Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 14th Feb 2013 20:21 UTC
"Valve today announced the release of its Steam for Linux client. In celebration of the release, over 50 Linux titles are now 50-75% off until Thursday, February 21st at 10 AM PST. The Steam client is now available to download for free from the Ubuntu Software Center. Ubuntu is the most popular distribution of Linux used by millions of people globally and known for its well-designed, easy-to-use customer experience." The beginning of the Steambox. We're on the cusp of a sea change in the gaming world.
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RE[4]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?
by WereCatf on Fri 15th Feb 2013 07:01
in reply to "RE[3]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?"
Member since:2006-02-15
Gameplay is king. Unfortunately it would seem that the "AAA" studios have forgotten all about this and instead seems obsessed with vfx masturbation, DLC in favor of actual content and never-ending sequels.
Some of them, yes, but "vfx masturbation" does not necessarily mean the lack of everything else. Out of the top of my head some of the best AAA-games in my collection are Batman: Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, Skyrim, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Fallout 3, Guild Wars 2, Far Cry 3 and Sid Meier's Civilization V and while all of them do support DLCs they all offer compelling features, 50+ hours of gameplay -- some of them even hundreds of hours of gameplay -- and still manage to do this "vfx masturbation" you mentioned.
I know very, VERY few Indie-studios that can manage anything similar; really, the only one that comes to mind is CD Projekt Red with The Witcher. I don't know if The Witcher 2 would count as indie any longer as the studio grew so much after the success of the first game in the series.
And here we come to the point I have been trying to make: Indie-games are all fine and good and I'm happy for the people who like those games, but they are not a panacea to all of our gaming needs. These studios just do not have the resources to make the kinds of games I'd like, and I ain't the only one out here.
RE[5]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?
by shmerl on Fri 15th Feb 2013 08:18
in reply to "RE[4]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?"
Member since:2010-06-08
CDPR is the perfect example. Independent company that made outstanding games, which are way better than many so called "AAA" titles. They spend a lot on making them, but nowhere near some crazy millions which some companies spend (to only produce some mass market junk).
Edited 2013-02-15 08:21 UTC
RE[5]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?
by Soulbender on Fri 15th Feb 2013 10:20
in reply to "RE[4]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?"
Member since:2005-08-18
Yeah, obviously not ALL "AAA" games are bad but you got to admit that many are and there have been some spectacular misfires as of late.
and still manage to do this "vfx masturbation" you mentioned.
Nah, those games are obviously NOT vfx masturbation since they're, you know, good.
but they are not a panacea to all of our gaming needs. These studios just do not have the resources to make the kinds of games I'd like, and I ain't the only one out here.
I see your point but it's also kinda like saying that you need big budget record companies to make good music.
RE[5]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?
by shmerl on Fri 15th Feb 2013 18:52
in reply to "RE[4]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?"
Member since:2010-06-08
Here is an interview with one of the CDPR managers where he speaks about importance of staying independent from big publishers:
http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2013/02/11/we-are-re...
Edited 2013-02-15 18:52 UTC
RE[5]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?
by zima on Tue 19th Feb 2013 22:33
in reply to "RE[4]: If you build it, they will come..... maybe?"
Member since:2005-07-06
I know very, VERY few Indie-studios that can manage anything similar; really, the only one that comes to mind is CD Projekt Red with The Witcher. I don't know if The Witcher 2 would count as indie any longer as the studio grew so much after the success of the first game in the series.
I would hardly ever call CD Projekt "indie" ...they are one of the biggest (quite possibly the biggest) local game distributors of the past decade+ in their home country, PL - and yes, that includes largely AA titles. Also big localisation projects (think RPGs like Baldur's Gate or Planescape Torment), that's how their own game development studio got really started.
Witcher was a game that took almost a decade to make, on & off (I saw some first screenshots in 98 or so, in a gaming magazine; looking a bit like Die by the Sword back then) - hardly any real indie would have a chance to do a game for that long. Also, its story & world aren't original - the game is based on locally quite popular book series; there was even a (horrible, don't even try) Witcher/Wiedźmin TV series.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2005-08-18
That sounds just like a lot of "AAA" game to me....
Gameplay is king. Unfortunately it would seem that the "AAA" studios have forgotten all about this and instead seems obsessed with vfx masturbation, DLC in favor of actual content and never-ending sequels.