Mike Capps On Unreal Engine 4

[Plumb_Drumb]

Well, I haven't seen anybody complain about the scaling in UT3 so far, so they must be headed in the right direction.
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Hot_Barbara live

 

[Crowze]

You have to remember that this is about the engine, and not the games. With consoles having a roughly 5-year lifespan, it makes far more sense to build an engine to run on the new consoles first and make it work on whatever PC hardware is around at the time. Since a large part of the engine sales go to console game developers, they wouldn't be interested at all if UE4 was already 2 years out of date by the time the consoles arrive - equally Epic wouldn't be popular if it wasn't ready until a year after. This has nothing at all to do with Epic abandoning the PC, it's just sensible business.

 

[ChookWoods]

You have to remember that this is about the engine, and not the games. With consoles having a roughly 5-year lifespan, it makes far more sense to build an engine to run on the new consoles first and make it work on whatever PC hardware is around at the time. Since a large part of the engine sales go to console game developers, they wouldn't be interested at all if UE4 was already 2 years out of date by the time the consoles arrive - equally Epic wouldn't be popular if it wasn't ready until a year after. This has nothing at all to do with Epic abandoning the PC, it's just sensible business.

this is it.

pcs are as customisable as you want them to be, consoles are a set piece of specific hardware. the engine would need to be coded to these specifications to make the most out of it, as it can then put put on the pc and scale as much as it wants.
like really, unreal engine 3 has so much potential i can keep producing better and better looking games up until this time frame anyway, just needs the hardware improvements on the pc side of things to back it.

 

[Matfei]

The UI feels like it was made with consoles in mind. The game itself doesn't feel that way at all.

'Cept then they went and put 'exclusive' stuff in with the 360 version, which we don't know if we'll ever see on PC.

Character choices and all that is important to me. I don't know about some people, but I like to have all of them.

So to me, they're still favouring consoles.

if anything you should be getting down on your knee's and thanking them for doing everything they can to save [PC gaming].

They're saving PC gaming? Not to me.

If they sit down and make a PC-only game, fully tailored for PC alone, without all the added console development, then I'll assume they're trying to help. Sure it doesn't get them as much money, but they've got Gears - their precious cash-cow. So, theoretically if they cared about where PC gaming is going, they could show the PC some exclusive love.

 

[r1esG0]

Unreal engine 3.0 has come to consoles first (it was designed for 360 and the equivalent pc)

and it has happened nothing.

We have the best games for pc made with it.

edit:
matfei, yes they are favouring consoles,
gears of war for pc has come with exclusive content, that nobody knows if will ever be released on 360... but...
ah wait i am too lazy to argue...

 

[KeithZG]

*shrug* I'm still waiting for UE3 to come to my side of PC gaming at all, I'll worry about whether the next-gen is too console-focused or just business savvy or whatever once I can even actually play the current generation, heh.

 

[UBerserker]

'Cept then they went and put 'exclusive' stuff in with the 360 version, which we don't know if we'll ever see on PC.

'Cept it's not the first time they have done it. UT1 anyone?

 

[Armagon917]

EPIC has a chance to help PC gaming but if we keep getting ports of their games that isn't going to happen. Especially 6 months later because of some contract with Microsoft. I love my 360 I really do but I hate the idea of technology pushes being based on console hardware. We have been pushed into playing games at lower detail and substituted powerful PCs for a neatly packaged 512mb POS. Excuse me if I think this sucks floppy ****.

COD4 is doing fine because it was a great game and was a true multiplatform release, which is what I would like to see EPIC do considering all their grand statements about helping PC through joining that organization that has yet to do anything. EPIC could at least humor me by putting PC before a theoretical super console from Nintendo.

troll out dudes!

 

[r1esG0]

well armagon in that you re right,

games could be multiplatform, gow2 could be multiplatform, i mean from its release,
but some guy on the marketing department though its is better for sales to sell the game on console and pc with months of difference, and companies have to obey their marketing guys, they call it exclusivity or something, and it is supposed to be good, i mean, i think... i dont have consoles and i dont know exactly what rules that world

 

[lol911]

If the next machine from Nintendo isn't powerful (and I believe it won't be), then Epic aren't gonna make an engine for it.

 

[Armagon917]

The rants are just the result of frustration and a sense of betrayal. People hear all the time how PC gaming is dying, even though it isn't. But it soon will with this festering attitude amongst developers and publishers not to even bother with it anymore because it 'appears' to be dead.

A lot of the companies that got their start and success on the PC are now turning tail for the consoles. It's where the money is, so yes it makes sense from a business perspective. The annoyance is that it doesn't appear that many people are trying to fix PC gaming since they claim it is so broken. The companies that were built on the PC aren't trying to help it.

Sure PC gaming has problems....

I guess its just easier to not bother with them and take the easier route with consoles.

The cold hard reality of it all sucks though. Its all about business, its all about money so the consoles will be getting all the attention. Oh well.

well said. What really sucks is that if everything eventually goes to console we are going to have a huge influx of talent from the mod community to make games of the future... OH

 

[Kaithofis]

Unreal engine 3.0 has come to consoles first (it was designed for 360 and the equivalent pc)

That's what I was thinking
Why is everybody getting so wound up about Epic's strategy concerning UE4, when it's exactly the same as what they did with UE3?
Stop acting like this means the end of Epic's support for the PC-market. Not only is this strategy years old and nothing to be surprised about, but as we can see now with Epic's UE3 titles, the PC isn't left behind at all. Both of Epic's titles made it to PC, and the PC-versions of both these titles also have a leg up on the other versions (in the form of extra content for GoW, and in the form of the MSUC for UT3).

And saying that Epic "favours consoles", because of a few new characters and maps in the Xbox 360 version of UT3 is really stupid. When you bring an older game to a new platform, it is common to include some new content. Otherwise no-one has any reason to buy the game. It's been done by pretty much every company around at some point. Besides, GoW for PC got exclusive content as well, so there goes your argument.

But then again, why let this opportunity pass to bitch and complain about a game that's 8 months old, or a strategy that's 3 years old, yet again.

 

[MonsOlympus]

look guys, its like this. Epic has nothing to do with the way PC gaming is heading, and if anything you should be getting down on your knee's and thanking them for doing everything they can to save it. How many times have you heard them lobbying hardware manufacturers about dropping thos lame intel inegrated graphics processors that cant handle crap.

Yeah riiiight, they helped by even after so many hits at intel in the media to buddy buddy with them on UT3 and MSUC even though intel has not budged one iota!

Its obvious Epic will do business with the highest bidder no matter who or what they stand for! Lets get on our knee's and beg for our PC games shall we!

 

[Sir_Brizz]

'Cept then they went and put 'exclusive' stuff in with the 360 version, which we don't know if we'll ever see on PC.

Character choices and all that is important to me. I don't know about some people, but I like to have all of them.

So to me, they're still favouring consoles.

Yes, putting exclusive content in a different version of the game that comes out 8.5 months later than it did on the other platforms lacking support for mods which both of the other versions has is a terrible business strategy that Epic never would have employed back in UT days. Oh wait, the DC and PS2 version of UT both had content that was not in the PC version. HERESY!

 

[Noobnugget]

Eh. It's no real surprise that UE4 will be console based. I mean, Epic IS a console company now. And the pc gaming market is not much more than an afterthought to devs anyway these days.

 

[TWD]

Why can't they develop it for all platforms equally? That seems to be what ID is doing with its new engine.



Honestly, I agree with this direction because it makes sense from a business standpoint. However because they are focusing on PC's last people wonder how much attention it will get at all. Take a look at UT3. Now whether you may like the UI or not is not the case here. What is the case is that it did feel very much like it was meant for a console, and this is with them saying they were building it with the PC first in mind. It kind of makes you wonder.

We'll see how things go.

All in all I am excited to see what UE4 is capable of.

I'm sure that ID will soon learn the same lessons that Epic learned with UT3. It's difficult to make an engine like UE3 compatible with all platforms, and support them as well as Epic is trying to do. All in all it's a smart move. It's probably not a big deal for them to be able to tweak things for the PC, but it is hard for them to get it right for the consoles. If they tweak the consoles first they won't run into all the delays they did with UT3.

Still the attitude just flat out sucks. If you're going to make games for PC and support them as you claim then why don't you just make a PC game? Cut it with the ports, and trying to make everyone happy. Pick your target and stick with it. They haven't made a real PC game since UT99, and we can easily see the effect it has had on the quality of UT games.

 

[os][ris]

"Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also. PCs will follow after that." - Mike Capps


Can we just admit that Epic is a console first company now and stop this PC bread and butter stuff. I mean honestly it's OK. From a financial stand point it makes sense. But I just wish people, including Epic, would just stop trying to convince hardcore pc gamers that they think of us first. Cause they don't and it's fine. My feelings aren't hurt. Just stop denying it.

 

[UBerserker]

Not caring on what Epic's aiming for. Give me good games and gg.

Oh wait, the DC and PS2 version of UT both had content that was not in the PC version. HERESY!

Everyone forgets about this detail, and no one did complain about it.
The bonus content wasn't great too.

 

[Maximus2003]

I personally hosted an online competition where the prizes were a number of copies of the special edition of UT3 (PC). I payed for it out of my own pocket. I thought I did my part to help promote UT for the PC. I made maps for our local servers, etc. and fought for it when everyone else thought its crap. I'm glad that Epic made it this far and I'm really glad the way UT3's game play turned out. Gears of War is also a great game, it really is.

But I'm bidding my farewell to the Unreal Tournament franchise. I'm not a console player and probably never will be. I love my PC and cannot spend extra on consoles and console games. StarCraft II is what I'm looking forward to now and I'll keep playing the few really great PC games that I have.

It was a great ride for the 9 years of UT's existence, and I really hope that somehow UT3 still picks up a lot within the PC community (although I unfortunately strongly doubt it).

Cheers and good luck Epic! Hey sweet Blizzard!

 

[JaFO]

a few extra levels in a game that does not support user-created content ?
MSUC has generated a few dozen levels and a few models that are as good (and perhaps even better than) the content delivered by Epic.
So I don't even want to complain about missing those bits ...
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It makes perfect sense for Epic to focus on consoles/multi-platform, because there is a real threat to Epic's business-model that many have not considered :
Microsoft.

MS has pretty much killed all competing software development tools since Visual Studio 2005.
And in this year they are targetting game-development ...
If Epic were to remain a pc-exclusive engine-developer then they'd have to compete with that.
OTOH it is extremely unlikely that MS will ever develop something that could work for Sony's next-gen console. As a result a company that can deliver that kind of development environment is going to be very rich. Especially when you consider that multi-platform releases for the next-gen consoles have become standard practice due to the increased cost of developing high-end assets for games.

Besides ... you can't develop software for hardware that does not exist, so you'd have to build and develop on the pc initially any way.