but they might limit it somewhat to compensate for the consule incoperation.
Even porting a game coded using XNA has a significant amount of problems when porting over to the 360, mostly due to Microsoft's strict requirements for official releases on Xbox (related to various things such as achievements, controls, royalities, and the likes), it's not that easy. PS3 while Sony has made strides from the old PSX and PS2 days is even worse.
But, we aren't just talking about client side code here. There are even more problems specifically with server side issues from a 360 or PS3 game. It's more difficult to deliver a constant stream of updates and updates larger than a certain memory size that MMOs typically need. There are also a lot more royalities to be paid as Microsoft (at least) wants a hand in just about any profits a company makes especially when they are using up bandwidth to deliver updates. Until Microsoft and Sony make large strides in their next console systems to allow for MMO game development don't expect to see a lot of ports or multi-platform development of MMO games and expect PC gamers to suffer on games that decide they want to accomdate for multi-platform development (FFXIV, DCUO, FFXI).
So yeah, I'm with most people in that this is good news. I wish they'd scrap the idea of doing a 360 port altogether, like they eventually did with AoC, which may wind up happening anyway. Consoles in my opinion just aren't ready for MMOs due to technological requirements and a lack of accomidations in place from console developers like Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo. They didn't even get on the online gaming bandwagon until years after it first became popular on the PC.
It's a wise move on the part of Funcom. PC's and Consoles are two different beasts. The way I see it, consoles gamers are always going for a quick fix, while the PC games are in it for the long-term commitment. So therefore as long as they release a good game, it will more likely make profit and gain a following, which means income for future projects.
Exactly, nice post Aki_Ross.
This is the exact same crap they pulled with Age of Conan.
Thanks.
I don't believe Funcom ever really worked on the Age of Conan nor Secret World for Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 versions were only announced to increase overall interest in the games. Did the strategy work? Yes in the short term but not when the PC versions got closer to release with the console interest deflating.
Also, Funcom now has a bad reputation among console gamers of announcing MMOs then never releasing them. So even if/when Funcom announces one of their MMOs is coming to the next generation of consoles (even if it's true) console gamers aren't going to listen like they did when AoC and SW were announced. You can only burn a group of gamers so many times before they stop taking you seriously.
There is no reason a good MMO cannot be made using a console interface.
I think it just shows how intellectually bankrupt the MMO developers are right now that they can't pull off creating a decent console MMO. They are probably like "How do I put a skill bar on a console?" They are just too unimaginative to come up with any other kind of interface.
And unfortunately all the really talented game developers are focussing on FPS games right now, and we probably need to wait until the FPS talent decides to create an MMO before we see anything decent again in this space. My guess is Activision kicking Blizzard in the butt to focus on this will wake everybody up to "Hey they did an MMO without a skillbar and it works!"
GW2 "built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind"
1) Cash->Gems->Gold->Influence->WvWvWBoosts = PAY2WIN
2) Mystic Chests = Crass in-game cash shop advertisements