Dear game devs... the BS has to stop... ok?

I've been gaming for 31 years, which began with the Spectrum +2. Some current business models have turned modern gaming to ****. Like others have stated on here, i've stopped buying AAA titles and mostly buy indie/mid-tier titles.
 
Nasher said:
Even console games launch with bugs these days. PC hardware is mostly standardized now, only AMD/Nvidia drivers can be an issue.

In the old days console games used to get tested to death by in-house QA and had to meet certain standards to get a licence. Now they just throw it out there and let the customers do the testing. If something is broken, oh well, just release a patch online and hope it works.
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PC hardware isn't remotely standardised, you still have loads of different parts and drivers.

But yes, console QA nowadays is woeful.
 
Vonhelmet said:
PC hardware isn't remotely standardised, you still have loads of different parts and drivers.

But yes, console QA nowadays is woeful.
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On PC we only have 3 options now, AMD, Nvidia or Intel. The stuff around it isn't that much of a problem, it's all using the same few APIs.

Consoles are also now using the same architecture, so there should be even less errors.
 
If you hate it that much doesn't it turn you off gaming slowly? Therefore it shouldn't bother you too much as you become disinterested in most games. I've found that happening for me. All these big name games that I've heard of but not seen or bothered to see just because of how crappy it's become over the years. Usually I end up playing games when they're about 4-5 years old and at least that way they're reduced and most likely have the bugs fixed or at least you get a better idea of how complete it is.
 
Microtransactions aren't really very "micro" either. £10 for a few extra inventory slots, £10 for an extra character slot, £30 for a mount, £50 for a max level character etc these prices are absurd for a non-commodity that can be sold infinitely without consuming any resources beyond the initial time for their development, which in most cases is a reskin with some increased attributes. Imo a microtransaction is £1-3, maybe up to £5 for the biggest in-game QoL improvements, not the price of the game itself just so you can ride around a bit faster and look fancy.
 
Indeed last couple of PS4 games my missus bought, spent the first 45 minutes staring at the patcher download/installer progress (lack of) bar, before even starting and finding both her and yours truly stuck on the first level (looking at you, Road Rage).

Add that to another pet hate of modern games - created for gaming super deities who can utilise mind control as opposed to us old fossils with wrinkled hands ravaged by years of working and playing with keyboards and mice.
 
Agree with a lot of comments here. Been gaming since early 80's and have seen a dramatic decline in my willingness to buy games anymore. I will wait until the GOTY edition or complete edition is released even if it takes a year. I won't be buying Battlefront 2 even though my son wants it because I know he will come back in a few days later wanting more. It's all taking the p**s to be honest.

Back in the PS1/SNES/Gamecube/PS2 days you just got the whole game and that was it. Now it's just a minefield when a game comes out because you just don't know how much of the game you will actually get.

I do own Overwatch because all of the updates and seasonal updates are free and the loot boxes are only cosmetic and you can actually earn these in game with XP. It's totally you choice is you want to part with you money and get a certain skin etc but this does not effect the game at all. Counter strike on the other hand is pretty bad when you earn a crate and then have to shell out real money for a key to open it and you are unable to earn keys in game. It's just wrong and I have to blame Valve for starting this trend.
 
mistersprinkles said:
Then the insanity started. "Free to play" mobile games that suck people with addictive personalities into spending thousands of dollars on in-game items, the production time for which in no way whatsoever merits the cost.
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I think that this is the bit that I have difficulty agreeing with - the free to play model lives and dies by it's use of in-game purchases and microtransactions. If I'm getting a game that I'm enjoying for free then it makes sense to have a way to support it's longevity. It's not down to a developer to ward off those who might have addictive personalities, and if the microtransactions are poorly implemented the game would suffer backlash and die.

In principle the free to play model is one of the only instances where I consider it reasonable for them to need an in game revenue stream. Aside from dev's who develop interesting additional content as DLC, it's the only thing I'd ever consider coughing up extra cash for. Aside from these instances If I'm paying for a game it should be a complete experience without major bugs.
 
Nasher said:
On PC we only have 3 options now, AMD, Nvidia or Intel. The stuff around it isn't that much of a problem, it's all using the same few APIs.

Consoles are also now using the same architecture, so there should be even less errors.
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But the games themselves are far, far more complicated than anything of the SNES era. They're not even comparable.
 
It can be done as well, DOOM (2016) was excellent from the "get go", OK patches added a bit of "polish" but in my opinion it was a masterclass in what a AAA title should be like.

I purchased it on the day of release for full price and didn't regret a single penny.
 
HEADRAT said:
It can be done as well, DOOM (2016) was excellent from the "get go", OK patches added a bit of "polish" but in my opinion it was a masterclass in what a AAA title should be like.

I purchased it on the day of release for full price and didn't regret a single penny.
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Yes. This was the funnest single player FPS I have ever played. Once you get good at it you can just fly around the map instagibbing demons. Great fun. Last boss (and all bosses really) were disappointing but other than that AN A++++ game.
 
Still wasn't as good as the old Doom games though. In the new one the map design was pretty poor and was just a series of arenas :)
 
Ah the glory days of the commodore 64, when a full sequel could be on the shelf inside of 3 months xD

On the PC however it's been a thing since the earlier days of serious PC gaming. I know horse armour often gets the blame but... Strike Commander speech pack anyone?
 
labbby said:
Wow looks like EA is at it again with UFC 3 and it sounds even worse than the battlefront2 bs
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They have no choice but to stay the coarse. Their entire business model depends upon such revenue streams and the financial forecasts they issue include revenue expected from the sale of micro transactions, investment companies have based their choices on those communications. If they were to strip them out of every game they would signal that intent to the market, issues profit warnings and reforecast lower revenue.

That gives them a huge problem from an investment perspective and the share price would likely take large slap, particularly as their shares are dumped off the back of the above. It’s exactly what EA deserve and hopefully this ‘must have’ & ‘sense of entitlement’ gaming community that exists today are starting to wake up and understand the value of their money because micro transactions are built upon people not understanding what their money is worth or what value for money is.
 
Rroff said:
I didn't mind the inevitable day 1 patch and so on when things actually got fixed, but now many little things just never get fixed unless there is massive public outcry usually driven by high profile streamers.

Increasingly find myself less and less inclined to spend money on the increasing pump and dump games where the developer obviously has no passion for what they are doing and little understanding of the game from the player's perspective.
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Inevitable? How about finish your game before you release it...
 
I'm getting annoyed with new releases starting at £40-£50 for the base game when its not even finished. Mind you i have never paid this price because like many people in this thread I wait even a year down the track before buying a game. I don't mind paying for DLC if it adds something to a game I enjoy but when a dev charges for a "blood pack" like Creative Assembly do it drives me mad.
 
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