Volition Brings PC Development Back Home

[Andy Chalk]

Volition Brings PC Development Back Home

Red Faction: Armageddon [http://www.amazon.com/Red-Faction-Armageddon-Pc/dp/B003P9C6EQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300462816&sr=8-3] studio Volition isn't terribly concerned about piracy on the PC, saying it's focused first and foremost on making a game that's actually worth stealing.

PC versions of Volition games have been rather dodgy affairs in recent years. I didn't take Red Faction: Guerrilla [http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Row-2-Pc/dp/B0016Q4UJE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1300462874&sr=8-3] and it just wasn't quite fully baked. Volition believes that a lot of those quality issues are a result of the games being ported by external studios and as the saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.

"Some people say PC is dying. Some people say PC is the future. PC is the most variable, because it depends on what you've got under the hood," Studio Manager Eric Barker told Eurogamer [http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-03-17-volition-pc-still-worth-investing-in]. "For us, the key thing was making sure the PC version was done in-house."

"You should see [the PC version of Red Faction: Armageddon], it looks absolutely beautiful. If you've got a great graphics card it looks fantastic. We definitely believe PC games are great and if they're done right and done well by a studio, they're phenomenal," he continued. "There's a lot of debate and discussion. I can't predict the future, but I'm really happy with how Red Faction: Armageddon looks on PC. It's beautiful."

Barker also said that Volition has a circumspect attitude toward piracy, the notorious PC bugbear that other studios have cited as a reason for stepping back from the platform. "I don't think [piracy] is something at the forefront for us," he said. "First and foremost, we want to make sure we're making a game people would want to pirate. Let's make a game that's worth stealing, and then we'll worry about making sure they don't."

Red Faction: Armageddon comes out on May 31 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.


Permalink

 

[ddq5]

"First and foremost, we want to make sure we're making a game people would want to pirate. Let's make a game that's worth stealing, and then we'll worry about making sure they don't."

<3 Volition!
If all developers thought like this, we'd actually get awesome games instead of mediocre ones with draconian DRM.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

I just hope this doesn't get boring as fast as Guerrilla did...

 

[Auxiliary]

Making a game worth stealing should be any developers first goal, QFT.

@HankMan, only RTS are truly suited to the pc and the rest is for consoles?

I can't disagree more with you there.

-RTS: PC and I wouldn't mind trying it on a touchpad either, but generally those are too weak..
-Simulations: Pretty much all simulation games are fun on the pc.
-Shooters: They are nice on the console, but you can never reach the level of the pc.
-RPG: Any RPG with a bit of depth will player nicer on the PC, due to easier handling of menus.
- ETC

I only prefer racing games, fighting games and family games on the consoles generally. But I figure that not too far in the future I can just plug 4 gamepads into the computer and link my desktop to my television to make up for that as well.

Back on topic, armageddon here I come.

 

[NLS]

Hope they eventually can get their hands on Freespace 3

 

[unwesen]

Barker also said that Volition has a circumspect attitude toward piracy, the notorious PC bugbear that other studios have cited as a reason for stepping back from the platform. "I don't think [piracy] is something at the forefront for us," he said. "First and foremost, we want to make sure we're making a game people would want to pirate. Let's make a game that's worth stealing, and then we'll worry about making sure they don't."

THIS! This is how devs should think!

 

[binvjoh]

Sweet! It might not have to buy Saints Row 3 on PS3 again then.

(Not that the PS3 version is bad, I just prefer playing my games on the PC)

Anyone else noticed that the news this week have made an awfull lot of sense?

 

[Bad Cluster]

Next step, Freespace gets revived! Multiple screens, in 3d could bring a whole new meaning to shield management and strategic maneuvering!

 

[WrongSprite]

Saints 2 was a great game, but the shittiest port ever. You couldn't drive without lag for fucks sake, worst optimized game ever. These guys better step up the game for saints 3.

 

[pytlo]

Most types of games are just better suited to consoles but PCs will always be the home of the superior RTS. Glad to see they're at least focusing on quality.

And FPS don't forget

 

[Reed Spacer]

I thought that said "Voltron" for a minute.

I was confused.

 

[danhere]

The only problem is that practically everything is "worth stealing." A better approach would be to aim to make a game that people see as "worth buying" even though they could easily get it for free.

The alternative would be to somehow break the game for pirated copies. Arkham Asylum tried this [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/10/eidos-intentionally-glitches-batman-arkham-asylum-pirates/], but I also believe that their implementation was bypassed (no source on that though). I also recall a section early in Mass Effect that would yield only a black screen when you attempted to load the galaxy map on a pirated copy. I'm not sure though if that was intentional on behalf of Bioware or if it was an error on the part of the crackers.

Either way, I enjoyed the mindless destruction in Guerilla enough to look forward to Armageddon and I would definitely buy/play it, time permitting.

 

[Baresark]

Most types of games are just better suited to consoles but PCs will always be the home of the superior RTS. Glad to see they're at least focusing on quality.

Too be honest, there isn't a game out there that couldn't be made superior in every way on the PC. Anything FPS or RTS is already there with the controls, and all other things can be done with a gamepad/360 controller. Add to that the technically much more advanced capabilities of a PC, the lack of storage media limit with digital distribution, and with a community invested much more into the production process and perpetuation of a good property/product.

And while piracy may have started on the PC, it's much easier to do on consoles at this point. There isn't a week that goes buy that I don't see a console release leaked early on the internet. The big PS3 Crysis 2 thing that is happening now.... I saw that yesterday for the PS3 on a torrent site.

I personally like to buy games, otherwise I find that I do not ever finish a game.

The alternative would be to somehow break the game for pirated copies. Arkham Asylum tried this [http://www.joystiq.com/2009/09/10/eidos-intentionally-glitches-batman-arkham-asylum-pirates/], but I also believe that their implementation was bypassed (no source on that though). I also recall a section early in Mass Effect that would yield only a black screen when you attempted to load the galaxy map on a pirated copy. I'm not sure though if that was intentional on behalf of Bioware or if it was an error on the part of the crackers.

This was actually a problem with the original crackers not testing the game enough. To add to your list, Assassin's Creed was broken with a bad crack. The game would crash as soon as you tried to enter Jerusalem (the last city). In all cases they were fixed, regardless. It's virtually impossible to break a game for pirates without breaking a game for people who buy it as well. Cracks are derived from the original .exe files, therefore using the resources as closely as possible to the original while removing the security layers. I have never tried it, I don't condone piracy, but it's pretty simple from my understanding.

 

[Waaghpowa]

If only every other developer had this mentality, worrying less about their game being pirated and focus on making a quality product. I can't say that I like most of their games, but you have to respect them for their dedication.

 

[cerebus23]

arkham asylum was worked around, but was amusing all the complaints about all the "bugs" people were experiencing because they had the unpatched pirated version.

the mass effect thing was a missed securerom check by the pirates.

now days tho the gfwl path release thing is almost pirate proof since it is expected that gfwl games will have a patch on release that makes the game complete.

make a great game and people will buy it. well some people still a ton of pure leechers that will pirate for pirating sake and never buy anything no matter how good or bad it is. having a fullproof online multiplayer component can push the purchase button if the mp is excellent.

wonder why more people do not use the ARMA fade protection, that is one protection that far as i know was never cracked fully, which wil cause the game to glitch for lack of a better term and cause all sorts of things to happen that are not always evident to crackers, it is also so difficult to sniff out for crackers that they just never bother to fully work out all the triggers. course if more games used it then pirates might focus enuf to defeat fully but who knows maybe it is that good that is really crackproof, or just the fact that only 3 games use it makes it not worth the effort to decompile it.

 

[Baresark]

now days tho the gfwl path release thing is almost pirate proof since it is expected that gfwl games will have a patch on release that makes the game complete.

I have heard this example as good anti-piracy before, but as far as I know, this is not true. Last I heard, Bulletstorm was the latest game to use that, and pirates didn't even need a crack to play that one. The only thing protecting games from piracy is a good online component.

But, there are lots of people like me that don't care too much about online at all. I won't play/buy a game that doesn't have a good single player with just two exceptions really. A good MMO and the Battlefield games are superior online FPS's. I understand they put a single player campaign into Bad Company 2, but I never touched it. I have been a devotee since playing Battlefield 2 Online.

 

[Natdaprat]

I love this stance on video game making and piracy. The bottom line is, if they focus on making a fantastic game, people will buy it. Don't spend all your time figuring out futile ways to stop people stealing it, especially if it's not even worth stealing because you spent the entire 2 years protecting it.

 

[ThePirateMan]

Most types of games are just better suited to consoles but PCs will always be the home of the superior RTS. Glad to see they're at least focusing on quality.

That is just.. madness.

I don't see how anything other then Street Fighter-type fighting games are better suited for the console.

I'd say that most things end up being personal preference and experience with either thing.

 

[ImprovizoR]

Let's make a game that's worth stealing, and then we'll worry about making sure they don't

I fuckin' love their attitude.
All I care about is Saints Row 3. Make an optimized game and I'll buy it instantly. Don't have to worry about pirates.