Developing The Darkness for 360 and PS3 was "bordering on stupidity" says Starbreeze
by Jem Alexander 
{ Jun 6th 2007 at 12:30PM }
In a recent Q&A with Gamespot Jens Matthies, Art Director at Starbreeze, discussed voice actors, in-game advertising and developing a game for two next-gen consoles.When asked what sort of technical limitations Starbreeze came across when developing The Darkness for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 Matthies responding saying that "this game as a whole has been the single most challenging experience of my life. The fact that we did it for two new platforms that are fundamentally very different is bordering on stupidity." Whether that's simply from an art perspective or not is unclear, but it begs the question of why so many games are deciding to go multi-platform if it is as difficult an undertaking as Matthies says. We reckon that in a year or so this will be happening less and less as developers start to make concrete decisions on which system to support. By then the PlayStation 3 will be at a point in its lifespan where it will be showing what it really has to offer.
Read the full Q&A for more of Matthies' views on the development process for The Darkness. Including some discussion on real world video being placed inside a video game world and what implications that could have on game pricing in the future. It's fairly light on actual information, but we suppose it's still quite an interesting read. If you've nothing better to do.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ShadowHawk01 @ Jun 6th 2007 11:11AM
hmmm... I read the whole interview (although short), and he does not really say much there. However, he is simply the Art Director which would not have as much interaction with the two different hardware platforms as the Development Lead or the Project Lead.
I also noticed you decided to leave off the first line of that quote. He mentioned that the storage systems were no that big of an issue. I would have suspected that available space would be the first thing an Art Director would find as a limitation.
I can also understand why he would not go into details about the two systems, but that interview seemed a little pointless and more or less a waste of time. I think the only information you can pull from that interview would be the following two items:
1) The game designers are working with the author of the comic to bring a close translation to the game. They have identified which parts of the comic will be in the game.
2) This is their first game for both systems, and they have learned a lot along the way about both systems. I am sure this knowledge will carry along while developing Riddick.
my two cents
ShadowHawk01 @ Jun 6th 2007 11:16AM
I should also add:
It sounds like they are doing what most developers are not, and actually working with the hardware benefits of both platforms to make the best possible game regardless of which platform.
I hate seeing crappy port jobs, and I have to give Starbreeze some props for going the extra mile.
mccomber @ Jun 6th 2007 12:43PM
"It sounds like they are doing what most developers are not, and actually working with the hardware benefits of both platforms to make the best possible game regardless of which platform.
I hate seeing crappy port jobs, and I have to give Starbreeze some props for going the extra mile."
+1
Hope this game is good on both systems. I'm going to make it a point to support the developers who, while going multi-platform, make sure to give each system a great game.
Stef Geiger @ Jun 6th 2007 12:56PM
I disagree with the idea that developers will stop going multiplatform. These games cost a fortune to make, and if they can port it to another system, they can greatly increase their potential market. This generation will see fewer exclusives than ever before.
GRT @ Jun 6th 2007 1:43PM
Yes, and port is the operative term here.
Worst case scenario: developers targeting the Wii and porting to the 360 and PS3, since the Wii is the current industry darling (though I think developers are going to be burned by low attach rates on the Wii).
Most likely case: developers targeting the 360 and porting to the PS3. Which means we get ho-hum 360 ports. Though if that means leaving out that stupid Sixaxis control junk, maybe its a good thing.
maverick_saturn_626 @ Jun 6th 2007 1:43PM
Stef, to a certain degree I agree with you, however, where you say we will see fewer exclusives, I doubt it, as each console progresses, they split further and further apart, do you think Sony, Micro and Nintendo are stupid? They know full well the closer the consoles are in terms of graphics, power and capability is the more likely they are to get pathetic ports, why do you think Wii is in a world of its own, last gen gfx it may have, but look at it shining like a star, the reason, well graphics for starters, its not possible to port DMC4 over to Wii is it, or any PS3 / 360 game for that matter, there is simply too large a gap between Wii and the other that they can't, so Wii's exclusives are forced to remain exclusive, thus attracting gamers to Wii over other consoles.
The wider the gap, the less chance of porting, and devs will soon realise that if money isn't everything to them and they want to stay in the competition, they will be forced to go exclusive, its like a see saw or a 'Y' there are two routes to take, but if you choose to go multiplatform, you could in fact be loosing your game some ground, by remaining exclusive, a game can be pushed to its maximum, such as FF13, MGS4 and Killzone, thus utilizing the graphic capabilities as well as the accessories available on each console, games such as MGS4 will be able to use the harddrive and blu-ray player to thier advantage on PS3 as well as PSP for GPS character hunting etc, however, 360 does not have all of this, and the fact that there is no gaurantee that all gamers have a harddrive or hd-dvd player, all a developer can do is give thier best which is really only 50% of what they could have done had they remained on one console. Yeah, multiplatform does rake in more cash, but look at it this way, lets say a game like Gran Turismo 5 was released on both consoles, why buy that game over GT5 when GT5 incorperates everything that game contains and more? Simply because it has the ability to use the home console's full power. This is a reason I beleive that PSP failed to do more, most of its games were ported too easily, the games have similar gfx to that of PS2 and the gameplay doesn't change much, that game is just asking to be ported, however a Wii to DS port would proove difficult, they both have entirely different gameplay styles and are in different leagues in terms of gfx.
What console makers should be doing is distancing themselves from other console makers if they intend to stay alive such as Nintendo have done very well with Wii.
Stef Geiger @ Jun 6th 2007 2:23PM
I understand your argument, but I think it's a load of crap that a multiplatform game can't "get the most out of" each console. Going multiplatform doesn't have to mean the game is a cheap port. Developing a game for two systems doesn't have to mean that console X gimps the console Y version. It's a stupid concept. Take GTA IV for example. To help cram things onto the DVD for the 360 version, they can compress the hell out of it, since it's a fast drive. Instead of doing the exact same thing for the PS3 version for no reason other than that it's the way the 360 build is coded, they can deal with the load time issues by using the hard drive to compensate for the Blu-ray drive's low data rate. It's a simple and crude example, but that kind of thing is how it should work for all multiplatform games.
I know the economics and science of making games prevents it from being that simple though.
maverick_saturn_626 @ Jun 6th 2007 4:46PM
Coding for PS3 and Xbox at the same time is like trying to make the same site using HTML and PHP, there are lots of things you can do with HTML that are easy to put together, PHP on the other hand is more difficult to use but has its own features and gooding, and there is a breaking point to which you can either take path A or B, use HTML or use PHP, and if you want to make the most of PHP, its best to ditch HTML and work purely on PHP and visa versa.
Okay, that isn't the best example, but you get an image ^^
There is only so much you can do if you remain multiplat, the ame is not as fun as it could have been, see it this way, had GTA remained exclusive, it would have:
1: Been bigger, the capacity of a blu-ray disk allows greater mass size, and even with 360 having two disks, its very disruptive in a game such as GTA4 having to switch CDS just to get to the other size of the island.
2: The 100% gaurantee that all GTA4 PS3 gamers have a hardrive is useful as GTA4 can then make the most of the 20-60gb space available on a harddrive.
3: Every PS3 owner has a Blu-ray player, so no matter what is needed regarding the blu-ray, its always an option.
4: Six-axiz, due to the fact that the game is multiplatform, Rockstar cannot integrate the Sixaxis in the best possible way into gameplay as it would stretch to far away from 360 gamers and become unfair for them as it is not the same experience.
5: PSN and XBL are similar in some circumstances and very different in others.
6: Hardware limitations
7: PSP integration could make the experience that much more thrilling.
There are lots of reason why it could have been better had it remained exclusive on either console. There are lots of factors I can mention concerning the reasons why it could also be great had it remained exclusive to XBL, but as this is PS3fanboy, I won't bother.
Gabriel @ Jun 6th 2007 11:47PM
It's actually easier to port from PS3 to 360 than from the 360 to the PS3, so I wouldn't be surprised if more games that started on the 360 stay 360 exclusive and more PS3 games get ported to the 360. The reason that Final Fantasy XIII is staying PS3 exclusive is because the White engine was made specifically with the PS3 in mind, where most developers use game engines that can be used for multiple platforms and then tweak them to the specs of whichever platform they're developing for.
I guess one reason it's easier to port to the 360 is the way its dev kits are set up. If a developer has code they used in a previous project, they can just adapt it for another game without completely rewriting the code for it. It's like a more complicated version of cut-and-paste. This makes it a little easier for developers to go the way of HAZE.
As far as porting to the Wii goes, it's actually easier to port a game down. The graphics are harder to carry over, but the developer has already tested storage constraints of games with larger texture files and more compression. The Wii's problem is the controls. Some developers just can't (or won't) figure out what to do with the new control scheme. Still, the Wii is selling so well, developers will do what the can, even if it's a crappy port. (Rival Swords, Blazing Angels, etc...)
It think there's promise for portability across all platforms if developers will take the extra time and effort, but both time and effort are money to developers.
Stef Geiger @ Jun 6th 2007 6:33PM
I don't agree with a lot of those examples. With compression, there's no reason why you couldn't fit GTA IV on a DVD. It's 3d models and textures. WRT to the sixaxis, there's no reason why a developer couldn't implement it in the PS3 game and do something different in the 360 version. Warhawk plays just fine with the motion controls turned off. The game would work just as well on the 360.
It's pretty much a guarantee that they'll use the HDD for GTA. They'll probably need to in order to stream the data fast enough.
PSP integration is pretty much a gimmick. Most developers don't/won't bother because 1. There's little of value you can do by integrating it 2. there's only so many people who have both. What's the best use of it we've seen so far? F1 using it as a rear view mirror? Because it wasn't good enough at the top of your screen?
Joseph Handibode @ Jun 6th 2007 8:56PM
The way I see it most people who say its good all games go multi-system just dont like their systems games-Period. We all bought a system because of a game-yes game that system had to offer or will offer. NO ONE bought PS3 for its Blu-ray player or XboX 360 for internet-they had to have games that people knew would be on the system.
People bought Xbox 360 because of Halo and Gears; people bought Wii if they liked kiddy games: mario and Zelda and people bought PS3 for MSG4 and Final Fantasy. Those are the games that people bought those systems, everything else like remote, internet or blu-ray is a extra benefit of each system.
So its pointless to say games should be multiplatform. Because I know they are just Xbots who want games from PS3: MGS4 and FF-why the rumors keep getting started when developers said no to Xbox. Stop whining and stick with your systems games which are First Person Shooters.
Raiden @ Jun 6th 2007 10:48PM
I agree and disagree with some of the comment, firstly i wonldn't call myself a fanboy, i enjoy my purchase of the 360, i have had no problems i have a very large selections of titles therefore i have nothing to complain about. i beleive that titles that are exclusive removes my choice of what system i want to have in my home, i make a choice and so will millions of other consumers, with that developer should understand exclusive forces consumer to buy a product they had no intention of purchasing in the first place. like i side, it's all about choice and publishers are removing these choices, i totally understand MS and Sony position first party remains first party, most gamers have already decided that those titles are unavailable. All third party titles should be available for everyone.
That's my 2 cent, if you don't like it, then go live on your selfish planet, because the last time i look games were for everyone not a select few.
Have a nice day be safe and happy gaming.
massive_98 @ Jun 6th 2007 10:59PM
Last gen is seems like it was alot easier to port games between all three consoles. I think companies will take the Ubisoft approach. Make games specific to only one console. Haze to PS3. Rayman to Wii. Tom Clancy's to Xbox.
Anyone got some 8days news? Another intriging game that has zero info...like Afrika.
(I still think Sony is going to be releasing a shitload of games during the holidays that many of us forgot about)