Or if it's an online game, like Titanfall, that can't be played offline, you just mark that on the packaging. That's a parallel business discussion anyway.
Server based game augmentations. The transition to cloud. Really possible?
- Thread starter Shifty Geezer
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Or if it's an online game, like Titanfall, that can't be played offline, you just mark that on the packaging. That's a parallel business discussion anyway.
If it's fully online like an MMO game, they will still reason carefully about server usage. It costs extra $$$ to run stuff on the servers, cloud or no cloud, especially during that few holidays where usage spikes up.
It's better to use the server resources for generating incremental income proportionally (i.e., the more server resources you consume, the more you pay, or the more customers it acquires).
As I understand, some MMOs already handle most of the load on the server for security reasons. Taking on rendering tasks (async stuff) will definitely increase cost further. The developers will balance their needs given that XB1/PS4 are not exactly weak machines.
It's better to use the server resources for generating incremental income proportionally (i.e., the more server resources you consume, the more you pay, or the more customers it acquires).
As I understand, some MMOs already handle most of the load on the server for security reasons. Taking on rendering tasks (async stuff) will definitely increase cost further. The developers will balance their needs given that XB1/PS4 are not exactly weak machines.
I agree with all of this.
Johnny Awesome
Veteran
It's probably up to MS first party to push the unique features of Xbox One - Cloud and Kinect.
I'm not sure I'd say everyone has been doing it. I can't really find many examples of companies that have. Most examples I find are things like matchmaking and user stats like Halo Waypoint. I can't think of many 360 or PS3 games that would have made use, considering they were almost all offline games or online using peer-to-peer connections.
I'd fully expect that Bungie would be doing a lot of online processing for Destiny, because it's something like an MMO. More and more games will be online in nature. Whether they're doing the kind of game augmentation this thread was meant to discuss, I don't know. I'm guessing they have AI in the cloud, like dedicated server bots to keep everything in sync between players.
They don't have to announce every little details they do you know. ^_^
e.g., World of Warcraft is migrating less populated realms into virtual realms, but they don't have to tell us what tech they are using.
"Everyone" refers to any game with an online component, including iOS/Android and PC/Mac games. PS360 games will also use cloud as they see fit. ND being one of the published examples last year. Matchmaking is very important, and is an inherent part of online gaming. I'm not sure why we need to downplay it. Like what MS said, any latency insensitive tasks would do. You're not restricted to using cloud just one way, like you're not restricted to use your client CPU only one way. If your needs are such that you don't have to scale the server dynamically too much, you may not need full blown autoscaling too. There are other benefits to cloud computing. It is versatile.
All of what you're saying is true. I do not disagree. When did I downplay matchmaking? Matchmaking is an awesome feature.
This thread is supposed to be about game augmentation, and I'm assuming that means actual gameplay by pushing processing to the cloud so you can process different things locally. I would not say that matchmaking or Halo waypoint type stats aggregation fit the bill, as great as they are.
Maybe I just misinterpreted your post, but I wouldn't say there are many, or any PS360 games doing game augmentation using the cloud right now. Few games have dedicated servers that could be processing things like AI. The vast majority of games were purely peer-to-peer if they were online at all. There are probably a few exceptions, but it's a rarity. That's all I was saying. There are probably more on the PC side doing things like AI, and obviously PC MMOs could be doing more.
I think patsu is overstating the use of cloud compute versus the use of servers and online services. Even steam isn't really cloud powered in that sense. I am sure that cloud is an area that all companies are investigating but it surely isn't as central to most gaming platforms as it appears to be to for MS.
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how many cloud companies are investing in the R&D like Orleans for game use, even testing with the Halo team to exercise how games can utilize?
I think the over simplification of this application to be "easy to replicate with some servers" is over stated... Ms has a head start here as it has been a strategy and they have a distinct plan with hundreds of millions being newly invested into Live servers and it will show.
I think the over simplification of this application to be "easy to replicate with some servers" is over stated... Ms has a head start here as it has been a strategy and they have a distinct plan with hundreds of millions being newly invested into Live servers and it will show.
Steam introduced Steam Cloud in 2010^H^H08. I doubt they stopped there.
MMO handles AI on the servers. It's not just PC MMOs, your Zynga games also run on cloud platform.
Matchmaking fits the bill as long as it improves server gaming. The data has to be collected from every game, collated and decide how new games are setup. It means even if your game is p2p, cloud can still be useful.
Microsoft's research is certainly extraordinary, but it doesn't mean Amazon, Google, Facebook, Steam, SOE, Blizzard, Zynga are not invested in cloud technologies for gaming. Cloud technologies is the fabric of server operation these days.
Again, I agree with everything your saying, but I still don't think there was any significant investment in cloud gaming for PS360, at least not in the way this thread was intended to discuss. MMOs and dedicated servers were practically non-existant. Hopefully that changes this generation, because as you say, improving matchmaking and data collection can go a long way to giving gamers a better experience.
The world will continue to run on cloud platforms even if PS360 offer only single player games. ^_^
There are tons of money invested in cloud computing. PS360, iOS/Android, PC/Mac will all benefit.
e.g., FFXIV is an MMO announced for PS3 and PC (Coming August 27 2013). In China, Shanda is supposed to be the publisher for FFXIV.
Shanda launched an Amazon-like beta cloud platform in 2011: http://www.gamelook.com/?p=1121
It includes cloud storage, cloud host, cloud monitor, cloud database, CDN, etc.
When FFXIV is localized for China, Shanda will just run all the servers on their cloud infrastructure. PS3 and PC users won't know what the game servers run on.
Now, there will be R&D to continue to improve cloud technologies, just like everything else. But it is "everywhere" today.
The developers may try to make a unified, seamless world as they continue to tinker with the technologies.
You can bet that SOE's Planetside 2, EverQuest Next, and whatever MMO games coming will be on the cloud too.
Now if Gaikai came through, standard SP games can be served via cloud streaming too. In which case, everything also runs on the cloud. We won't be able to shoehorn what the servers can or cannot do.
So far, Gaikai is a $400 million investment from Sony. They will need more to deploy the service.
There are tons of money invested in cloud computing. PS360, iOS/Android, PC/Mac will all benefit.
e.g., FFXIV is an MMO announced for PS3 and PC (Coming August 27 2013). In China, Shanda is supposed to be the publisher for FFXIV.
Shanda launched an Amazon-like beta cloud platform in 2011: http://www.gamelook.com/?p=1121
It includes cloud storage, cloud host, cloud monitor, cloud database, CDN, etc.
When FFXIV is localized for China, Shanda will just run all the servers on their cloud infrastructure. PS3 and PC users won't know what the game servers run on.
Now, there will be R&D to continue to improve cloud technologies, just like everything else. But it is "everywhere" today.
The developers may try to make a unified, seamless world as they continue to tinker with the technologies.
You can bet that SOE's Planetside 2, EverQuest Next, and whatever MMO games coming will be on the cloud too.
Now if Gaikai came through, standard SP games can be served via cloud streaming too. In which case, everything also runs on the cloud. We won't be able to shoehorn what the servers can or cannot do.
So far, Gaikai is a $400 million investment from Sony. They will need more to deploy the service.
Some very interesting comments from Watch Dogs producer say -among other things- that the city in Watch Dogs is going to react more dynamically in the Xbox One version because of the cloud.
http://www.nowgamer.com/news/198718...f_those_machines_says_watch_dog_producer.html
So, bkilian's aura seldom fails, since he mentioned time ago that one of the advantages of the cloud was this one.
http://www.nowgamer.com/news/198718...f_those_machines_says_watch_dog_producer.html
So, bkilian's aura seldom fails, since he mentioned time ago that one of the advantages of the cloud was this one.
He doesn't actually mention the cloud at all in that, does he? Sure, it's the obvious and most likely explanation but not necessarily the right one
+1, the vibe I get is that he's basically saying 'gee modern cpus and gpus are much faster than the old crap'. The only specific mention of the Xbox One is right at the end and that seems more like short hand for next gen than a sly reference to the 'power of the cloud' which goes otherwise unmentioned.
The tone of his words and what bkilian said time ago makes me think that he is hinting at the cloud. If he didn't mean that, then he is just saying that the Xbox One version will run better because it is the more capable console.
And that would give particular significance to Albert Penello's words, so the speculation would begin again.
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