• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Microsoft Studios' creative director has some choice words about always-online

Nokterian

Member
S3SrRSa.png



There's a guy who works two minimum wage jobs. He just saved up enough money to buy the new 720 because he loves Madden. It's the only game he buys every year.

The problem is that he just moved out of his mother's house, so bills are tight. He doesn't have broadband because

1) It's expensive
2) Where he lives, the internet service providers don't have plans he can afford.

You just kept him from playing video games with your always-on connection.


Another guy just started college. He loved Xbox when he was in high school, but the college doesn't allow you to hook your Xbox up to the internet.

You just kept him from playing video games with your always-on connection.


There's a child who got a new Xbox for Christmas. His parents can't be bothered to set up the console so he can get on Xbox Live.

You just kept him from playing video games with your always-on connection.

There's a place out in the country that doesn't have any means of reliable broadband access. A family has scraped together enough money to buy a new Xbox.

You just kept them from playing games with your always-on connection.


Thunderstorm? No video games.

Poor people? No video games.

Not allowed? No video games.

Not tech savvy? No video games.


I don't know if Microsoft realizes this, but their brand was built on college-age males who aren't rich.

You're punishing them.

This so mutch but Gies is pretty good for acting like a clown. I wonder if Cirque du solei has called him to be in one of there acts.
 

stilgar

Member
...this thread contains homophobic slurs directed specifically at Arthur Gies and features an animated .gif using sexual slurs against Microsoft as a punchline. (edit: see immediately above.)

"Vomit and diarrhea" sounds about accurate to me.


Sexual slurs against a company? Oh my god, what an awful,awful place is the internet!
 

Duelist

Member
Arguments for Always On:

+Game developers can focus more on online capabilities

This doesnt make much sense to me, game developers already do, as the majority of Xbox gamers are online. Why does the requirement of always online help here?

It helps since it raises the lowest common denominator for a game targeted solely for this specific console. If always online is enforced, you are guaranteed, as a dev, that the game is always connected and the console is always at the latest firmware.

As a game design example, if I wanted to build an online RPG type game where all of the NPCs were instances of other people's characters, I would have to budget to include static NPCs to account for a case where the game is not connected to the internet if the console was not guaranteed to be always on.
 
My feeling is that an always online requirement for games that have no inherent online functionality is ridiculous. I'm supposed to be impartial or something, but it bothers me that Microsoft is considering this course of action. I just want to start up my game and play without having to worry about being disconnected in a single player game.

I hated how achievements and trophies have destroyed a generation of console games. I used to have the the freedom to share save data and screw around with a game to extend its life because it was fun to see what was possible. Now we're going to have to possibly deal with having our games locked out.

If companies like Microsoft want to know why people want to buy their games used, why they return their games faster than ever, it's because companies like them take control away from the players. Each time it gets worse, their response has always been to increase their grip. And they wonder why things are the way they are?
Yeah, I imagine its pretty tough trying to do pop fiction episodes with this generation's games. I really miss action replays and game sharks.
 

Zabka

Member
If you see something like a homophobic slur that violates the TOS report the message to a mod. Using it to dismiss thousands of other posts is just lazy.
 

Ploid 3.0

Member
Yet another thread focusing on useless shit person that is Arthur. I wonder if this is a part of his real job to make a fuss here so attention is diverted from there.

I was thinking about this too. He is probably Polygon's Simon from American Idol. He gets people talking about Polygon, the bad guy, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
 
Cloud gaming things are pretty cool.

I think in-game live scores from sporting events is cool.

Maybe they launch the IPTV service with customizable channel subscriptions and customizable channel layouts so that you can have the ESPN ticker tape at the bottom of any channel and have it there while watching your favorite show(Justified for me)(Also, this is highly doubtful so nobody point out the difficulties in getting this done to me please).

Maybe for a game like destiny, bungie can actively put new assets into the game in real time and completely alter your experience in one of the "raids" of the game or something.

These are all neat ideas but only require an online connection for their specific functions and are not a compelling argument for the entire system being a brick offline.

I expect live scores to only work with an online connection. That's fine. I don't expect the entirety of Madden or MLB The Show to only work with an online connection.

Isn't Destiny an MMO? I expect MMOs to only work with an online connection. That's fine. I don't expect single-player campaigns to only work with an online connection.

I expect streaming video and TV to only work with an online connection. I don't expect a fully downloaded show, game, or album to only work with an online connection, etc.
 

Sadist

Member
Ugh, I just finished up on everything in the OP (and a few posts here and there) and man, that's some depressing stuff right there. "Hey people, it's going to happen anyway so roll over and don't complain about it!"

I need to lie down
 
As I stated on the last page, "Creative Director" apparently doesn't mean anything important. And I'm sure there are a hell of a lot more than 3 of them.







Kind of. Lots of angry people on the mailing lists - both because of the alleged internet requirement (which no one but those who need to know would know about) and because of how tactless this guy was.

Looking at his position in the hierarchy, he probably wouldn't even know if there was an internet requirement if there was one.

I think it's hilarious how this has just flown under the radar, and gies is the story now. GAFers angry!
 
...this thread contains homophobic slurs directed specifically at Arthur Gies and features an animated .gif using sexual slurs against Microsoft as a punchline. (edit: see immediately above.)

"Vomit and diarrhea" sounds about accurate to me.

Where are these homophobic slurs? If you are going to make accusations you should provide evidence, also given that this forum has age restrictions it has no need to abide by your puritanical standards so there is nothing wrong with the gif.

Also you seem to be ignoring the simple fact that if Gies wants an argument as to why an always online console is a terrible idea for many consumers why can he not ask one of his colleagues, surely they all can't be as incompetent as he appears to be?
 

Minions

Member
I knew this was going places when the thread first appeared last night. Was waiting on the first couple news stories. Very entertaining to watch this develop. Completely mismanaged, much like the development of windows vista and windows 8. I guess your products can't always be perfect. Surprised at no PR by now. I expected Microsoft to apologize and say they have no comment regarding always online.

Since they are keeping their silence I expect them to nix the always online requirement, delay the nextbox into 2014, and come out announcing the nextbox and touting how they "never were going to have always online".

Whether they take always-online out or not, I'm certain it does currently exist based on dev's dropping subtle hints: "Make sure you pay your ISP".

On the bright side if they remove it then all the bad press has improved their console, even if it requires you to have a camera/mic on you to function which is pretty creepy.

I still think there is a subsidized price point with a 2~ year live bundle that would probably net them more money in the long run than this current generation. They would/will sell less consoles, but converting to a 100% live subscription base (in order to use the console) ensures a lot more live subscribers and in turn, a lot more money with less investment.
 

KAL2006

Banned
I personally think GAF is overeacting a lot I the always online rumours have been from shitty sources. The only decent source was the documentation, where it says something about always online but didn't say it was mandotary. I reckon the always online stuff is similar to PS4, background updates, social features and etc. But it won't be mandatory. I ain't gonna overeact and keep posting why always online is shit because well it is quite obvious why its terrible. So far the only Durango rumours I beleive is that it will have Kinect and the specs of the machine that has leaked. Shit like mandatory always online hasn't had decent believable rumours in my opinion.
 

mernst23

Member
...this thread contains homophobic slurs directed specifically at Arthur Gies and features an animated .gif using sexual slurs against Microsoft as a punchline. (edit: see immediately above.)

"Vomit and diarrhea" sounds about accurate to me.

Well aren't you just a precious little thing.
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
I personally think GAF is overeacting a lot I the always online rumours have been from shitty sources. The only decent source was the documentation, where it says something about always online but didn't say it was mandotary. I reckon the always online stuff is similar to PS4, background updates, social features and etc. But it won't be mandatory. I ain't gonna overeact and keep posting why always online is shit because well it is quite obvious why its terrible. So far the only Durango rumours I beleive is that it will have Kinect and the specs of the machine that has leaked. Shit like mandatory always online hasn't had decent believable rumours in my opinion.

EDGE online reported this and they nailed the PS4 specs. How is that a bad source?
 

xxracerxx

Don't worry, I'll vouch for them.
Ugh, I just finished up on everything in the OP (and a few posts here and there) and man, that's some depressing stuff right there. "Hey people, it's going to happen anyway so roll over and don't complain about it!"

I need to lie down

go ly down.
 

Dead Man

Member
My feeling is that an always online requirement for games that have no inherent online functionality is ridiculous. I'm supposed to be impartial or something, but it bothers me that Microsoft is considering this course of action. I just want to start up my game and play without having to worry about being disconnected in a single player game.

I hated how achievements and trophies have destroyed a generation of console games. I used to have the the freedom to share save data and screw around with a game to extend its life because it was fun to see what was possible. Now we're going to have to possibly deal with having our games locked out.

If companies like Microsoft want to know why people want to buy their games used, why they return their games faster than ever, it's because companies like them take control away from the players. Each time it gets worse, their response has always been to increase their grip. And they wonder why things are the way they are?

This is an excellent post.
 

Sky Chief

Member
...this thread contains homophobic slurs directed specifically at Arthur Gies and features an animated .gif using sexual slurs against Microsoft as a punchline. (edit: see immediately above.)

"Vomit and diarrhea" sounds about accurate to me.

What? Where?
 
Is there anyone out there that can actually find a consumer benefit for always online? I just don't see how it helps anyone besides the people making money.
 

LuuKyK

Member
I like how this Gies guy keeps the ridiculous empty comments on his twitter coming and asks for arguments but he himself fails to defend why always online is such a good thing. "Do what I say, dont do what I do." I guess.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
So it's Microsoft's turn to get super arrogant toward their customers and go down in flames? Oh well.
 

Kak.efes

Member
Granted, this was a while back, but I remember bringing my PS2 up to my friends cottage whenever we'd get the opportunity during summer (the cottage was usually occupied by other family members also looking to get out of the city, but every so often it'd be empty). We'd play games late night (crazy Worms marathons) after being out all day hiking, swimming, and riding. An always online requirement would have deprived us of some great times, because as you guessed it, there's no fucking internet up there.
 

Psi

Member
...this thread contains homophobic slurs directed specifically at Arthur Gies and features an animated .gif using sexual slurs against Microsoft as a punchline. (edit: see immediately above.)

"Vomit and diarrhea" sounds about accurate to me.

It's easy to snipe the worst posts and dismiss all of the valid majority while playing the victim card isn't it?
 
Top Bottom