Discuss The W3D Engine Limitations - Consoles

[Jeod]

I'm probably not the only one who has thought about playing C&C Renegade and RA:APB on game consoles. The W3D Engine is the predecessor of the SAGE engine, which is used in C&C Generals and C&C3: Tiberium Wars. As someone without any experience in game dev, I have no idea what the scope of the updates from W3D to SAGE are. I do know that C&C3: Tiberium Wars, Kane's Wrath, and Red Alert 3 were released on the Xbox 360 and entirely playable online.

I for one would love to see APB make an appearance on Xbox LIVE as an ID@Xbox game. However, I also know of two primary challenges: EA owning the rights to the franchise and engine, and the lengthy process and adaptations that would need to be made in order to publish a full release on a console (including making the launcher and games 'universal apps'). The benefits would be fantastic--imagine gamertags and achievements and the amount of exposure W3D would get--but the challenges likely outweigh those benefits.

Question for the developers: What engine limitations, besides the two primary challenges listed above, make APB on a game console impossible? Or is it possible yet too tedious?

[ChopBam]

Does anybody here like aiming with joysticks?

[Jeod]

33 minutes ago, ChopBam said:

Does anybody here like aiming with joysticks?

I'm not asking about preferences for controller vs. mouse, I'm asking about the possibility vs. impossibility of a console variant.

[saberhawk]

What engine limitations?

If we managed to overcome the primary challenges, we'd already be well equipped to handle any platform differences. Consoles do work differently though; something like the launcher wouldn't pass technical requirements.

[Jeod]

12 minutes ago, saberhawk said:

What engine limitations?

If we managed to overcome the primary challenges, we'd already be well equipped to handle any platform differences. Consoles do work differently though; something like the launcher wouldn't pass technical requirements.

I'd think if there was a console edition there wouldn't be a launcher associated with it. One would just start a game from the app menu bypassing a launcher entirely. If that were the case, I can't see APB running anything other than direct connect to the official server. Cross-platform play might also be unlikely, but it would depend on netcode interpretation.

[NodGuy]

2 hours ago, ChopBam said:

Does anybody here like aiming with joysticks?

Sure, but it depends on the game. Battlefield? No. Call of Duty? Yes.

Hypothetically, if the game were on consoles, how would vehicle cameras work? Lock the camera to the turret?

[FRAYDO]

9 hours ago, ChopBam said:

Does anybody here like aiming with joysticks?

Joysticks, mouse, pfft.

This is the future of playing APB.

[NodGuy]

37 minutes ago, FRAYDO said:

Joysticks, mouse, pfft.

This is the future of playing APB.

Oh baby.

[SirJustin90]

You're missing one huge problem. Consoles hate updates. They seriously seem to do their best to avoid them, with either insane requirements to have an update pushed, or a limit to how often/how large updates can be. Even some times they simply have a hard limit or prevent updates all together.

 

So past the current issues, you're dealing with brain-dead corporations that continue to hold games back by artificially limiting update potential.

[Jeod]

1 minute ago, SirJustin90 said:

You're missing one huge problem. Consoles hate updates. They seriously seem to do their best to avoid them, with either insane requirements to have an update pushed, or a limit to how often/how large updates can be. Even some times they simply have a hard limit or prevent updates all together.

 

So past the current issues, you're dealing with brain-dead corporations that continue to hold games back by artificially limiting update potential.

I consistently see large updates (>1GB) for all sorts of EA and Ubisoft games, at least on Xbox One. Perhaps Sony has more of an issue with updates.

[SirJustin90]

5 minutes ago, Jeod said:

I consistently see large updates (>1GB) for all sorts of EA and Ubisoft games, at least on Xbox One. Perhaps Sony has more of an issue with updates.

Yes, huge companies who can push their way through other huge companies.

I know this from experience working with developers as a beta tester. There is a reason I left Xbox to go to PC, and this was one of the main ones.

*Forgot to add, these companies have the funds and manpower to massively test these updates to satisfy the unreasonable demands of the console giants.

 

And yes, Sony is worse, in some ways, because they want everything to be done their way that doesn't affect their ecosystem. Look at War Thunder, and Skyrim for example.

Edited July 4, 2017 by SirJustin90

[NodGuy]

40 minutes ago, Jeod said:

I consistently see large updates (>1GB) for all sorts of games, at least on Xbox One. 

As do I. It's actually gotten to the point where I get pissed when I need to update games because it's way more frequent than the Xbox 360 was.