Is this the future of PC gaming?

from Demigod Forums

Let me start off by saying that I enjoy the game, when I can play it.  It's addicting and truly fun.

However the last two games I have bought have made me pretty wary about how things are proceeding in the industry.  This game and Dawn of War 2 both work under a similar framework: release a pared-down version of the game with the promise of better-than-average support and frequent content down the line.  Ostensibly this is supposed to prevent piracy, or at least reward honest buyers.  Ideally, it should work.  The developers are under less pressure to make everything fit perfectly at release, and the low-content version available at launch should run rather flawlessly since there's not as much to go wrong.

Yet both DoW2 and Demigod have managed to release games that are even more unfinished than full-length counterparts.  I understand that PC gaming is fickle, and it usually takes a patch or two to work out the kinks.  I accept that.  I don't like it, but I have to accept it.  But these two companies have gone above and beyond the call of duty in releasing an unfinished product.  At least with DoW2 I had a single-player campaign to tide me over while I waited for them to fix the broken multiplayer.  In Demigod I have bots, I suppose.

It's rather disappointing that what should have been an interesting way to make players pay for the game (and get revenue in the hands of the developers earlier, allowing purchases to subsidize production) has turned into a rationalization for releasing games even more broken than usual, and then skimping on the additional promised content.

demigod
4,788 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Demigod Forums Top

I would attribute it a lot more to the troubling economy, which would push independent developers to get their games out faster, albeit in a more fragile and unfinished condition. THQ for example is taking huge hits, and owns the license for the Warhammer series, and by extension Dawn of War II.

Blizzard, on the other hand, is still quite successful and is taking their sweet time with Starcraft II to work out all the kinks.

Reply #2 from Demigod Forums Top

No, the future of PC gaming is Steam. You NEVER see these kinds of issues with any games released, it's just amateur hour with Stardock and Impulse.

Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting CodeKyuubi, reply 1
I would attribute it a lot more to the troubling economy, which would push independent developers to get their games out faster, albeit in a more fragile and unfinished condition. THQ for example is taking huge hits, and owns the license for the Warhammer series, and by extension Dawn of War II.

Blizzard, on the other hand, is still quite successful and is taking their sweet time with Starcraft II to work out all the kinks.

That probably has a lot to do with it.

I just don't like seeing what could be a very interesting content delivery model destroyed this early because of unsupported cash-grabs.

Reply #4 from Demigod Forums Top

ehh games are not like they used to be, and maybe they shouldnt be. In the past i could spend hours upon hours playing TA, or Moo2 but nowdays im too busy keeping bills paid and such to spend more than a few hours gaming a week.

I myself dont see the releases as a bad trend, micro expansions and content released to "purchased" copies more or less to reward people for buying the game instead of using the pie rat method seems ok.

I do have some issues with one thing or another. Impulse sometimes fouls up, Steam messes up or i get a HD glitch/crash and end up having to redownload everything. That takes forever with games, (ex demigod took 7 hours) but its nothing so terrible i wont purchase from the publishers. 

As for blizzard all i can say is D3 ftw. when that hits the shelves im taking my vacation...ALL of it (insert evil laugh here)

 

Reply #5 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting iomegadrive, reply 2
No, the future of PC gaming is Steam. You NEVER see these kinds of issues with any games released, it's just amateur hour with Stardock and Impulse.

Oh I have MUCH trouble playing online with Steam, since it regularly kicks me off in a type of "hiccup", only to reconnect seconds later. Every five minutes while trying to play through a l4d campaign with my friend. How sweet. It's not a matter about my end since it happens wherever I am, be it home or the dorm.

Reply #6 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting iomegadrive, reply 2
No, the future of PC gaming is Steam. You NEVER see these kinds of issues with any games released, it's just amateur hour with Stardock and Impulse.
don't make me laugh.

Reply #7 from Demigod Forums Top

Steam fans; pots calling kettles black since 2008.

Reply #8 from Demigod Forums Top

Quoting iomegadrive, reply 2
No, the future of PC gaming is Steam. You NEVER see these kinds of issues with any games released, it's just amateur hour with Stardock and Impulse.

Yeah, Steam is great. Gotta love how they knew that Earth 2160 was broken, and they still continued to sell it for two months :)

 

Reply #10 from Demigod Forums Top

steam and valve have had and have their problems.  people who say otherwise have a selective/bad memory or haven't been around very long.  it doesn't excuse stardock and its impulse, but quit bringing up other companies and services when you're completely wrong about your claims

anyway, if game developers and publishers need to realize one thing it's that if you want a large, loyal customer base for a multiplayer game, then you're going to have to invest a lot of time and resources in the networking.  might sound obvious, but from playing DoW 2, demigod, CoH, and so forth, i've concluded that only a couple of companies really understand how important multiplayer stability is to customers.

Reply #11 from Demigod Forums Top

Actually, he does bring up a point. Call me crazy or too nostalgic, but I think that PC game releases (not the games themselves, but the issues) are getting worse than they were a few years ago. We have Demigod, Dawn of War 2, Empire: Total War...

Three names from normally great devs, and all had horrible issues initially :(