Minecraft Getting Preferential Treatment From Microsoft

[Sixcess]

And we should be happy because...?

You should be happy because Notch used the fact that he has a lot more power than other indie developers to benefit the players of Minecraft on the 360. I'm sure Microsoft didn't want to do this, so I think Notch deserves kudos for twisting their arm into agreeing to it.

 

[Coldster]

I hope they keep doing updates every now and then to try and keep up with the still superior PC version of Minecraft. That would be nice.

 

[halfeclipse]

Microsoft's refusal to allow free updates to games has been a sticking point for a number of developers - such as Valve, which chose to simply stop supporting Team Fortress 2 on the 360 rather than charge for content updates. Gabe Newell went on label Xbox Live policies "a train wreck."

"Damnit man! If you wont accept this free ice cream without asking to pay for it, I'm not going to give you this ice cream at all!"

^--- That's what I believe most Xbox Live fans think of when they think of Valve refusing to update TF2.

It sucks we have to pay for major updates, however most Devs need to realize we are more than willing to pay for them if we like the game.

Seriously, I still don't see Valve's line of logic. "If you wont let us be generous to you we aren't going to give you what you want... Even if you're willing to pay for it."

the minimum price on the xbox live marketplace is $3 and TF2 has how many updates? People like TF2, but I don't expect they love it enough to pay in excess of $300 over the cost of a now free game.

 

[Baresark]

It's Microsoft's initial policy that is the reason no one should even support them. They release indie games for the sole purpose of exploiting them for money while simultaneously demanding control of how a company wants to generate content, their release schedule, and pricing. Furthermore, the practices are not only exploitative of developers who use their shitty service, it's also exploitative of customers who use their service. I would imagine that is also why your Windows 7 Mobile platform gets no support.

 

[superbowlbound]

One point not mentioned is that Minecraft was incredibly popular and purchased millions of times before release, so it has a different starting point then almost any other XBLA/indie game.

 

[josemlopes]

How much did Microsoft invested on the Xbox version of Minecraft? And how much did they invested on the Kinect support for Minecraft? How much did they invested in Fez? I think that solves everything, the xbox version of Minecraft probably only exists because Microsoft wanted it to exist and not because Mojang wanted to make the game for it.

 

[Veldel]

I bet Notch used a speech check at Microsoft it prob only had a 1% chance of sucssus and he nailed it lol


nk
OT: I didnt even relize the 360 version is out to busy with PC version but I think I will give it a try sense it will get its updates

 

[Dryk]

This will surely encourage more people to develop for XBLA as lead platform...

 

[ThePS1Fan]

And we should be happy because...?

You should be happy because Notch used the fact that he has a lot more power than other indie developers to benefit the players of Minecraft on the 360. I'm sure Microsoft didn't want to do this, so I think Notch deserves kudos for twisting their arm into agreeing to it.

So we should be happy the only way to get Microsoft to use good business practices is to just say fuck the smaller guys and let the market be controlled buy the rich ones? Isn't that the exact thing we've been trying to get away from recently?

 

[Grey Day for Elcia]

Minecraft on PC: mods, custom worlds, adventure maps and texture packs.

Minecraft on 360: .............

 

[Epona]

Microsoft's refusal to allow free updates to games has been a sticking point for a number of developers - such as Valve, which chose to simply stop supporting Team Fortress 2 on the 360 rather than charge for content updates. Gabe Newell went on label Xbox Live policies "a train wreck."

"Damnit man! If you wont accept this free ice cream without asking to pay for it, I'm not going to give you this ice cream at all!"

^--- That's what I believe most Xbox Live fans think of when they think of Valve refusing to update TF2.

It sucks we have to pay for major updates, however most Devs need to realize we are more than willing to pay for them if we like the game.

Seriously, I still don't see Valve's line of logic. "If you wont let us be generous to you we aren't going to give you what you want... Even if you're willing to pay for it."

I am not willing to pay for updates. Updates fix broken games, why would you have to pay for that? Even Microsoft doesn't charge for years of updates to Windows.

 

[Rainforce]

I hope they keep doing updates every now and then to try and keep up with the still superior PC version of Minecraft. That would be nice.

...and so the whole pc vs. console battle is decided.
OT: I don't own an Xbox, but wtf Microsoft. It's really as bad as all the paranoid people claim.

 

[barbzilla]

Slightly off-topic question to the people who bought Minecraft 360; can you play it offline? I've been burned before by content that can't be played offline like TMNT Arcade and, Bring Down the Sky (which keeps me from playing ME1 at all offline)

This sounds more like a DRM issue. Try transferring all of your DRM to your current console. I had that same issue with a few games recently, and this fixed it right up.

 

[Epona]

I am sure this free updates deal goes hand in hand with it being exclusive to the 360.

 

[Coldster]

I hope they keep doing updates every now and then to try and keep up with the still superior PC version of Minecraft. That would be nice.

...and so the whole pc vs. console battle is decided.
OT: I don't own an Xbox, but wtf Microsoft. It's really as bad as all the paranoid people claim.

Well, as a Xbox gamer, its true. We can't download the mods or of those texture packs. Plus it seems we can't actually do as much as we can in the Xbox 360 Minecraft. Maybe its just that they haven't updated it yet, but so far its true. That's all I meant.

 

[Worgen]

The lesson here is "don't release a game on the xbox arcade unless it has already sold a million copies" that way ms won't try and fuck you.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Microsoft's refusal to allow free updates to games has been a sticking point for a number of developers - such as Valve, which chose to simply stop supporting Team Fortress 2 on the 360 rather than charge for content updates. Gabe Newell went on label Xbox Live policies "a train wreck."

"Damnit man! If you wont accept this free ice cream without asking to pay for it, I'm not going to give you this ice cream at all!"

^--- That's what I believe most Xbox Live fans think of when they think of Valve refusing to update TF2.

It sucks we have to pay for major updates, however most Devs need to realize we are more than willing to pay for them if we like the game.

Seriously, I still don't see Valve's line of logic. "If you wont let us be generous to you we aren't going to give you what you want... Even if you're willing to pay for it."

I believe it's a matter of principle, Gabe doesn't like Microsoft, and who can blame him.

People love Valve for being incredibly consumer friendly, so they stick to those ethics.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

I'm just annoyed that the Xbox version of Minecraft is even a real thing. After making dozens of millions, Notch's top priority is getting the game on as many platforms as possible instead of finally starting to develop content at a not-snail-like pace.

P.S. Minecraft on the Xbox360 sucks.

How does it suck on the 360? Granted, I havent really played the game much, but I was considering picking it up on the 360, because one of my boys might really be interested in it. So, I am highly uninformed when it comes to the game. Any further input on that comment would be helpful, so I will know if I should spend any money on this or not.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

I'm just annoyed that the Xbox version of Minecraft is even a real thing. After making dozens of millions, Notch's top priority is getting the game on as many platforms as possible instead of finally starting to develop content at a not-snail-like pace.

P.S. Minecraft on the Xbox360 sucks.

How does it suck on the 360? Granted, I havent really played the game much, but I was considering picking it up on the 360, because one of my boys might really be interested in it. So, I am highly uninformed when it comes to the game. Any further input on that comment would be helpful, so I will know if I should spend any money on this or not.

It's a year-old, even more basic version of the game than it is already. Plus, the map is literally the size of a 1000x1000 square. You run into invisible walls if you try to leave that square.

That would be enough, but why stop there. I seriously doubt mods are present on the Xbox360 on any level. Minecraft without mods is seriously dull and shallow, unless you're into the creative mode.

As a personal pet peeve, I hate it when any sort of an FPS is being made on a console. The wooden aiming just kills me.

Ok, thanks. I was just curious.

 

[newwiseman]

I've been playing MineCraft using an xbox 360 controller and Pinnicle since I bought the game way back when it went beta has always worked great. That said I would never think of actually playing the game on the xbox, some people just must not have computers... how sad.