Development of a Video Game has "Evolved"

Games Halo Infinite
1

I wanted to start this post saying that yes I get why all of the Halo fans (including myself) are continuing to be upset about features not being available at what we traditionalists have called a “launch date”. I am one of the old Halo Veterans that goes back to Halo 2’s launch back in 2005 (for me anyways) and the thing that companies had to comply with having to release a game by a launch date was in the form of Physical Media or a Disc, DVD, Blu-Ray (which is what we have currently but is dying out slowly and game discs like on a console are pretty much meaningless and memorabilia now because we can just straight up download a game in full now) for a game to go “Gold” at the printing factory to ship a game (we all know this but just want to state this as a reminder what I want to say next), that is how its always has been done and still done this way (to an extant).

Now there is something called the “Internet”, which has become the biggest culture shifting tool that Human Civilization has ever had and has consumed our lives on a daily basis. When games back around 2004 to 2007 with Halo 2 first came out, Xbox Live Multiplayer changed the game for online play forever up until now, at that time Physical Media still was the dominant form of how we played games and they had to come feature complete because there was no infrastructure to download an entire game like it is today so developers had to work within these limits and crunch time to release a game set by the developer (which is true) but now we have something called “post development work” of releasing patches/DLC/Expansions (but these used to be released on a separate disc, hence still needing to be to have to go “Gold” in order to release a game to the public to play). Overtime, post development work has started to become bigger and bigger, with releasing a game with all of these features at a launch date is becoming far less relevant because of the limitations of physical media has become completely meaningless, you can download an entire game now at the click of a button online. Development of a game has become alot less structured now thanks to this change from the days of Physical Media to the Internet to download content, instead of playing off of a disc. So even Halo Infinite Disc on Xbox One/Series S/X is going to become completely meaningless (your still needing to download patches for the game anyways and don’t forget post launch content and on PC, there is no more physical media, you just get a code or something instead if say you bought a special edition of a game.

Now I want to get to the point about how the way development of a game has completely changed with something like a “launch date”, this is not Halo 3 anymore guys. As much as we (halo fans) want to have all of these features at launch, games don’t have the limitations of physical media anymore so developers can hold back on features (the features have become exponentially bigger and bigger to the point its creating a bottleneck as humans wanting to get all of these features in the game as fast as they humanly can), which is alot less taxing on there stress to get a game launched by a date. Were going to have to live with the fact that developers now have more freedom to develop a game how they want, when they want now. Keep in mind, when physical media goes away completely in the console space and downloading games are the only way to consume media (already has happened on PC), games most likely are probably going to come with only a few set of features and over time get updated an expanded on (this is how games are pretty much starting to be nowadays already). Games like No Man Sky had a rough launch but came back to being a really good game now with updates to a game. The price your paying for a game is for all of those features (which will be added for free to the game for free over time, except for the battle passes, even the multiplayer is free) will pay off eventually, if you invest into the game (think about it as an investment now, rather than just entertainment only). I know this may sound like just going against the tide of how games should be released, but the reality is this is not how games are getting released anymore with a game at this scale. A launch date is more or less meaningless and were going to be seeing alot more of this in the future, not just with Halo, but other games as well. The idea we can keep coming back to a game over time is the point alot of companies are trying to make nowadays to us consumers with a game is the important part.

I hope this post makes sense and I know its a long one, but I just wanted to post this as a long time Video Game enthusiast and Halo Veteran that times have completely changed thanks to the Internet and the way creating a game has changed now.

2

Games launching with less and less simply on the idea that more can be added later is still wholly unacceptable. Spin it al you want, but it’s nonsense. I still remember all the “free” updates the REQ system I suppose made possible and a lot of it was the reintroduction of previously available content and recycled armor and maps. What value.

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<mark>This post has been edited by a moderator. Please do not post spam.</mark>
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.

unacceptable

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A good game brings you back because it is a good game. Bad games try to lure you in with fake hype and more excuses to drain your wallet.

I play older games these days because they still have value. They are full of great worlds, interesting stories, characters, and were released content complete. They have expansions or DLC that expanded their worlds and added new and interesting things for a fraction of the game’s cost.

Every game that seems to take this ‘evolved’ path is a disappointment. That tries to hold your attention with the idea of ‘maybe this time it’ll be good’, and the desire of shiny baubles. Even years after they come out, they still feel hollow and shallow compared to prior games.

Given the track record of other ‘live service’ games, I don’t know why I’d want to invest in any of them. So many of them crash and burn, giving up on previous promises.

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> 2533274964189700;4:
> A good game brings you back because it is a good game. Bad games try to lure you in with fake hype and more excuses to drain your wallet.
>
> I play older games these days because they still have value. They are full of great worlds, interesting stories, characters, and were released content complete. They have expansions or DLC that expanded their worlds and added new and interesting things for a fraction of the game’s cost.
>
> Every game that seems to take this ‘evolved’ path is a disappointment. That tries to hold your attention with the idea of ‘maybe this time it’ll be good’, and the desire of shiny baubles. Even years after they come out, they still feel hollow and shallow compared to prior games.
>
> Given the track record of other ‘live service’ games, I don’t know why I’d want to invest in any of them. So many of them crash and burn, giving up on previous promises.

Games are genuinely worse now than they used to be precisely because developers release unfinished products and coast on the micro transactions and hype from their brand.

technology as improved 10fold in the last 20 years but quality has plummeted.

the worst part is gamers are some of the worst consumers in the world and just accept and justify anything as long as it has their favorite brand on it.

it’s pathetic really.

6

> 2533274817747391;5:
> > 2533274964189700;4:
> >
>
> Games are genuinely worse now than they used to be precisely because developers release unfinished products and coast on the micro transactions and hype from their brand.
>
> technology as improved 10fold in the last 20 years but quality has plummeted.
>
> the worst part is gamers are some of the worst consumers in the world and just accept and justify anything as long as it has their favorite brand on it.
>
> it’s pathetic really.

I think the idea games are worse now is crazy. The amount of content you get in a game, and the level of quality has gone up an insane amount. Not to diminish the games of the past, they are charming and great but most of them are extremely dated and they are held back by the textures, AI, hardware or otherwise. The level of work that goes into modern game design now is significantly greater than it used to be. Not that any one person is working harder, it’s just split through more and more people and departments with a greater level of expectation.

Mentioned this is another topic, but a lot of games you probably remember fondly shipped with cut content missing due to time or other constraints. If those games were released today, this would not be an issue as that content could come later down the line. People see that as an issue, I see it as a win. If I like a game, I want more content.

7

> 2533274817747391;5:
> > 2533274964189700;4:
> > A good game brings you back because it is a good game. Bad games try to lure you in with fake hype and more excuses to drain your wallet.
> >
> > I play older games these days because they still have value. They are full of great worlds, interesting stories, characters, and were released content complete. They have expansions or DLC that expanded their worlds and added new and interesting things for a fraction of the game’s cost.
> >
> > Every game that seems to take this ‘evolved’ path is a disappointment. That tries to hold your attention with the idea of ‘maybe this time it’ll be good’, and the desire of shiny baubles. Even years after they come out, they still feel hollow and shallow compared to prior games.
> >
> > Given the track record of other ‘live service’ games, I don’t know why I’d want to invest in any of them. So many of them crash and burn, giving up on previous promises.
>
> Games are genuinely worse now than they used to be precisely because developers release unfinished products and coast on the micro transactions and hype from their brand.
>
> technology as improved 10fold in the last 20 years but quality has plummeted.
>
> the worst part is gamers are some of the worst consumers in the world and just accept and justify anything as long as it has their favorite brand on it.
>
> it’s pathetic really.

Games are not worse. Because of all of these "releasing games uncomplete, patching or updating them later to have the content/polishing they should’ve in launch " it seems to you that way.

If you look at the masterpieces and awesome games we played XB1/PS4 gen, you’ll see games are getting better and better each moment. But from laziness and earning more money with less effort some studios choose to launch their games broken/unplayable or with missing features.

And unfortunately we need more studios like the ones that delivers a complete and playworthy games.

Pretty ironic, if you ask me.

8

> “A delayed game is eventually good, a rushed game is forever bad.” - Shigeru Miyamoto

9

The sad truth is that at the end of the day, game developers are companies that have to make money.
The internet has only allowed them to find new ways to make more money out of us. Back in the day, a developer would spend $XXX on making, marketing and shipping a game, then they would hope to make $XXX + $XX profit with the sales of said game. If it sells well, they know they have a fan base who will likely pay for a sequel, so that goes into development.

With the introduction of the internet into the gaming landscape, they were able to start offering DLC for extra money, such as story expansions and map packs.

Over the years, the gaming landscape has moved into Microtransactions and Loot Boxes, and has currently settled on a Battle Pass system with games now being Live-Service. It will be interesting to see how the landscape has evolved by 2030.

But being able to update a game post-launch is both a blessing and a curse.
I’m sure there is some psychological term for it, but when it comes to doing something that is morally questionable, the first time is always the hardest, and doing it again feels like no big deal. Once companies started the trend of “don’t worry, we’ll add it in after launch”, its seems to be happening more and more. Once the Execs (I’m talking MS penny pinchers) realise that gamers in general have become accepting of delaying features and content, they’ll find away to exploit it.

I’m not blaming the developers themselves. Games are far more complex now, requiring more time and money to make them. CE almost didn’t have a MP until they threw it together close to launch, and look where we are now. Sure the tools to make the games has advanced as well, but pixels are still pixels and if we want more its going to take more, to put it extremely broadly.

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> 2533274801036271;6:
> I think the idea games are worse now is crazy. The amount of content you get in a game, and the level of quality has gone up an insane amount. Not to diminish the games of the past, they are charming and great but most of them are extremely dated and they are held back by the textures, AI, hardware or otherwise.

Looking past things which are actually limited by technology, such as graphics, older games did feature more actual playable content than now.

> 2533274801036271;6:
> The level of work that goes into modern game design now is significantly greater than it used to be. Not that any one person is working harder, it’s just split through more and more people and departments with a greater level of expectation.

Development technology has advanced a lot, making it far easier to make something which would’ve been difficult earlier on.
There’s motion capture, 3D scanning, automatic code suggestion, sound recording devices etc.

> 2533274801036271;6:
> Mentioned this is another topic, but a lot of games you probably remember fondly shipped with cut content missing due to time or other constraints. If those games were released today, this would not be an issue as that content could coke later down the line. People see that as an issue, I see it as a win. If I like a game, I want more content.

And nothing guarantees that cut content would make it into a live service game to begin with.

11

> 2533274795123910;10:
> > 2533274801036271;6:
> >
>
> Looking past things which are actually limited by technology, such as graphics, older games did feature more actual playable content than now.

That just isn’t true in 99% of cases.

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> 2533274801036271;11:
> > 2533274795123910;10:
> > > 2533274801036271;6:
> > >
> >
> > Looking past things which are actually limited by technology, such as graphics, older games did feature more actual playable content than now.
>
> That just isn’t true in 99% of cases.

Which is why “bare bones release” was thrown around so much earlier, no?

13

I think games like halo 3 are a testament to how accelerated development can be if you are just working towards a single hardware configuration, resolution and framerate. The other day we heard someone in the development update video say a setting in the flight .exe was misconfigured resulting in worse performance. there must be so many little issues like that. I can honestly accept that games will need longer to make, I can see how things like forge and co op could be pushed aside while the game is made functional and shippable. I would guess that mismanagement is easier as the studio becomes bloated trying to complete all of this work for expansive games like halo infinite. maybe games have gotten too big for their own good?

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> 2535449976520576;13:
> I think games like halo 3 are a testament to how accelerated development can be if you are just working towards a single hardware configuration, resolution and framerate. The other day we heard someone in the development update video say a setting in the flight .exe was misconfigured resulting in worse performance. there must be so many little issues like that. I can honestly accept that games will need longer to make, I can see how things like forge and co op could be pushed aside while the game is made functional and shippable. I would guess that mismanagement is easier as the studio becomes bloated trying to complete all of this work for expansive games like halo infinite. maybe games have gotten too big for their own good?

Oh yes. I would not doubt at all games have gotten very big and very ambitious as well (and continue to be). In a fantasy world, we probably could get another delay for Halo Infinite, but with how big these features are, with a year delay already on this game from last year, I think one part of the community and Microsoft probably cannot wait past this year for the investment to start paying off and the need to make money from this IP as well. And to be quite honest with you, what would it matter if we just got Campaign and Multiplayer on launch, vs. getting forge and coop next year anyways, when Halo 5 more or less did the same thing anyways and people will come back to the game over time anyways?

As I said in the OP, because of Physical Media during the days in the 2000s mainly, companies had to work against a deadline the get everything done before going “Gold”, but nowadays because of digital downloads (yes there will be the game on disc on consoles, or a portion of the game but the disc will be entirely useless because after launch, we’ll be receiving new content regardless, its in the plan and how this game is going to be designed). The launch of the game did matter alot more back then because of physical media for the company to make its money back, not so much anymore with digital downloads. Companies look at how the game will eventually be great, not necessarily at launch much anymore (yes to an extant, but I don’t think that is 343’s goal here).

The game most likely is not going to be termed “complete” ever because that isn’t what this game is going to be (the launch isn’t really going to matter that much, traditionally yes, but even if the game does “decent” its still going to be successful enough). Traditionally companies only supported about 2-3 years of post support/DLC content to come out and that would be it, this game will have a much longer lifespan (depending on the sustainability of the community still playing the game). And also the game will most likely be successful in the end, regardless of how Halo 5 turned out, I would even say in 10 years, we’ll look back on Halo 5 did something similar with its roadmap like how Halo Infinite is going to receive its updates over time.

One last thing I wanted to say, Humans most likely now have kind of reached a limit of how fast they can get games out now with how complex games have become (and how much content they can produce within a certain time frame without crunch, plus starting each game they make more or less from scratch, including the engine itself), back then it used to be much faster because the programming was much more simpler (including the graphics and audio), but that isn’t the case anymore. We have to start developing more patience for content and game releases (including DLC content). We cannot force developers to work faster for us and produce content faster, that is not how they work since games have a ton of moving parts now and they take alot of time to bug test and fix anything. And also to make sure we do still hold developers responsible enough to release as bug free of a launch of game no matter how much content there is there, if its pretty bug free, then they did a good job, yes it may not be expansive right away in content, but that is why were going to have to wait so we give them the time to really test out each feature and content to us.

15

I see we’ve gotten to the point where you can just hide any missing features or delays behind the “It’s a live-service” excuse now.

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> 2533274866720209;8:
> > “A delayed game is eventually good, a rushed game is forever bad.” - Shigeru Miyamoto

Ah yea Cyberpunk 2077, the best.