Ah yes... Day of the Tentacle. Now, who remembers Maniac Mansion?

i agree, if you try to please everyone then the game will suck. The level of computers is far too diverse and would hinder the game greatly.

Because I've actually been paying attention to the previews of it. It is a console-style action game, much like the 3D Prince of Persia games or Assassin's Creed. These games do not play nearly as well on PCs compared to consoles, and they do not appeal to the traditional PC gamer.



What about the 5-6 other games you were just talking about buying?

Besides, by now, you should know whether you're a console-only gamer, a PC-only gamer, or a real gamer (one who cares not what platform a game is on. The game is what matters to this person).



Yes, they could have hired yet another developer to build yet another specialized version of the game for one more platform. However, consider this:

The Wii version is selling to a console base that is literally exploding. I'm talking exponential growth here; they sold 700,000 Wii in North America alone in April. April is a slow month in the game industry, yet here are sales that would be perfectly acceptable in October or even November. Also, because the platform is relatively low-power, you don't need to spend as much on art assets (models, textures, etc). High install base + low development costs = likely profit.

The PS2 version requires similar development costs, but is selling to an install base of 100+ million. Again, likely profit. Same goes for the DS and PSP versions: low dev costs and high install base = likely profit.

So, now we come to the PC version. Because it would be built by another team, one separate from the 360/PS3 versions, you're looking at what is basically a game developed for the PC from "scratch." It will likely borrow assets from the 360/PS3 version, but it will involve heavy programmer time. It will also need artists to make scaled-down versions of those assets, so that the game could run on weaker PCs. And after all that, what is the number of PC gamers who would actually want to play the game on their PCs? 3 million? 5 million? Remember, this isn't an FPS, where the game experience is fundamentally better on PCs thanks to the interface. This is an action game; the experience is almost always worse on PCs thanks to the interface.

Significant development costs + Relatively low install base = I hope I break even. Even if they do make money, is it enough to really bother with it? The Wii/PS2/DS/PSP versions will all likely provide a significant profit over their development costs (30-80% or more). How much can they expect from the PC sku? 20%? Maybe 30% if they're lucky?

That really angers me. Especially since I can't afford some fancy gaming system, my comp is up to date and can run most all high end games on medium/high settings (runs Cryis on a mix of meduim-high settings, kinda laggy though). CURSE YOU MICROSFOT!

And I was really looking forward to playing this game too.

WONDERFUL discussion, guys! I've very much enjoyed reading through this. I am of the same group of PC Gamers that is completely dissatisfied with L.A.s' attempt to wash their hands of a PC version - their excuse is just that... an excuse and nothing more. It is not a display of working logic at all as multiple individuals in this thread have severely and clearly debunked their "logic" as to why they can't release a version for PC.

This is in regards to Alfonse:

"Because I've actually been paying attention to the previews of it. It is a console-style action game, much like the 3D Prince of Persia games or Assassin's Creed. These games do not play nearly as well on PCs compared to consoles, and they do not appeal to the traditional PC gamer."

And also in regard to your other comments about 3rd Person gaming only being pertinent for Console platforms.

I have ZERO clue where you're getting these opinions from. Honestly, I'd like to curse you out because your absolute cluelessness infuriates me to no end... and the fact that there are people with this level of ignorance in the gaming world pisses me off even more.

FYI, I have a monster gaming rig - solid hardware, it's a concept Project atm in XP/DX9 land... close to 240 top notch >'00 games INCLUDING a # of 3rd person ORIGINALs and PORTS.

Guess what buddy.... a 3rd person game is a 3rd person game is a 3rd person game no matter if it's played on the console or PC. All 3 of the latest Prince of Persias play perfectly on the PC. All 4 recent Splinter Cell titles, all 3 recent Hit Man titles, Assassins Creed, Bloodrayne 2, Gears of War, Resident Evil Series, Silent Hill Series, GTA III (IV will be the same) series, need I go on... seriously?

They all play the SAME... guess why... because developers don't go and make RADICAL changes to the way the player moves/fights/etc from one platform to another (not any of the 3rd person titles I've got anyway).

And get this, Toto.... most games that are ported to PC come with extra goodies half the time - better textures, revised gameplay even sometimes, and higher resolutions most of the time.

You seem to have things backwards, Alfonso: it is the Console that is limited in it's abilities, not the PC. I have a dual analog controller for my PC... guess what capability that grants me... guess...... hmmm, lovely innit.... now, for a mere $25: I have the exact same controller capability as the precious console.

Can you get a mouse for your xbox or your ps2.... same # of options as I have for my PC... didn't think so.


So it's juuuust like Manshooter says: it's about "money" as usual.
And to the man that made the comment about PC gamers MAKING Lucas Arts who they are - AMEN BROTHER!!!!!!!!!! We sure as hell did didn't we...

My FIRST PC Game ever (on my own computer, MINE) was SWOTL, so I've been behind L.A.s for quite a while.

They lost my confidence completely if they don't decide to rectify their decision at some point later on this year... and with that loss of confidence: I will NEVER buy one of their games new again... I'll simply wait for them to show up to Half Price Books for $5-10 or I'll grab 'em on Ebay for $10-20.



BTW: (had SinsOFaSE installed since it came out... juuust got a chance last night to check it out) I am IN LOVE with Sins of a Solar Empire!! WOWOWOWOWO!!!

I got stuck at a certain point.... couldn't advance much further (building/logistics wise), and only had one planet to call my own.... still played for about 3 hours with only one planet. Was loads of fun!





Chr*s

Last I checked, software isn't designed, coded, or initially tested on consoles.

These functions are performed on PCs/Macs.

Unless I'm mistaken.

I THINK IT'S TEH AEWSOMEZ



Because they wanted to piss all the whiny computer gamers off. And guess what? It worked!

How is creativity being curbed by them not making a PC port?



You can't rely on that. You can't assume everyone will be using a proper analog-stick-based controller. Therefore, you must design for the lowest-common-denominator.

If I'm making a Wii game, I can assume that the player has the Wii Remove and Nunchuck; if they don't, they have more serious problems than my game not working. If I'm making a PC game, I can't assume my audience has a joystick; I have to make the game functional with a keyboard and mouse setup.



Depends on your definition of "top notch looking," but I would say consoles.



Let's assume for the moment that this is true. Development houses can pick and choose what the PCs they're developing on are. Therefore, they can choose the most performant machine out there. And since they're developing for a console with fixed hardware, they don't have to be concerned about scalability.

In short, they still can't sell the product as a PC game because it isn't a PC game yet. It's a game that runs on the PC, but it has none of the scaling features that PC games need.

More importantly, the prior assumption is patently false. Any console development house is always constantly running the game on at least one of the platforms of interest. While many console developers do have PC versions for early testing, these are usually abandoned about a third of the way through the project. Graphics programmers have to see what their shaders and so forth are going to do on the actual platform. Gameplay programmers have to make sure that their AI isn't killing performance on the target platform. Sound programmers need to be testing on the actual hardware. Artists need to see how their lighting profile will actually look on the console in question. And so on.

DevKits may be attached to PCs, but console developers don't actually run the game on the PCs. That's what the DevKits are for.



Because there's no money in that.



Why do so many people feel like they're entitled to having a game on their platform of choice? You made your choice; live with the consequences or make a new one. But either way, they're making the game for the platforms that they feel with give them the best profitability. If that's not yours, tough.

It wasn't that long ago that there wasn't going to be a Wii version of TFU. They changed their mind because the Wii sold 25 million world-wide in a year and a half; clearly the opportunity for profit is there. If they felt that the PC port would be worth the effort, they'd make one.



Console, without question.

A. I can't.... lol... wake up Alfonso, it's 2008. If someone can afford $1000 for a computer, I

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they can afford a $25 Analog Gamepad Controller.

Step 2 to "ensure they're properly equipped for the game" - hmmm, here's a thought... just throwin this out there for shits n giggles... maybe put a sticker on the box that says, "works best with analog gamepad"... nah... that would stupid.


B. At first I thought..... nah... he's shittin geese with that hoopla, but nopers: you're being serious so please direct yourself to C.


C. You're permanently dismissed from speaking to me.

But you can't make someone buy one; you cannot ensure that they possess one. The most you can do is strongly encourage them to have one.

The interface is part of the experience of a game. If you're making a product that plays better with a gamepad than a mouse&keyboard, then does it not make since to make this product for the platforms that ensure that the player will be using a gamepad?



It would also be incredibly ineffective. Would you buy a whole controller just to play one game? That's why joysticks, and the games that only play well with them, aren't terribly popular at present.

QFT. I want to play Force Unleashed with the Wii and swing that bitch around like a real lightsaber.

Using the Wii controller might be fun, but it would be a fucking nightmare for most games.