Why ports are good for PC gaming

[jtvang125]

I don't get the whole "Press start to play" thing anyway.
What place does it have on consoles, let alone PCs? Why do developers even bother to put that there? Why not just go straight to the menu in both console and PC versions?

IIRC it's for the game to detect what type of controller you are using. If you press Enter on the keyboard the game will map the controls to its default keyboard layout. If you use a game controller it will use its game pad configurations.

 

[mindcycle]

you guys are nuts. the article is saying that PC versions of just about all of these multi-platform games sell a very small of units compared to the ps3/xbox versions, meaning we should be thankful that the developers still make the PC version. Wouldn't you prefer the attempt rather than no game at all? You don't HAVE to buy it if its bad, but maybe its a good one. At least they made it so you can find out

There are three main problems with shitty ports IMO.

1. You waste money on it.

2. You end up supporting whoever developed/published said shitty port thus giving them a reason to do the same thing again in the future.

3. It gives PC gamers yet another reason to despise console ports which in turn leads to the PC community undervaluing the few ports that are done correctly.

So to answer your question.. Yes, I would prefer no game at all if it's not going to be ported correctly for the PC platform.

 

[slayer202]

There are three main problems with shitty ports IMO.

1. You waste money on it.

2. You end up supporting whoever developed/published said shitty port thus giving them a reason to do the same thing again in the future.

3. It gives PC gamers yet another reason to despise console ports which in turn leads to the PC community undervaluing the few ports that are done correctly.

So to answer your question.. Yes, I would prefer no game at all if it's not going to be ported correctly for the PC platform.

if its not ported correctly don't buy it...but when the lazy companies who release the shitty ports in the first place stop doing it at all, don't bitch again

 

[videogames101]

Andy Griffiths is an idiot. Does actually believe that PC gamers should be happy with half assed table scraps, poorly optimized ports, and a litany of axed features?

As another AT poster said, though, if all publishers stopped making PC games, a new generation of developers will full the considerable void. There's little need for a developer to sign with a publisher these days. Sell direct to the consumer, cut out the middle man, and develop quality titles for whatever platform they wish.

<3 Valve.

 

[mindcycle]

if its not ported correctly don't buy it...but when the lazy companies who release the shitty ports in the first place stop doing it at all, don't bitch again

If they stop releasing poor quality ports and that in turns saves people from getting screwed by sinking money into garbage, then i'm all for it.

That's my major concern with these poorly ported games is wasting my money on them. If it comes down to the decision between releasing a game that's not optimized or properly tested, as opposed to not releasing it at all, the later should be the only answer.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I for one never met anyone on IRC to organize on-line matches with friends or strangers for my on-line PC games, I always simply relied on in-game server browsers and populated and non-passworded games with decent pings.

It's something you might do if you were a member of a first person shooter clan or pro community. Clan-match-style pickup games (pugs) are often organized over IRC.

And I am not "missing" the point about PC gaming, I know what PC gaming is and what part of console gaming is and has always been different, and I disagree that PC games "tend to be a little deeper", if you generalize on that I would like to get a list of the multiple games you're referring to.

At the very least the possibility of having custom content adds further depth to the games.

A couple of years ago it seemed to be that PC-exclusive games were just as good if not better than console games, with games like the original Unreal Tournament or Quake or DOOM or Freespace and Diablo or Baldur's Gate, and I could go on and on. But which PC-exclusive game can you name of the recent years that you've been enjoying like nothing before and makes you very "proud" to be a PC gamer? Can you name a few? Can you name one? I mean recent game, I guess you can go back to about four or five years ago? And then from last year or this year, can you name one?

I don't have any "pride" in being a PC gamer; I don't see how wasting time playing games leads to a sense of pride. But to answer your question:

Sins of a Solar Empire -- great online multiplayer 4X-RTS game if you can get into it.

UT 2004.

Neverwinter Nights (not real recent though)

I would also put World of Warcraft up there though I personally have not played it.

I have played the Atari 2600, Intellivision, Nintendo, and Sega Genesis and while the games weren't bad for their time, the games that I find most memorable and "groundbreaking" to me were on the PC and I started PC gaming in 1986. (The original Kings Quest was the first PC game I ever had, which was new back then.)

 

[slayer202]

If they stop releasing poor quality ports and that in turns saves people from getting screwed by sinking money into garbage, then i'm all for it.

That's my major concern with these poorly ported games is wasting my money on them. If it comes down to the decision between releasing a game that's not optimized or properly tested, as opposed to not releasing it at all, the later should be the only answer.

no one is forcing you to buy these games...these days you don't need to buy a game and play it to find out if its good or bad, ported or not.

I much rather have more games being made and to choose from, even if theres a chance for them to be shitty. know why? because if they stop even trying, there is zero chance to make a solid game, and eventually the big console games might not be ported to PC, regardless if they would be good or not

 

[mindcycle]

no one is forcing you to buy these games...these days you don't need to buy a game and play it to find out if its good or bad, ported or not.

Many review sites simply post the same review they wrote for the console version with an extra paragraph tacked on at the end to address anything PC specific. Sometimes we don't even get that. Most people (myself included) are made aware of an unoptimized port from people who got screwed buying it rather than from reviews on gaming sites, which i'm assuming is what you are referring to here.

First day/week sales also make up a large percentage of the income for these releases. During that time period the true nature of the performance of these games is largely unknown in most cases. And believe it or not people still buy these ports under the impression they will run at least as good if not better than their console counterparts. Because why would they they expect anything less? Most ports are released months after the console release date so there is really no excuse. The informed are the minority, which is unfortunate but true.

I much rather have more games being made and to choose from, even if theres a chance for them to be shitty. know why? because if they stop even trying, there is zero chance to make a solid game, and eventually the big console games might not be ported to PC, regardless if they would be good or not

Refer to point 3 from my above post.

3. It gives PC gamers yet another reason to despise console ports which in turn leads to the PC community undervaluing the few ports that are done correctly.

I understand the reasoning behind why you feel the way you do, however you seem to miss the all but apparent reasons to avoid flooding the PC market with poor quality games. Which directly relates to point 2.

2. You end up supporting whoever developed/published said shitty port thus giving them a reason to do the same thing again in the future.

Let me ask you a question. If the current trend of ported games requires you check reviews or message boards before purchasing, just to make sure they aren't unoptimized and require a machine 5 times more powerful than a console just to run.. how is that good for the PC community?

Why should I be happy that I have a choice when that choice is nothing more than different variations of shit?

 

[slayer202]

all your points make no sense, neither do you

 

[frozentundra123456]

It does not seem realistic that there will be many PC exclusive games due to the cost of making the game and the relatively limited market. I am sad to say this, but I do believe it is true.

However, there are console ports and really crappy console ports. I would not say Modern Warfare 1 was a console port exactly, but it definitely was a multi-platform development. I really liked that game, and played many hours of multiplayer and played through the campaign twice.
Modern Warfare 2 however, was blatantly a console port and a terrible one at that. The lack of dedicated servers was only one disadvantage to the game. I also hated the lack of ability to make multiple profiles like you could in MW1, and that it was necessary to have 2 computers and 2 copies of the game just to play co-op. It seems they included the worst parts of console gaming, but did not include the one thing that I feel is an advantage to playing on consoles: the ability for more than one person to play at the same time on one machine.

Unfortunately, I don't know any good answer to this problem. I would not say console ports are "good for pc gaming", but they are probably necessary. I understand the people who want to boycott bad console ports, but I dont think the market for the PC is large enough for the demands of the PC gamer to have much effect.

The only idea I have is that AMD (ATI) and nVidia should pressure game studios to make at least decent games (ports) for the PC. Otherwise, the market for their graphics cards could disappear in a few years. Actually, nVidia already seems to be going away from strictly gaming cards and emphasizing GPGPU applications. Unfortunately, they may be on the right track.

 

[mindcycle]

all your points make no sense, neither do you

Wow.. you've convinced me.