Alone in the Dark Delayed for PS3

We knew it was going to be delayed for PS3, I just assumed it would have been a week or so,

Its not a huge deal to me as I will just get it for 360, but I assumed I would be playing MGS4 for a while and then I would just get the PS3 version of Alone in the Dark because I will have spent the last few weeks playing on a PS controller anyway.

A bit of a momentum killer.

Does every videogame programmer need another crash course in how to program for PS3? Just how ridiculously difficult is it? After 2 and a half years, many developers STILL can't figure out how to program well on PS3.

mtradr43

The PS3 relies heavily on multithreading.

All I can say about multithreading is that it totally sucks and I tip my hat to any developer who can make a game for the PS3 no matter how sucky it is.

I've done several research papers on multithreading and even tried making several extremely small programs to try multithreading. I don't feel like giving the details, but if you'd like to know how bad multithreading really is, go to your library and look up some online articles. The industry is in a panic about what to do to make multithreading a simpler task. Yes, it really is that bad.

[QUOTE="mtradr43"]

Does every videogame programmer need another crash course in how to program for PS3? Just how ridiculously difficult is it? After 2 and a half years, many developers STILL can't figure out how to program well on PS3.

Vax45

The PS3 relies heavily on multithreading.

All I can say about multithreading is that it totally sucks and I tip my hat to any developer who can make a game for the PS3 no matter how sucky it is.

Also, PS3 hasnt been out for 2 and a half years.

[QUOTE="Vax45"][QUOTE="mtradr43"]

Does every videogame programmer need another crash course in how to program for PS3? Just how ridiculously difficult is it? After 2 and a half years, many developers STILL can't figure out how to program well on PS3.

black_awpN1

The PS3 relies heavily on multithreading.

All I can say about multithreading is that it totally sucks and I tip my hat to any developer who can make a game for the PS3 no matter how sucky it is.

Also, PS3 hasnt been out for 2 and a half years.

As a software developer, I can tell you that lazy developers don't make it in the industry very long, especially when you are talking about the more difficult jobs wiht 6 figure salaries. The problem is not that the developers all of a sudden get lazy whenever a playstation3 project comes around, but are fine and motivated when a 360 game is in queue.

The problem with the PS3s development is not hardware either. The problem is software. The developer kit that the Sony created is not logical and is unneedlessly complicated. It kills me that you guys sit around and call every developer lazy when the problem is that Sony needs to rethink their development kit architecture. MS is not having this problem because they are a very developer centric software company. Sony admitted to the difficulty of their problems when they released their development kit named Edge. I'm not sure how successful Edge has/will become.

The issue that many developers are facing is like trying to put a newly designed car engine together with bad instructions. The problem is not the engine or its components. The problem is not that the mechanic. He can put engines together all day long.

I think its interesting how most of the companies without a very strong tie to Sony are having problems. I would imagine that Sony is giving extra development support to their first party and "preferred" devs.

[QUOTE="AvIdGaMeR444"]

Does every videogame programmer need another crash course in how to program for PS3? Just how ridiculously difficult is it? After 2 and a half years, many developers STILL can't figure out how to program well on PS3.

OhSnapitz

..and some how that's the devs' fault... :|

Also, another question is, "Is there an incentive for developers to waste A LOT of money to drill deep down into the Cell and the PS3 and create a top notch game graphic wise?" This is expensive, time consuming and the only way developers will do it if the return on investment is worth it. But remember so far the Ps3 isn't at "Critical Mass" yet and out of the 13 million units sold worldwide, I'm betting about 4-6 million people bought it as a blu-ray player and won't be buying game. The risk is too high and developers are not willing to do that because the incentives are not there! That's why they mostly concentrates on the X360, much easier to developer for, much easier for RoI. Some developers with big name franchises like CoD, GTA etc are able to afford this, but if you are a medium time developer with a so-so franchise like Along in the Dark, you can't afford to do this unless you have major backing!

[QUOTE="speedsix"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"][QUOTE="speedsix"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"][QUOTE="speedsix"][QUOTE="AvIdGaMeR444"]

Does every videogame programmer need another crash course in how to program for PS3? Just how ridiculously difficult is it? After 2 and a half years, many developers STILL can't figure out how to program well on PS3.

finalfantasy94

You make it sound like it's the developer's fault.

Well its not the PS3 fault. They just have to learn how to use it. Its like saying a test is to hard and blaming it on the test instead of yourself.

It's completely the hardware's fault. Devs don't have unlimited time/budget to try and extract the same performance as a rival console.

BS buddy. When you become a dev you know what your getting yourself into. The devs are just lazy or just dont know how to program well on the certain system. They just do it on the 360 first and just port the code to the PS3 which is why some games turn out to be crap. Its best to do it from the ground up. Some devs are getting the idea already. When you program for the PS3 first then bring it to the 360 everyone wins.

The only person to blame is Sony.

Its not fanboys they are trying to keep happy its consumers in general. Again IGN's Head to head showed that GTA4 was pretty much the same on both systems. Also you heard of the ol saying "gatta spend money to make money" thats how the buieness world works. Again its not sonys fault. The only way I would blame sony is if they didn't give the devs the tools they needed to work with the system. They devs just gatta learn how to work with the system at hand. This is the business world dude and you gatta learn how to work with everything.

That's just dumb!

That's not how business works!

If you DON'T have a choice, like last gen with the PS2, where it dominates EVERYTHING in sight, then this business model works. Developers has no choice but to suck it up and develop for a hard @$$ console because that's where the "Green" is.

This time around, developers got a choice. They can do like last time, work with a hard @$$ console, spend millions and hundreds of man hour for a console that has a very small userbase where the return is marginal at best or develope for a console that has a far bigger userbase with a far bigger return for a fraction of the effort or cost. Which would you choose. Sorry, business will NOT "learn how to work with everything" if they have a better choice and that better choice is filled with far better green to boot too! That's the case here. Unless its absolutely worth it, developer'd rather develop first for the X360 because that's far easier and the return is far better too, put a lame @$$ port to the PS3 and call it a day! They will earn most of the profit on the MS machine, anything else from the PS3 is considered extra! Unless Sony can show absolutely there is an incentive for developers to make the Ps3 as the primary development platfrom, things will hardly change and developers will never put the extra effort to drill the most out of the Cell!

[QUOTE="speedsix"][QUOTE="finalfantasy94"]

Again all you are saying is that. Since its harder to develop for the PS3 its sony's fauglt. No its not. The devs just have to learn how to work with it. Also again the multiplat fact is started to dissapear a little. With games like DMC4,COD4, GTA4,Army of 2 and so forth. Some devs already proved it can worked on each system.

finalfantasy94

The devs don't have to do anything. What they do have to do is bring in the most profits and if one of your platform's code isn't up to the same level of the other, you need to make a decision. Do you scale something back and release on time at the possible risk of creating some good fanboy forum fodder or do you delay and keep ploughing money into it to try and get it up to the same level?

It's quite clear you think the second choice is best and any devs that don't do this are 'lazy'. I'm just glad I don't have shares in a company run by you:P

Again i either said they were lazy or just dont know how to program for the PS3. There is a difference in trying or just half assing.

Again, what is the incentive for developers to stop "half @$$ing"? Does the PS3 have a big userbase? No. Does the users buy more games than the X360 users? No. Is it easy to develop for? No. Can I earn more money on the PS3 than the X360? No. So what else is there? Nothing!

Again, unless Sony can provide a good to god reason why developers should NOT make the X360 the lead platform, then "half @$$" a downgrade port to the PS3, this process will not stop! Nintendo right now is providing one giagantic incentive, the massive and soon to be HUGE massive userbase of the Wii for the developers to concentrate more and take it more seriously. PS3? nothing....I just don't see it! Unless that stop, unless you got a huge hot IP with brand name recognition up the wazoo like GTA or CoD, I just don't see why developers will stop half @$$ing , why? Because they can and they have the choice. Damn the cows and their machine is what they are basically saying....

Looks like someone is having trouble developing for the PS3. Of course we all know the PS3 is tougher to develop for. It's no secret. However, games like Uncharted and Ratchet have already proven that you can have incredible visuals and a good framerate. There's no excuse for a lower framerate especially with the PS3.

I'd rather them spend the time doing it correctly then do only half a job and release it at the same time as the 360 version.