strange question about game porting.

iamthenugget · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:26

what exactly is a game port?? i have just been informed that a game i play was written/coded specifically for the ps4 then ported to the x1 and thats why the game allegedly runs so much better on the ps4. apparently if there was code written specifically for the x1 it would run equally well

mid_gen · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:29

If a game engine is written from the ground up for a particular platform, then the process of converting it to a different platform can be extremely difficult...sometimes the fundamental architecture of the engine just doesn't lend itself well to a particular hardware platform and you end up with a 'port' that doesn't compare favourably to the original.

These days most developers target multiple platforms from the outset and have an established engine already in place (either in-house or Unreal/Unity etc.), which takes away a lot of the pain.

iamthenugget · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:32

mid_gen said:
If a game engine is written from the ground up for a particular platform, then the process of converting it to a different platform can be extremely difficult...sometimes the fundamental architecture of the engine just doesn't lend itself well to a particular hardware platform and you end up with a 'port' that doesn't compare favourably to the original.

These days most developers target multiple platforms from the outset and have an established engine already in place (either in-house or Unreal/Unity etc.), which takes away a lot of the pain.

the game is pes 16 and tbh i cant tell the dif between either system, certainly not enough to buy a ps4 specifically for 1 game. so that would be the fox engine

mid_gen · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:37

If you can't tell the difference, then it doesn't matter

'Porting' is the process of converting a game from one platform to another. As I said, most big games are built multi-platform from the beginning so it's not really relevant any more.

iamthenugget · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:40

thats what i thought as well

RedStarRiot · 10 Dec 2015 at 17:52

To be honest there are a few games out there that run better on PS4 and its not anything to do with porting. The PS4 is a more powerful machine and sometimes this shows.

Mr Men · 10 Dec 2015 at 19:36

spoffle incoming.....

cu3ed · 10 Dec 2015 at 19:40

Porting is used all the time as a reference, you might be porting certain stacks of models created on one platform to another, parts of code etc, porting "artwork" etc, if theirs enough of that done the game is generally referred to as a port, hell, even the sounds is technically "ported".

To be honest I don't think that much is a solid port, if the game is developed from the start as a multiplatform, they are generally built up around the same time.
It varies MASSIVLY from who has what dev teams.

neoglow · 10 Dec 2015 at 20:52