Why can't PC games play with console games via I'net?

A

awsiemieniec

Gawd
Joined
Jul 2, 2004
Messages
810
Wondered this for a long time...
Why can't a multi-platform, multi-player game, such as Rainbox Six, Splinter Cell, and Halo, have clients that can connect to it via PC and game console (which really is just a PC anyways) at the same time?
 
I always thought it was because PCs are x86 based, where as consoles are not, thus different coding.
 
the coding could be made to work. different OS's talk to each other all the time.
MAC and PC's both play WoW just fine.

But then why would people buy consoles?
They wont shoot themselves in the foot by doing it.
 
If you could have a "server" edition of a game that does the translation from PC to console I don't see why that coulnd't be possible. Isn't it just a bunch of TCP/IP traffic at that point? I mean, the PC expects to get a certain stream of data, as does the console. The server would just have to know how to convert PC to console/console to PC and send out both streams. Then the PC or console would just update (like it does now) as you're playing. I mean, c'mon, we've gone to the moon! :) I'd have thought that MS would have had something out by now so that they could have that monopoly, too. :D
 
PC games go through lots of revisions of their network protocols - try playing the original release of Quake 3 against the latest version. Console games can only keep up with patches, which are fairly uncommon in the console world.

Then there's the typical difference in levels. Look at Halo's levels - not a lot of complex gameplay in the vertical axis (though Halo 2 has more). Compare to, say, HL2, where there are whole areas of complex combat against enemies that are one, two, even three floors above you on catwalks, balconies, etc. Console gamers would be slaughtered by PC gamers waiting above with precision aim.

Finally, you have to use the same basic geometry and physics on both platforms. How many PC gamers would be happy with the same levels and physics as seen on consoles?

There's no reason why it can't happen, but it would only be enjoyable under certain conditions, and no one's tried it yet. If I had to pick good candidate genres, MMORPGs and racing games would probably work best. FPS and fighting games would be totally unfair contests.
 
Its happened once I think. Thats all. That was the version of Quake 3 on Dreamcast. PC users had to download a patch as well as the smaller maps that came with the DC version. Got my ass kicked but it was kinda cool at the time. Didn't catch on though. And I think thats why no one remembers it. Plus it was only 4 player DM games.
 
Final Fantasy XI has both PC and PS2 players on the same servers. The problem for PC players is they have to put up with PS2 level graphics, sound, framerate, and interface. FYI, FFXI runs off emulators, Sony didn't want their precious PS2 getting shown up by a modern PC :p

Also check out MS's XNA stuff.
 
If they were to do it all the console people would get owned by the computer people in every fps..

Reasons:

1: Mouse.
2: More powerful system.
3: Ability to be modified with ease.
 
GlobalFear said:
If they were to do it all the console people would get owned by the computer people in every fps..

Reasons:

1: Mouse.
2: More powerful system.
3: Ability to be modified with ease.
Click to expand...

And we would own you in sports/fighting. Your point?

Raw power isn't necessary for smooth gameplay. You don't need bleeding-edge to get 30-60fps. To be honest, I'd rather have a steady 30fps in all games than the fluctuations that plague many of the newest PC games.
 
GlobalFear said:
If they were to do it all the console people would get owned by the computer people in every fps..

Reasons:

1: Mouse.
2: More powerful system.
3: Ability to be modified with ease.
Click to expand...


1. Play against someone who knows how to use a controller you wont know the difference.
2. I play against people in games with systems more powerful than mine all the time.
3. Modified as in hax\scripts?
 
The one I remember was NFSU. It worked OK I guess but was rather boring after playing the same tracks over and over.
 
Just not worth it. The game would be owned by PC players. Its that simple. The precision of a mouse will never be touched by a pad. Ive played people very good with pads (i am very good with a pad) and their is no competition. You need a Halo like system, very wide areas of effect to the weapon fire.
 
there would be no conversion necessary, you just write the game software on the console and the game software on the PC with the same software interface.
 
black_b[ ]x said:
there would be no conversion necessary, you just write the game software on the console and the game software on the PC with the same software interface.
Click to expand...
True, they can run differently on thier respective systems, but can send the same "language" network wise. Like how a Mac can view a web page on a PC server. Same cross talk info.

Nobody scream at me, but my opinion that FPS suck on console, they may be great in terms of console games, but once I played Halo on the PC and I could compare I realized how shoddy the movement was cause it was dumbed down for console controllers. I have Quake III on Dreamcast and pc and it sucks on the Dreamcast cause it was made with PC contol in mind. Same problem, two different sides. I'll take the faster movemnt games, but then again I play CPMA for Quake III so I'm biased.
 
They could, but as was stated before they would be shooting themselves in the foot. Then your best friend wouldn't have any incentive to buy the same console you do so you can play online together.
 
If I remember reading right this is part of MS plans with the XBox Next. PC and XBox Next owners will be able to frag out in the same server in certain games. Correct me if I am wrong.
 
console gamers dont have the same access to resolution, patches, cheats, mods, etc for the most part.

so just cripple the pc user, and then they can play together.

mouse and kb owns point and shoot games.
controllers own button masher games.
they both suck at racing and flying. :)


console framerates are all over the place and it drives me MAD
 
Probably the same reason that most PC and Mac games aren't compatiable over the net, DirectX networking. Some games are written by developers to be compatiable and overcome the limitations (either by writing their own code or by engineering the Mac side to emulate the DirectX networking). However, there are a large amount of games that aren't cross platform compatiable. :(
 
S0m30n3 said:
1. Play against someone who knows how to use a controller you wont know the difference.
2. I play against people in games with systems more powerful than mine all the time.
3. Modified as in hax\scripts?
Click to expand...
Ummm... i think we all know how to use a controller, and if you do, you know damn well there is no way u can look around as quick as with a mouse. It can take twice as long to kill someone directly behind you with a controller instead of a mouse, usually longer than that. Reason being you can quickly flick ur mouse to the side, on the controllers you can only turn so fast. I guess you could set your sensitivity to a crazy high level, but... i know most of you have tried that too. there is no precision, the slightest movement of the finger has you lookin all over the screen... Next time make a valid point. Someone good with the controllers can beat people on computers in an fps. But not someone halfway decent with a mouse.
 
Its been done on the Dreamcast, with its port of Quake 3 Arena. And yeah I owned all the consolers, but occasionally I came up against a player using the Dreamcast's mouse/keyboard. In order for my PC to play against the console, I had to get the dreamcast quake 3 pc levels. The levels have to be the same (duh) but they also have to be able to work on the console first, being that the Dreamcast didn't have as much memory to work with so the levels were not that big and when compared to the original PC maps, some effects were lost

It has nothing to do with the graphics, since most of the dudes I play on lan have much more powerfull rigs than I, my settings are set to low. As far as leveling the playing field, that could be done with the consoles having some aim help and the mouse/keyboard could have a more stricter setting.

I hope with Microsoft's new graphic platform to streamline development of games of consoles/pc that this sort of interaction would be more common place. It would be nice to bring a console to a lan party and not have to worry about patches (freakin DC), levels (UT2K4) or other crap that consolers dont have to contend with.
 
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