First Crytek no Id Software :S

**Salad Snake** · 07-13-2008, 01:54 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

I have nothing against consoles, but playing halo 3 yesterday made me realize once more how much better suited to FPS games a mouse is compared to a clumsy joystick controller. It's downright annoying to use them after playing PC FPS's so long.

**Eagle101** · 07-13-2008, 02:02 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

What i know is FPS, RTS are best plaed on PC, as well as PC has a lot better features than consoles. i.e. Internet, Mods, Add-ons, Multiplayer. I even played TPS (3rd person) on PC and enjoyed them more than console.

I too have nothing against consoles, as i own a PS3 and am a fan but i am more of a avid loyal fan to the PC though.

**Vreki** · 07-13-2008, 02:55 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Does any of you recognize this?

It is the Predator Prey cycle, one of the basic rules of nature.
As the population of predators increase, their prey will become more and more rare, leading to a drop in the predator population
With fever predators around, the prey population will grow againg, and the cycle starts anew.

What am I rambling about? Well, lets say that more and more predators are releasing mediocre games to a prey population of fixed size. As the market share available for each decrease, only those with the best games will survive, which leads to fewer new games, but hopefully better ones.
With fewer games being released, the potential market share for new games increase, attracting new predators.

IMHO what we are seeing is that the consoles has been starved for the FPS experience, while the PC has been saturated with big budget games that all need huge sales to be profitable. But only a few will make those sales.

So now they are screaming "piracy" and jumping to consoles en mass, which will lead to a reversal of the situation in a few years. What are they going to blame then?

**Eagle101** · 07-13-2008, 03:38 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Vreki, I applaud your post! Your explanation is great. I know understand what they (Game Developers) mean when they say "Piracy".

**=98=** · 07-13-2008, 03:46 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Well, piracy is a massive problem. It's not something they think about after the game has been released, they have to take it into effect when starting development. If they think the risk of piracy is too great and revenue is threatened, a project won't be backed.

Piracy isn't just the old 14 year old kid download through Bittorrent, it's the organised criminal gangs who copy games for sale in the Eastern Europe and Asian market and it's that, that really hits sales. I went to a Russian market in Poland where every other stall was selling dodgy goods.

So, just because you don't see the problem doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

**ResonanceG** · 07-13-2008, 03:52 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Working on my site I get to speak to alot of game companies. And to honest a lot pretty much say piracy is not a problem. Piracy only turns to be a problem when you start to tread over the user. Look at for example Sins of a Solar Empire. The game had no copy protection, but they sold the game fine and piracy was not to much an issue. Piracy will always happen, they will either have to adapt.. or die.

**=98=** · 07-13-2008, 03:54 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

I've never even heard of Sins of a Solar Empire. I suspect they have a more "loyal" customer base. The piracy problem lies with "blockbuster" style games like Crysis.

**ResonanceG** · 07-13-2008, 03:55 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Sins of a Solar Empire was a block buster. Well hit wise. It was 2nd top of the PC Gaming charts (NPD) for February this year.

**=98=** · 07-13-2008, 03:57 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

hmm... oh well. There is no way you can doubt that piracy had a massive impact on sales of Crysis. Although, it's both sides fault. People shouldn't pirate games, it's wrong but also, Crytek should known it was going to happen and protect it a bit more, probably with an online registration system like Steam.

**ResonanceG** · 07-13-2008, 04:00 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

I disagree. Protecting games to much hurts the legal buyers more than the pirates. Pirates don't have to really touch the copy protection, it's already been ripped out. Crysis got pirated a lot more than because the high system resources required. I know I was dubious about buying it, how would I know it would run on my system well. Plus how many of those pirates would of otherwise had to return the game? Crysis on PC still made a profit, and that's worth remembering.

**=98=** · 07-13-2008, 04:02 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Yes, but it wasn't the profit they forecasted and had they gone back, it probably wouldn't have justified the development of Crysis for PC only. But, yea, I do slightly agree with the system specs argument.

**Dairuka** · 07-13-2008, 05:04 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Originally posted by Alex98uk

I've never even heard of Sins of a Solar Empire. I suspect they have a more "loyal" customer base. The piracy problem lies with "blockbuster" style games like Crysis.

Sins of a Solar Empire sold almost as many copies as Call of Duty 4 has.

You probably never heard of them because 90% of those sales were through their online distributor Stardock Central. As we all know - online sales aren't counted in consensus. It was still #2 in the lame-*** NPD though. :shakehead:

It was an exceptionally low budget game too. Stardock and Ironhead didn't expect it to be quite this big.

The beauty is that with all the big-boys jumping ship, the little guys have a chance to shine again. It's the mid-90's all over again! :)

**Vreki** · 07-13-2008, 05:39 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

Originally posted by ResonanceG

Crysis got pirated a lot more than because the high system resources required. I know I was dubious about buying it, how would I know it would run on my system well.

Isn't that why they release demos? I know there was a Crysis demo available, so that is no excuse.

Originally posted by Alex98uk

Yes, but it wasn't the profit they forecasted and had they gone back, it probably wouldn't have justified the development of Crysis for PC only.

That fits well into my argument. They base their forecast on the game being a massive hit. Naturally only a few games will get that status, and the rest will be left with the numbers in red.
Add to that the growing numbers of games targeted at the same audience, and you will get a crisis even without piracy.
Basing everything on a best-case scenario is downright stupid.

I think they have fallen victim to Hollywood thinking, where you can have several blockbusters released in the same timespan. As long as they can afford it, people will go to the movies several times a month if there is something that interest them
Not so in the PC FPS world where people can invest hundred of hours in their favorite game. There is no need for a new FPS every month.
I don't think the marketing droids at the big companies really understand what they are selling.

**MrChris_CJ** · 07-13-2008, 09:26 AM

Re: First Crytek no Id Software :S

the sooner they all start using a centralised system or actual decent online delivery services such as Stardock and Steam then I would think things would get better

and if they stopped wasting time by making **** games, they finally realise they cant pedal the same low quality crap to pc gamers that they can to console ones

First Crytek no Id Software :S

First Crytek no Id Software :S

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