Is the console comunity really worth ofp?

[Rheat]

I was reading some tests about OFP:E and watching some videos made by pcgame testers how they played ofp and i'm shocked. in the test i've read (Gamezone, german magazine) they gave ofp:e a rate of 4,5 of 10 i think and wrote in this test that the grafics were lame, the gameplay would be bullshit and everything else too. so i'm wondering if the console comunity really realizes what potential ofp has and if they're really worth taking so much time from bis to convert ofp to console. i don't know how much copy's been selled by now and i hope that someone will prove me wrong that the console players have no slight idea how great this game is. maybe i'm also a bit pissed because ofp:e stole the time for development which could have bin used on aa so don't blame me for my comment. http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif

[Jtec]

Been mixed reviews from different mags. There is a topic somewhere quoting the scores the game has recieved so far. It has to be said alot of console games are soley based on how good they look and not on how they play. I havent played many console games tho that have lasted me a week, let alone 4 + years. There has been good things that have came out of BIS making this game for xbox so it hasnt been a waste of time.

[maxqubit]

When a gem like OFP:E comes along i'm playing it dead serious. That has absolutely nothing to do with hardware, monitor resolutions or kb+mouse vs gamepad. The platform changed (i used to be a pc gamer) but not my attitude towards the games.

OFP:E shows that 'it' can work on consoles and that there is a audience for it (be it small)

Fingers crossed for a OFP-next on 360 in the future.

-- Max Qubit

[meyamoti]

Its funny how much different console people are from PC people isn't it? PC usually has the room for sims and such,Janes series,Flight simulator (though I never really played that so I can't say),Lock on series,just a few examples,whereas most console games are all quick first person shooters,I haven't seen a sim on a console yet so I honestly believe most of the would missunderstand what OFP:E truly is,their probably thinking somethin like bf2 or something.

[Uziyahu--IDF]

I read about how awesome Counter-Strike was with seamless voice comm on the X-Box, but I tried Rainbow Six 3 and Ghost Recon 2 on X-Box Live and that's what converted me. These were amazing cooperative experiences.

Multiplayer gaming on X-Box Live is so stress-free.

[Longjocks]

maybe i'm also a bit pissed because ofp:e stole the time for development which could have bin used on aa so don't blame me for my comment.
So I take it that you do not see the benefits to Armed Assault or other future BIS products by working on this conversion? None at all? Now think for a moment and try to come up with at least five benefits. If this is done then you are one step closer to answering your own question. http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/wink_o.gif

[Dinger]

Proceeds from console sales regularly dwarf those from PC games. So on that basis alone, console versions make sense.

As for the rest: on the whole, the group of console players tend to be "less serious" than the PC players. After all, PC gamers include nuts who will spend thousands of bucks a year on hardware. It's hard to do that with a console.
Most people, in fact, don't want a complicated experience. They want something that's fun and that provides a bit of escapism. Things that take a lot of time to get good at, or even to understand aren't necessarily targeted at this core.

However, this situation is fluid. Twenty years ago, the market had three segments: consoles (Vectrex, NES, k.t.l.), computers that were good at games (C-64, Atari 800 series, Amiga, Atari ST), and computers that were good for business (PC and Mac). By the early 90s, the Amiga and the Atari ST were in their death throes and only a few certifiably insane coders were still making games for them. So PCs took over the games, eventually getting video cards. Consoles started to pick up.

Now Microsoft and Sony are making their bid for the living room. Of course, Microsoft's crippling their product to protect their Windows Media Center; and Sony's crippling their product to support a Langley-grade espionage system in every box. Still, they're looking to bite into the PC game market, and they might succeed. To expand the product, they need to bring in the rest of the living room.

The rest of the living room means games with less than universal appeal, and more "casual games" -- like the flash stuff you see people playing.
So there could be an argument for it.
besides, consoles have huge advantages over PCs:
1) Homogeneity of software. PC configuration testing sucks. Two major series of video drivers, two major types of CPUs, a bunch of audio stuff, and an unpredictable number of specific types of hardware. Plus every aspect of the system is liable to change in unknowable ways. With a console, you have one machine, and you make it work.
2) External quality control. There's someone out there to enforce homogeneity of functionality across games.
3) Piracy is not nearly at the same level as for PCs.
4) Cheating/Hacking is not a major concern for online play. For that matter, neither are bandwidth management, application collisions, software firewall u.s.w.

So yeah, the console community is probably worth it. It may be the future of PC games, in general, an order of magnitude more sales occurs, and unrivalled connectivity.
But don't expect every memeber of the current "xbox hardcore" raised on cookie-cutter FPSs to get it. No group is more harsh in criticism than a threatened elite.

Also don't forget that for these reviewers, trashing OFP:E is easy: OFP is four years old, and conventional wisdom says that four years to make a port cannot result in something good. Four years ago, when OFP made it big, the PC market was also very different. Nothing looked like or as good as OFP:CWC. We downloaded the demo, player around a bit, then looked at the map and said "No way the world is that big". Nobody else had an FPS featuring vehicles in any real way. When Ghost Recon came out the next year, many people were describing it as "Rainbow Six's answer to Operation Flashpoint". I'm sure OFP:E is a great game, but it may suffer from the fact that all the innovations that OFP:CWC brought have since become standard (or improved) in the intervening time.

[Rheat]

Taking the attention a bit more on the side of how console players are playing, i saw a video from a mag where they played ofp:e .i was really confused on how they played ofp. in this video the player ran around the map (steal the car from the singleplayer missions) and were shooting at anything that came in they're way without aiming, crouching or watching while lying on the ground. just like one would play doom or unreal tournament so i think this is a major difference between console gamers and pc gamers.i think one can go that far to say that pc gamers have more the understanding for this tactical and simulated type of gameplay but maybe the console community can be healed a bit from the thought that a game has to be fast du contain good action scenes. and yes when i'm thinkin about it i can really good imagine, that ofp:e will bring (brought) a lot of benefits to the upcoming ArmedAssault so good point on that. http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/wink_o.gif

[Uziyahu--IDF]

Eh, I remember OFP and GR being reviewed/previewed by Li C. Kuo of PC Gamer U.S.A. at about the same time. In Mr. Kuo's mind, GR was not the R6 answer to OFP. He was of the same camp as the present negative reviewers. As far as he was concerned, OFP would probably be shi'ite, and then when it wasn't, he said it was, anyway. In his mind, OFP was a failed attempt to be GR. His logic in shooting down OFP did not carry over to his opinions regarding GR. (Red Storm Entertainment and PC Gamer U.S.A. had a well-known mutually-beneficial relationship since Rainbow Six on the PC.)

Read these negative reviews. They lack reason, competence, and sincerity.

And these console gamers have seen the like of Full Spectrum Warrior, already, so they know that tactics can be important.

This is all to bolster sales of the mediocre competition. It's enough to make me want to disown America and move to the Czech Republic. The women there are more beautiful, anyway.

B.I. needs to either self-publish or get an American publisher that will really go to bat for them. OFP:E did not get a fair shake, here.

[maxqubit]

Give a UT pc gamer OFP on pc and he/she will do the same. Running, trying to frag, etc ... One has to get used to playing OFP 'in the right way', has imho NOTHING to do with pc vs console players.

[Rheat]

Might be true but anyway i think tactics and realism have it's roots in pc games but the reason for this might be that tactic  and realism have established much earlier on pc than on consoles so it migth just take more time for the consoles to realise how spectacular and enjoable it is not only to run through maps an frag everything that gets in sight. but for the ut gamers thats just the fact of different genres but ut pc gamers know that there are tactical games for the pc available, but prefer to play the "more simple structured games" but for the consoles this might be the first time ever that tactic shows on this platform  so it might just take a while... maybe there will be tons of tactical games after ofp:e... we'll see... http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/wink_o.gif

[Eda Mrcoch]

It's enough to make me want to disown America and move to the Czech Republic. The women there are more beautiful, anyway.
Hands away from our women. http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/mad_o.gif http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/tounge2.gif


But let me shift a topic to broader spectrum. Is gaming community as the whole really worth OFp? I really do see realism oriented games as a minority genre still. We may not like it, but we're to be in ghetto like hardcore strategs or fly-sim maniacs.

Even the original reviews from 2001 stated their opinions like "sometimes too realistic to be fun", "for hardcore military freaks" etc. It was only more polite (as I see the PC scene more "mature") saying that this is not game for massive audience - xbox's kiddie oriented reviewers istead of it say "boooring..." as percentage of "realism freaks" on consoles seems to be insignificant. (I have to admit that the fact of million copies sold on PC still puzzles me. But then again, how many of the million didn't throw it away after finishing CWC?)

[Bronco Six]

As a new player to OFP:E, I have stayed out of the debate. But this thread has piqued my interest so I am offering my $.02.

OFP:E lacks the features needed to attract the average console or PC gamer who are interested in the run-and-gun mentality. However, if you are looking for a real-world sim that reponds to real-world tactics and techniques, OFP is the game for you. What separates OFP is the mission editor, which allows for the creation of infinite numbers of missions covering every possible objective.

Our game Group (TACtical SIMulations OPerations GROUP on Yahoo) has been playing GR and R6 but we are seeing a major shift toward OPF:E due to the many features the game offers tatically minded players. We prepare elaborate real-world missions with objectives within the limitations of the mission editor and have had great success. missions are tense, the realism (within game context) is very high and the results satisfying.

The only regret for console gaming is the lack of the ability to synchronize reactions by the AI enemy. This can be overcome with creative waypoint manipulation.

I hope to see expansion of the OFP:E in the future and hope that Bohemian makes a pile of money so as to justify releases of more games like OFP in the future.

Bronco Six
Marauders Tactical Training

[Coffin Joe]

Give a UT pc gamer OFP on pc and he/she will do the same. Running, trying to frag, etc ... One has to get used to playing OFP 'in the right way', has imho NOTHING to do with pc vs console players.
Thank you. I love Halo but that doesn't mean I won't like this just as much. I know they're two totally different experiences in the FPS(for the most part) genre. I want a quality experience, Halo delivers it and Elite sure as hell looks like it will too. Just need to get my hands on some damn cash!

[colt]

Consoles are dominated by First person, shooters, sport games and racing games. When something like OFP comes along it's going to pique a lot of interest - First person!, military!, get in any vehicle! Live enabled!

The trouble is (but a good thing for thoses intereted in sims) is that OFP is uncompromising. If you can kill the enemy with
one shot,then they can kill you with one shot and they don't have to be 20 yards from you to do so.

Ultimately OFP is a sim. Sims are niche markets. The difference is that OFP is essentially a first person game/sim and because of that premise, it a a very attractive game purchase and will draw a great many people in, but as soon as some of those people realise the nature of the game (sim) it's going to be frustrating for them and result in "pissed off comment on message board #32131" Look how many reviews have catogorised OFP:E as a First Person Shoot 'em up.

What I'd like to see is magazines, when faced with the prospect of reviewing a game that that isn't the usual console fodder, is to call in a freelancer who specialises in reveiwing that particular games genre.

[dogtagz]

You guys all bring up very valid points, but are missing something huge in the mix. This game is doomed to fail if the distributers(codemasters) fail to get their product out to the masses. So don't worry about the ratings and the conversions, because it all means squat if you can't even play the game at all to find out for yourself whether or not its worth it. People in the UK and the US have been playing this game since Nov 7th and yet most of Canada and alot of places in the US are still reporting NO GAME!!! So all your theories mean next to nothing because not enough people even have access to the game. This is very sad, because I hear great things about this game, but if they won't ship it to my country, then I can't be bothered to support them....

[Rheat]

Yeah you're right on that, but it was not the fact i was aming on by opening this topic, but lets hope codemasters ships it over to as many as countries as possible so they make plenty of money to get armeda finished and "ofp2" on the road. http://forums.bistudio.com/oldsmileys/biggrin_o.gif