State of the games industry

[interstat]

Having just played the new Unreal game (sorry guys but I was a big fan of the orginal game before seeing the error of my ways by playing Flashpoint), and turns it out its all eye Candy, point shoot, point shoot. I vented my rage over at the Unreal 2 forum, and saw many other people becrying the lack of gamplay and imagination.

The fact that Unreal 2 was lacking in imagination and bugs (been in development for many years) got me thinking about the whole games industry at the moment, especially with a new flood of FPS coming out soon, Black Hawk Down, Unreal 2, Doom III and Project IGI. It seems that gameplay is still not in developers minds, apart from Flashpoint I can't think of a challenging and revolutionary type of game in terms of gameplay since Half-Life.

The lack of support for these heavily beta-stage games that get released at the moment, emphasis on graphics not gameplay and the high-price for a PC games seems to me as a damning indictment of the games industry.

Maybe I'm wrong, would be great if others were to share their viewpoints on this, or let me know about some very playable games out there that are getting ignored.

Discuss?!

[Tex [USMC]]

This should've gone in Offtopic, but you make some good points. As gaming has become a bigger and bigger business, developers have stopped thinking in creative or quality terms, and more about what will make them the most money. Luckily, there's still developers out there (like BIS) who can buck the trend, but because they aren't interested in catering to the mainstream (the same mainstream that made the Sims and its many patches -I mean expansion packs- the best-selling game ever), they will never get the success or support they deserve.

[interstat]

Totally agree, the other thing as well, the type of people that buy the big selling titles aren't intersted in actually playing a mission like Assasination in Red Hammer (Just an example) with one save point, because its too testing.

With our 15 minute segment society, patience and mental thinking is not thought of highly. The amount of wasted Cd's and plastic that has gone to make up the games industry is shocking.

The Sims fragged and body bagged would be nice site, he, he, he!

[Placebo]

Moving to OT

[Antichrist]

I won't be so sure about BIS not getting support they deserve. They already have quite a huge following and doesn't look like its going to diminish.

[Renagade]

however,stifling forum rules and lack of marketing means it isn`t has :/

[edit] the games industry will probably go the same way as the music industry

[Othin]

I think the games industry is still in a state of flux as they transition from a single or small scale MP state of design to a large Massivily Multiplayer Online one. Not to say that single player games will disappear, but multiplayer is where the money is.

Look at the Sims. Here was a game that was making money hand over fist as a single player experience, but someone decided they knew better, and came out with Sims Online.

I'm not really impressed with the majority of games that have come out lately though. I hold Fallout (1&2), Ultima VII, and Daggerfall as examples of games where you could do almost anything you wanted, and interact completely with the environment. For the most part this has been laking in the majority of games from the last few years. Notable exception would be Morrowind.

I think games have had enough eye candy for the time being, it's time to return to substance and interactivity. Bring back our Ultimas, our Fallouts, our Wing Commanders, our Operation Flashpoints, and our Zorks. I think it's high time to put the game back in gaming.

[Jester983]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Renagade @ Feb. 11 2003,03:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">however,stifling forum rules and lack of marketing means it isn`t has :/

[edit] the games industry will probably go the same way as the music industry ***[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
So you mean soon well start seeing games advertising sex and drugs and everything else that the music advertises?

Because we are starting to see that. BMXXX shows scenes from strip clubs and GTA series have drugs in them etc.

You have a very good point.

I think its really a win win situation for the game developing companies and the video card developing. Because game developers are making their graphics much more demanding of our cards so the video card companies have to make new ones. Its all for money...

[Tex [USMC]]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Renagade @ Feb. 12 2003,00:55)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">however,stifling forum rules and lack of marketing means it isn`t has :/[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Yeah, except you ignore the fact that a very small fraction of the people who buy games ever actually register on official forums. So I&#39;d have to say you&#39;re just working on fulfilling your quota of petty bitching. Besides, the rules can&#39;t be that stifling if the Mods let you carry on in the incredibly annoying way that you do

[USMC Sniper]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Othin @ Feb. 12 2003,01:07)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I think the games industry is still in a state of flux as they transition from a single or small scale MP state of design to a large Massivily Multiplayer Online one. ***Not to say that single player games will disappear, but multiplayer is where the money is.

Look at the Sims. ***Here was a game that was making money hand over fist as a single player experience, but someone decided they knew better, and came out with Sims Online.

I&#39;m not really impressed with the majority of games that have come out lately though. ***I hold Fallout (1&2), Ultima VII, and Daggerfall as examples of games where you could do almost anything you wanted, and interact completely with the environment. ***For the most part this has been laking in the majority of games from the last few years. ***Notable exception would be Morrowind.

I think games have had enough eye candy for the time being, it&#39;s time to return to substance and interactivity. ***Bring back our Ultimas, our Fallouts, our Wing Commanders, our Operation Flashpoints, and our Zorks. ***I think it&#39;s high time to put the game back in gaming.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
What&#39;s wrong with eye candy? Considering technology is improving, theres absolutely nothing wrong with eye candy. Resistances graphics are okay, but not great, but its still is great fun. Morrowind has terrific graphics, and it&#39;s a great game. Smae goes for Mafia, IL2, FS2002, etc. It&#39;s not like good graphics are a sacrifice for gameplay. I bought U2 and I think it&#39;s a really fun game, who cares if it&#39;s point and shoot, technically OFP is the same, but U2 does it more simply. Plus good graphics add to the immersiveness of a game, and IMO that&#39;s very important. When a game has crummy graphics, and good gameplay, the gameplay will not make up for the feeling that it is just a game. That&#39;s why I didn&#39;t like the original OFP that much, since it felt a bit unpolished and all. Resistance improved the graphics, by many ways, and IMO gives me a better, more immersive experience.