I study Info Systems, which basically involves in large part project development. It seems video game projects are now becoming more and more similar to software projects. Large proportions of software projects are overbudget and overschedule, which afaik, wasn't a problem with video games a while back, but very much seems so now. Perhaps now there is less emphasis on implementing an innovation, instead it seems there is more emphasis on finding an innovation.

Agreed on the finding an innovation. I think it's not being helped by companies constantly looking for ways to "improve" their systems. I mean this Blueray that PS3 is going to use. If you can fit Oblivion on a DVD you don't need Blue Ray. I mean, all this will do is encourage game dev's to fill the discs, and delay release times even more.

However, A suprising result so far is the prices on GAME's webpage for PS3 games. At least this should encourage the 360' prices to fall!

bah, gaming companies (and even software companies) are just doing it wrong. It'll take a new take on how games are built.

I would say the two most time-consuming things are
1. Developing the game engine
2. Developing the game resources (graphics, textures, models, etc).

For awhile people were just licensing engines from each other..that still kinda happens. Some smart enterprising individual should start a company that builds (and updates) game engines and makes them easy to plug assets into. They could then license it out and cut development times in half.

The other half is the assets....and someone could fix that, too, by just building a massive, pay-for library of textures and models. Build some automated mesh-deforming apps and let people choose a body type (large, hunking military guy), add other meshes (yellow vest, camo pants, black boots, sunglasses, baseball cap), then automatically create an optimized mesh.

As long as all the textures and models were built and sold in extremely high rez, then dumbed down as necessary for the game, I think you could make a killing. Then a game company could concentrate on more important things like storyline, dialog, etc.

Wouldn't that lead to games that look alike? I mean that already was the case with some engine licenses being hired/sold, but still. Apart from a few games I rarely had the idea 'wow, this looks a lot like game X'. I'm sure similar textures would lead to that a lot quicker.

I think the games industry is at a crossroads. Between indie developers on the one hand, and shiny, big budget projects otoh. The gameplay/originality tends to get lost in the latter, which is a total shame. The indie games are usually full of originality but are rough around the edges and have problems finding publishers. Take Psychonauts: simply a work of a genius, probably one of the best games I ever played. But it had troubles finding a publisher or even finding its way to the shops. Once it was put on Steam it sold almost double of what it had sold in shops! You know? it's all about availability. And if your game isn't in the shops -like with so many indie games- you're not gonna sell.

Something's gotta give - I just don't know what yet.

I agree with both you Satis and you Ox. The idea of having a centralised resource for er... resources, would work well. But of course, games would all look the same. So the medium is simple.

Games company A want's to release a new and outstanding game, but looking at the project management plan this will take a long time. So games company A goes to resource company and make a smaller yet still awesome game to pass the time untill the larger project is released.

Unfortunatley, this will (as Ox said) still lead to "churn out" games.

I think some of the games I'm most looking forward to in the near future are on Xbox live - Microsoft have released a Dev kit for creating games for the Xbox live marketing place, where you have to pay a fee of about £100 per year to access the kit to make the games. Unfortunatley, I believe it is in the agreement that you can't sell the games. Maybe you'd get a cut of the profit if MS think you game is Xbox live worthy.

But some of the best game's I've ever played we're made by 1 or 2 people with some spare time. Like the Net Yaroze game's on the Playstation, Worms (The original) or Resident Evil.

Not necessarily will everything look the same. Look at even Vanguard, lots of different races and they can customized. A talented artist with more toolz for customization could create a monster for instance out of the half giant race. All the artist needs are better tools for body customizationing, he could make it into a big sixarmed naga, or a doglike beast who walks on all 4s.

But the point lies in as pointed out in development time. If i could sell you a whole pack of medieval monsters, that you or i can tweak in a week for your game specifically, your development time will be alot shorter.

But another problem resides in the engine used and monsters implemented. It might be very difficult to be combatible with all game engines.

Net Yaroze was the nuts! I used to play those all the time, mainly multiplayer I think. Gravitation.....That birds eye view racing one.....A football one.....*thinks*.......I think there were more.

Anyway, i'm still waiting for ages for a decent RPG to come along. I love the feeling you get when amass something in games, which Is why i adore RTS's/TBS's/RPG. They let you build up a world which is impossible to duplicate and you are the sole creator of it. You develop your status and importance in that world and you get rewarded for it. You truly do things as if you would if you were there for real, rather than just playing a game.

Oblivion was my last big hope, but there was no reward and ultimately you couldn't change the world around you. RTW & MTW2 were only playable if you filled your progress with story and meaning, because at some point that game loses meaning. This is why i've pretty much quit games and taken up anoter hobby.

Ill stop this rant now. I could go on forever.

Quick post: That football net yaroze, you mean the sensible soccer clone? Fuckin' ace footy game and I hate footy.

Yeah, that's the one.

Total Soccer.

Haha, yeh. I liked that zombie maze one too, for a while. I used to shit myself all the time playing that. lol