S Park Finner
BetaMax.
191
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Posted - 2013.08.03 19:16:00 -
[1] - Quote
Regarding the original post...
The business relationships that underlie any ongoing endeavor virtually insure that CCP will not partner with SOE on the game engine.
In my opinion Sony have no motivation to provide support to a competitor. Beyond that, productizing any software is a significant effort. While I don't know how far along SOE is on those efforts for their platform I suspect going full boat to build it for and external partner would be a big additional effort.
For CCP's part, they have made commitments of time, money and relationships GÇô many of which are not in-and-of-themselves bad GÇô that would be very difficult to back out of. The choice of Unreal and building it as the endpoint of their development tool chain is one example. It is a well regarded engine that will be on the PS4 and which has many exemplars of successful games. It also has many well-known drawbacks. But CCP signed up for it and that's what they have to deal with.
At any rate, we can say Gǣdump it and do GǪ whateverGǥ but we all know, deep down, that real life isn't that easy.
To the somewhat larger issue...
CCP screwed up. A few months ago I wrote this...
[required snark]
I can see the meeting where DUST 514 got green-lighted. "Let's see... we'll build our fist FPS, our first console title, the first FPS linked real-time to a PC MMO, our first development studio in the Far East, we'll build the studio from scratch, and we'll use a game engine we've never used before. Any of you guys know how to manage all that? No worries, what could go wrong?"
[/required snark]
Well, we're where we are now because, I believe now, there was more truth to this than I really had information to back up when I wrote it.
But for me the real question is if CCP have the resources and will to stick it out. I just don't know the answer to that. CCP have a track record of being tenacious. But they have a lot of irons in the fire and there's only so much time and money to go around.
Back in the closed beta I wrote that CCP really gets two shots at success. First, is the PS3 launch. Second is the PS4 launch. That's different than GÇ£If we don't see a lot of change in 1.4 (or 1.5 or whatever) DUST is done.GÇ¥ Even if DUST 514 limps along with 6-8K different players per day and CCP sticks with it there is a chance they can re-launch on the PS4 and make a long term go of it. There's even a chance that it will slowly build on the PS3 as development continues.
We've seen in this thread where folks have said they stick with the game because of all the effort they've put into it so far and the hope that CCP will press on and, eventually, deliver on the promise of the game.
Other folks have said they're not sure why but they really like playing. Maybe it's flogging Flaylocks, blasting around in LAVs or putting together a squad that stomps the other team even when that other team uses all the cheap tricks. But they are all having fun.
We've also seen a lot of GÇ£DUST 514 is dead GÇô move on. You are wasting your time.GÇ¥ posts. That's fine if, as an individual, that's the way you feel. But I have more faith in player's ability to make their own decisions about these things. Gamer's don't, in my opinion, have to be beaten into leaving. If a player finds a reason to stick with the game they know it. If they don't like it they know that too. If there are other games they might like better it's not like they won't hear about them. Let them decide on their own.
CCP is in trouble with DUST 514. I believe they have the potential for turning the game around. Even it it takes a long time and doesn't happen until they commit to the PS4. But to do that they have to keep it alive. And what I don't know is if the players will give them the chance to do that and if they have the will and the resources to make it happen. |