Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

[Kire]

Odd question, I know...but one of the reasons RPG Maker 2 flopped as a community was the difficulty of sharing files. The Gamecube, X-Box, and PS2 are a ***** in this respect. Will future consoles allow us to do such things? Only time will tell.

Thoughts?

[John Mora]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

Actually, the Max Drive is incredibly easy. What's your point?

[Kire]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

Well, in all honesty, I didn't know about that, and that's pretty cool. Still, I wish there were more games where we could easily enjoy each others' creative content.

[The Toecutter]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

I see the PC as being much more fertile grounds. But since pirators keep screwing those who want to have a legitamate copy over, your ownly real option for the PC is to use a freeware maker, an already available game maker like Dark Basic, or to make your own game *entirely* from scratch, or any combination of those means.

The console still has its benefits, however. I like the idea of actually being able to play the game with the console. In order to have a decent-sized game with your own graphics that could be competitive to the games on that system, this rules out the possibility of memory cards. Hard drives would be a great means. But once you go that far on a system and give it internet connectivity and web surfing ability, ect., you may as well have gotten yourself a computer.

I remember when at the old boards an idea was discussed on how kickass it would be for a software to be released to allow you to make your own SNES, Genesis, Saturn, or Playstation 1 games. Pipe dream that will never occur, yes, but such a thing is fully within the realm of possibility. Making your own cartridges or disks, and playing them on your machine...

[Ivalice]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

Dark Basic was possibly the worst experience I have ever gone through. VB, C++, and java script are much more worth the time to learn if you plan on programming your own game.

We programmed a FPS with about 6 weapons and chickens as the baddie and we had a drivable golf cart so you could ride around the level. Everything was exported from max and the textures where bitmaps I think?

It couldnt run textures worth ****. The game loop was seamless....but it just couldnt run stuff.

Since then I learned Unreal ed 3.0 and its easier to hack the Hud, bring in your own textures, meshes, and weapons...even characters with custom rigs...

My point? I dont have one....but filesharing .utx files is hella easier

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

Still, I wish there were more games where we could easily enjoy each others' creative content.

TimeSplitters 3 is supposed to have a real good map/scenario creation system. Hopefully it will have a web site to upload/download created areas.

[Valkysas]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

I actually think hardware restrictions cause developers to be more creative and inventive. most of the great PS1 games came out after the console was already showing it's age (MGS, FFIX, etc.). same goes for the current generation.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

There is a GBA cartridge that you can load a GBA rom onto. I know this isn't really allowable talk, but if someone had the know-how, they could create a GBA game in rom format, and then load it onto their GBA. In theory. I don't know if that would actually work.

[Alzar]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

I agree Kire, and the Max Drive didn't come out until awhile after I had given up on RPG Maker II anyway. I had been turned off by the thought that I wouldn't be able to share my games.

RPG Maker II also failed because it is..not very...friendly.

But consoles are inherently designed to be proprietary so that the companies behind them have control and, yadda yadda.

[John Mora]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

RPG Maker II also failed because it is..not very...friendly.

God yes. 3D plotting is too intimidating for the regular consumer.

[SalsaShark]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

Agreed. I spent like 3 hours building one house in rpm2.... and then kinda stopped playing it because of the extreme amount of work it would take to create an entire RPG.

In regards to creativity being limited on future consoles... I think this might be a serious problem. There was a posting somewhere where this guy was saying how with so many developers and huge budgets publsihers are less willing to take any risks.. I cant seem to find it again, but you get the idea.

Still, I dont think this is the end of innovative gaming as we know it. we just need a new revolution in gaming.. or something.

[JLaCroix]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

As much as I hate to say it, Playstation is not a development system. If you want to make games, stick with PC programming. The reason I say this, is because you can either make people buy a maxdrive, ps2, a copy of RPGMaker 2 and have them download the game (HUGE hassle) or you can make a PC game where everyone just completes one download and that's it.

Ultimately, the hassle of RPGMaker games is what killed it. What would have worked better is if RPGMaker 2 had an online game mode, through the PS2's network port, that would connect to a gameserver, and when you make a game, you upload it to that server. No mess, no hassle, and it would work.

[ErikaFuzzbottom]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

There are over 100 RPGM1 games here. That's pretty good for being too much of a hassle. The only thing that keeps RPGM2 from achieving an equal success is how creating games is more of a hassle and takes much longer. Having to own both the tool and some sort of connection device does hurt, but that's the best we're going to get without importing a PC RPGM, downloading something other than RPGM, or learning how to program. A real shame, but at least we're getting some decent attempts.

[Vonwert]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

The 3d building is hard, but the real issue was with the scripts. It takes 5 lines of script to just make a stupid door open...not to mention how many it takes to make a chest with an item inside....

[John Mora]

Re: Are future consoles fertile ground for creativity?

...No, the 3D building is what made me give up in disgust.