I totally disagree with this post. I don’t think that some technical issues with one or two games means that PC gaming is dead; as I understand it, Xbox 360 users also had some issues with BioShock. Apart from that, I look at some tremendous games that are coming this fall to the PC, better and faster hardware, and an incredible amount of old and high-quality games to play on the PC.

Another thing: I really dislike how Avault has been redisigned. I totally miss the old Avault where I could find large and comprehensive reviews, cheats, and not all this non-news and opinions which don’t contain information at all.

Cheers!

In response to Diego:

The technical problems experienced on the Xbox version of BioShock paled by comparison to those on the PC version, and of course there are the irritating copy protection issues as well. I want PC gaming to survive, but this kind of publisher and player frustration just cannot go on indefinitely.

Bob

Bob,

I agree with your claims about the frustration some gamers have with Internet activation as a copy protection method. Their frustration often goes beyond simple anger at the single company responsible and gets directed at other companies who do not even practice this method of copy protection. For example, Paradox Interactive has started distributing expansions to their titles exclusively online through Gamer’s Gate. Every time a new expansion is announced, there are cries of anguish from the community because some gamers do not want to purchase an expansion as a download. One of the reasons given is that they don’t want to deal with online activation, despite the fact that Paradox Interactive does no such thing. What gamers have read or experienced with other companies ends up coloring their buying decisions, driving down sales elsewhere.

The Internet activation boondoggle involving BioShock, thanks to the press this game has received, might have far reaching consequences.

I agree with Diego — the old site was much better!

Game companies and publishers who continually favor invasive and over-the-top protection schemes should take a long, hard look at Stardock and their business practices. Galactic Civilizations 2 was released with no CD copy protection, just a simple serial number, along with an Internet-based download service that allowed you to install the game to separate computers without even a need for CDs. At the time of its release, there were several doomsayers predicting its failure due to lack of protection, but the game sales numbers (especially given the fact that Gal Civ 2 was a less well known contender) were extremely respectable for its genre and availability.

As well, Stardock has an incredible reputation for overall support and quality of their products, and have been continually providing high quality patches containing new features. Combined with regular expansion releases, Galactic Civilizations 2 has turned out to be one of the most cost efficient and enjoyable experiences I’ve had in PC gaming for many years. This is due not necessarily to the game itself, but the company behind it and their practices.

My thoughts are that if more game companies can learn from Stardock’s example, then hopefully PC gaming can stop sliding down the slippery slope it is currently on, and develop a better reputation for high quality games and excellent post-release support. Here’s to that hopeful future!

I partially agree with this column.

1. I feel that game developers should put a little more effort into testing these new top-of-the-line games. I’m seeing too many perfectly good new games come out with glitches.

2. You’re right, sometimes it is the fault of the consumer, who buys a game their system obviously can’t run. Then again, sometimes the problem is the result of an improperly configured custom rig. And then again, computers can be made from thousands of different brands and parts, and it’s damn near impossible for the developers to make the game compatible with every individual piece.

3. Online registration for singler player exclusive games is 100% ridiculous. Even for multiplayer games, I feel that required registration is still kinda bull, because it really limits a consumer’s flexibility with a game. For example, what if the consumer has two computers and wants to compare performance, but the registration only lets you register once. I think just associating a serial with a username is a great system, much like Steam has.

4. I feel that developers these days are more concentrated on making a profit than making a worthwhile gaming experience. They are especially concerned with piracy and such, which has led to the development of SecuROM, which has been known to cause problems. I think developers and publishers need to stop worrying about their game getting stolen, and should instead concentrate on making the game so good that even normal software pirates would wanna buy it. For example, look at Kanye’s new album — it’s all over the internet, yet has STILL managed to sell almost 1 million copies. Bottom line, think of the PC gamers, not profits.

I totally had a very similar experience! I bought the game from EB, and when I was going through the process of installing, it wouldn’t let me connect to the server, so I called the tech support, and when they finally got to me (like 15-20 minutes later… *I started to play BF2142 because I got tired of waiting*), I got an attitude from the guy, who said I needed to open a port, saying it like, “Duh, I should have known…” Upon further inspection, the update starts at port 80 (which is an http port) and back logs to 27900 (or something like that), so I ended up running a cord around the house to get around both firewalls and it still didn’t work. When I called back, he told me it was my fault that the game didn’t work, at which point I slammed the phone down. Within 10 minutes (mind you, I’ve spent about 2-3 days in this process so far), I had the crack and started playing. It really was ridiculous. But the game is absolutely wonderful now that I’ve joined the pirate side of life.

As a game developer, I agree that PC gaming is dying out and that a lot of development is moving toward platform games. Microsoft is pushing this by making it very easy for developers to release their games on both the XBox and the PC at the same time. There is still a bit of work involved in making the ports for both platforms, but it is a heck of a lot easier than it was a few years ago.

I don’t forsee gaming on the PC dying totally. There has always been an ebb and flow between consoles and computers since personal computers became more common in the 1980s. Microsoft entering the competetive console market is making the ebb away from PC gaming more noticable, but it’s not going to kill the market completely. As new hardware becomes cheaper and developers get excited about what the next video card can handle, games will be made more for the PC than the prior year until another next-gen console comes out; then the flow will go back the other way.

Piracy is rampant on consoles; you can pirate Xbox and PS3 games just as readily as PC games, it just takes more work to get them to run. There are just an astronomically larger number of computers out there, so piracy is going to always be greater and easier on the PC market. I think it sucks to see some of my games on a bit torrent site the same day I release it, but that’s the nature of crime. People steal. I like Steam, but it still doesn’t prevent people from pirating those games, either. Until I or someone else finds a way to cause the pirating weenie to get electrocuted in a horrible way by their computer from stealing games, you just have to assume a % of your game is going to be stolen. Same as in movies.

I DO like consoles for the fact that I don’t have to beta on several different operating systems and hardware configurations. It takes a lot of time to black and white box test on multiple machines with different configurations. I don’t bother testing on anything other than out-of-the-box OS with common AV, spyware configurations. It’s impossible to guess what the average user has on their computer, and since some freeware application might tweak or override a standard windows DLL, their computer is gonna crash the game. I’m not even going to go into my rant on the people who have DVD drive emulation. (Pirating movies and music are we?) Anyways, consoles are great but the PC market potential is just as big.

I’m not sure PC gaming is going to die; I certainly hope it doesn’t. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the superior venue for video games, not to mention the most versatile and backward-compatible platform for gaming. You want a shooter, your choices are endless, and nothing beats the mouse+keyboard combination (just look at someone on a PC going against someone on the Xbox 360 playing Shadowrun). If you want an RTS, it’s your only choice, if you ever tried the ports to any console, you know the controls on a gamepad are clumsy at best. Almost every great puzzle/adventure game (Myst, Rama, TLJ, Siberia, Grim Fandango, Bad Mojo, etc) is on the PC. Want to play a fighter or side scroller? We got those also, and with a solid $20 gamepad you can play them just like their counterparts on consoles (also with as many people as you have gamepads.) Oh, and how about some supposed “console franchises” being born out of PC games like Grand Theft Auto and Mechwarrior?

That being said, you’re right. When game publishers take such measures as Internet activation and use anti-piracy programs that install root kits and whatnot, they damage not only that specific product but also the sales of PC games in general. As for 2K Games, I have no explanation for why they took these measures. The team that was Irrational Games are not new to PC gaming, so they should have been aware of how frustrating and insulting online activation/SecurRom is to the customer and how ineffectual it is to preventing piracy. I’m not saying there shouldn’t be any copyright protection. I certainly understand people/companies need to protect their products, but what 2K and others like Valve have done are over the line as far as I’m concerned. I sent the following to 2K’s forums in a thread started by people upset about Bioshock’s online activation, limited installs, glitched instillation and SecurRom:

“I’d like to say that this CD Key activation and limitation is useless, as the only people you’re preventing from running this game are the people that went out and bought it. Anyone who wants to illegally get this game has already found a way to copy it and repack the exe so it will run/install without the SecuROM check and the CD key. If you want to even install this game, you have to be connected to the Internet (yes, it was printed on the back of the box, but I was so excited to get the damn game, I didn’t bother to check). I realize when you buy a game, you’re paying to play it, that you don’t really own anything. But when I slap down $50, I expect to be able to play that game when and where I want, and not be limited to two installs and having to be connected to the Internet. (Believe it or not, not everyone has an Internet connection on every computer) It took six tries for your copy protection to even recognize your CD code included on the game. It is for this reason I stopped buying any game produced by Valve (Half-life 2 and whatnot). I understand your system check is not as invasive as Valve’s (which checks every time the game loads up), but the hassle is the same. As far as two CD keys being enough for a user, that’s not your call. Once someone buys the game, they should be able to use it on as many PC’s as they like. You still need the CD in the drive to run it, so it’s not like someone is spawning copies. And what happens years from now when BioShock is not supported anymore and I want to play it again? Will I be able to install it or will it stop at the CD check permanently because it can’t connect to your server or SecuROM’s? I understand BioShock is your intellectual property, but once I hand over money for your product, I expect to be able to use it where and when and as much as I want for as long as the CD it’s on holds out.

To finish up, you lost a customer; I’m returning the game (which I ran to get special the day it was released) and won’t be purchasing any 2K games until Internet activation is removed from the installations. It’s a disappointment to me, a person that bought multiple copies of System Shock 2 just because I always wanted to have the ability to play a great game that I felt was a classic.”

The thread was locked after 60 posts by 2K, but many others were saying the same thing along with and many more on other websites. The post was under the forum name ShockFan5566.

This is my longest post ever, so let me finish by saying you’re right about BioShock, but I hope you’re wrong about PC gaming.

Oh, and as for console gaming being less pirated, mod chip anyone?

Here you will find another article about the future of PC gaming: http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/820/820692p1.html
Cheers,

Diego.

Oh, and please read this: http://www.avault.com/?p=1092
It seems there are 4 new PC games this week, while there are 2 for the XBOX and 1 for the Wii.

I greatly appreciate the very thoughtful and insightful reader comments in response to my article. I am very aware of console piracy, particularly in East Asia, but in North America and Europe it is much easier to pirate games on the PC. My article never said PC gaming is “dead,” but instead it argues that game companies in the future might not choose the PC as the development platform of choice for AAA titles because of the rampant technical problems and piracy. If game developers and publishers become more aware than they are of the overwhelming frustration of legitimate purchasers of PC games surrounding these issues, there’s still time to reverse this trend. If nothing changes, we PC gamers might have to content ourselves with ports, clones and afterthought offerings in the future.

Bob

I also partially agree with this article.

I do not agree that the issues with BioShock signal the demise of PC gaming anytime soon. I do agree that if PC games continue to be saddled with problematic copy protection, Internet activation problems and forced limits on the number of times you can install it, then yes, PC gaming won’t last long.

I have no problems with needing to activate a product with a serial number. However, limited installs and bad copy protection, such as SecurROM or (God forbid) Starforce, is a real killer. I held off buying the game for about a month due to the limited installs issue and almost didn’t buy it solely because of that. Anything with Starforce is an automatic no-buy, no matter how great the game is.

Sad though it is, technical problems in PC games are going to be around as long as there are hardware manufacturers churning out sub-standard hardware and drivers in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

I know the BioShock problems largely stem from the C++ service pack, but the majority of gaming issues stem from the nightmarish combinations of hardware and drivers that make up the vast array of PCs you can buy (and make) to play games on. It’s a major problem for game developers when writing games targeted at the PC.

There’s also the issue of graphics chips manufacturers such as ATI, Nvidia and Intel constantly moving the goalposts with regards to hardware capabilities as they incessently release graphics cards with differing features — again, all in the chase for the almighty dollar.

To ATI and NVidia I say, “Stop flooding the PC games hardware market with so many different models with vastly different features that are not compatible. All you’re doing is making life for the PC game developers too hard. Trying to support so many configurations takes many man-hours of deveopment and design. If you continue to shovel so many graphics cards onto the market, you’ll ultimatey find many PC developers will stop producing games for the platform in preference for the fixed-platform consoles. Then where will your PC sales revenues go when people stop buying your hardware because there are very few games being written for the PC to take advantage of the extra features you’ve added?

To PC computer manufacturers I say, “Stop selling PCs with integrated graphics chips to consumers who express an interest in PC games. Educate your in-store sales monkies so that they can pass on technical advice to anyone looking for a gaming machine and steer them away from integrated chip monstrocities. The same goes for sound hardware, though some integrated audio hardware can do a ood job.”

There are too many PC retail outlets selling budget PCs that are wholly inadequate for playing even the simplest of today’s games. Buyers should also be more careful in their buying decisions. Here’s some buying advice when looking for a good PC:

1. Be demanding at the store and have the sales rep SHOW you what the PC in which you’re interested can do. Don’t be satisfied with what the sales rep SAYS it can do.

2 Look at the top 20 games list in any magazine or maybe even in the store and ask the sales rep to show you a couple of those games running on the PC you plan to buy. If they seem reluctant, take your wallet elsewhere.

To those of you who decide to build your own PCs, I suggest that if you are looking to save money here and there, one place to NEVER cut corners is in the purchase of your mainboard (a.k.a. motherboard). The mainboard is the nexus of all communications between the rest of the hardware attatched to your system. If you go for a cheap and cheerful budget board then you are asking for problems down the line. Buy from one of the established names such as Asus, Gigabyte or Intel.

A good mainboard manufacturer should have a clear and well-designed website that makes it extremely easy to find technical support for your chosen mainboard and also has a solid policy on quickly releasing free BIOS and driver updates to rapdily fix any compatabiity problems that might arise. The mainboard manual should also be good quality and read like a bady translated pigeon-English mess.

Nuff said…

I still think copy protection or online activation will only bring obstacles to the stupid, inexperienced and naive gamers who know very little about PC hardware and software. CP and OA are not obstacles to the piracy community at all. Some of them might even love the challenge.

I find Darren Evans’ extensive comments to be right on the mark!

Glad to see you’re still writing articles like this, Bob. Three cheers to the old guard of The Adrenaline Vault!

It’s a shame the first respondent wrote that the new AVault is a disappointment. The ability to express opinions in response to a carefully explicated argument is a significant feature that many value. One could argue that the Internet community for video games suffers from a dearth of thought, grammar, and care and a surplus of opinion, which is why Bob’s piece is rare, but important.

In any case, I recently read an article that addresses some of the same concerns but reaches a different conclusion. I apologize for not being able to provide a link. That article explained that World of Warcraft has redefined the business model for all interactive entertainment. Its global sucess and profitability have created a situation of which every publisher is aware. The WoW model, however, takes advantage of the near universality of PCs and uses its own servers to run the game. This might be impractical for every genre, but clearly there’s plenty of lifeblood left in the PC platform. Some would argue it’s the true pot of gold for game publishers. Profitability on a title exclusive to any one console limits overall market, wheras multi-platform development increases costs.

BioShock seems to be a victim of market forces pulling the game in too many directions. Is it necessary to include DX 10 features and require a Geforce 9950 Ultra SLI? No. And certainly the company that developed System Shock 2 was aware of that. Obviously, they had their reasons. Personally, I think it was a mistake. Buying a game for 50 bucks seems indulgent, but forgivable. Buying a 450 buck graphics card in order to play games seems like lunacy.

As for the copy protection, while I was personally fortunate, ‘ve certainly had problems in the past. While I recognize that a publisher’s goal to protect profitability is independent of whether the game should be single or multiplayer, online or not, that does not excuse an inconvenient or faulty mechanism. Sony went through the rootkit fiasco attempting to prevent piracy, but apparently the industry in general has simply not learned from its mistakes. Gamers are right to expect better treatment. And as Bob rightly points out, the people who are inconvenienced, frustrated and disappointed by these flawed protection schemes are the paying, honest customers, not those the schemes are intended to thwart.

Finally, my last two cents. Eventually, I hope, companies will develop a convenient method of copy protection that won’t sabotage the experience of paying customers. One bit of protection I think the industry is ready to outgrow is the CD check. Having completely copied the contents of the DVD to hard drive, and having sucessfully submitted a 36 digit activation code using 128 bit security to an encrypted activation server, does anybody benefit from needing to actually put that disc in every time we want to start up a different game?

I cannot help but respond to the last two comments, both of which brought a real smile to my face!

Wilz, thanks so much for your nice remark, as one of the reasons I love being with AVault is that most gaming sites do not allow or encourage this kind of critical analysis! And Avispex, you make absolutely pivotal remarks, and hit the nail precisely on the head when you say “apparently the industry in general has simply not learned from its mistakes;” sometimes I think the entertainment industry assumes that we consumers are so desperate that we will accept anything it dishes out without any protest….

Bob

where do you get off saying that “many people vowed never to buy a pc game again”. i’d like to see where you got your facts, or if it’s just something you made up.

by the way
i also really dont like the way avault was redesigned either. you can call it tough love, but im not going to lie and say its great, because its not. actually looks like something i designed when i was 15
peace

I agree in some terms. It´s frustrating when you pay a lot for a game and can´t even install it! I´m against piracy, but when even the company that brought out the game doesn´t help you in any way, letting you out there alone and helpless? I my self have at least 2 games ( Fear and extraction point and Riddick, escape from butcher bay) that I can´t even install it! Try everything suggested from the productor site to no avail…suggestions range from the nearly impossible “reinstall OS” to upgrade “firmware” of DVD drives, etc!!! Can I take them back to the store: No! Can I change to another game? No! What can we do? Nothing! I didn´t resort to Cracks and the likes, but I can´t blame if someone finds this the only way the have to make the game they HONESTLY paid for to work. If your rig runs everything but a few 2 or 4 titles, they just cannot say your sistem has something “broke” the need “fix” or “updates”, even when its already up to date!
Thanks for the opportunity to write.
José,
Brazil.

Better late than never….

I completely disagree with the posts regarding BioShock issues on the PC. While waiting for Two Worlds to be released, I purchased BioShock for PC on a whim. I carefully read the box for both minimum and recommended system requirements, and determined that my PC exceeded both, so I bought the game. As soon as I got home, I installed the game, and began playing it. Not once during the installation, set-up and gameplay did I experience any glitches, crashes, or any other issue for that matter. It was a seemless experience from beginning to end.

The important lesson to be learned here (for all those gamers who did have issues with the PC version), is that you MUST read the minimum / recommended system requirements on the box! I have a 3 ghz Intel duo-core system with a PCI-e 256 mb Nvidia graphics card and Sound Blaster installed, and the game was absolutely flawless.

Tuakka was lucky (I think he works for 2k!) My system goes above and beyond the recommended requirements for BioShock and lo and behold… Yeah it crashes! It crashes everywhere! Crysis played fine on my PC, get your head round that. The game is flawed and tomorrow I will be taking it back to the retailer for my money back. I should ask for more money due to time wasted!

The actual important lesson is NOT to read the minimum or the recommended requirements, but is to NOT buy BIOSHOCK!

I agree, this site was infinitelly more interesting in its old design, now with its bad changes i don’t have desires to visit it anymore.

I have no doubt that the PC as a gaming platform will continue.

I have no idea what these “problems” were but I purchased the game on Steam, and had NO problem whatsoever. The game exceeded my expectations and was true to the “System Shock” genre which was hugely underrated. Bioshock has given me my fix and I will forever rate it above anything played with the awkward controllers the consoles provide.

Besides, with all the r & d the game developers have to do with new hardware and operating systems with the PC, you have to expect some unusual results as every PC is different – unlike the uniform consoles. I mean – how many patches are there out for XP and Vista operating systems – and no-one says “it’s a flop” straight away – they persevere and update as needed.

I should kill you for stealing my name