magerette
Hedgewitch
- Joined
- October 18, 2006
- Messages
- 7,834
ISS wrote:
There are a lot of good points in this post ISS, but I found this one impossible not to respond to.
I think there are two things happening with pc games now that weren't in the early Windows era. One is the rapidity with which each new technological advancement is outmoded by the next, and the insatiable demand for games that are on the resource-sucking cutting edge. = You're going to have bugs.
The other is that people are a lot pickier than they used to be, perhaps because of their console experiences, or perhaps because that's the nature of our society now--to demand more and better, and expect a very perfect product as the price of products escalates. = You notice the bugs more.
The games I played ten or twelve years ago were smaller, simpler, less graphically demanding, and they also had bugs. Not many were huge or game threatening, and many I never bothered to patch for, but they were definitely there. I honestly think if you look at the broad sectrum of games being produced, PC games are probably a bit less buggy than they were then. I don't think the fact that games are released and then instantly patched is a question of shoddy development in a lot of cases, just a question of being realisitic; it's when the games are flawed and there is no push by the providers to make a patch that problems arise..which relates to this point:
I don't know what the devs are discussing as problems at these sites, but if it were me, I'd be talking about how in hell to satisfy the crazed maniacs who constitute their bread and butter markets. I've been lurking a few mainstream boards this week and I can't believe the expectations that people have of the developers. One is a game that was released around Christmas and since there's been no talk of an expansion and the fourth or fifth patch is still being worked on--the fans are waxing suicidal(as in "I'm sooo depressed...I just want to throw my game out..teh sux ripoff@#$$#) The other has a three page long rant about item drops being nerfed in an expansion that was released to a game that's been out less than a year and has been p[atched four times. ("O I just killed a boss and he didn't drop s***--this is a bug I want my money back!!!)
I am amazed that anyone has to put up with this level of expectation and if they don't meet it, has to expect their product to be pirated. It's nuts!
And it's really nice to be back here where there is logical if occasionally cranky discussion going on instead of tantrums and wholesale goofiness.
Anyway, I searched the internt for some studies about game quality, but couldn't really find much - if anyone knows of a quantitative study I'm very interested in it. It would be nice to know if this is a purely subjective impression that the quality of pc games is declining or if it is true.
There are a lot of good points in this post ISS, but I found this one impossible not to respond to.
I think there are two things happening with pc games now that weren't in the early Windows era. One is the rapidity with which each new technological advancement is outmoded by the next, and the insatiable demand for games that are on the resource-sucking cutting edge. = You're going to have bugs.
The other is that people are a lot pickier than they used to be, perhaps because of their console experiences, or perhaps because that's the nature of our society now--to demand more and better, and expect a very perfect product as the price of products escalates. = You notice the bugs more.
The games I played ten or twelve years ago were smaller, simpler, less graphically demanding, and they also had bugs. Not many were huge or game threatening, and many I never bothered to patch for, but they were definitely there. I honestly think if you look at the broad sectrum of games being produced, PC games are probably a bit less buggy than they were then. I don't think the fact that games are released and then instantly patched is a question of shoddy development in a lot of cases, just a question of being realisitic; it's when the games are flawed and there is no push by the providers to make a patch that problems arise..which relates to this point:
If you go to the sites of IGDA, and gamasutra and have a look at their articles (which I did over the last few days) you'll realize that there are relativly few articles about piracy or intellectual property rights, but quite a few about other problems that the games industry is facing nowadays.
I don't know what the devs are discussing as problems at these sites, but if it were me, I'd be talking about how in hell to satisfy the crazed maniacs who constitute their bread and butter markets. I've been lurking a few mainstream boards this week and I can't believe the expectations that people have of the developers. One is a game that was released around Christmas and since there's been no talk of an expansion and the fourth or fifth patch is still being worked on--the fans are waxing suicidal(as in "I'm sooo depressed...I just want to throw my game out..teh sux ripoff@#$$#) The other has a three page long rant about item drops being nerfed in an expansion that was released to a game that's been out less than a year and has been p[atched four times. ("O I just killed a boss and he didn't drop s***--this is a bug I want my money back!!!)
I am amazed that anyone has to put up with this level of expectation and if they don't meet it, has to expect their product to be pirated. It's nuts!
And it's really nice to be back here where there is logical if occasionally cranky discussion going on instead of tantrums and wholesale goofiness.
- Joined
- Oct 18, 2006
- Messages
- 7,834