The 3D Hardware and Games Industry

[Reverend]

<rolls hand grenade in and sneaks off>

How much do you think you know about behind-the-scenes stuff regarding these two industries that are always linked together?

You can post what you know (or maybe you won't, because you don't think you should, or you simply can't) or you can post what you suspect. The good as well as the bad.

How do these behind-the-scenes stuff affect hardware review sites?

Do you think IHVs and ISVs read hardware reviews using various games and chuckle to themselves thinking "Man, we played them good... they have no idea..."?

When a game is released, what do you know about it when it comes to the relationship between the IHVs and the ISVs that ultimately decides how that game is made?

I have this huge urge to post a rant for quite some time now... but this will suffice for now... I'm so upset right now, I'm just going to post this and have a relaxing game of Tiger Woods PGS Tour. The rant I want to post may never come, because if I do, I will never be able to learn more disturbing stuff in the future. Which is to say I love and hate such nasty stuff. Ta!

 

[digitalwanderer]

Well golly, what do you think about it Rev? Get the ball rolling and we'll all chime in our two bits.

 

[nelg]

I have this huge urge to post a rant for quite some time now... but this will suffice for now... I'm so upset right now, I'm just going to post this and have a relaxing game of Tiger Woods PGS Tour. The rant I want to post may never come, because if I do, I will never be able to learn more disturbing stuff in the future. Which is to say I love and hate such nasty stuff. Ta!

How do you know that the information you receive is not from the same propaganda machine or subject to the same malicious intent?

 

[John Reynolds]

"The more I read, the more I meditate; and the more I acquire, the more I am enabled to affirm that I know nothing."

 

[ANova]

I think nv does a little bit of this.

 

[ben6]

Oh boy I could tell stories!!! Apocyphal or not .

1. One company visited and briefed me in the United States (they are based in Taiwan) not only did this company provide a um substandard product, when I brought numerous problems with their card, drivers and image quality to light in a review they asked me not to publish the review and I haven't heard from them since! Ah well. At least I didn't waste my money or time sending a copy of Morrowind to Taiwan like they asked me to... This relates to the topic because the games of the time did not run well with the card I was testing (the company did not have any access to recent games. Even today, they're a small portion of the market, though developer support has improved apparently
2. Another company decided to rewrite one of my reviews and insist it be published in lieu of my own work. If they decided to correct spelling or grammar, I wouldn't care. But the rewrite put their product in a better light than what I wrote, materially affecting the entire opinion on the review. Clearly they thought I was supposed to be their PR department in writing my review. I returned the product with more than a little disgust

BTW, strangely this has nothing to do with NV or ATI... And it relates to the topic because I had similar issues with S3's new card. Though thankfully they did not ask me to hold the review or some such nonsense.

 

[jvd]

I will say this .

I believe that the hardware companys give free products and support to the software companys in exchange for that developer making the game work better on thier hardware .

I don't think it goes much further than that and at the end of the day as long as the games work on my hardware and look good i'm happy

 

[PeterAce]

Still wondering about this comment (back in July last year) :

There are things happening at Crytek that you guys don't know (but of which you would jump up and down screaming if you do know).

 

[Neeyik]

Personally, I couldn't give a flying monkey's about any of it. I couldn't care any less than I already do if I discovered for certain that specific IHVs were in cahoots with specific ISVs; I don't care if IHVs misfeed or deliberately leak false information to website and I certainly don't spend anything more than a millisecond of my thought that two multi-billion dollar industries play the PR game at the expense of morals.

 

[Jawed]

Still wondering about this comment (back in July last year) :

There are things happening at Crytek that you guys don't know (but of which you would jump up and down screaming if you do know).

I assumed that was The Project which Crytek made for ATI.

Jawed

 

[WaltC]

Well golly, what do you think about it Rev? Get the ball rolling and we'll all chime in our two bits.

I can think of a couple of areas where the Rev might like to concentrate...

a) Stating his opinions in declaratives as opposed to interrogatives...

b) Justifying those opinions after he has transformed them from interrogatives into declaratives...

(Nothin' personal, Rev... Just a suggestion.)

Edit: I mean, I get the impression that while you are often very interested in eliciting the opinions of others on various topics you yourself have no opinions at all, Rev. I am certain I must be mistaken...

 

[Smurfie]

Things aren't always as insidious as the conspiracy theorists here would love to maliciously spread.

It's very simple most of the time. Money, or rather, the lack of it on the game developer's side. Face it, games production is becoming more expensive everyday. Publishers are becoming more reluctant to fund developers unless they know they have a guaranteed hit. Even then, that's iffy and you got to have a fantastic track record.

Does every developer have the dough to throw about and concentrate on just purely their content development? Mostly no. But every developer has to find people to invest in their games, and get funding to finish those products. The lucky ones will be able to get IHVs to help fund the development of their games.

Now, speaking for those lucky ones. Once an IHV invests in your game, then what next? Do you go about making the game run poorly for that IHV? Do you go about with a neutral stand or do you make the game run better for the IHV? Put it this way, do you dare to put that funding from the IHV at risk? Do you dare to risk that IHV pulling out their funding?

Seriously, the way people would like to bedevil either of the IHVs is just appalling. The real people suffering out there are the developers. Funding is ridiculously hard to get, and costs are not coming down. Only the few rare lucky developers are the ones which manage to persuade any IHV to help them. Most simply suffer and close shop. Is that the IHV's fault? I doubt it. If anything, IHVs and developers here are the victims. The real culprit here, is our games industry and the way it works.

 

[karlotta]

Things aren't always as insidious as the conspiracy theorists here would love to maliciously spread.

It's very simple most of the time. Money, or rather, the lack of it on the game developer's side. Face it, games production is becoming more expensive everyday. Publishers are becoming more reluctant to fund developers unless they know they have a guaranteed hit. Even then, that's iffy and you got to have a fantastic track record.

Does every developer have the dough to throw about and concentrate on just purely their content development? Mostly no. But every developer has to find people to invest in their games, and get funding to finish those products. The lucky ones will be able to get IHVs to help fund the development of their games.

Now, speaking for those lucky ones. Once an IHV invests in your game, then what next? Do you go about making the game run poorly for that IHV? Do you go about with a neutral stand or do you make the game run better for the IHV? Put it this way, do you dare to put that funding from the IHV at risk? Do you dare to risk that IHV pulling out their funding?

Seriously, the way people would like to bedevil either of the IHVs is just appalling. The real people suffering out there are the developers. Funding is ridiculously hard to get, and costs are not coming down. Only the few rare lucky developers are the ones which manage to persuade any IHV to help them. Most simply suffer and close shop. Is that the IHV's fault? I doubt it. If anything, IHVs and developers here are the victims. The real culprit here, is our games industry and the way it works.

yeah well maybe they can make less money and live on rice and beans and put out a polished product.

 

[Reverend]

Edit: I mean, I get the impression that while you are often very interested in eliciting the opinions of others on various topics you yourself have no opinions at all, Rev. I am certain I must be mistaken...

I do have opinions on a variety of matters (even those where all I do is appear to ask for everyone's opinions on something I raised, without providing any opinion of my own). I have tried not to offer too much of such opinions of mine while I was affiliated with B3D. Now, of course...

Like I said, I may raise this up again when I have time. The past week or so has been difficult for me as I had to take the difficult decision to send my 84-year-old very-weak father to a nursing home. Very stressful.

 

[lopri]

Reverend,

Since you quit your position at B3D, most (if not all) of your posts over the web (not just on B3D) seem quite dilusional and disturbing - I'd liked to say "disgusting" but decided to be more civil. Basically your posts are like pointless/useless garbage which is found in a magazine like "Inquirer" (No, not the l'inq, but the one your mom glances at next to the cash register in a supermarket)

Is that your strategy to get attention from people that you've been starved from? Sure, conspiracy theory always sells. "A has an affair with "B, but I can't tell you the detail!, Oh, actually it might be just a rumor, C knows the real truth!" Let's talk about this A, B, C and the behind-the scene reality!

This, of course, sells, just like 'In Touch' magazine sells. But to who? maybe to many 16 yrs olds.. or 61 yrs olds.. But I know that I don't read those magazines. (No offense to anyone enjoy reading those mags while taking care of personal needs in a bathroom)

Back to the topic. (with a twist) Have you thought what those celebrity you proudly exchange e-mails with would think about you and your posts? It's becoming borderline annoying that everytime you post something you have to mention some big names and your relationship with them (if there is any, that is, meaningful). Do you think the developer A and engineer B might be chuckle to themselves if, ever, get to read your posts about the chat/e-mail they shoot while in the bathroom?

Please Reverend, grow up. You've disappointed me so much that I had to write this. I'm so sorry.

Sincerely,
lop



Edit: I didn't read through all the posts in this thread and missed the part about your father. Sorry to hear that and you surely have my sympathy. You must be going through a rough time in your life, but I have no doubt that you're capable of going through it.

 

[jb]

Rev,


I am sure that some of what you posted actually goes on. But to what and how much, I have not a clue. Would love to hear you spill the beans on this subject...

 

[digitalwanderer]

I'm sorry to hear about your Dad Reverend, best of luck to you and yours with it.

 

[Reverend]

Thanks for your post lopri. I haven't received such compliments ina long time. More please.