Time it takes to play a game

[supafly]

This is just a little rant, maybe you feel the same?

I remember gaming when younger on the Megadrive and SNES, you would insert cartidge, turn on, click start and within a few seconds you were playing.

Now, we have to:
i) load up Steam, Origin or whatever, wait for that to load, sometimes update usually a few minutes.
ii) load game (another few minutes even on SSD), perhaps another update is required.
iii) navigate your way through convoluted game menus to try and and actually start the game.
iv) try finding the needle in a haystack, the quit button in the menu when you want to finish playing.

And then you have random things like origin launching on one monitor, but wanting to play the game on another.

I was hoping to play some Battlefield 4, but after 10 minutes messing around I gave up and wrote this instead.

 

[EssexBoy]

sounds like a great night

 

[Kreeeee]

If you go back to consoles then the Switch is exactly like the experiences you had in the past, but often without cartridge swapping.

It sounds like your issue is with PC games rather than modern games.

I remember back in the day getting very annoyed at trying to get C&C working with my sound card via convoluted DOS commands.

 

[supafly]

Oh yes. Origin is now in offline mode. Uplay wants me to change the unique password I only use for that site, although it completed it's update!

 

[Malevolence]

This is just a little rant, maybe you feel the same?

I remember gaming when younger on the Megadrive and SNES, you would insert cartidge, turn on, click start and within a few seconds you were playing.

Now, we have to:
i) load up Steam, Origin or whatever, wait for that to load, sometimes update usually a few minutes.
ii) load game (another few minutes even on SSD), perhaps another update is required.
iii) navigate your way through convoluted game menus to try and and actually start the game.
iv) try finding the needle in a haystack, the quit button in the menu when you want to finish playing.

And then you have random things like origin launching on one monitor, but wanting to play the game on another.

I was hoping to play some Battlefield 4, but after 10 minutes messing around I gave up and wrote this instead.

That's strange, because I just fancied a quick few rounds in Star Wars: Battlefront II and within a minute or two I was in game having fun. You must be doing something wrong. Or perhaps PC gaming is just too complicated for you and you'd be best off going back to consoles.

 

[bazzabear]

Jesus. I used to game on a C64, which involved waiting 30 minutes for the game to maybe load up.

 

[Malevolence]

Jesus. I used to game on a C64, which involved waiting 30 minutes for the game to maybe load up.

Was similar on a Spectrum, if you dared to breath anywhere within 30' of the leads to the cassette deck then there was a 90% chance it would crash the loading. Good times.

 

[_tucker_]

This is just a little rant, maybe you feel the same?

I remember gaming when younger on the Megadrive and SNES, you would insert cartidge, turn on, click start and within a few seconds you were playing.

Now, we have to:
i) load up Steam, Origin or whatever, wait for that to load, sometimes update usually a few minutes.
ii) load game (another few minutes even on SSD), perhaps another update is required.
iii) navigate your way through convoluted game menus to try and and actually start the game.
iv) try finding the needle in a haystack, the quit button in the menu when you want to finish playing.

And then you have random things like origin launching on one monitor, but wanting to play the game on another.

I was hoping to play some Battlefield 4, but after 10 minutes messing around I gave up and wrote this instead.

Hahaha I feel your pain mate I totally agree, I literally went to play a game and then it kept minimising when I start the program for no reason and had. Faf. Then mess around with graphics and then I was able to play about 20 mins later lol.
Such is life I’m afraid, more complex games comes with more complex problems and longer wait time’s.

 

[Gimpymoo]

Try playing a AAA game on a console with a disc...

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

 

[Mark A]

I remember consoles had loads of loading screens as well, warnings about flashing lights, the ps1 logo and sound (you nostalgia you lose), then all the various publisher and dev team logo screens that were unskippable. At least on PC you can usually force skip unskippable nonsense with launch commands or mods/hacks.

For me Steam loads with windows and with my games on an SSD it's usually seconds before I'm in game. There must be a problem with your PC for it to take minutes. Or its network issues if it's a multiplayer game, so not fair to compare to old single player console games.

I have never in 15 years of gaming had any issues with settings like some people claim. I usually let the game auto detect and then maybe spend a few seconds just turning motion blur off.

 

[Witcher1980]

Funny, my son's steam signs out every 3 or 4 days he always moans about it as it takes ages to remember the password. So he moans about the time to get into a game. My steam account on my PC never ever signs out. What on earth do people do?

 

[Space Monkey]

Was similar on a Spectrum, if you dared to breath anywhere within 30' of the leads to the cassette deck then there was a 90% chance it would crash the loading. Good times.

Lol, we used to leave the room whilst it loaded in case any vibration stopped the tape loading correctly, those were the days

 

[Rimsy]

Lol, we used to leave the room whilst it loaded in case any vibration stopped the tape loading correctly, those were the days

Same (after triple checking the volume slider was in exactly the right position... just under 8 iirc)... but we were effectively creating magic back then

 

[ivrytwr3]

Consoles are just as bad. I don't game daily, so everytime i switch on the console either it needs an update or the game i want to play does.

Very frustrating.

 

[bimbleuk]

Ooo you kids got it so easy these days! Though I agree unnecessary intro and splash screens are a particular bug bear.

I can still remember playing Pool of Radiance on an Amstrad PC1512 MS-DOS 3.2 PC with only twin 5 1/4 floppy dives. Every time you triggered an event you had to spend several minutes loading and swapping discs. It was properly hard too so many fights were re-loaded numerous times before winning.

Still got the original boxed game too just in case I want to relive the good old days or need to torture someone!

 

[bazzabear]

Funny, my son's steam signs out every 3 or 4 days he always moans about it as it takes ages to remember the password.

That's weird. You'd think if he has to enter it every 4 days, he'd remember it. It's the systems where you never have to enter your password and then you suddenly do 2 years later that are the issue!

 

[willhub]

PC gaming IS a faff.

 

[Scotspaul]

It might feel like a pain nowadays but it really isn't, it just feels like it as we've become so used to having everything available instantly.

As previously mentioned i too remember the 30 minute cassette loads on my C-64.

I also remember the DOS hoops i had to jump through to get the original Quake working in multiplayer with my new 3D card, but it felt great when I got it working though.

Kids have it easy nowadays

 

[ic1male]

Lol, we used to leave the room whilst it loaded in case any vibration stopped the tape loading correctly, those were the days

LMAO, that brought back some memories. Loading the "Elite" cassette in my mate's Acorn Electron. Going into the next room well away from it and peeping now and again to see if it was doing anything.

 

[Hedge]

The OP contains valid points.

A shame people have jumped into it like a PC vs Console debate. I think you are just frustrated in gaming in general and you are right about it in both the PC and Console domain.