The Darkness Developer Interview

[Ben-Nice]

It's from PS3 land so there is some related info

http://ps3land.com/article-485.php

Developing for the Sony Playstation 3 and its next gen hardware, how is it? Further more, are you happy with having much larger disc storage in
Blu-Ray...allowing for more capacity for game content?


Jens Andersson, Lead Designer: It's a difficult question to answer for a lot of
reasons (and not only for the political ones). The PlayStation 3 is powerful but
you need to write some very complex code to take advantage of that. Luckily, with
having our own engine we've been able to make some technology choices to go in that direction
so we are starting to take advantage of that now. Personally, I think
Blu-Ray is going to be the thing that will make most difference. Since the start of
the development we've been discussing whether or not we will fit the game onto one
DVD, and that is not counting all the bonus materials we want to cram onto the disc.



In your personal opinion, do you see a difference in PS3 vs Xbox 360? Hardware and Games (ex: graphically, processing, ect.)

Magnus Högdahl, CTO: It is hard to give a fair judgement of the games until there
are final versions on the shelves that I can buy for a retail version PS3

What is it like developing on the Cell processor?


Magnus Högdahl, CTO: The PowerPC part of the Cell is very similar to a Xbox360 CPU
core. They share most of the common performance problems and are both quite bad at running generic c++ code. This is something we can deal with relatively easily,
though. The Cell's SPUs are a lot better and have great peak performance numbers,
but adapting any moderately complex system to run on 256k memory for both code and data is a very time consuming challenge.

 

[Bad_Boy]

A good read, interesting DVD/Blu-ray part. If they dont ship the game on 2 discs or dont fit all the data on one disc, I hope they dont cut back on bonus material for the ps3 version because of it. Sounds like they will be pretty identical graphically though.

 

[TheChefO]

6. The Darkness is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, what kind of thoughts are behind the decision to go multiplatform?


Lars Johansson, Producer: This time around the 360 and the PS3 are more similar to
each other compared to the current generation of consoles. This has made it a little
easier and more cost efficient to go multiplatform.

Thanks for the link Ben-Nice!

 

[_phil_]

6. The Darkness is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, what kind of thoughts are behind the decision to go multiplatform?


Lars Johansson, Producer: This time around the 360 and the PS3 are more similar to
each other compared to the current generation of consoles. This has made it a little
easier and more cost efficient to go multiplatform.

Most programmers i know would disagree.Multiplateform is a pain.maybe they were talking strickly about GPU relatively to their engine tech.

 

[Titanio]

Most programmers i know would disagree.Multiplateform is a pain.maybe they were talking strickly about GPU relatively to their engine tech.

Even if the approaches to the GPUs are similar, that ought to make things easier than it was last time around (and it is..AFAIK, HLSL and Cg are almost interchangeable, for example).

 

[TheChefO]

Most programmers i know would disagree.Multiplateform is a pain.maybe they were talking strickly about GPU relatively to their engine tech.

I interprited that statement as easier to develop multiplat this gen than last gen. Not saying multiplat isn't a pain but less of a pain than last gen.

 

[scooby_dooby]

Most programmers i know would disagree.

Compared to last generation?

 

[RavenFox]

A good read, interesting DVD/Blu-ray part. If they dont ship the game on 2 discs or dont fit all the data on one disc, I hope they dont cut back on bonus material for the ps3 version because of it. Sounds like they will be pretty identical graphically though.

Man I was saying this on another forum today. Nothing against 360 because its a gaming machine with lots of love but I hope devs donot folow a route of 'oh it doesnt fit on 360 so just keep the content the same on PS3'. If the space is required "Really required" I say use it.

 

[TheChefO]

Man I was saying this on another forum today. Nothing against 360 because its a gaming machine with lots of love but I hope devs donot folow a route of 'oh it doesnt fit on 360 so just keep the content the same on PS3'. If the space is required "Really required" I say use it.

They will if it makes financial sense. If the dollars put into gigabytes dont turn into sales at the register then they'll stick to the limiter as they did last gen with most ps2>xbox games.

 

[AlNom]

what's stopping them from including bonus materials on a second disc It's not like it hasn't happened before... Halo 2, Jade Empire, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, MechAssault 2, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion...

 

[Titanio]

Bonus material on a second disc wouldn't be a problem - asides from the added cost which can be avoided by simply not including it - but he does say they're wondering whether they'd fit the game on one disc before one even considers bonus material. You could ask if it'd be a problem to split the game, but I guess that's a question for the developer to answer.

 

[Qroach]

2 DVD discs will likely cost less than one BR disk.

 

[Titanio]

Perhaps, but the second disc is an avoidable cost (if it's 'just' for bonus material) whereas you need at least BD disc anyway..

Either way, I don't think they're complaining about it because of the cost of the discs. These things should be matters of cents. So I presume there's another reason (and the issue apparently extends beyond bonus material here, which would be a fairly easy split).

 

[RancidLunchmeat]

I thought that was a bunch of very... politically correct answers.

And most certainly not the ones that Sony would have preferred to hear.

 

[AlNom]

Bonus material on a second disc wouldn't be a problem - asides from the added cost which can be avoided by simply not including it - but he does say they're wondering whether they'd fit the game on one disc before one even considers bonus material. You could ask if it'd be a problem to split the game, but I guess that's a question for the developer to answer.

hm... fair enough. IMHO, for a linear game played out through levels, I don't think multiple disks should be an issue at all, kind of like watching the Lord of the Rings special edition dvds. *shrug*

Along the lines of bonus material, given their Director's Cut feature that they did for Riddick PC, I guess this might also be a concern if they plan on doing something even more interactive than just audio clips playing when you near an object.

 

[Darkon]

I thought that was a bunch of very... politically correct answers.

And most certainly not the ones that Sony would have preferred to hear.

How so ? are you referring to this quote ?

The Darkness is coming to PS3 and Xbox 360, what kind of thoughts are behind the decision to go multiplatform?

Lars Johansson, Producer: This time around the 360 and the PS3 are more similar to
each other compared to the current generation of consoles. This has made it a little
easier and more cost efficient to go multiplatform.

from what I understand after reading the complete interview isn't he referring to designs of each system and not performance necessarily .


all in all this was a good interview though a bit short

 

[Bad_Boy]

They will if it makes financial sense. If the dollars put into gigabytes dont turn into sales at the register then they'll stick to the limiter as they did last gen with most ps2>xbox games.

Not sure what you mean. PS2 and Xbox had the same storage medium; DVD. So the same space. And it wasnt like any many games were pushing 9 gigs last gen. But there were indeed some multiplatform games that catered to functions of specific systems and not just left out because both versions should be the exact same. (ps2 madden had specific psp features for example). But I suppose thats not the same as it had nothing to do with storage space.

All I'm saying is that if the game is on 2 discs on 360, good news as both systems would get the most out of the development and bonus features if it comes to that. But if the 360 is 1 disc, and for example missing bonus material, I hope the PS3 version does not suffer the loss of bonus material simply because its a multiplatform game.

all in all this was a good interview though a bit short

Yeah I thought the same. I would of liked to know what kind of bonus material they are referring to. Extra game modes? Unlockables? or Behind the scenes footage? Then again, I guess it would be to early to answer a question like that without breaking any NDA's.

 

[TheChefO]

Not sure what you mean. PS2 and Xbox had the same storage medium; DVD. So the same space. And it wasnt like any many games were pushing 9 gigs last gen. But there were indeed some multiplatform games that catered to functions of specific systems and not just left out because both versions should be the exact same. (ps2 madden had specific psp features for example). But I suppose thats not the same as it had nothing to do with storage space.

All I'm saying is that if the game is on 2 discs on 360, good news as both systems would get the most out of the development and bonus features if it comes to that. But if the 360 is 1 disc, and for example missing bonus material, I hope the PS3 version does not suffer the loss of bonus material simply because its a multiplatform game.

Agreed - if it gets down to the point where they are late in development and say "crap it doesn't fit dvd-9" they'll just make it two disks on 360 and one disk on ps3. However if the two disk format becomes an issue either gameplay wise or cost wise I'm sure they will be mindful of this limitation as they get used to the hardware and design the game to fit. In this instance I do not think they will go out of their way to put special edition bonus material on the ps3 version just to fill extra space without financial compensation. Then again perhaps ps3 games will have a higher cost and hence publishers must justify this cost somehow which at that point additional material would be appropriate.

 

[Acert93]

All I'm saying is that if the game is on 2 discs on 360, good news as both systems would get the most out of the development and bonus features if it comes to that. But if the 360 is 1 disc, and for example missing bonus material, I hope the PS3 version does not suffer the loss of bonus material simply because its a multiplatform game.

Or...

Due, at least initially, the extra cost of BluRay disk production companies toss in the bonus material (making of, behind the scenes, etc) to justify a higher price. On the 360 side we would probably see them do what they already have with Oblivion and a number of other games: Standard $60 version and a $70 premium version with the extras, which covers the cost of the extra disk and adds a nice premium. Not sure the extra disk is a big deal seeing as I have a number of PC games that span 4-6 CDs and that is a lot more to coordinate and package than a single disk.

Anyhow, extra content on the larger BluRay disks would be a good excuse to charge extra seeing as they already charge extra on the MS platform for that very feature. Of course with BluRay you can do all those extras without adding an extra disk, but then again either a) down the road it will be logistically worth while, and affordable, to do it on 2 or b) logistically they do the extra DVD now anyhow so there is 1 core BluRay disk for all SKUs and the extra cheap DVD for the premium.

A lot of this will come down to manufacturing costs, overhead, etc.

 

[Bad_Boy]

Agreed - if it gets down to the point where they are late in development and say "crap it doesn't fit dvd-9" they'll just make it two disks on 360 and one disk on ps3. However if the two disk format becomes an issue either gameplay wise or cost wise I'm sure they will be mindful of this limitation as they get used to the hardware and design the game to fit. In this instance I do not think they will go out of their way to put special edition bonus material on the ps3 version just to fill extra space without financial compensation. Then again perhaps ps3 games will have a higher cost and hence publishers must justify this cost somehow which at that point additional material would be appropriate.

Well I dont mean 'just to fill extra space' for the hell of it because its there. It sounds like they already have bonus material planned (not really specific on it though). And want to include it for both versions of the game. Doesnt sound like last minute 'include it because we have the room for it' type stuff. Whatever bonus material may be, I'm just saying I hope it isnt cut for whatever reason.

I dont think it will have much to do with financial compensation, theres no way to prove that unless the game has two different versions on the same exact console with one version included with extra material for the same price. Something we probably will never see. I think it has to do with the developers wanting to include as much as they can to make it a valued experience for the consumer. That in the long run may show that the consumers prefer the bigger value (which is no surprise), but there is no way to gauge that due to the consoles most likely having two different market shares when the game is released.

I hope that made sense, I'm kinda tired so I'm a little out of it.

The easiest way for multiplatform games to deliver bonus content may be through the download content provider for both systems, that may not be considered a "value" for the consumer though. Unless of course it's free.

Or...

Due, at least initially, the extra cost of BluRay disk production companies toss in the bonus material (making of, behind the scenes, etc) to justify a higher price. On the 360 side we would probably see them do what they already have with Oblivion and a number of other games: Standard $60 version and a $70 premium version with the extras, which covers the cost of the extra disk and adds a nice premium. Not sure the extra disk is a big deal seeing as I have a number of PC games that span 4-6 CDs and that is a lot more to coordinate and package than a single disk.

Anyhow, extra content on the larger BluRay disks would be a good excuse to charge extra seeing as they already charge extra on the MS platform for that very feature. Of course with BluRay you can do all those extras without adding an extra disk, but then again either a) down the road it will be logistically worth while, and affordable, to do it on 2 or b) logistically they do the extra DVD now anyhow so there is 1 core BluRay disk for all SKUs and the extra cheap DVD for the premium.

A lot of this will come down to manufacturing costs, overhead, etc.

Good points, But that may depend on if blu-ray games (read ps3 games) are the same price as DVD games (read 360 games) or not. Same price for the video gamers, not publishers I mean. Blu-ray will obviously be more expensive to produce this early for publishers. But there may be ways around that as you have mentioned; the one sku for all regions for example.

Whatever happens, it should be interesting.