Let them make the PC version as good as it can possibly be, then worry about console ports for future revenue. They would likely have to remove features and limit a lot of functionality to make it work and I would much rather they dedicate their full attention to a version of the game designed for the most versatile platform.
PS4/ Xbox One Version of the Game?
- Thread starter TheMinion9
- Start date
RCT3 and RCT2 are alive because there are many mods and custom content! Without those things a game doesn´t live longer than a few years. PC will be a great game but it´s fundamental to be able to create own content. With PS4 and xBox you cannot add mods etc, so in my opinion it´s useless. (it´s like you were playing Sims, Minecraft or City Skylines without mods, after a few months it´s going to be boring)
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This news is irrelevant. All the applications in that link are built within the brand new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) framework. This frame work runs on Xbox, Windows 10 and Windows mobile and allows applications to work on all devices.
Planet Coaster does not run within this framework, it uses the traditional .exe method. Which does not run across platforms. The UWP is not the best Platform for games and has been quite poorly received.
I also don't think the PS4 would be able to run this game too well either, even less likely on the less powerful Xbox One. They are both not that powerful, they just squeeze more power out of them because they do not need to rely on large software overhead API's like DirectX. This is forgetting the fact mapping everything to the controllers would be nearly impossible.
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Xbox One is getting a keyboard
It would be a waste of time... not worth it
I'm surprised no one had brought this up, but Xbox One and PS4 have terrible processing power. Has anyone ever wondered why Firaxis have not bothered with XCOM 2 on the consoles, or CIV V? Aside from poor console sales, the consoles themselves have a rather weak architecture when it comes to processor heavy games. It's just not worth it and it would require serious mauling of the game to make it work.
I also must stress that this rarely does get mentioned because console owners usually go ballistic when told how poor their consoles architecture is, especially in the processing department. Game developers just usually ignore requests and not discuss it, rather than have legions of fans moan at them and cause arguments. Just look at what happened with valve when Gabe called the PS3 cell a mess.
Best,
R.
I also must stress that this rarely does get mentioned because console owners usually go ballistic when told how poor their consoles architecture is, especially in the processing department. Game developers just usually ignore requests and not discuss it, rather than have legions of fans moan at them and cause arguments. Just look at what happened with valve when Gabe called the PS3 cell a mess.
Best,
R.
The generational leap hasn't been as big as the last one, but the consoles only compare badly to more expensive pc builds, which is really not surprising. I think a good comparison for sales would be Diablo 3, a very classically PC game, which had about half of it's sales on console. Had some teething issues though, if I remember.
Tropico 5 is a sort of world-building/strategy sim I've been playing this month (free on PS+), and while visually it doesn't seem far off from Planet Coaster, that's more complex in what you can do (and obviously there's the physics simulation to account for). The Xbox one has a marginally more powerful CPU, but playing this game I thought I could only really see it working with thoughtful motion controls for fine manipulation of lots of objects/track pieces (pc users could really benefit from a good implementation of that too), and that's something only the ps4, and perhaps the NX, has. Maybe they will support keyboards or mice, but that's a niche thing, really it would have to work well with what's in the box to sell.
I think it would need a significant effort to make a console edition that is not a pale shadow of the pc version, but there would be a good reward for doing so, and the barrier is mainly interface, not power. If it wouldn't be able to run well on current consoles, then the same would be true of a good chunk of the pc gaming market (only about half of pc steam users have 8gb of ram or above, for instance).
Tropico 5 is a sort of world-building/strategy sim I've been playing this month (free on PS+), and while visually it doesn't seem far off from Planet Coaster, that's more complex in what you can do (and obviously there's the physics simulation to account for). The Xbox one has a marginally more powerful CPU, but playing this game I thought I could only really see it working with thoughtful motion controls for fine manipulation of lots of objects/track pieces (pc users could really benefit from a good implementation of that too), and that's something only the ps4, and perhaps the NX, has. Maybe they will support keyboards or mice, but that's a niche thing, really it would have to work well with what's in the box to sell.
I think it would need a significant effort to make a console edition that is not a pale shadow of the pc version, but there would be a good reward for doing so, and the barrier is mainly interface, not power. If it wouldn't be able to run well on current consoles, then the same would be true of a good chunk of the pc gaming market (only about half of pc steam users have 8gb of ram or above, for instance).
Diablo 3 isn't a great example. I have it and enjoy it but I is just a button masher. It's controls are simplified that a keyboard seamed like overkill and moving works better with a joystick.
And a lot of people got Diablo 3 free on PC with the purchase of a WOW expansion. That's how I got it.
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Fair point. I was using it as an example of a previously pc-only series finding an audience. The games that would really explore the possibilities for complex creation-focused titles on consoles (Media Molecule's Dreams or the Xbox port of Cities:Skylines) aren't out yet.
Regardless, I would want the PC version done first, I'm just defending the idea because some are dismissing the idea of a console port out of hand.
Regardless, I would want the PC version done first, I'm just defending the idea because some are dismissing the idea of a console port out of hand.
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I'm a huge Civ fan and have been playing since the beginning. I can say the Xbox version is very dumbed down and I don't like it.
You could always try to ship the game with it's own custom Keyboard and mouse which is designed for the counsels for those who really want to try to run it... (Though I'd imagine that hardware differences might also complicate such a port even if you could get a working keyboard and mouse for your PS4 or Xbox....)
I'm going to address your arguments in the sequence you put them, this is to be clear and concise, even if the flow of my argument is not as neat as it could be.
1.1 The leap between consoles and PCs in terms of processing processing power is rather big I am afraid. The XBOX ONE, which has the slightly more powerful CPU of the two (which you pointed out) is still only clocking 1.75Ghz, with two quad core modules. This is quite slow compared with even your run of the mill i5; yes, the i5 does not have eight cores, but this is not necessarily to its disadvantage. Few game developers take advantage of all of these cores (it's laborious, according to several developers discussing PS4 development). See here: http://wccftech.com/planetside-2-ps4-cpu-bottleneck-1080p60fps/. I have only provided one as you can easily find multiple examples of developers loathing the bottleneck that the XBOX ONE's and PS4's CPUs provide.
1.2 - Only 7 of the 8 cores of the consoles are available to developers, which is still proving to be a pain because of the poor AMD design and, as stated, the slow clock speed.
1.3 - I should add as an extra note that if the Planet Coaster devs take advantage of multiple cores, which it would appear that they are doing, the chance of porting the game will be almost nil.
2. I would apprechiate you providing where you are getting your Diablo 3 console figures please.
3. Tropico does not do the same number of calculations as Planet Coaster, I can tell this from just looking at it (having played it). It does not have thousands of park visitors, possibly hundreds of staff, coasters running on tracks with physics manipulation, rides and so on. The only thing they share, largely, is an economic machine.
4. So I go back to my original argument, the barrier is still raw power. Aside from that, the controls would not be worth the development because it would not sell nearly enough for the investment. As previously argued, Diablo 3 and Planet Coaster are not comparable. I am curious as to how Skylines will be implemented, but I doubt it will be worth the investment. I await to see the results.
5. RAM is easily upgradable on a PC, consoles cannot upgrade anything (yes, I know of the PS4.5, but that is a cosmetic upgrade, not a core upgrade. All games must be playable on PS4. Again, where did you get your figures?
It is my estimation that we will never see Planet Coaster on consoles; I think Frontier would be wasting their time. It is becoming clearer than numerous companies that specialise in strategy, isometric games want nothing to do with the consoles, Firaxis being a key example. It is too much hassle for serious limitations and little gain.
Regards,
R.
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So the developer would have to rely on further peripherals for the game's sale? That would not work and has been proven to be a financial sinkhole.
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So, after watching some videos of Planet Coaster running at really high resolution, I came across this a video which had an interesting tid-bit within. The person playing the game noticed that Planet Coaster was using all 8 cores of their AMD processor, which was still having bottleneck issues. Now I am not surprised, Bulldozer was a farce. But, the key point here is if they are suffering bottlenecks with a higher-clocked CPU with eight cores, there is no chance for the current consoles. Best, R.
PS4 Port
Sure you can! "TouchPad" Could be used a new line of controls e.g. "x" Places the Ride Or Building then when you press the "Touchpad" It gose to a new lot of controls e.g. "x" Was place things but now you prees "Touchpad" it now removes Items! so now you can use the same buttons multiple times!
-RandommCraft [squeeeeee]
Sure you can! "TouchPad" Could be used a new line of controls e.g. "x" Places the Ride Or Building then when you press the "Touchpad" It gose to a new lot of controls e.g. "x" Was place things but now you prees "Touchpad" it now removes Items! so now you can use the same buttons multiple times!
-RandommCraft [squeeeeee]
Yeah, more coding and testing for a control system that is no-where near as precise as a mouse.
Okay.. you guys need to start thinking outside the box.
VR Headsets are coming out later this year... Have you guys done any rollercoaster demos with VR headsets or smartphones with google cardboard...
WAY COOL! I will be buying one the month they are out.
The game interfaces would have to be completely redone... but if figured out how... a park creator in a VR environment would be the bomb. Seriously.
VR Headsets are coming out later this year... Have you guys done any rollercoaster demos with VR headsets or smartphones with google cardboard...
WAY COOL! I will be buying one the month they are out.
The game interfaces would have to be completely redone... but if figured out how... a park creator in a VR environment would be the bomb. Seriously.
Yes, only if the market is there. While VR has been promoted heavily, how many players will have such a set?
Anyway, the real question is not "Is it possible to play PlanetCoaster on consoles ?" but "How big is the market".
1) You have the console market, that is splited into three part (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo).
2) Players would need to have a specific equipment (like a keyboard) to play in the best conditions, otherwise they will have to rebuild a complete interface for the controller.
3) Planet Coaster is a simulation game, and this kind of game is not a very popular on consoles in the majority of customers.
So I do not think a console porting should be a very good financial operation if we compare the development price and the market segment size.
I may be wrong (and maybe they already do a market study that proves the opposite) but, I think that consoles are unattractive for Planet Coaster.
They should instead focus on :
- The Mobile market (Especially if they want to make a lot of cash, economically speaking, it is the first platform on which they must work)
- Expand on the PC market (Windows now, but "Mac/Linux" later, especially for the Apple fans, and if they want to make the game comptatible Steam for SteamOS)
- The VR market (If they want to be innovative and follow the trends of tomorrow, I guarantee that they can become the number 1 representative of virtual reality market if they are smart enough)
- And only after that, they might think to attack the console market.
But it's just my opinion.
1) You have the console market, that is splited into three part (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo).
2) Players would need to have a specific equipment (like a keyboard) to play in the best conditions, otherwise they will have to rebuild a complete interface for the controller.
3) Planet Coaster is a simulation game, and this kind of game is not a very popular on consoles in the majority of customers.
So I do not think a console porting should be a very good financial operation if we compare the development price and the market segment size.
I may be wrong (and maybe they already do a market study that proves the opposite) but, I think that consoles are unattractive for Planet Coaster.
They should instead focus on :
- The Mobile market (Especially if they want to make a lot of cash, economically speaking, it is the first platform on which they must work)
- Expand on the PC market (Windows now, but "Mac/Linux" later, especially for the Apple fans, and if they want to make the game comptatible Steam for SteamOS)
- The VR market (If they want to be innovative and follow the trends of tomorrow, I guarantee that they can become the number 1 representative of virtual reality market if they are smart enough)
- And only after that, they might think to attack the console market.
But it's just my opinion.
It's just my opinion too Angelis, and I'm interested in yours (you're definitely a bigger fan than I am), and everybody else's of course. I appreciate you're not rejecting the idea out of hand, and I've responded to some of your points below. Apologies if I repeat anything that's gone before.
1) Frontier's engine should be working on consoles, as Elite
angerous will be released on both new-gen consoles. So, some of that work is already going to be done.
2) Console games that sold well and required a peripheral usually either came with it, or pretty much every owner had it anyway. So, while keyboard and mouse controls would be a good option for any port, it would need to support the default controller to be considered by most owners. However, the ps4's controller, with relatively high precision motion controls and a touch pad, is more flexible than is given credit, especially for things like manipulating objects and bits of coaster track. I think the correct move here would be to have a controller-first, but not dumbed-down, interface. I think this counts out the xbox, and Nintendo's next console is an unknown, but definite possibility given their past advances on interfaces.
3) Totally, Frontier would be blazing a trail if they went for it.
- Rct3 on iOS looked tremendously cumbersome to me, a companion app that focuses on park management features, though...
- Even as a mac owner, I can unfortunately say that 'AAA' gaming there is not exactly buoyant. That and Linux would be a nice to have, but definitely at the end of the pile unless SteamOS explodes.
- The VR side of things would totally give Planet Coaster a unique appeal, even to people who aren't going to have a vr unit in the near future. It's another reason to work on non-keyboard interfaces, and any interface concepts for Sony's move controllers could equally be applied to the rift or vive's motion controllers.
@RPGevans - I was looking at the steam user survey, and VGchartz for data, the latter is presumably rough. Yes, Tropico 5 is a vastly more simple game, it's just the most direct example gameplay-wise I'd recently seen. And while the game is in alpha, I'm not going to be making any comparisons to how somebody's park is running on their setup. When it comes down to it, I don't think they'll sell as much as they'd like on PC anyway if it doesn't at least run on a £300-ish computer. I'm interested in the game reaching a wide audience, with that in mind ps4 owners just passed 40m globally.
1) Frontier's engine should be working on consoles, as Elite
angerous will be released on both new-gen consoles. So, some of that work is already going to be done.2) Console games that sold well and required a peripheral usually either came with it, or pretty much every owner had it anyway. So, while keyboard and mouse controls would be a good option for any port, it would need to support the default controller to be considered by most owners. However, the ps4's controller, with relatively high precision motion controls and a touch pad, is more flexible than is given credit, especially for things like manipulating objects and bits of coaster track. I think the correct move here would be to have a controller-first, but not dumbed-down, interface. I think this counts out the xbox, and Nintendo's next console is an unknown, but definite possibility given their past advances on interfaces.
3) Totally, Frontier would be blazing a trail if they went for it.
- Rct3 on iOS looked tremendously cumbersome to me, a companion app that focuses on park management features, though...
- Even as a mac owner, I can unfortunately say that 'AAA' gaming there is not exactly buoyant. That and Linux would be a nice to have, but definitely at the end of the pile unless SteamOS explodes.
- The VR side of things would totally give Planet Coaster a unique appeal, even to people who aren't going to have a vr unit in the near future. It's another reason to work on non-keyboard interfaces, and any interface concepts for Sony's move controllers could equally be applied to the rift or vive's motion controllers.
@RPGevans - I was looking at the steam user survey, and VGchartz for data, the latter is presumably rough. Yes, Tropico 5 is a vastly more simple game, it's just the most direct example gameplay-wise I'd recently seen. And while the game is in alpha, I'm not going to be making any comparisons to how somebody's park is running on their setup. When it comes down to it, I don't think they'll sell as much as they'd like on PC anyway if it doesn't at least run on a £300-ish computer. I'm interested in the game reaching a wide audience, with that in mind ps4 owners just passed 40m globally.
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