We've been speaking with Croteam boss Roman Ribaric all this week, learning about Serious Sam 3 and the hidden complexity of the series. We've also been talking about the famous "PC vs. Console" debate, and felt that Roman was as good a man to ask as any -- what really is better? The answer, naturally, was as diplomatic as it was interesting.
"We are covered either way it goes. PC market, with a direct digital distribution, works really good for the developers. XBLA and PSN work good as well, since we can decide to go directly to MS/Sony/Nintendo," explains Ribaric. "They are also reopening that arcade market and allowing for cheaper priced games, so that’s also good for everyone. Prices are important factor. Do I want to pay 550 kuna ($110) for a new game in Croatia? No way. But, 50-100 kuna ($10-$20) for an XBLA/PSN/PC game, that's a pretty good deal to me. That's how much it costs us here in Croatia for one cinema ticket, mid-sized popcorn and small cola."
Focusing on the PC, Ribaric tells us that PC development is easier than console development, but that the launch of a game can be a nightmare: "As far as development is concerned, it's easier to develop for PC, that's a fact. But, once you deliver the game, the nightmare begins. You are desperately trying to make the game work on all sorts of PC configurations. And that is months of work and costs a lot, which cost you, by time the game is out, are covering on your own, as publishers already moved their attention (and budgets) to other games.
"This is why you see some developers not supporting their games when they are out. And you feel betrayed. But, it's not their fault for the most developers I know. So, it's not they don't want to support it, it's rather they don't have any more money to continue supporting it. And then it's for them to move on to the next game, those that are lucky to have a next deal signed. Or for those less fortunate, only other available option is to close the doors before they sink even further into debt."
"On the other hand, on consoles you have more problems with trying to squeeze that last bit of hardware. But, once you deliver and get approved by hardware manufacturer, you are done and can move on, knowing that your game works 100%."
So yes ... interesting and diplomatic. The way all good answers go.
Contest:
12:00 PM on 12.23.2009
| 
The amount of diversity in PC hardware is too large for a developper to hope to solve every hiccups ever.
"But, once you deliver the game, the nightmare begins. You are desperately trying to make the game work on all sorts of PC configurations."
Ughh... news flash: You're supposed to make it work on all sorts of configurations BEFORE you release it. This is part of development called QA, which should be included in the budget. Sloppy developers just told me to never buy from them. Thanks for the tip guys.
So what do you suggest? Should a developer buy every single computer configuration on earth and test their games on each one?
That's hardly a solution.
You don't need every single configuration, but you do need a nice sized sample of the main architectures. Real PC developers have been doing it for years...
Ask Blizzard, Valve, id Software, etc...
Anyway, with AMD so cheap -AMD 965 B.E. at 160 €-, having any kind of doubt about running this "easy-to execute-game" is to be a little lost.
You do not have to make it run in ANY PC -as not all are focus for gaming, neither to actual gaming-: you have to make it run in PC for GAMING with a minumun requirements.
Did Bioshock, F.E.A.R. 2, DIRT 2, Devil May Cry 4, Oblivion, Fallout 3 or Mirror Edge, Batman A.A., Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising or Borderlands need a powerfull PC for gaming at 1200p ? Not at all.
If we were talking about gaming these videogames like in consoles -720p- run, even a less powerfull GPU is required (at low resolution like this, CPU do the most harder effort). But for higher resolutions, you need the GPU obviously Xbox 360 and PS3 do not have.
And seems like forgetting about the online ability to know gamers configuration on their gaming PC, like Steam, Vista, some benchmarks and so on has and does.
A myth that has gone away.
@Narishma: TOPICS. Try to turn off the antivirys (CUDA make it runs 365 faster a famous antivirus). Consuming resources of it, as PC is nowdays much more powerfull, does not rest you big resources.
But I have been playing during last 2 years and I did not have to touch my router at all. You are painting it a little black, I guess.
Anyway, it is very clear that this remake are for Xbox 360 owners: the ones who can not game to Serious Sam 2 at 1080p, neither uses a graphical mods. Like when they bought Riddick.
Anyway, S.S. HD commercial spot was so consolish that sucks.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/33622/Study-Industry-hit-by-11500-layoffs-since-late-2008
Study: Industry hit by 11,500 layoffs since 2008
New research also tallies ‘record number of studio closures’
The global game industry has been hit by as many as 11,500 job losses since late 2008, a new study suggests.
Research by entertainment analyst group M2 Research says that “the final count for layoffs since the economic meltdown in late 2008 reached 11,488 worldwide, with the majority of the losses coming in 2009.”
The study has identified staff redundancies from 95 individual studios, adding that 52 of the affected studios were situated in the US.
M2 adds that the majority of layoffs come at “studio level”, with QA staff often being the first to go.
The analysis group adds that 2009 saw a ‘record number’ of studio closures, including 3D Realms (pictured), various Midway studios and EA’s Pandemic Studios.
http://adrianwerner.wordpress.com/games-of-2010/