That said, my post was not meant as a whine, nor as PC/console elitism (I own both of course)
And I am perfectly willing to be corrected if it is true that there is no crossover between the PC and Xbox version - that both games are essentially different, with different code and mechanics etc And that any similarity is only superficial.
Just struck me that if there were any sense in which testing a PC game could help perfect a game in time for Xbox 360, this PC paid beta to Xbox gold idea seems to be an interesting one, which takes advantages of the particular character of PC gaming. We may come to see more of it, especially if there is a future for MMORPGs on the Xbox.
That said, my post was not meant as a whine, nor as PC/console elitism (I own both of course)
And I am perfectly willing to be corrected if it is true that there is no crossover between the PC and Xbox version - that both games are essentially different, with different code and mechanics etc And that any similarity is only superficial.
Just struck me that if there were any sense in which testing a PC game could help perfect a game in time for Xbox 360, this PC paid beta to Xbox gold idea seems to be an interesting one, which takes advantages of the particular character of PC gaming. We may come to see more of it, especially if there is a future for MMORPGs on the Xbox.
Although I am sympathetic with your original thoughts OP, it just doesn't work that way. I understand where the idea is coming from but if they do make a cross between the 360 and the PC then it's a bit more complicated then people are thinking.
FC didn't release the game early purposefully to have people test the game for the 360... like others have said, both will have different designs. A 360 simply can't handle the game's size and specific elements. Saying this with complete honesty and as a neither a fan or hater, FC released the game early because they know how to make people buy a load of crap. They've found that it's more beneficial to lie to the public because, it's true, we're sheep. We'll buy anything as long as they tell us it's gold. The angry ranters here only make a percent (if even) of AoC's former subs, and it's success isn't reflected on how finished it is or how happy it's customers are; it's based on how many people bought the game and how many are still subbed. Despite angry players here might believe, they probably still have at least half of 700k, which is pretty damn good for an MMO launch. And the sad thing is, despite how manipulative and derivative FC is, they will be successful. And their numbers will simply grow by the time the game is really finished.
I personally find all of this "testing for the 360" stuff nonsense. First of all, MMOs are not popular at all on consoles. I have never heard of a semi-successful console MMO. It would be idiotic for a company to focus on having their MMO more successful on a console rather than a PC because it's a greatly smaller audience. Secondly, like I already said, the PC and the 360 versions will very most likely be of completely different design. Whether they can actually make the two games symmetrical seems very unlikely to me, but I won't doubt it's impossible; but unlikely. Most of all, we aren't testing the game for the 360 launch, which is still even questionable whether or not they do make a launch on the 360. We're testing the game because they knew that they would gain more money over the long run to work on marketting their game rather than actually fixing it.
While I think this "Beta for Xbox" idea is pretty outlandish... the growing pains being experienced by the PC AoC community right now will benefit the Xbox Live users. Beta isn't just about fixing graphical bugs, etc... its about balancing and tweaking gameplay based on user feedback. Which is exactly what is happening now. Also, the work going into debugging the entire client will have positive effects on the Xbox version. Lets not forget that the Xbox is a directx9 console running a form of windows 2k... Hence the name Xbox "from DirectXbox". The systems are very similar, and the rewritten, debugged, streamlined data being produced as a result of current testing will benefit the Xbox client.
But I agree that there will no doubt be a separate testing phase for the Xbox Version, which will likely be a simplified, cut down version of the PC release. You can bet stuff like voiceacting, etc will be cut. I'd also imagine the game would REQUIRE a hard drive (as many games do) and a small install, perhaps 5-7gb will be required. That along with the 7gb of data on the dual layer xbox dvd will suffice for a cut back version. The Xbox's graphical horsepower will be anough to play the game at good framerates without the caching of graphical data which is why AoC takes up 20-30gb on a PC. Also, the low resolution of televisions (incl. HD TVs) will aid performance.
The real story though is that AoC was released early because it made financial sense. Releasing 6 months before WotLK and WAR makes business sense. As does getting a cash injection now rather than in the future. Cash now is always worth more than cash later.
Comments
Love the concept of a "whine meme"
That said, my post was not meant as a whine, nor as PC/console elitism (I own both of course)
And I am perfectly willing to be corrected if it is true that there is no crossover between the PC and Xbox version - that both games are essentially different, with different code and mechanics etc And that any similarity is only superficial.
Just struck me that if there were any sense in which testing a PC game could help perfect a game in time for Xbox 360, this PC paid beta to Xbox gold idea seems to be an interesting one, which takes advantages of the particular character of PC gaming. We may come to see more of it, especially if there is a future for MMORPGs on the Xbox.
Love the concept of a "whine meme"
That said, my post was not meant as a whine, nor as PC/console elitism (I own both of course)
And I am perfectly willing to be corrected if it is true that there is no crossover between the PC and Xbox version - that both games are essentially different, with different code and mechanics etc And that any similarity is only superficial.
Just struck me that if there were any sense in which testing a PC game could help perfect a game in time for Xbox 360, this PC paid beta to Xbox gold idea seems to be an interesting one, which takes advantages of the particular character of PC gaming. We may come to see more of it, especially if there is a future for MMORPGs on the Xbox.
Although I am sympathetic with your original thoughts OP, it just doesn't work that way. I understand where the idea is coming from but if they do make a cross between the 360 and the PC then it's a bit more complicated then people are thinking.
FC didn't release the game early purposefully to have people test the game for the 360... like others have said, both will have different designs. A 360 simply can't handle the game's size and specific elements. Saying this with complete honesty and as a neither a fan or hater, FC released the game early because they know how to make people buy a load of crap. They've found that it's more beneficial to lie to the public because, it's true, we're sheep. We'll buy anything as long as they tell us it's gold. The angry ranters here only make a percent (if even) of AoC's former subs, and it's success isn't reflected on how finished it is or how happy it's customers are; it's based on how many people bought the game and how many are still subbed. Despite angry players here might believe, they probably still have at least half of 700k, which is pretty damn good for an MMO launch. And the sad thing is, despite how manipulative and derivative FC is, they will be successful. And their numbers will simply grow by the time the game is really finished.
I personally find all of this "testing for the 360" stuff nonsense. First of all, MMOs are not popular at all on consoles. I have never heard of a semi-successful console MMO. It would be idiotic for a company to focus on having their MMO more successful on a console rather than a PC because it's a greatly smaller audience. Secondly, like I already said, the PC and the 360 versions will very most likely be of completely different design. Whether they can actually make the two games symmetrical seems very unlikely to me, but I won't doubt it's impossible; but unlikely. Most of all, we aren't testing the game for the 360 launch, which is still even questionable whether or not they do make a launch on the 360. We're testing the game because they knew that they would gain more money over the long run to work on marketting their game rather than actually fixing it.
Well...
While I think this "Beta for Xbox" idea is pretty outlandish... the growing pains being experienced by the PC AoC community right now will benefit the Xbox Live users. Beta isn't just about fixing graphical bugs, etc... its about balancing and tweaking gameplay based on user feedback. Which is exactly what is happening now. Also, the work going into debugging the entire client will have positive effects on the Xbox version. Lets not forget that the Xbox is a directx9 console running a form of windows 2k... Hence the name Xbox "from DirectXbox". The systems are very similar, and the rewritten, debugged, streamlined data being produced as a result of current testing will benefit the Xbox client.
But I agree that there will no doubt be a separate testing phase for the Xbox Version, which will likely be a simplified, cut down version of the PC release. You can bet stuff like voiceacting, etc will be cut. I'd also imagine the game would REQUIRE a hard drive (as many games do) and a small install, perhaps 5-7gb will be required. That along with the 7gb of data on the dual layer xbox dvd will suffice for a cut back version. The Xbox's graphical horsepower will be anough to play the game at good framerates without the caching of graphical data which is why AoC takes up 20-30gb on a PC. Also, the low resolution of televisions (incl. HD TVs) will aid performance.
The real story though is that AoC was released early because it made financial sense. Releasing 6 months before WotLK and WAR makes business sense. As does getting a cash injection now rather than in the future. Cash now is always worth more than cash later.