Bethesda: Consoles to be the lead platform for Skyrim, aim to make it ?really accessible?

[Choppaduel]

my reaction to the thread title

[hr]

Now my day is ruined.

You and me both.
[hr]

oh fuck
first Duke Nukem and now The Elder scrolls getting dumbed down!

I know right, wtf games industry? also, so the console fans don't get pissy, lets just call it "consolized" which means the same thing, but for some reason is less inflammatory.

 

[Draitheryn]

As a pc gamer I loathe dumbing things down, modding usually doesnt help. All I can say is I will reserve judgement, bathesda has been a fairly solid company thus far, I will just have to have faith they dont mess up.

 

[w00tage]

Consoles more accessible?! Heheheh..
You can't get less accessible than the PC version, because the consoles don't have the ingame console.
It's pretty damn hard if not impossible to fix the inevitable broken quests on the consoles.
Add to that the community bug fixes the PC will get as soon as the SDK is available,as well as the patches taking about 10 times as long to get out for consoles.

Consoles are defenitely limited by control scheme, don't believe me?

The PS3 has exactly 6 axises and 12 buttons on a controller.
The Xbox 360 has exactly 6 axises and 12 buttons on a controller.
The PC has exactly 104 buttons and 3 axises on a Standard controller.

let alone gaming mice and keyboard macros and extra buttons. My mouse has 6 extra buttons.
Although i suppose you could make the console support the keyboard and mouse, they both have USB 2.0.
But that wouldn't be playing on a console. That would be playing on a limited upgradeable PC without the in-game console.

Although the consoles graphics will probably look at least somewhat similar at launch, as soon as the modding begins, higher resolution textures will make it into the pc version.

Have you looked at modded oblivion screenshots?
They look so much better than the console oblivion screenshots there is no comparison.
And on top of that the pc usuallly gets higher framerates in modern games too.
Is the PC version going to be better?

I don't have to tell you. I only have to show you all the known facts.
Cheers.

I seriously believe that it was the console companies' get-rich-quick peripheral money grab scheme that's responsible for all differences between PC and console versions, and in turn, the entire PC vs console war. Had they not gone the "upsell controllers as peripherals" route and enabled mouse/keyboard/gaming keypad for consoles, then told you "use a meal tray or something on the couch", the games would be identical in design and there would be peace across the land.

 

[Irony's Acolyte]

Oh boy. As soon as I saw the title of this thread I knew the PC "Master Race" would be bitching and moaning about how one of their games would be "dumbed down" or something. Cry me a river, you've still got your precious mods out there. Go play with them.

I'm not usually one for schadenfraude, but certain PC gamers can get so smug and annoying, I can't help but smile a bit when they find a fly in their soup and flip out.

Edit: As yes, as for me, I really don't care. I'm going to be buying it for the 360 if I ever do grab it, so there isn't any imaginary value lost for me. Its not like the game is going to be playable by bashing the console against a wall or something, so it's probably still going to be great. The only reason why I wouldn't buy this is if I don't have enough money to spare. Otherwise I'm sure this will entertain me for hours like most of Bethesda's games have.

 

[DaHero]

http://www.gamersmint.com/bethesda-...m-for-skyrim-aim-to-make-it-really-accessible

Discuss.

remember the menu in oblivion? can't get much worse then that, so i'm not overly worried ^^ i'll just sit here and enjoy it on my pc. let the console players have their easy to use menus. i'll sit here smugly watching my superior graphics.

The graphics are going to be the same on the PC, without mods anyways.

pc versions of bethesda games usually gets higher resolution textures and higher screen resolutions then consoles. i don't see why it should be different now.

but good that you mention it.
i'll sit here smugly watching my superior graphics playing my free mods.

I sure hope so, and I hope the Nehrim modders take a crack at Skyrim too.

Is it bad that I prefer the mod to the actual game?

 

[zHellas]

Why do game companies bother with these statements? It's like they want to enrage the majority of the PC gaming community

Also don't care it should still be epic on whichever platform you buy it on.

Well, it is quite fun to seem them rage. /half-joking (Both poking fun here, and pointing out that it's fun to see people get angry over something... sometimes.)

And it probably will.

 

[4RM3D]

I had faith in Bethesda. Key word being HAD.

But then again, I wasn't particularly looking forward to Skyrim anyhow. So not a major loss.

 

[Ziel]

What surprises me is that people got laughed at for buying Oblivion for consoles due to the lack of mods. The mods make the game and the mods require PC, so for Bethesda to focus on the consoles again instead of going back to the PC makes me wonder if they have some way to get mods onto consoles this time around.

 

[Crazy_Man_42]

I love how if they design a game for the consoles and its on PC as well it's "dumbed down" and then seeing the PC fanboi's going into a major nerd rage.

What evidence besides it being designed for consoles makes a game "dumbed down" huh I really want to know give me ten reasons why its dumbed down if its designed for consoles.

 

[C95J]

Well, it's a good day to be a console gamer then I guess, my most wanted game of the year, and consoles are to be the lead platform.

 

[Inkidu]

PC gamers will get all the cool mods, so ultimately they'll end up with the better game.

Let's just hope it runs great on all platforms.

Nope they don't even have that. Bethesda made a big deal out of giving console players access to user mods.

 

[drizztmainsword]

As a total PC gamer, I find the amount of rage on this thread HILARIOUS.

Seriously, on what basis are you all thinking that this game is going to be "dumbed down" and a "shitty port." You're all focussing on the minutia of his words and taking them out of context. For instance, several people have mentioned how the dev said they were "getting away from stats" and are totally freaking out about that comment. They must have missed the very next sentence, saying that the stats are still there, they're still easily accessible, you just don't need to constantly interact with them to play the game. That's a GOOD THING.

I'll never understand people complaining about "streamlining" as a bad thing. A streamlined interface or control scheme is an interface that give you quicker access to the things and actions you want. Also, the effect of console's lack of buttons has been a net gain to gaming, as it has mandated the development of deep control schemes over broad control schemes.

For those of you who aren't familiar with those two terms in interface design, a broad interface has lots of actions each attached to their own buttons. An example of this would be an aircraft cockpit, or the WoW interface. A deep interface has less initial points of entry, but those points allow access to many actions. The "start" menu in Windows is an example of a deep interface; one button, but many actions inside of it.

Deep interfaces are good in games. We don't need a separate button for pulling a lever, picking something up, reloading, and talking to somebody. These are all interactions that can be placed behind one button. Having a button that makes you roll, stick to cover, and climb up ledges isn't simplification, it's good design.

 

[Ziel]

I love how if they design a game for the consoles and its on PC as well it's "dumbed down" and then seeing the PC fanboi's going into a major nerd rage.

What evidence besides it being designed for consoles makes a game "dumbed down" huh I really want to know give me ten reasons why its dumbed down if its designed for consoles.

Not that I expect Bethesda to release a crappy port, but...

1: Console hardware is from 2006. A badly ported game may lumber PC users with sub-par graphics due to catering to the weak hardware in consoles.

2: Control method. Keyboard aside, there are mice with more buttons than an Xbox/PS3 controller, plus mice give you more control than a joystick. A badly ported game may lumber PC users with a clunky interface and overly low difficulty due to catering to the lack of control you get on a console controller.

Again, I doubt Bethesda would make such schoolboy mistakes, but these are what worry PC gamers, I think.

 

[linwolf]

As a total PC gamer, I find the amount of rage on this thread HILARIOUS.

Seriously, on what basis are you all thinking that this game is going to be "dumbed down" and a "shitty port." You're all focussing on the minutia of his words and taking them out of context. For instance, several people have mentioned how the dev said they were "getting away from stats" and are totally freaking out about that comment. They must have missed the very next sentence, saying that the stats are still there, they're still easily accessible, you just don't need to constantly interact with them to play the game. That's a GOOD THING.

No that is a horrible thing, it makes me have less control over the game and that removes my fun.

I'll never understand people complaining about "streamlining" as a bad thing. A streamlined interface or control scheme is an interface that give you quicker access to the things and actions you want. Also, the effect of console's lack of buttons has been a net gain to gaming, as it has mandated the development of deep control schemes over broad control schemes.

For those of you who aren't familiar with those two terms in interface design, a broad interface has lots of actions each attached to their own buttons. An example of this would be an aircraft cockpit, or the WoW interface. A deep interface has less initial points of entry, but those points allow access to many actions. The "start" menu in Windows is an example of a deep interface; one button, but many actions inside of it.

Deep interfaces are good in games. We don't need a separate button for pulling a lever, picking something up, reloading, and talking to somebody. These are all interactions that can be placed behind one button. Having a button that makes you roll, stick to cover, and climb up ledges isn't simplification, it's good design.

Again all horrible.
Why press three buttons when one could do fine, it takes extra time and gives no benefit. Is it better for you go to menu just to go to inventory or journal if the keys i and j are free, no.
And one button to do multiple things have gotten me killed countless times in games, trying to hit the enemy but instead opening the chest behind him, trying to open a door but instead end up talking to the npc standing in front of it. All the time while having tons of keys that function could have be at instead. I have never thought that one button having two separate function have help the game it always end up being an annoyances I have to learn to work around.

 

[zerobudgetgamer]

You know, this line in the linked blurb got to me:

Bethesda will have to make sure they don?t alienate its established fan base in its quest to please the ?average person?.

It has Dragons! AND A LOT OF THEM!! The only way you could better please the "average person" is to have the dragons turn into beautiful, big-boobed human women for you to have sex with.

UI be damned, I've only got a PC, anyway, so this doesn't really "sway" my purchase decision in any notable direction.

 

[Quellist]

Yay! yet another franchise goes down the toilet to please the lowest common denominator. At least this time its one i don't care about personally but all the same i find this massively depressing

 

[Crazy_Man_42]

I love how if they design a game for the consoles and its on PC as well it's "dumbed down" and then seeing the PC fanboi's going into a major nerd rage.

What evidence besides it being designed for consoles makes a game "dumbed down" huh I really want to know give me ten reasons why its dumbed down if its designed for consoles.

Not that I expect Bethesda to release a crappy port, but...

1: Console hardware is from 2006. A badly ported game may lumber PC users with sub-par graphics due to catering to the weak hardware in consoles.

2: Control method. Keyboard aside, there are mice with more buttons than an Xbox/PS3 controller, plus mice give you more control than a joystick. A badly ported game may lumber PC users with a clunky interface and overly low difficulty due to catering to the lack of control you get on a console controller.

Again, I doubt Bethesda would make such schoolboy mistakes, but these are what worry PC gamers, I think.

Those aren't reasons to say that something is "dumbed down"

Yeah you can have improved graphics but that doesn't "dumbed down" a game you can still have a great game even with graphics that aren't the newest and greatest.

Yeah you have a little more control with the keyboard and mouse but that doesn't mean a game is "dumbed down" it just means you have a different way of controlling things with more buttons. Actually a console player would have to be smarter because he would have less buttons to work with and that would mean that he or she would have to do more for an action that a pc player can just hit a single button for.

These reasons are just differences between a console and a PC. Not reasons that say that a console designed game is "dumbed Down"

 

[zehydra]

Well earlier they said they wanted to somehow allow world building and modding on the console version or something like that.