Over the course of 2014, more so than any other year, purchasing a video game, popping it into your shiny new Xbox One or PlayStation 4 and then actually playing it, became a more difficult task than it should be.
Today’s modern video games and consoles have brought a number of innovations to the industry, giving players new ways to interact with traditional game experiences and creating vast, social network-like video games built upon living, breathing worlds.
But with these interesting innovations has come a new problem: Developers are now often releasing and selling unfinished video games – and unfortunately, it seems as if this is becoming a regular occurrence when it comes to the modern gaming industry and a trend that’s likely set to continue into 2015.
Welcome to next-gen gaming.
The Master Chief Collection’s multiplayer only recently started working properly. 343 Industries
These issues come in various forms. Sometimes a game needs an update the second you put it into your game console. In other situations, a title needs extra polish and a patch is released a couple of days after it lands in the hands of the public. In certain instances the biggest games of 2014 were completely broken.
343 Industries’ Halo: The Master Chief Collection was still broken up to two weeks after its official release, with many players still unable to find games through its matchamking multiplayer mode. Sony’s DriveClub suffered server issues that lasted until weeks after its release, rendering the online-only game completely unplayable (weather effects were also patched into the game at a later date).
Ubisoft’s Assassins Creed Unity launched with countless issues such as frame rate problems, often hilarious graphical glitches and even the occasional audio issue. Another Ubisoft title, Far Cry 4, forced some players to delete and re-install the game on their PS4’s in order to continue playing it, causing player to lose their saved file and start the game all over again.
These issues likely occured for a number of reasons. Developers are creating games for two new, powerful consoles, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Both these devices have only been out for a year and many studios are probably still trying to get the hang of creating games for them. Developers also have financial goals to meet and despite how unfinished a title might be, a video game is still a product and sometimes products just need to ship.
Ubisoft’s issues, while not unique to the current state of the gaming industry, are an interesting example of where 2014’s glitch filled gaming problems might be stemming from. Many of Ubisoft’s recently release games, whether it’s Far Cry 4, Assassin’s Creed Unity or even releases from earlier in the year like Watch_Dogs, all featured what many developers refer to as “living worlds.”
Leading up to the release of Watch_Dogs, Colin Graham, Watch_Dogs’ Animation Director, explained he felt creating a more comprehensive and believable world was what would define the “next-generation” of gaming on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
“When people get their hands on Watch_Dogs I hope they see the complexity of the systems, because we’re throwing more AI, more CPU to determine behaviors and there are hundreds of characters on-screen. Every civilian is their own AI and they react differently. AI civilians know the difference between seeing and hearing a person. There’s a different reaction between hearing a gunshot and seeing someone get killed,” Graham said.
While Watch_Dogs didn’t launch with significant issues, Graham’s statement rings true about many of Ubisoft’s other releases this year, particularly titles like Far Cry 4 and Assassin’s Creed Unity, that try to blend multiplayer and singleplayer into a more seamless experience.
Terrifying glitches like this are a common sight in Assassin’s Creed Unity. Steam user Retro_Apocalypse
Because these worlds are detailed and included a significant number of moving parts – and in some cases even online features – there are a lot of things that can go wrong. Even with the army of testers most game developers have working through their titles before they land on store shelves, it’s impossible to test all aspects of the game until its bottled up, systemic world is open to the gaming public.
This seems to be why it’s becoming increasingly common for developers to release either open or closed beta versions of upcoming titles. Destiny’s launch went relatively smoothly and this could be attributed to the fact that the game was released to the public in both beta and alpha form, giving Bungie the unique ability to test the game under the stress of real world conditions.
Halo 5: Guardians’ multiplayer beta is another great example of this strategy, especially since the game is likely over a year from release. Creating a multiplayer-focused beta, something the Halo series’ creator Bungie has done in the past with earlier Halo games, allows dedicated fans to give 343 Industries integral feedback about the game, and perhaps more importantly, test Halo 5’s online ranking system and network infrastructure.
Even one of Ubisoft’s own titles, The Crew, although it was developer by an external studio Ivory Tower, received a lengthy public beta testing phase, resulting in the game launching with minimal issues.
343 Industries is on the right track with Halo 5 by letting players test the game out a year ahead of time. 343 Industries
If always-online experiences are destined to be the future of video games, public beta and alpha testing need to become a regular occurrence in the video game industry. Currently many of the beta/alpha tests seem to be marketed towards franchise loyal fans and in many cases, occur far too close to the game in question’s official release date for the developer to make significant changes to its experience.
This means that beta testing is often used as more of a promotional tool than a way for developers to actually gain feedback from their fan base and stress test their title.
It’s important to point out that games like Assassin’s Creed Unity and Halo: The Master Chief Collection have been patched multiple times post-release and in their current states are much more playable than they were at launch.
But at some point players are no longer going to put up with paying $69.99 for a broken gaming experience. But flip this concept around and give players free early-access to a title long before its release date, giving developers ample time to iron out any kinks in their game, and the idea of being an unpaid beta tester instantly becomes more appealing.
This the direction the video game industry needs to be headed.
Source:: canada.com
