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Chris Taylor (Total Annihilation, Supreme Commander): Piracy Made Us Do Console Ports

Borys

Banned
Another PC developer discovering the harsh reality of PC gaming: stupid warezing fucks that kill the very thing they 'love'.

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/36845/Chris-Taylor-Piracy-Made-Us-Do-It

IGN: There are a lot of RTS games being brought over to the console this year. Do you ever see the RTS being as big on the console as it is now on the PC?

Chris Taylor:Well one of the key things that is really affecting the economics and the success of gaming in general is piracy on the PC. So one of the reasons we'll see RTSs on the console is because people can't pirate it. That's why we're going to see a lot more of everything on the console. When you look at the sales of really hardcore games like Crysis and you think, "Wow, those games should have sold a lot more," you realize that's probably due in large part to piracy. And you realize that a game like Crysis would have done its true numbers if it had launched on console first.

It's just a good business decision to have your game of any kind on a console where you can't pirate it. When you start to refine the control system and you start to take away the barrier of the control system and you start to make that a non-issue, just like we did with first-person shooters, and it becomes more about the game experience and less about the interface, you start to go to the platform where the economics of where the gaming base is.

Thanks a lot stupid warezing fucks, in 5 years when there won't be a single PC exclusive title you will finally achieve what you dreaded.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
And we're off :lol
 

Ferrio

Banned
Borys said:
Thanks a lot stupid warezing fucks, in 5 years when there won't be a single PC exclusive title you will finally achieve what you dreaded.

Who cares if it isn't exclusive, the more who can play the better. As long as the PC version's quality isn't compromised it's all good.
 

evlcookie

but ever so delicious
Well you can pirate 360 games oh and wii games too. PS3 is the only console at the moment that is protected. You can't play pirated 360 games online but then again if you pirated it, you probably dont give a shit.

Starting to get sick of the piracy reason. PC games have been pirated for er ever? So why now is it all of a sudden the #1 reason for shitty game sales? And didnt TA actually sell well back in the day?

I really want to see numbers from audiosurf's sales from steam. Just curious about a few things.
 

WoWcraft

Banned
I'm pretty sure 360 modding is out there though it gets you banned from XBL.

Modding PS3 isn't possible right now... thanks to BluRay.
 

Danj

Member
Borys said:
Thanks a lot stupid warezing fucks, in 5 years when there won't be a single PC exclusive title you will finally achieve what you dreaded.

Why do we want PC exclusive titles?

EDIT:

Ferrio said:
Who cares if it isn't exclusive, the more who can play the better. As long as the PC version's quality isn't compromised it's all good.

This.
 

Shamrock

Banned
evlcookie said:
Well you can pirate 360 games oh and wii games too. PS3 is the only console at the moment that is protected. You can't play pirated 360 games online but then again if you pirated it, you probably dont give a shit.

Starting to get sick of the piracy reason. PC games have been pirated for er ever? So why now is it all of a sudden the #1 reason for shitty game sales? And didnt TA actually sell well back in the day?

I really want to see numbers from audiosurf's sales from steam. Just curious about a few things.


Well you can mod a 360, but it's by no means as easy downloading a torrent with a no cd crack. 99% of console owners have no idea how to flash DVD drives, solder chips, or whatever the fuck you need to do these days.

On top of this modded 360's can't be connected to live. Well pirates thought it could be connected to live until they got their consoles banned off live twice, once right before Christmas to.:lol
 

Ten-Song

Member
Ferrio said:
Who cares if it isn't exclusive, the more who can play the better. As long as the PC version's quality isn't compromised it's all good.

The quality will dip down though once 360 and PS3 become the lead platforms for all of these games that used to be big on the PC, and then all the PC gets is the gimped shitty console ports.
 

Borys

Banned
Danj said:
Why do we want PC exclusive titles?

To not get compromised by cramped architecture?

To not get compromised UI?

To push genres forward?

To push graphics as far as it can go?

Many, many reasons.

Teknopathetic said:
Borys's fanboy list wars.

Why don't you ban me already and be done with it?
 
evlcookie said:
Well you can pirate 360 games oh and wii games too. PS3 is the only console at the moment that is protected. You can't play pirated 360 games online but then again if you pirated it, you probably dont give a shit.
That really is the crux of it. I know people who pirate DS, Wii, PS2 and PC games. But they buy tons and tons of legit 360 games solely because you can't pirate 360 games and benefit from Live. Which this pirate is also happy to pay for. PS3s inhibitting factor after the big 2008 games will be piracy and that will be sharply contrasted with the demand for legitimate Blu Ray discs. Wii is at a lost cause now, if people can they will get it chipped and play for free.

Maybe we'll see a stalemate like with iTunes where publishers realise they are not meeting the demands of PC gamers' tastes and methods of delivery. The things stopping me buying COD4 right now is essentially the premium they're charging to offset the piracy.
 

lexi

Banned
I did my part in buying Supreme Commander.

Really, Steam is the only way to go for any significant money to be made in PC gaming. Even Steam games are pirate-able, but it's not exactly as easy as downloading a torrent and applying a patch. People buy stuff if they absolutely have to. I'd imagine a typical 16-28 year olds only PC game purchase in the last 12 months was Orange Box.

BTW somebody should tell Chris Taylor that RTS games on consoles suck.
 
He's totally right.

I fucking hate how many PC fans on the internet are so smug about "pirates rights" and piracy and all sorts of bullshit, anytime you bring up piracy as a huge factor in the death of PC sales a ton of people whine and cry about evil corporations and DRM and how its their divine right to "try before they buy" and people are forced into stealing luxury goods because hey whats the crime man dude

/rant off
 
I'm not really up-to-date on the whole warez scene, but titles that are released exclusively onto Steam (I'm sure there must be a few) do they end up as torrents? And if they do, is it on the same scale as a retail release would be?
 

Zaptruder

Banned
Chris. Face it. Your game was shit. I didn't have to pirate it; I played the demo and said; forget it!

And I bought Crysis. It's shit. Fucking trees everywhere.
 

Ghost

Chili Con Carnage!
Zaptruder said:
Chris. Face it. Your game was shit. I didn't have to pirate it; I played the demo and said; forget it!

And I bought Crysis. It's shit. Fucking trees everywhere.


Maybe true, but 5 years ago the shit would have sold a lot better. Shouldn't just be the AAA games that make money.
 

evlcookie

but ever so delicious
fizzelopeguss said:
Yes you bloody well can, if anything it's easier because 360 titles don't have cd keys.

It's true you can, i believe some anyway. But later on down the line you will get banned for it. I know people who have been banned and others who havent.
 
Piracy is still a problem, but then you have games like Sins of the Solar Empire wich have no protection whatsoever and they seem to do well enough. It's weird really.
 

Narag

Member
Prime crotch said:
Piracy is still a problem, but then you have games like Sins of the Solar Empire wich have no protection whatsoever and they seem to do well enough. It's weird really.

I'd think that is due to developers owning up and offering content compelling enough people are glad to pay for it.
 

lexi

Banned
Zaptruder said:
Chris. Face it. Your game was shit. I didn't have to pirate it; I played the demo and said; forget it!

And I bought Crysis. It's shit. Fucking trees everywhere.

This is a joke post, right? Supreme Commander is the benchmark for RTS's these days.
 

Zaptruder

Banned
lockii said:
This is a joke post, right? Supreme Commander is the benchmark for RTS's these days.

For a niche crowd maybe.

The only benchmark most people are gonna give a damn about will be Starcraft 2.
 

Kabouter

Member
lockii said:
This is a joke post, right? Supreme Commander is the benchmark for RTS's these days.
It is?
Personally didn't care for it.
I still don't believe in piracy being the main cause for these things btw, imho, a large part of it is a smaller market caused by consoles, people quitting gaming or hell, WoW. You know why Crysis would have sold huge if it had launched first on consoles? Because there's millions more hardcore action gamers there who can run the game.
 

Ghost

Chili Con Carnage!
lockii said:
This is a joke post, right? Supreme Commander is the benchmark for RTS's these days.

I think CoH would disagree.


I like SC but I dont see anyone copying the formula any time soon.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
lockii said:
This is a joke post, right? Supreme Commander is the benchmark for RTS's these days.

You spelled Company of Heroes wrong.
 

Ferrio

Banned
monkeylite said:
Total Annihilation isn't shit.

No it's not, but supreme commander didn't live up to TA's reputation due to it's performance and balancing issues.

Though I'm very excited about his next game coming up and will certainly buy it.
 

Kabouter

Member
thetrin said:
You spelled Company of Heroes wrong.
The fact that there's so much debate only goes to show that there just isn't a benchmark :p.
There's so many critically acclaimed RTS games. Be it the total war series, Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander or of course Starcraft.
 

lexi

Banned
Ghost said:
I think CoH would disagree.


I like SC but I dont see anyone copying the formula any time soon.

CoH is also great, don't get me wrong. It's fairly standard when it comes to UI though. Supreme Commander is a different breed of RTS though. It's TA on speed, and it's brilliant.
 

Ghost

Chili Con Carnage!
Ferrio said:
No it's not, but supreme commander didn't live up to TA's reputation due to it's performance and balancing issues.

Though I'm very excited about his next game coming up and will certainly buy it.


Space Siege? ;)
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
Kabouter said:
The fact that there's so much debate only goes to show that there just isn't a benchmark :p.
There's so many critically acclaimed RTS games. Be it the total war series, Company of Heroes, Supreme Commander or of course Starcraft.

No. It goes to show that some people are wrong. :p
 

Grayman

Member
Kabouter said:
It is?
Personally didn't care for it.
I still don't believe in piracy being the main cause for these things btw, imho, a large part of it is a smaller market caused by consoles, people quitting gaming or hell, WoW. You know why Crysis would have sold huge if it had launched first on consoles? Because there's millions more hardcore action gamers there who can run the game.
Those console and portable sales numbers must look really attractive to PC exclusive devs.
 

Hunahan

Banned
1) Denial
2) Anger/Resentment
3) Bargaining
4) Depression
5) Acceptance

It's good to see you move one tick up the list, bro.

Don't worry, it gets easier from here. :)
 

Kabouter

Member
Grayman said:
Those console and portable sales numbers must look really attractive to PC exclusive devs.
Exactly. Especially if those sales numbers come from the same genres they're active in. I mean, it's obvious that a developer like Paradox Interactive isn't really looking at home consoles (though possibly DS). But you can bet that GSC Game World is more than a little interested in console development. Mind you, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. did really really well, but it could have done a lot better still had it (also) been on 360/PS3.
 

Vorador

Banned
Is more like "We haven't sold as much as we wanted, time to blame piracy and make a downgraded port on a console than doesn't have pirac...wait"

Doesn't Chris know than the 360 can be pirated? Just lol.

It's probably true that he could get more sales on consoles, but that excuse is so old and used it just sounds fake.
 

thetrin

Hail, peons, for I have come as ambassador from the great and bountiful Blueberry Butt Explosion
The bullshit line that console is piracy free is ridiculous. I know more console pirates than PC pirates.
 
Personally I think the market's biggest problem aside WoW or piracy is being too diverse, it's hard to make a game that will appeal to every fanbase or niche market. When you have an instal base like the 360 a high quality action game like COD4 will sell crazy ammounts while other genres might not even reach a fraction of those sales.
Not to mention availability, Steam being a good example on that aspect.
 

Grayman

Member
Kabouter said:
Exactly. Especially if those sales numbers come from the same genres they're active in. I mean, it's obvious that a developer like Paradox Interactive isn't really looking at home consoles (though possibly DS). But you can bet that GSC Game World is more than a little interested in console development. Mind you, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. did really really well, but it could have done a lot better still had it (also) been on 360/PS3.
Oh it definitely would have been better or added to sales. There is an example in the other thread of 2007 pc game sales(NPD i think) 5. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – (Activision) – 383K
That game did what 2 million on consoles in 2007? Piracy is in part just being used as a complaint. It was always there but it's more recently that it's getting made into a reason to not make PC games.
 
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