XB360 - Lack of strategic titles?

[McCrank]

So I'm wonderig if Microsoft has ever given a reason for the lack of games like Silent Storm, Civilization 4, or maybe even a sim like Silent Hunter on the Xbox 360? Is there a concern they wont sell? Or is it more the lack of keyboard/mouse support Im assuming? I figured if they could release RTS games like C&C 3 and BFME2 that they could definitely release a turn based strategy? I like the fact that Ubi is giving us GRAW and RB6, but how about tossing in Silent Hunter 4 with achievements please? :)

-Chris

[DaveC]

RTS is a lot harder to pull off on a console.

[Moore]

My guess? Sales would be total shit for anything non-rts.

c&c is coming, if that does well and lotr did ok then maybe we'll see some more rts.

[Warning]

You forgot Outpost Kaloki!

I'm guessing that the simple answer is that the profits from YASOR (Yet Another Shooter Or Racer) are greater than the projected profits from a strategy game.

[McCrank]

Hrmm yeah, all good thoughts... And depressing at the same time. I would think with the Nintendo DS still taking the lead in sales, and a bulk of the major games on that system being strategy, that MS would at least entertain the idea of those types of games on the 360.

-Chris

[Moore]

Wait, what 'bulk' of strategy titles for the DS are it's top sellers?

[Dante Rising (X)]

I'd kill someone for another Dai Senryaku.

[Kaigen]

Turn-based games seem generally more accepted on consoles. I'm guessing something like Silent Storm could do quite well on the 360.

I'm betting that Irrational's X-Com (if it indeed exists) will get a 360 version.

Catan is coming soon - does that count?

[Thomas Wilde]

Maybe I'm weird, but I would kill for a next-gen turn-based strategy game that highly resembled either Fire Emblem or Curse of the Azure Bonds.

Give me an army of fifty guys vs. the computer's army of two hundred guys.

[Demon G Sides]

I'd kill someone for another Dai Senryaku.

Amen Brother.

C&C3 Looks sweet.

[Greatatlantic]

I think it has more to do who owns 360 then technical limitations. Ill suited controls have never stoped ports before, have they? The truth of the matter is 360's audience is largely young men who want their M rated FPS. Meanwhile, the strategy and sim fans are all sitting at their computers with ZERO motivation to spend $300 or $400 on a 360. Or if they want anime inspired strategy they have a PS2 or Gameboy. Porting a strategy or sim game to the 360 won't change that. Even a highly touted exclusive like Viva Pinata failed commercially.

[Eduardo X]

I wonder how a strategy game like Culdcept will do. I've heard it was released extremely buggy in Japan, but that doesn't stop my excitment.

[ydejin]

I'd kill someone for another Dai Senryaku.

Another Dai Senryaku would be great.

[Acid]

I don't think games that require a lot of thought sell well on any platform, with a few exceptions.

Look what Ubi did to the R6 franchise to consolize it. Red Storm created one of the best tactical sims ever...and Ubi turned it into a joke.

[EvilIdler]

Are you dissin' R6V?

But yeah, not enough brains, too many shooters :(

[Frumple]

Ever since I dropped 3k on the home theater/xbox360 instead of a new PC I have been harboring this little fantasy about remaking something like MOO1 on XNA GSE( keep the core gameplay but make it looks really juicy ).

I think I would be just as comfortable ordering my armadas turn based style plopped down on the couch as I would be hunched over a PC. I guess Catan will really test that assertion!

[Demon G Sides]

Ever since I dropped 3k on the home theater/xbox360 instead of a new PC I have been harboring this little fantasy about remaking something like MOO1 on XNA GSE( keep the core gameplay but make it looks really juicy ).

I think I would be just as comfortable ordering my armadas turn based style plopped down on the couch as I would be hunched over a PC. I guess Catan will really test that assertion!

Speaking of XNA, i've been wondering...

Will user (Like yourself) generated content, such as full games, cost? Or is it up to the creator its final price? Because... as awesome as XNA could end up being... I don't want to pay anything for some sweet indie retro-ized games..

[Frumple]

It's pretty much as unslick as you can get right now: I'm hoping it morphs into a type of YouTube for indy games:


Q: How can I share my Xbox 360 game built with XNA Game Studio Express with other Xbox 360 users?
A: To share your Xbox 360 game with friends, four requirements must be met:

* The individual you are planning to share the game with must be logged in to Xbox Live and have an active subscription to the XNA Creators Club
* The receiving user must have downloaded the XNA Framework runtime environment for the Xbox 360
* The receiving user must have XNA Game Studio Express installed on their own development PC
* The game project, including all source and content assets, must be shared with the receiving user. The receiving user then compiles and deploys the game to their Xbox 360.

We are actively working on other ways to allow you to more easily distribute your games and are very excited about the possibilities this will open up for independent game development.

On the upside I don't think you need anything special to deploy your creations on the PC (which doesn't fix address my original problem: TBS on console :P ).

[ralphtrickey]

Speaking of XNA, i've been wondering...

Will user (Like yourself) generated content, such as full games, cost? Or is it up to the creator its final price? Because... as awesome as XNA could end up being... I don't want to pay anything for some sweet indie retro-ized games..
You can't charge for content developed with the free XNA developer's kit.

A lot depends on how much they want to charge for the professional developer's kit, along with distribution, etc. If the kit is a reaonable price, you may see a lot of content.

--
Ralph Trickey
Operational Art of War III Programmer

[Jake Plane]

I'm guessing that the simple answer is that the profits from YASOR (Yet Another Shooter Or Racer) are greater than the projected profits from a strategy game.

Probably a good guess. But that still doesn't explain Civilization IV. I can see that being ported over and doing well... and now that I can, I really want to see it ported over.

[Jason Cross]

It's pretty much as unslick as you can get right now: I'm hoping it morphs into a type of YouTube for indy games:


talking with MS, it sounds like the idea is to eventually (read: maybe a year away) have an area of the 360 dashboard where you can just go download user-made games, created with the XNA GSE. Microsoft would have to test submissions to make sure they're not going to do anything screwy with your 360, and don't have blatant copyright infringements in 'em, stuff like that, but the goal is to be pretty much wide-open beyond that. That, and you won't be able to make your XNA GSE game have achievements (the abuses are obvious). Right now you can't do networked games with XNA GSE, but that's temporary - a future version should open up networking.

MS says they think the right price for this would be "free" and they really don't want people to have to pay for the games, but they do want to find a way to compensate the game makers. The idea of advertising has come up - maybe MS sells ads for that "channel" on live and then give the proceeds to the game makers commensurate with the amount of times their game is downloaded, or hours played, or whatever.

I'm unsure about how all of this is gonna turn out. The big talk sounds great and all, but talk is cheap and MS has been talking about the whole "youtube of games" for XNA GSE for awhile now. And the timeframe for working this into the system doesn't seem that agressive. On the other hand, I can only imagine the legal quagmire they're dealing with (internationally, as if the US legal stuff isn't hard enough).

[ralphtrickey]

talking with MS, it sounds like the idea is to eventually (read: maybe a year away) have an area of the 360 dashboard where you can just go download user-made games, created with the XNA GSE. Microsoft would have to test submissions to make sure they're not going to do anything screwy with your 360, and don't have blatant copyright infringements in 'em, stuff like that, but the goal is to be pretty much wide-open beyond that. That, and you won't be able to make your XNA GSE game have achievements (the abuses are obvious). Right now you can't do networked games with XNA GSE, but that's temporary - a future version should open up networking.

MS says they think the right price for this would be "free" and they really don't want people to have to pay for the games, but they do want to find a way to compensate the game makers. The idea of advertising has come up - maybe MS sells ads for that "channel" on live and then give the proceeds to the game makers commensurate with the amount of times their game is downloaded, or hours played, or whatever.

I'm unsure about how all of this is gonna turn out. The big talk sounds great and all, but talk is cheap and MS has been talking about the whole "youtube of games" for XNA GSE for awhile now. And the timeframe for working this into the system doesn't seem that agressive. On the other hand, I can only imagine the legal quagmire they're dealing with (internationally, as if the US legal stuff isn't hard enough).
Interesting news, thanks. I hope they get it working that way, it would add some innovation to the gaming industry. It seems to be devolving into nothing but sequels.

Since it's .Net, theoretically, it shouldn't be able to damage the XBOX no matter what<g>. If they go the route of other ISP's, etc. they could say that they aren't responsible for the content, etc. I don't know if it would fly, but...

I'd see that it definitely as a good thing if they pull it off. One concern is that a lot of the content is probably going too be Demos, and may drown out the small developers.

Thanks Jason,
Ralph