OPM's Lair and Factor 5 article

[Farid]

Enough with the unnecessary X360 VS PS3 remarks

Julian loves the power of Cell+RSX! MS will regret rushing Xbo360 launch games when average joe looks at Lair and PDZ.

What the X360 or PDZ have to do with this thread?

Ok, I think we can all agree that uncalled for consoles comparisons, in a topic that do not need any, can only create a flamewar or at least, like in this thread, OT discussion about the various consoles games/general performances.

Pruning OT and uncalled for remarks, from time to time, is one thing. Do it in most threads, because of the same posters, is another.

Folks, when you read an uncalled for mention to a console in a thread about another console, do not reply because it will be pruned, just use the report button, and the mods will prune the useless post.

And if the poster keep on posting snide remarks toward the piece of affordable consumer electronic device he didn't pledge allegiance to, as if it was something normal to do, and to which he have an unreasoned hatred forcing him to degrade any threads he participes in; then his posting rights will have to be reduced, because he can't use them as a grown up individual would do.

 

[Farid]

Factor 5 was second party (ie. exclusive third-party developer) to Nintendo the whole of this gen. I don't think that Nintendo published any of their games, though.

Well, actually to be qualified as a second party the game have to be produced by the console manufacturer.
If the developer choose to work on an unique platform, it's their choice (with the agreement of their publisher), same thing if the game is only published, not produced, by the Console manufacturer, it cannot be qualified as a second party. Well, if it's published by the Console manufacturer, you an somewaht call that a second party game, but that would be stretching it, since the IP is the property of the producer.

Oh and have you actually played Kung Fu Chaos? Its a fantastic little game.

KFC rocks!

Also if MS saw in motion what we have seen of HS, how could they NOT follow up on their committment to this team..?

Different management teams at MGS mean different decisions.
KFC was produced under Ed Fries time as the VP of the Xbox games division.

 

[Bohdy]

Well, actually to be qualified as a second party the game have to be produced by the console manufacturer.

Why do you make this distinction, can I ask?

 

[Farid]

Why do you make this distinction, can I ask?

Because there was no contract tying Factor 5 game developement plans and Nintendo.

 

[Bohdy]

Because there was no contract tying Factor 5 game developement plans and Nintendo.

I meant why do you make the distinction that the game has to be produced by the console manufacturer. Besides, how do you know that there was no contract?

 

[Farid]

I meant why do you make the distinction that the game has to be produced by the console manufacturer.

Because when it's produced by the Console manufacturer that implies two things, that the IP of the game is a property of the Console maker, and therefore would appear nowhere else but on the this one's machines (Like first party titles).
And it also mean that the developers work in a really close relation with the Console manufacturer. A simple publisher as very little to say on the content/nature of the game. The producer have all the "powers".

Besides, how do you know that there was no contract?

Two answers, the obvious one, because Nintendo is a public company. We would have heard about this.

The second one, the logical one, simply because I don't see why a company would sign an exclusivity contract with one, and only one, small developer that is published and produced by a third party. It would make no sense, at all.

 

[inefficient]

To wit I wonder how A) Nintendo allowed Factor 5 to disappear from their 1/2nd party dev rolls and B) How did MS who is in dire need of gungho top rate dev teams to push their platform didnt pick up Ninja Theory and Factor 5 from the get go...

MS makes strange decisions....

MS did try to pick up Ninja Theory according to their dev diary. But they didn't want to just fund and publish them. They wanted to buy them out and move them to their offices Bungie style. Ninja Theory didn't want to lose creative control or freedom. So they said no to MS and Sony picked them up.

 

[StefanS]

Two answers, the obvious one, because Nintendo is a public company. We would have heard about this.

The second one, the logical one, simply because I don't see why a company would sign an exclusivity contract with one, and only one, small developer that is published and produced by a third party. It would make no sense, at all.

Apart from that Julian mentioned that they were a third party developer. They just chose to develop exclusively fro the N64 & GCN.

 

[overclocked]

Graphically speaking though Factor 5 puts out some impressive games. I bought both of their Gamecube games just for the graphics and I'll probably do the same with Lair.

Yes they were, and i actually think they are some of the best if not the best technical showcase for the last years. I dont know how much it depends on if you are very attracted to the Starwars movies also but RS2 was/is awesome and i would have thought RebelStrike would been a greater game than it was if they had dropped the fot missions.

They could equally gone with a "parallel story" IMO with story being the keyword.

Probably why i liked PS2s Starfighter and JediStarfighter more in that perspective.

 

[Guden Oden]

To wit I wonder how A) Nintendo allowed Factor 5 to disappear from their 1/2nd party dev rolls and B) How did MS who is in dire need of gungho top rate dev teams to push their platform didnt pick up Ninja Theory and Factor 5 from the get go...

A: F5 didn't want to stay, and there's SFA Nintendo could do to stop it. F5 is about powerful tech, and Nintendo's aiming at the middle of the road this time 'round - not appealing to F5.

B: MS can't "pick up" F5 - it's privately owned. And I doubt MS could win their loyalties just by waving wads of dollar bills in their faces. If F5 thought Sony had the coolest tech, I'm sure they'd gone there anyway.

 

[Platon]

Factor 5 is developing /two/ games, not one, and in the conext of that quote, if you include Ninja Theory, that is three games.

I know I'd take HS over all of the above.

You mean HS over Too Human? Why? Right now I ave to say that the info is quite lacking on those games to make desicions as to which one i better...

 

[one]

B) How did MS who is in dire need of gungho top rate dev teams to push their platform didnt pick up Ninja Theory and Factor 5 from the get go...

MS makes strange decisions....

At least they tried as for F5.

http://www.microsoft.com/xna/support_sheet.aspx

"We are extremely excited about XNA, both as a middleware provider and as a game developer. Tools are the only chance for future success in this industry, and never has this been more true than now. As we move into next-generation development, the expectations of gamers and the abilities of hardware open almost limitless possibilities for content creators. Without the right tools, developers will not be able to keep up with the pace - XNA is what the industry needs right now."
- Julian Eggebrecht
President
Factor 5 LLC

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8353/Factor-5-Drops-Xbox-360-Support-in-Favor-of-PS3/

Factor 5 Drops Xbox 360 Support in Favor of PS3
By: César A. Berardini - "Cesar"
May. 22nd, 2005 1:57 pm
According to a story on C|Net, Julian Eggebrecht, president of Factor 5, has confirmed that the company will no longer support the Xbox 360 and instead it will create games exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The following paragraph is an extract from the article:

The choice boiled down to performance, Eggebrecht said at E3 in Los Angeles. His company has worked with Microsoft's Xbox 360, but found PlayStation 3's 3.2GHz Cell chip offered more processing power. The additional performance allows the gang at Factor 5 to more easily simulate the real world for a better game experience, he said.

The San Rafael, California-based game developer and middleware provider is better known for the development of two titles of the Rogue Squadron series.

This announcement comes as a bit of a surprise because Factor 5 was one of the early supporters of the XNA development tools, as this page shows.

 

[tema]

What the X360 or PDZ have to do with this thread?

Ok, I think we can all agree that uncalled for consoles comparisons, in a topic that do not need any, can only create a flamewar or at least, like in this thread, OT discussion about the various consoles games/general performances.

Pruning OT and uncalled for remarks, from time to time, is one thing. Do it in most threads, because of the same posters, is another.

Folks, when you read an uncalled for mention to a console in a thread about another console, do not reply because it will be pruned, just use the report button, and the mods will prune the useless post.

And if the poster keep on posting snide remarks toward the piece of affordable consumer electronic device he didn't pledge allegiance to, as if it was something normal to do, and to which he have an unreasoned hatred forcing him to degrade any threads he participes in; then his posting rights will have to be reduced, because he can't use them as a grown up individual would do.

Sorry got ditzy over F5 launch game. Next gen should start with next gen graphics not Xbox and PC ports. First impression is lasting impression was what i should say.

 

[cau]

The problem is that when PS3 arrives, we will probably have already played games like Oblivion and Gears of War.. so when Lair is released.. people will say "meh" and look forward to Halo3 instead..

or something along those lines...

do you have to be everywhere with your trolling? isnt loading enough?

 

[fulcizombie]

MS did try to pick up Ninja Theory according to their dev diary. But they didn't want to just fund and publish them. They wanted to buy them out and move them to their offices Bungie style. Ninja Theory didn't want to lose creative control or freedom. So they said no to MS and Sony picked them up.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

MS hasn't shown any signs of being intersted to pick up any developers for their first party portfolio,coming in this next gen.In fact most of its 1st party line up(and apart from Bungie and Rare) is comprised from titles that have been bought up by MS(games like GoW,the bioware games,the japanese games,PGR3,Too human).Their strategy seems to be to buy games and not developers.In fact they are actually disbanding some of their teams (like digital anvil whose "brute force" sold about 5 times more than KFC and received better reviews)I really doubt they were in a hurry to buy the creators of KFC but it's a nice story to give some credibility to NT.

 

[fulcizombie]

You mean HS over Too Human? Why? Right now I ave to say that the info is quite lacking on those games to make desicions as to which one i better...

Because it is published by Sony that's why.Silicon knights have a way better history as developers than most of these "newly acquired" sony teams but don't dare mention that cause some people will go crazy.Guerrila+NT+Factor 5 is where it's at.

 

[typoEDR]

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

MS hasn't shown any signs of being intersted to pick up any developers for their first party portfolio,coming in this next gen.In fact most of its 1st party line up(and apart from Bungie and Rare) is comprised from titles that have been bought up by MS(games like GoW,the bioware games,the japanese games,PGR3,Too human).Their strategy seems to be to buy games and not developers.In fact they are actually disbanding some of their teams (like digital anvil whose "brute force" sold about 5 times more than KFC and received better reviews)I really doubt they were in a hurry to buy the creators of KFC but it's a nice story to give some credibility to NT.

They weren't being sold around on the merits for Kung Fu Chaos. They were showing off their 'next-gen' title now known as Heavenly Sword. You don't judge an entire team by one title (even though it was their most recent). I would say Heavenly Sword was far more ambitious than KFC ever was.

I don't think the NT diaries mention who wanted to buy them outright (and assimilate them), so I'm not even going to say this or that about Microsoft.

I will say that in some respects, you're right. Microsoft hasn't gone purchase-crazy this gen like they did with the XBox (Rare, Bungie, etc.).

 

[fulcizombie]

They weren't being sold around on the merits for Kung Fu Chaos. They were showing off their 'next-gen' title now known as Heavenly Sword. You don't judge an entire team by one title (even though it was their most recent). I would say Heavenly Sword was far more ambitious than KFC ever was.

I don't think the NT diaries mention who wanted to buy them outright (and assimilate them), so I'm not even going to say this or that about Microsoft.

I will say that in some respects, you're right. Microsoft hasn't gone purchase-crazy this gen like they did with the XBox (Rare, Bungie, etc.).

They didn't even go purchase-crazy last gen.I mean they were strarting from zero,shouldn't they purchase some studios anyway?If you ask me they have purchased TOO FEW studios.Apart from the Rare-purchase they haven't done anything impressive in this regard.

Heavenly sword looked like crap in its original form ,judging from the screenshots they had released and everybody was laughing with it.It wasn't until E3 and that video(CGI or real time at 5 fps ,i don't know) that this "dynasty warriors" slash em up suddenly became a big deal for sony fans(like just about everything else associated with the ps3 including sequels to games like killzone,warhawk and some video of a getaway-like project)

 

[Mmmkay]

Sweeping 'fan' generalisations, revisionism, disingenuousness, describing trends which never even occured on the forum you're posting in?

Honestly, this thread alone has seen some of the most appalling trolling and 'system wars' postulation that I've ever seen here. And it's still occuring even after Vysez has stepped in.

 

[Titanio]

Heavenly sword looked like crap in its original form ,judging from the screenshots they had released and everybody was laughing with it.It wasn't until E3 and that video(CGI or real time at 5 fps ,i don't know) that this "dynasty warriors" slash em up

Heavenly Sword garnered a lot of attention before they got a publisher - and no, people weren't laughing. It was a title many had an eye on.

suddenly became a big deal for sony fans(like just about everything else associated with the ps3 including sequels to games like killzone,warhawk and some video of a getaway-like project)

Why shouldn't people look forward to these games? Regarding Warhawk, for example, that's an excellent title. Many people have very fond memories of it. It's one thing to point at Killzone's current pedigree - and prematurely draw conclusions about a PS3 iteration based on that - but generalising that to include the likes of Warhawk..