General Discussion

PC " You need a mouse and keyboard to play RTS " 

Console " Why they made the game to work on a controller "

PC " Well it works better on a mouse and keyboard everyone knows that "

Console " Why does it matter when everyone is on the same medium "

PC " Ummm ummm can't play MMORPG's on console's it will be dumbed down without a keyboard and mouse "

Console " Why you can make hotkeys on controllers just like other RPG's "

PC " Well everything is just better on a PC "

Console " I'm sorry you were basing your e-peen on a mouse and keyboard "

Originally posted by stine96

PC " You need a mouse and keyboard to play RTS " 

Console " Why they made the game to work on a controller "

PC " Well it works better on a mouse and keyboard everyone knows that "

Console " Why does it matter when everyone is on the same medium "

PC " Ummm ummm can't play MMORPG's on console's it will be dumbed down without a keyboard and mouse "

Console " Why you can make hotkeys on controllers just like other RPG's "

PC " Well everything is just better on a PC "

Console " I'm sorry you were basing your e-peen on a mouse and keyboard "

thanks for the chuckle, you just summed it all up very neatly and with some great humor!

I thought you would like that . That part that's funny is how alot of good games are being ported to the PC from the console. Not the other way around. And how the fallacy of " Well if the make both it will effect the PC because they have to Dumb it down on the console, which takes time away from developing from the PC "

Awesome logic. Lets see how many MMO's can you name that have flopped in the last year that were made only for the PC. Quite a few eh ? So it would seems a game is gonna flop if its bad no matter what hardware it is on.

Originally posted by Ozmodan

Well, we certainly won't be seeing many MMO's on the consoles available to consumers today.  Not going to happen.  BTW the xbox version of Conan has no announced date, they are only saying it is probably 6 months down the road from the PC release.

Consoles need a mouse and keyboard to play a MMO, any game that claims it can be played with a controller alone is NOT a MMO.   You also have to consider that a MMO takes lots of disk space and needs lots of room for updates, that will stress most of the existing console systems.

Primary reason why the MMO will remain on the PC for quite some time is graphics.   Even my kids 4 year old PC has far better graphics capability than his xbox-360.

So, so much for your experts on having any clue what the future will bring.  If you have stock in their companies I suggest you sell immediately, they don't seem to have much foresight.  The last thing anyone wants is a dumbed down MMO that is mainly for consoles.   Any such game will flop big time.

The snap out HD for the 360 provides plenty of of storage if you need it.

An MMO is not defined by the control device.

As I have said elsewhere, the intelligence or complexity of content is not defined by the platform, it is defined by the target audience. With the changing of perceptions of what a console, such as the 360, is that target audience is changing. This is no longer the domain of 13-19 old boys playing beat em ups and racing games.

WAR, an MMO, has been seen to run on a 360, played on a joypad.

AoC, an MMO, has only been slowed for console release so they can configure the UI to a joypad set up.

APB, an MMO, is set to take the market by storm, played on a joypad.

FF, an MMO, has been running for a while now, played on a joypad.

Phantasy Star Online, an MMO, the same, played on a joypad.

As for the graphics, you must surely be kidding me... but based on the wild inaccuracies of the rest of your post forgive me if I doubt your opinion or take you seriously.

Foresight? You don't seem to know whats happening now, let alone the future...

i fail to see how moving to console will dumb anything down, so if you cant have 40 skills on screen at once its dumb? you cant spam 1-10 its dumb? i mean going to console you cna asume they'll take a better control scheme then dumb ass hotkey spam you know maybe real combat? combo's? instead of spamming skills from your hotkey like swg like wow like gw like almost every mmo out right now, the graphics on console will blow pc's away because all people with 360's and ps3 have the exact same specs which mean they ony need to optimize for 1 spec and not need to make low end version for people who havnt upgraded in 5 year, which is fine no need upgrade for gaming when you cna buy the console for the same price as a high end GPU.

but anyways enough ranting i think it will be good , and the only way pc's will ever become gaming rigs for more than 12% of the market is to standarize the system have 1 pc a year or somthing like that.. i just got the new 08 dell or gateway with intels and nvidia ne 08 crap, cant wait till the 09 model like cars lol

Originally posted by Cola

Consoles are the way of the future.

I like both PC and console games but why play a mmorpg on a PC when you can play the same game on console?

I dont need Vent or TS, I dont need X fire , I dont need to upgrade my graphx card or memory for the new release every six months, I dont have to worry about system requirements or buy/building a brand new Pc for the EXACT SAME BS MMORPG that comes out every year.

You say DUMB DOWN?????/    Just look at the mmorpg market today......

They are all pretty much dumbed down.

I can use a keyboard with my 360 just like I can use a xbox style controller on my PC.

I can get a larger variety of games for the console and most are more enjoyable.

Just my opinions, thats all......

you took the words out of my mouth.  MMO's have become more and more simple year after year.  None of which has to do with the console market, but the people they are trying to target to draw into MMO's.

If theyre going to be developed on consoles, they wont be the catalyst of the "dumbing down" of the MMO genre.  Blame that on the developers themselves.

MMO's on consoles are for grinding full stop.  everything else would be a PC heavy advantage situation (raids, dungeons, crafting (to a certain extent)) but consoles get my vote if the game involves a lot of grinding

incidentally i recently got my hands on a PS3 and would not mind playing my fav MMO sitting back in my bean bag with the wireless controller in my hand grinding off some mobs.  it just makes grinding so much less painful.

bring on the console MMO's as long as they dont downgrade the PC versions (or there will be hell to pay lol )

Originally posted by heerobya

I think the switch to consoles will be a good thing. I actually wish it already happened, and cannot wait for the first AAA MMO for consoles.

They way I think about it -

1. Performance - It's got to be loads easier to program a game that you know is going to be played on a single machine, a console, rather then something that is designed to work on nearly any conceivable PC variation. This will improve graphics and performance, decrease developer time and money.

2. Ease of access - Now, us MMO vets have no problem installing a PC game, patching it, etc. but I'd rather just be able to pop in a disc and go. You can do this on consoles.

3. - Gameplay - The big one. Obviously, with a console you don't have a full keyboard and mouse setup. Yes, you can use kb/mouse on some consoles already (360) but a MMO designed for use with the controller wouldn't be "dumbed down".

Simple controls doesn't equal simple game play. Someone else mentioned Mass Effect, easy controls, complex and exciting game play. Or any console shooter. No more or less complex then PC counterpart, the compexity and challenge come from the game play itself, not the control medium.

If anything, designed a MMO for console would create a game with a less cluttered and more user-friendly interface. The simpler control mechanics could be used to create a more challenging and action-packed game play experience. Look at Fighting games, relatively simple controls, nearly infinite complexity and strategy.

4. Third party - No need for third party software like Ventrillo or Teamspeak on consoles like 360, server hosting and support via xboxlive, all the built in communications and guild tools xbox live offers, etc.

5. Cost effectiveness - This would be the big one, the MMO developers would have to realize that people are already paying the 5.99 a month or whatever it is for the xboxlive service etc. so they'd have to offer the montly subscription to their game at a cheaper price. Then not only do you get access to your MMO, but all the features and games with xbox live at the same time. I know Microsoft would consider this a big win.

So yeah, personally I cannot wait.

Sorry, but you have way, way too many assumptions in your reasoning here. 

DISCLAIMER:

  The following are just my opinions based off my own experiences in regards to what you posted.  Please don't take any of it personally, it's not meant as such, nor should anyone imply I am posting any of it as solid facts.

In regards to your points:

1.  I cannot see any way how developing for one machine ( although, most likely the games would be developed for each of the consoles rather than just one, making your point moot as each have their own development systems just like PCs) would in any way "improve graphics and performance".  Unless you mean in the sense that console systems, even the "big ones" of today, utilize less sophisticated and lower-end equipment than most PCs.

2. What of any updates?  Or free content releases?  Are you just assuming that we'd have to go out and purchase a new, updated disc?  There will still need to be patches downloaded and products updated at release and afterwards, there is really no difference except that you'll need to pay some additional cost to do so via services like Xbox Live, etc. on top of what you're already paying your ISP.

3. Comparing a fighting game and it's control system to an MMO is just apples to oranges - sorry.  Personally I've not played Mass Effect.  They make it only for Xbox 360 and don't plan to release it on any other console or medium (ie. PC) so chances are I'll never try it.  I don't plan to purchase a 360 at all (especially at the current prices - I can get a PC with 2x the performance for the same price) and may get a PS3 primarily for it's double use as a Blu-Ray player - so I can't give any opinions on that part.  But I can say from my experiences with FFXI and Phantasy Star Online, it is more burdensome to try and switch between hotbars/abilities than most current MMOs are on PCs..at least it was to me.

4. I'll concede most of this point except that it is still an additional service being paid for (Xbox Live).

5. This I think is the biggest assumption made here.  I find it extremely unlikely that MMO companies would take a hit, of any amount, to their wallets just because Microsoft requires you to let them charge you additionally for key game features advertised on the boxes and on top of what you have to pay your ISP.  If this assumption was true, Microsoft would not charge you for Xbox Live or your ISP would graciously lower your monthly ISP charge to compensate for you paying Microsoft for the Xbox Live service. ;)  What would most likely happen is that you'll end up paying $5.99 more a month for the privilege of playing an MMO on your console, than what you're currently paying to play them on your PC.

The only gripe I have with it moving to console would be if they ended up becoming console only at any future time.  My PC serves a plethora of functions for me, hence why I bought it.  Consoles pretty much only do one thing - play games.  At the increased prices for them I'd like to see more functionality - hence why I said I'd probably get a PS3 if I got any of the newer consoles, because it can function as a Blu-Ray player and actually costs the same as a stand alone BR player.  Hell, my PS2 still sits in my office room here and I use it pretty much just as a DVD player to keep the kids occupied while I play my games! ;)