CliffyB, UT Politics and the Future of the PC

[PeterVenkman]

It only took the Epic forums about 8 minutes to delete this thread. Can anyone tell me how it's offensive?

So, in an interview for Gears 2, Cliffy B made the statement that there will be no PC version of Gears 2 because Epic wants to focus 100% on making the best game possible for XBox. The logical conclusion is that working on a game for multiple platforms reduces the quality of the overall products than the quality could have been if the developers only worked on one platform.

My question is this: If Epic is concerned that working on a game for multiple platforms simultaneously reduces the quality of their final product, then why did Epic develop UT3 for all 3 major gaming platforms at the same time? Where was this philosophy when UT was being developed?

Cliffy B says that Gears was first and foremost a console game, and therefore Epic is trying to make the best console game they can. I believe that Unreal and Unreal Tournament were first and foremost PC games, but somehow their attitude didn't apply here. Any ideas why?

Personally, I LOVE UT3 and I would give up my day job to play it, but there are simply no players at all on the PC. I come to this forum every day and see people challenging others at CTF. I respond to these challenges all of the time, only to be told that the challenge is for PS3 and no one plays PC. In fact, the last time I did this, the forum exploded into a flame war where several forum members accused the PC players of being uber-geeks with no lives or girlfriends.

Our online player numbers have fallen and this forum has been completely taken over by console players, despite Epic's refusal to separate the forum into platform specific sections.

Based on this information, my final question is this: What is the fate of the PC players? Is there a way to raise player counts? Are there going to be future PC UT3 updates? Are there any plans for any new PC unreal games? Or is Epic slowly escaping PC gaming?

 

[MonsOlympus]

Yes its offensive to Epic's wallets!

 

[«MechikTaj»]

[...]My question is this: If Epic is concerned that working on a game for multiple platforms simultaneously reduces the quality of their final product, then why did Epic develop UT3 for all 3 major gaming platforms at the same time? Where was this philosophy when UT was being developed?

Cliffy B says that Gears was first and foremost a console game, and therefore Epic is trying to make the best console game they can. I believe that Unreal and Unreal Tournament were first and foremost PC games, but somehow their attitude didn't apply here. Any ideas why? [...]

I guess because they didn't hold that philosophy back then. Perhaps UT3's reception as well as GoW PC sales influenced this decision.

As for releasing UT3 on three platforms, perhaps they never really expected the game to sell millions of copies and decided making it for multiple platforms would alleviate that somehow... Who knows...?

 

[subset]

Oh, well

All right! Let's just all sell our souls and work for Microsoft 'cause it's more convenient that way.
It's all right as long as the money is right.

Philosophy is a strange word related to a posse of money mad businessmen.
The single target is always to rip off the current teenager generation.

And CliffyB... Well, blessed with worldly goods, but not blessed with the gift of nous.

Cheers

 

[hal]

There are already threads about all of this in the News & Articles forum (via the front page).

 

[JohnDoe641]

I come to this forum every day and see people challenging others at CTF. I respond to these challenges all of the time, only to be told that the challenge is for PS3 and no one plays PC. In fact, the last time I did this, the forum exploded into a flame war where several forum members accused the PC players of being uber-geeks with no lives or girlfriends.

You must be talking about the fake BU ut3 forums since there's no ctf challenges here. D:

 

[d3tox]

You must be talking about the fake BU ut3 forums since there's no ctf challenges here. D:

Where's that Taw clan at?

 

[Sir_Brizz]

My question is this: If Epic is concerned that working on a game for multiple platforms simultaneously reduces the quality of their final product, then why did Epic develop UT3 for all 3 major gaming platforms at the same time? Where was this philosophy when UT was being developed?

As someone else said, recent game sales is probably one reason for this. They are also being prodded to do two different things because the games are published by two different publishers.

I'm sure you can expect their attitude to SEEM to ebb and flow even more in "weird" directions, but it's most likely more dependent on who is publishing their titles than some internal Epic policy.

 

[UndeadRoadkill]

Our online player numbers have fallen and this forum has been completely taken over by console players, despite Epic's refusal to separate the forum into platform specific sections.

Like I said way back when (I thought I was joking, but who knows?): They don't split the forum because they want to get rid of the PC gamers. There will be so many console gamers posting, and PC gamers will get sick of wading through it all trying to find PC threads, and just leave (if they're not banned first).

 

[paul527]

I posted this in another thread as well, but I figured that this thread might be a little more up to date.

 

[UnrealGrrl]

It only took the Epic forums about 8 minutes to delete this thread. Can anyone tell me how it's offensive?
...
Our online player numbers have fallen and this forum has been completely taken over by console players, despite Epic's refusal to separate the forum into platform specific sections.

hiya PV come play on my new CTF server, we're actually getting a good regular group of players

As someone else said, recent game sales is probably one reason for this. They are also being prodded to do two different things because the games are published by two different publishers.

I'm sure you can expect their attitude to SEEM to ebb and flow even more in "weird" directions, but it's most likely more dependent on who is publishing their titles than some internal Epic policy.

right on target as usual Brizz! GoW is not UT and publishers make a huge diff in how Epic is going to respond to these issues...

I posted this in another thread as well, but I figured that this thread might be a little more up to date.

lol

as a side though - i bet if Clffy had not done GoW and had continued on with UT as a more involved designer, things would be different. but either he lost the drive for UT or as seems more likely, had such a huge success with Gears that he just cant divide the time...

 

[PeterVenkman]

Good feedback you guys, thank you for the productive discussion. I know there is already a thread about this, I just couldn't resist the urge to bring it up again.

Unrealgrrl - I'm totally in. I have heard good things about your server and I'm about to make it my new home.

 

[UnrealGrrl]

seeya there - ill be scarce this week as im trying to finish work for 2 game mods and have alot of 'real life' work atm but hope to catchya there soon, i miss the few good ctf servers that there were and already seeing alot of flag junkies and old ut players showing up which is great!

on topic, cant blame the epic forum mods too much for the itchy trigger fingers, any percieved pc/console threads always turn to mush... still sucks that theres a cone of silence on game politics even relating to ut there.

 

[Sir_Brizz]

Cone of silence...

 

[Fuzz]

Well, it's a bit sad that Unreal is slipping away and PC gaming also.

I played even more GoW last night and I don't understand the hype anymore. You die all the time, from nothing. Why on earth would anyone want to play a shooter on a console anyway? GoW looks as grey and brown as Quake once did. No bots for practice in sight, even thou they came for Quake eventually. Of couse I will try to beat the game again on my new system, just to learn more about it's architecture for mapping purposes.

 

[Hideinlight]

Well, it's a bit sad that Unreal is slipping away and PC gaming also.

I played even more GoW last night and I don't understand the hype anymore. You die all the time, from nothing. Why on earth would anyone want to play a shooter on a console anyway? GoW looks as grey and brown as Quake once did. No bots for practice in sight, even thou they came for Quake eventually. Of couse I will try to beat the game again on my new system, just to learn more about it's architecture for mapping purposes.

You have to play it coop, you two can save each other and that makes the game a whole lot more fun and interesting. Otherwise it's a lonely experience.

 

[MonsOlympus]

Cone of silence...

/me looks up from tokin on his peace pipe

 

[Fuzz]

Yea, that would probably do the trick, but why can't artificial team members pick me up? I know it's designed that way and it could be hard to script and would make the game too easy maybe. You rather load from checkpoint instead of having to wait for someone to help you.

Playing with your friends must be one of the main reason why the game succeeded. Graphics is blending even thou they are quite sterile. Compared to BioShock it's bleak and unimaginative.

 

[hal]

Yea, that would probably do the trick, but why can't artificial team members pick me up? I know it's designed that way and it could be hard to script and would make the game too easy maybe. You rather load from checkpoint instead of having to wait for someone to help you.

That's how Star Wars: Republic Commando works (also Unreal Engine) and it came out years ago.

 

[Fuzz]

All right, I'm into the GoW hype too. I am currently playing through the game again. I came to a part that I don't have any recollection of playing before. It's almost bizarre, but I guess the gas station and the cave was enabled in the patch. Gears is real good, you die when you're supposed to, as do your enemies. If the Unreal series ever got a singleplayer campaign like this it would rock a lot also, but I think Microsoft is choking the Unreal franchise by employing Epic for their primary X360 title series.