Given that both Crytek's new game engine and Id Tech 5 are multi-platform engines aimed at both PC and consoles it's hard to understand Pitchford's point. The thought that "Oh my God, Rage may take more than one disk on the 360" falls a little flat given the long history of console games that *are* on more than one disk... as for me, I like terribly expensive PC hardware and I plan to load them both up on my gaming rig and play. I do wonder if he is pushing his opinion out there more or it's just that more people are paying attention to him / Gearbox courtesy of Borderlands...
Gearbox Boss Says id, Crytek are "Risking Failure"
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
It doesn't really matter that Crytek or Id make games no-one can run properly, they are sellers of middleware and their games are impressive technology demos and a way to recoup research and development costs.
The games of Pitchfords own company use a game engine developed for hardware way beyond that available at it's creation (unreal engine 3). If these engine creating companies only developed for current hardware then a new console launch would be a very dull place while we wait for new game engines and the wait for old ones to be made to fit was long enough this time.
to those of you saying that graphics development has to stop at some point please bear in mind that people were saying this when full colour VGA first came out and then when the first 3dcard came out and then again just after Quake2's release. Would you really like it if graphics development had stopped in the late eighties just because we could draw very reasonable 2d pictures?
sure we might have had some games with wonderful stories and unique gameplay but just look up 'looking glass studios' of 'black isle' to see what origional development has earned games studios.
The games of Pitchfords own company use a game engine developed for hardware way beyond that available at it's creation (unreal engine 3). If these engine creating companies only developed for current hardware then a new console launch would be a very dull place while we wait for new game engines and the wait for old ones to be made to fit was long enough this time.
to those of you saying that graphics development has to stop at some point please bear in mind that people were saying this when full colour VGA first came out and then when the first 3dcard came out and then again just after Quake2's release. Would you really like it if graphics development had stopped in the late eighties just because we could draw very reasonable 2d pictures?
sure we might have had some games with wonderful stories and unique gameplay but just look up 'looking glass studios' of 'black isle' to see what origional development has earned games studios.
He's got a point:
constantly pushing the graphics envelope extends development time, reduces quality of the gameplay because the focus is making eye-candy, and pisses people off who buy an expensive video card only to have it choke 6 months down the line because it can't handle having all the bells and whistles turned on.
constantly pushing the graphics envelope extends development time, reduces quality of the gameplay because the focus is making eye-candy, and pisses people off who buy an expensive video card only to have it choke 6 months down the line because it can't handle having all the bells and whistles turned on.
Congrats you've made a amazingly fun game Mr. Pitchford, Borderlands is a fantastic game and all that but can you please stop bashing other companies/strats because it makes you look like an asshole.
I don't think Crytek or Id are exactly hurting for money considering they're making the games anyway. Their games sell very well despite them not being out for a wide array of systems.
Maybe Mr. Pitchford you should considering patching your amazing games shitty online for PC instead of bashing other companies methods; because while it's a fantastic game, it's still impossible to connect to anyone without 3rd party software. So your time might be better spent improving your game vs criticizing others methods. You say port forward, I say it doesn't work, fix it.
I'm not being sarcastic, Borderlands is fantastic game, but it has serious online issues with PC.
I don't think Crytek or Id are exactly hurting for money considering they're making the games anyway. Their games sell very well despite them not being out for a wide array of systems.
Maybe Mr. Pitchford you should considering patching your amazing games shitty online for PC instead of bashing other companies methods; because while it's a fantastic game, it's still impossible to connect to anyone without 3rd party software. So your time might be better spent improving your game vs criticizing others methods. You say port forward, I say it doesn't work, fix it.
I'm not being sarcastic, Borderlands is fantastic game, but it has serious online issues with PC.
Man, he needs to shut his mouth before it gets him in trouble.
I dont think he could stand up against Valve, Crytek, and id together.
I dont know much about Crytek, other than it made Crysis, but I know that id and Valve make the FPS industry in their own specific fields of work, and I dont think Gearbox has much of anything to put them on the pedestal of being allowed to ***** at other companies.
Oh well, Im going to wait for what this loon says next, because we all know that he WILL say something else about how some company is screwing us/themselves over, even though hes not really in a position so be able to say that (borderlands does not give him the right to do it)
I dont think he could stand up against Valve, Crytek, and id together.
I dont know much about Crytek, other than it made Crysis, but I know that id and Valve make the FPS industry in their own specific fields of work, and I dont think Gearbox has much of anything to put them on the pedestal of being allowed to ***** at other companies.
Oh well, Im going to wait for what this loon says next, because we all know that he WILL say something else about how some company is screwing us/themselves over, even though hes not really in a position so be able to say that (borderlands does not give him the right to do it)
On this occasion I think he's actually got a point, developers like blizzard are know for making things that work on a lot of PCs (if I remember rightly) and it hasn't done then any harm. And seems a much wiser strategy then swinging for the latest hardware only gamers.
Seriously Randy, you're named after having a boner.
(a) Crytek said some time ago they would develop for consoles from here on in, so that point, aside from illustrative purposes, is irrelevant.
(b) John Carmack is a pioneer, who doesn't need the money (dude designs rockets as a hobby); the Tech 5 engine, from a technical and artistic perspective, looks fantastic. There are scores of current generation engines out there, why should id bother to make another one of those? So you can feel less inadequate, is an answer that springs to mind.
Learn to close your mouth, Randy, it stops the drivel coming out.
(a) Crytek said some time ago they would develop for consoles from here on in, so that point, aside from illustrative purposes, is irrelevant.
(b) John Carmack is a pioneer, who doesn't need the money (dude designs rockets as a hobby); the Tech 5 engine, from a technical and artistic perspective, looks fantastic. There are scores of current generation engines out there, why should id bother to make another one of those? So you can feel less inadequate, is an answer that springs to mind.
Learn to close your mouth, Randy, it stops the drivel coming out.
I'm sure Carmack knows a little more about "which engine I should use" then this tool does.
Considering he basically invented the concept.
I'm tired of seeing the word "Gearbox" in the news. It always seems to be this guy yelling at better game developers.
Considering he basically invented the concept.
I'm tired of seeing the word "Gearbox" in the news. It always seems to be this guy yelling at better game developers.
Wait, is borderlands on a console??? Hmmmmm. Also, Crysis didn't really need to be on consoles, and is better off as a PC exclusive. A PC can just have so much more. 
They also made the Half-life Console Ports, the Half-life Expansions, made Counterstrike into a retail game, and made the expansion to that expansion. They also made the Brothers in Arms series. They also made the Halo PC/Mac Ports.MaxTheReaper said:
There main games of note were the Brother In Arms games before Borderlands, and they're making the Aliens: Colonial Marines game.
From what I can see, they're BASICALLY the Obsidian Software to Valve's Bioware. They mostly pick up the scraps from Valve, do sequel/expansion work for them that Valve can't be bothered with, and occasionally crap out a pretty good game using the same engines used by Valve.
So take that info as you will. Considering his company doesn't make engines themselves, he seems to be quite literally biting the hands that feed him.