Elite / Frontier PC games dead?

[nats]

I was wondering whether the new Elite, assuming there is one, is likely to come out only as a console version? And if so would anyone consider getting rid of their computer to get a console instead if it did? Ive been thinking recently that there is very little point in having a PC these days the games are so rope thats have been released over the last few years. Other than possibly Spore I cant see one reason to own a PC over a console these days.

It Elite 4 came out only on consoles I think that would be the death nell for my computer finally, its taking up far too much room in the lounge. I do feel it would almost be like the loss of a good friend after all the great games I have played on PCs (not this one) but, hey, things change dont they. As soon as consoles start getting games like wargames and flight/space sims that would be it for me. Anyone else feel this way? PC games are in dire need of some new life. But what can gamers expect when all the games out there are being produced by 3 or 4 large developers?

I would love to hear what others feel about the state of PC gaming. Because it is true I am getting on in years, I dont have the imagination I used to have nor the time to spend on gaming and it wonder if its just me that is getting bored of PC games. Theres no doubt the graphics and complexity of games is far greater than they used to be back in the days of Fontier Elite, Civ, Gunship, Silent Service and the like. But are they all just unimaginative ripoffs of the same themes. I havent tried Crysis etc for this reason. Am I missing something here? Are games as good as they have always been?

 

[Steve O B Have]

Well aside from the extensive use I get out of my PC for photography, photoshopping, music editing and movie watching; I still getting great joy out of PC gaming - admittedly a little less of late as there have been few decent games in the last 6 months or so.

I plugged away a EVE a short while ago and enjoyed it and that is a game that would be awful on a console as would pretty much every other game that requires at least a little aiming accuracy.

Some games are brilliant some just aren't, it certainly doesn't mark the end of computers because some people are feeling a little disillusioned about PC gaming.

If all you do is play games then sure - get rid of your PC and don't look back but for the rest of us we have other things to take our time up other than gaming.

 

[Steve]

Firstly, I think Frontier Developments currently intend to develop Elite IV for the PC, though that may change by the time it's released

Secondly, does the current generation of consoles have the same kind of internet capability as the average computer? (I bailed out of consoles after Playstation 2, so I wouldn't know). If not, then there's a very good reason for keeping your PC, even if the latest games are rubbish

 

[DraQ]

Eh. I've been hearing about the death of PC gaming every time a new generation of consoles came out.
(That'd be 14 years - more than half of my life - counting from PS1)

Personally I'm an avid PC gamer and I don't intend to switch. Even if it means not playing E4 or whatever ZOMGSUPERAWESOME!!1 game is coming out for consoles only. Consoles will never come close to versatility of PCs because then they'd become PCs. In fact, the entire advantage consoles have over PCs is their extreme specialization. Given the fact, that I already own an extremely versatile rig that is uprgadeable and allows me to do everything I want to, it would be a little daft to buy a dedicated one only for playing games. Besides, ergonomics-shmergonomics aside, console controlers simply don't offer the precission of mouse+board combo.

 

[Glyndo]

I don't think PC games are dead as such, although lately the most hyped games tend to be console first and then a poor port to PC - I hope GTA IV is different but I don't think it will be.

Consoles are better to play games on; there are certain genres that are better suited to PC's (as Steve mentioned, EVE would be shocking on a PS3 or X360); but there are also genres that are better suited to PC's (I can't get used to playing a FPS on a console, it doesn't have the feel of a keyboard-mouse combo).

I think the current crop of teenagers prefer to have consoles so I think eventually games will be released on the console first and then as an afterthought on to the PC. This has already happened a few times so it's not too difficult to envisage it!

PC's will never become obsolete though; there are just too many other things that they can be used for. Current console internet usage is abysmal (putting it mildly) - nothing beats using a keyboard. There is a keyboard for the PS3 but I don't think it would be as user-friendly as a PC keyboard.

 

[Adrena1in]

...would anyone consider getting rid of their computer to get a console instead...?

Not me. I'll always stick with the laptop for it's many uses, (digital photography/videos, photo-shopping, films, t-internet,) but also, as far as I'm concerned, the best game ever* works perfectly well on my laptop, so I'll stick with that.

* Unreal Tournament 99.

 

[Steve O B Have]

Not me. I'll always stick with the laptop for it's many uses, (digital photography/videos, photo-shopping, films, t-internet,) but also, as far as I'm concerned, the best game ever* works perfectly well on my laptop, so I'll stick with that.

* Unreal Tournament 99.

I was quite disappointed when I bought the Unreal boxed set with all the past versions on it and they wont work on Vista - very annoying. I like to have the odd blatt around in UT as well.

 

[DraQ]

* Unreal Tournament 99.

It's even better - UT sports a powerful editor allowing for extensive modding. Apart from multitude of multiplayer mods available for UT, there is a mod that reenables SP mode and allows one to transfer original Unreal content to UT, as well as use many, often awesome, user made SP campaigns.

It's no longer a game, it's a gaming platform.

 

[Sir.Tj]

I think there is some life in the PC gaming market, for a while anyway.

The newer games which have been released on both PC and console are getting closer in the respects of graphics etc.. but I personally think games like FPS and space sims benefit much more using the keyboard and mouse control instead of the hand controller.

 

[turwhitt]

I don't think we'll see any slowing in the PC gaming market.
MMOs (which are some of the biggest moneymakers) are still squarely aimed at the PC market, for one.

 

[rgmarett]

Secondly, does the current generation of consoles have the same kind of internet capability as the average computer? (I bailed out of consoles after Playstation 2, so I wouldn't know). If not, then there's a very good reason for keeping your PC, even if the latest games are rubbish

The XBox360 has really good online capability (better than a pc in my opinion), you do have to pay £39.99 a year for the privilege but it's worth every penny. Much easier to set up than a PC, you just press 'connect' and it's done. It'll even match you up with players of a similar skill level.

I own a high end PC and a console and I will buy the console version of Elite IV (even if, heaven forbid, it has less features). The 360 comes with a hard drive so no probs saving games. It connects to the net so no probs downloading patches/updates. Plus with XBoxLive Marketplace it'd be easy enough to download extra content say a new ship pack, or extra missions.

The biggest thing for me though, is with the console version I can play Elite IV sat in the living room, on a nice comfy settee in front of my nice big screen, rather than my home office setup, which to be honest, after work, I want to avoid.

 

[DrBaggy]

I was wondering whether the new Elite, assuming there is one, is likely to come out only as a console version? And if so would anyone consider getting rid of their computer to get a console instead if it did? Ive been thinking recently that there is very little point in having a PC these days the games are so rope thats have been released over the last few years. Other than possibly Spore I cant see one reason to own a PC over a console these days.


I would love to hear what others feel about the state of PC gaming. Because it is true I am getting on in years, I dont have the imagination I used to have nor the time to spend on gaming and it wonder if its just me that is getting bored of PC games. Theres no doubt the graphics and complexity of games is far greater than they used to be back in the days of Fontier Elite, Civ, Gunship, Silent Service and the like. But are they all just unimaginative ripoffs of the same themes. I havent tried Crysis etc for this reason. Am I missing something here? Are games as good as they have always been?

As a long-term PC gamer and anti-console buff I have to admit the tide seems to be turning: graphics and lack of hassle make consoles tempting. However, laptops that finally have decent graphics chips are great (we can have me on my 770, my wife on her Nintendo DS, and kids on TV or Xbox in the same room). More importantly, only PC games seem to manage strategy games well. Civilisation 4 may be graphically backward, but still the most addictive game out there. Personally I'd be very sad if PC gaming died!

 

[Adrena1in]

[Unreal Tournament] - It's no longer a game, it's a gaming platform.

Absolutely. There are new game styles and maps appearing all the time, making it quite open-ended. (I have tried making my own maps, but it's very time-consuming.)

Steve O B Have - if you do ever get it working again, pop online and head on down to the multiplay.co.uk servers. You'll find me on "Binslayer" if I'm playing!

 

[Steve O B Have]

Absolutely. There are new game styles and maps appearing all the time, making it quite open-ended. (I have tried making my own maps, but it's very time-consuming.)

Steve O B Have - if you do ever get it working again, pop online and head on down to the multiplay.co.uk servers. You'll find me on "Binslayer" if I'm playing!

If I do for sure - currently I'm waiting for Mass Effect to arrive (hopefully friday) which I suspect will swallow up quite a bit of my time.

 

[DraQ]

If I do for sure - currently I'm waiting for Mass Effect to arrive (hopefully friday) which I suspect will swallow up quite a bit of my time.

I've heard it uses some DRM scheme which limits the number of installations, or something. Shame, it looked interesting enough for me to consider purchase.

 

[turwhitt]

Yes that's right.
3 installs and then you have to contact the company and convince them that you actually bought the game.

This is all well and good, but if i bought the game then i should be able to do what the hell i like with it!
The real problem comes if the company goes under (as many do). There is absolutely no way to play your game. Being as i still install classic games which are 10 years old, this is not good at all.

 

[DraQ]

Yes that's right.

They can kiss my [place where most ships have their main thrusters] then.

 

[Sir.Tj]

Yes that's right.
3 installs and then you have to contact the company and convince them that you actually bought the game.

This is all well and good, but if i bought the game then i should be able to do what the hell i like with it!
The real problem comes if the company goes under (as many do). There is absolutely no way to play your game. Being as i still install classic games which are 10 years old, this is not good at all.

It's a ****** liberty, if you buy the game you should not have DRM restrictions.

Swines!

 

[Steve O B Have]

Yes that's right.
3 installs and then you have to contact the company and convince them that you actually bought the game.

This is all well and good, but if i bought the game then i should be able to do what the hell i like with it!
The real problem comes if the company goes under (as many do). There is absolutely no way to play your game. Being as i still install classic games which are 10 years old, this is not good at all.

From what I understand the DRM has been removed.

There has been a lot of discussion in the past few days on how the security requirements for Mass Effect for PC will work. BioWare, a division of EA, wants to let fans know that Mass Effect will not require 10- day periodic re-authentication.

BioWare has always listened very closely to its fans and we made this decision to ensure we are delivering the best possible experience to them. To all the fans including our many friends in the armed services and internationally who expressed concerns that they would not be able re-authenticate as often as required, EA and BioWare want you to know that your feedback is important to us.

The solution being implemented for Mass Effect for the PC changes copy protection from being key disc based, which requires authentication every time you play the game by requiring a disc in the drive, to a one time online authentication.

This system has an added benefit of allowing players to seamlessly play the game without needing the DVD in the drive.

Source:http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewtopic.html?topic=629059&forum=125&sp=0

 

[turwhitt]

Steve, i've been following this closely, and believe my info is up to date.

They have removed the system which checks authenticity online every 10 days.
They have not as yet removed the limited installation licences - which allow only 3 installations.