Ubisoft's GRAW team denies PS3 programming difficulty
by Nick Doerr 
{ Aug 17th 2007 at 7:00PM }
The GRAW2 team are happy with the PlayStation 3. With all the hubbub on the internet regarding the "sluggish" version of Madden on the PS3, or the rumors that Rockstar had to delay GTAIV because it was either difficult to port to the 360 or it was difficult to program for the PS3, we really need to find out what the true answer is. Are developers growing lazy, unwilling to learn how to properly code? Is it really difficult, but Ubisoft got lucky? Either way, with this kind of talk, we wholly expect the PS3 version of GRAW2 to match the 360 version in every way.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Ai Nguyen @ Aug 17th 2007 7:54PM
grafix in the demo were pretty bad...
Toby @ Aug 17th 2007 7:58PM
Im 90% sure im going to get this. Ubisoft is putting a good name for themselves out there when it comes to the ps3, so ill also be getting Bia and Assassins Creed.
gibson335 @ Aug 17th 2007 8:00PM
Match. Whoopdeedoo.
a.j. @ Aug 17th 2007 8:01PM
devs who claim the ps3 is too difficult to develop for are lame. games like F1, Ninja Gaiden Sigma and hell, even The Darkness show that great things are possible once you nut up and take the time needed to learn what you're doing. EA should be ashamed of themselves for the 30FPS Madden laziness. the next few years will show the PS3 coming along and eventually they'll have a nice little competition going with the 360. stop crying.
mccomber @ Aug 17th 2007 8:02PM
They were close, but not quite the same as the 360 version. It's certainly not a big enough difference to warrant the purchase of one version over the other. I'd say the port is on par with R6V, which makes sense.
It sounds like they're saying that the 360 isn't really easier, it's just more familiar. Of course, for some people those are the same thing... but EA will catch up eventually.
x silence x @ Aug 17th 2007 8:11PM
Ya, that's why it only took them 6 months to get it to the PS3...
SolidsS @ Aug 17th 2007 9:08PM
Why do the Ps3 have to match up with the 360? The Ps3 can generate enough raw power to destoy the competion. Its up to the developers to ceate the game or how well they port out the game. When it comes down to it, its the developers that are lazy. (trying to come up with excuses, Ps3 is hard to develop on) t(-_-)t developers....
Im tired of people saying xbox killer, halo killer, Forza killer. It makes the Ps3 look pathethic in that way. The fact is, with games like Forza; is crap compared to what Grandturismo is and always will be. HA! XBOX Killer what an UNDER rated statement, you people comparing that sorry pice of equipment for games to the ps3. Dont get brain washed people, were talking about the Ps3 the the true next-gen here.
Josh @ Aug 17th 2007 9:21PM
"Learned" not "Learnt"
Please tell me the developer did not actually say that?!
@8 "Gran Turismo" not "grandturismo"
T-Mape @ Aug 17th 2007 9:30PM
this is nice to hear. i hate it how other companies are taking the pussy way out and half assing on the ps3. i own a 360 and ps3 and my 360 library is getting bigger because of devs not trying but i like my ps3 more and the games that are on it are better
John @ Aug 17th 2007 9:35PM
Let's consider something very important here. The 360 console is a triple-core computer with a graphics card attached.
People have been programming computers like this for years, so it's old hat, they know what to expect.
When the PS2 came out, people did not at first know how to machine-code for the highly-configurable albeit cryptic extra two processors, the 'baby cells'.
When they learned it, you can see for yourself. Gran Turismo 4, Ratchet and Clank, Midnight Club 3 and hosts of others showed that even though the ps2 ran at less than HALF the speed of an Xbox, it could compete, with good programming.
Now we have all these development studios who are not used to coding for PARALLELISM, which is what the ps3 was designed for.
You put them on a ps3, and they code like they're writing for one core, which is exactly what they're doing.
And if they ARE using the Cells, they're ignorantly (and perhaps lazily) allowing bottlenecks, which is like programming on credit, then defaulting on the loan.
Notice that agencies like Insomniac, having pushed the utter limits of ps2 for years, became comfortable with the ps3 quickly (and you're going to see even more when Ratchet arrives) because they had always been thinking and programming along the lines of code in parallel.
Game coders do not typically code for parallel processing.
Or, they didn't.
Ask the Ninja Gaiden people, ask the Heavenly Sword crew, ask the crew that just made Dirt for ps3, how they programmed.
They're using the cells, they're parallelizing (I made that word up).
EA is guilty simply of lazy and ignorant programming (perhaps other things, too, of course-- wikipedia, etc).
It's to be expected of a monalith of such size. Like all huge entities lusting for power and domination, it will follow promises of more, and those promises come more from Microsoft than Sony, hence, they follow that line.
Meanwhile, crews who are actually artistic, who actually make a difference in the gaming continuum, these do the best work, because they are concerned with art.
Electronic Arts is not concerned with art, they are concerned with power.
So their name should be changed to, I dunno...
Electronic Regime.
never$$hort @ Aug 17th 2007 9:49PM
A majority of the games I want are made exclusively for PS3 anyways. This will eventually change for me when these devs get thier heads out thier asses, but for now thats how it is and honestly all the games made exclusively for the PS3 have graphically blown the competition away. Thats why I prefer the PS3, quality hardware and quality games.
SolidsS @ Aug 17th 2007 11:03PM
Sorry about the bad grammar people i get really mad when some crap
like this shows up. In all respects to the developers; please don't
have crappy ports and learn how to use the program before you release
a game.
Its stuff like this that make ps3 owners want to chuck rocks at the nearest nerd.
Matt B @ Aug 18th 2007 12:10AM
I don't want a match to the 360. I want it better. That is the only way multiplay devs are going to get mine and alot of other PS3 owners money.
Spend the time, you'll get the dime.
Andy @ Aug 18th 2007 12:22AM
@14
Advice that rhymes.
I also have some advice for Ubisoft.
You should have released it earlier
For I'll be too busy playing Warhawk.
See I also can come up with advice thats rhymes.
SkeetSkiLee @ Aug 18th 2007 12:32AM
I agree with #15
sisco @ Aug 20th 2007 12:05PM
What do You mean Match!? you mean Surpass!! Thats What We want....We are the overloard of 360. being matched is a disgrace to us ps3's. ugh! lol
snsr @ Aug 18th 2007 1:06AM
I downloaded the demo from the PSN recently.
GRAW2 is one of my fav games for the 360; the PS3 version (running in 1080p) looks noticeably more blurry. Framerate is so-so (but it was for the 360, too.)
snsr @ Aug 18th 2007 1:14AM
Did someone up near the top say Ubisoft is making a good name for themselves on the PS3?
Seriously- RB6V and Splinter Cell DA on the PS3 both compare negatively to 360 versions.
I bought them both (for both systems). Splinter Cell is almost unplayable (framerate worse than 360), and Rainbow Six multiplayer has been circumcized. Not what I'd call "making a good name for themselves."
Don't get me wrong- RB6V is still the best game on the system :) And I'm buying Assasins Creed, so maybe I'm contradicting myself..
Stellarpimp @ Aug 18th 2007 2:23AM
@ 9 Josh...
OMG...who gives a flying motha f@#k if he used learned or learnt. In case you didn't know...
Learned = American english
Learnt = Britsh english
www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutspelling/learnt
...I don't know why I felt the need to brief you on this. /wrist.
Ubisoft is based in France. Ok I'm done with this needless rant. Deuces baby.
Stellarpimp @ Aug 18th 2007 2:25AM
Correction...
British
Stellarpimp @ Aug 18th 2007 2:53AM
@17 I hope this isn't the same blurriness problem like Rainbow 6 has. Playing the game @ 1080p will cause migrains, visionloss and w/e else can happen. I like many others had to play in 720p. I'm in the process of downloading the demo now. I just hope they fix the blurry problem prior to release.
auktane @ Aug 18th 2007 5:53AM
did anyone notice the PSN demo version didn't have the camera shake while running, cause the xbox demo did and it looked better. sucks cause i put off buyin for the 360 cause i wanted it for my PS3 hoping it would be better but it doen't look like it judgin from the demos.
Scott Krueger @ Aug 18th 2007 12:23PM
C++ is more difficult than Basic, but you can achieve better, faster running, results if you know what you are doing. These game developers must be mouth breathing morons to come out and admit that they are too stupid to handle the programming. Do these guys actually admit to their boss that they can't handle it. If I was that guys boss and he/she told me it was too difficult and yet I saw other companies producing good product I would think that I need a new Non-Idiot Programmer.
MYPS3KilledMy360 @ Aug 19th 2007 1:04AM
Ubi ahs problems porting to the PC what do you expect. since the devs dont seem to have a problem coding why is conviction still exclusive. SC conviction has to be the most appealing installment of the SC series. that game is the only SC i actually sat down and looked at.
Anthony Pittarelli @ Aug 19th 2007 5:11AM
if ubisoft can do it, everyone else can too!
Anthony Pittarelli
ryano @ Aug 19th 2007 5:37AM
kay, that makes no sense whatsoever.
if i were to say, "gee whiz, that math test was difficult!" i'd be saying i wasn't prepared for it and am still learning the subject.
same thing here. the PS3 is new technology, developers are still learning it. so it's safe to say developers find it difficult.
when you practice a difficult thing over time, it becomes, natural, easy, efficient, second nature, not-difficult.
it was difficult to program GRAW 2 for the PS3. and Yes over time it will be less difficult to program games for the PS3.
damn fools!
Bob @ Sep 22nd 2007 6:11PM
Firstly who cares about spelling mistakes or typing erorrs - apart from the real nerds!
Secondly Sony wipe the floor with Microsoft. Microsoft fail to carry out extensive testing on their consoles this has resulted in not only one console but two consoles released faulty.
If you can remember back to the first xbox they had severe problems with overheating on their first few batches. A few years down the line and still microsoft fail to test their system resulting in the 3 red light problem, another overheating issue, but this time due to using low heat solder! derrrrrr.
It wouldnt suprise me if microsoft did it for the third time running. Whereas Sony make nothing but reliable extreme machines capable of playing for more than a few hours without breaking.
Come on microsoft up your game or leave it to the pro's. After all where the playstation comes from they dont settle for second best, they are passionate about gaming and it has to be right.