id is considering developing a free-to-play, browser-based version of Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory similar to Quake Live, if the later is a success.
So says tech mastermind John Carmack anyway, who told PC Zone in its latest issue that the whole free-to-play gaming idea is still "very much an experiment."
"If [Quake Live] is successful, we've tossed around the idea of taking the Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory game - which was actually always more popular than Q3A in the online space - and doing a similar treatment to it with the experience we've gained here," Carmack told PC Zone.
But Carmack says no effort will be spent on Wolfenstein: ET until "we know whether Quake Live was a brilliant idea or if it was dumb move."
Enemy Territory, in case you weren't around, was a free multiplayer spin-off of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which goes some way in explaining why it was more popular than Quake.
When asked if id would ever consider adopting the browser-based strategy for a modern game, Carmack gave a definite answer: "There's no way we could justify building a modern game for the PC exclusively," he said.
"Not to say that it's impossible, but it just wouldn't be a good bet. Even a big budget extravaganza like Crysis didn't do very well in the larger scheme of things.
"So if you want to develop something on the PC right now," Carmack continued, "it had better either be cross platform like what we're doing with Rage or it'd have to be something like Spore or The Sims 3, that really caters to the type of game that more people are playing on the PC."
Read the full interview in PC Zone issue 198, out this Thursday, August 14.
W:ET on Live sounds like a good idea if you ask me. Last I heard it was still one of the most popular online games the PC has. The biggest issue it has is the sheer number of mods make it nearly impossible to join a server without having to wait for a massive download first.
The only downside is that despite the PC version being free, you know MS would slap a charge on the XBL version.
What the hell is wrong with CVG today, they've gone all Big Brother, censoring posts left, right and centre. I've had more than 3 posts censored, and a whole article first had it's board removed, then went missing.
If almost every article's spelling wasn't atrocious, then you wouldn't have to delete posts mocking the fact that instead of looking to hire a staff writer, you should be looking to hire a proof reader!
W:ET on Live sounds like a good idea if you ask me. Last I heard it was still one of the most popular online games the PC has. The biggest issue it has is the sheer number of mods make it nearly impossible to join a server without having to wait for a massive download first.
I still play it now and there are plenty of rooms to jump into, usually around 40-50 players in each game. Brilliant fun and for free, you can't go wrong.
It's sort of true what you say about the mod downloads. Back in the day it used to be a bit of a pain waiting for a map mod to download before you could join but these days it's about 30 seconds at most. You don't notice it at all.
If anyone is thinking about trying it, don't think, go and download it. It's pure quality.
Carmack is only being realisitic about PC exclusivity. Fact is that both the PS3 and 360 have more grunt under the hood than the PC in the average home and have excellent on-line support. Developing for multi-platform doesn't mean having to comprimise the PC version the way that it used and gives the developer a far larger potential audience (and chance of breaking even too).
Yeah I dont see the fuss why people want PC exclusives other than to fuel their own snobbery. Surely multi platform gaming enriches us all in some form or other.
Good to see that another major player is investigating the opportunities in the free to play arena. Quake and Battlefield Heroes are pulling the spotlight on the free to play market, with lots of eyeballs watching their progress. If quake pulls it off, a wolfenstein can't be far behind. If beloved favorites become popular, does this then give the green light to a number of publishers that are currently standing on the sidelines just watching?
Yeah I dont see the fuss why people want PC exclusives other than to fuel their own snobbery. Surely multi platform gaming enriches us all in some form or other.
Well, simply put, we pay for exclusivity.
My PC GFX card costs the same, if not twice as much, as consoles.
The fact that I can properly use a mouse (yes, consoles have it too *yawn* if you want to play with a simple 200 dpi mouse ) in fps games, if not all shooters, is more skillful and allows for better skill advancement (I rather have a nice sharp crosshair than a huge circle representing my target reticle).
PC gets better graphics, we have an all-in-one entertainment machine with production, business and pleasure.
But set all the above aside, the PC offers gaming experiences that consoles, at their current state, cannot.
It has nothing to do with snobbery (-ish), we pay more to play, we love making our systems work better with games by tweaking (hence the hobby of).
It's like having an expensive girlfriend you don't want to share and get exclusive rights to all pleasures.
No?
Don't get me wrong, I've always been a console man myself up until a few years back; I awaited PS3 but the games are just lame so I've forgone the decision to lash out cash for it and hope MGS4 eventually touches the PC.
And one more thing, Hideo himself critisised the limitation of console technology being limited...
Any way, boils down to price and hobby and the fact that all games are built on the PC any way <==.
P.S; might I add that Carmack is being realistic only from a business point of view.
Funny how when the PC was the only platform he could put his games on it's all that mattered and now all this banter about going Console while consoles themselves are just becoming PC's and games are just becoming more shallow and boring coz most console players aren't hardcore gamers who swallow whatever's thrown outside the pc chicken box.
Crysis didn't sell so well was primarily because of the specs it required and the lack of refinement in the programming technology, hence why the next one has priority for it's performance.
My PC on MEDIUM settings plays the damn thing mostly at 20-fps while unreal 3 and Bioshock @ 60+.
Great game though (Crysis), eventhough I think the technology was grosely underused.
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) in fps games, if not all shooters, is more skillful and allows for better skill advancement (I rather have a nice sharp crosshair than a huge circle representing my target reticle).
