dan.brakeley.net

We finally announced the 360 release of Guitar Hero 2. That’s what I’m currently working on these days. The engine has been ported over, so my work is mainly stripping out the PS2 specific stuff (memory card messages mostly), and probably adding support for downloadable content. I helped out with the playable demo we showed off at X06. The demo is just the coop multiplayer mode with a limited list of songs, but it has updated, “next-gen” art, and looks really great (even on the small TV I have at my desk).

Of course, we aren’t planning on this being available until after the holiday season is over, so a lot of people are pissed because they want to hold out and get it for the 360 instead of the PS2. They are basically whining about having to decide between getting some good crack on November 7, or holding out till early next year for the new Sugar Flavored Crack ™. The clear solutioin is to buy both. Multiple times.

I posted the following to a forum recently, but I figured I’d just post it here as well, and then I don’t have to write it again if I get mad at some other dumbass on some other forum (why do I allow myself to be ensnared by trolls? Mainly I think I find ranting very theraputic…)

Sony has an amazing PR machine. As an actual game developer, I want to throw in my 77 Kwachas:

1) Game developers are more likely to choose 720p over 1080p because at 720p you waste less graphics time drawing all those damn pixels, and can invest that time instead in making the graphics themselves better, with more polygons, more complex shaders, more effects and particles, etc. Not to mention the fact that most HDTV’s don’t even support 1080p yet.

2) PS3’s backwards compatibility is software, and will have the same problems as the 360.

3) Microsoft got the online experience right, and Sony really hasn’t shown anything yet that could compete in the US with the 360’s Xbox Live.

4) The CELL processor is a new arcitecture, but it isn’t going to have your Sony brand TV, home theatre, cell phone, watch, etc all sharing processor resources. The PS3 is a single, self-contained gaming console, just like the 360, the Wii, the XBox, the PS2, the PS1, etc.

5) Blu-ray is not going to give developers 50 gigs to work with, it’s going to give them 25 gigs to work with. Just like DVD’s, a dual layer disc is more expensive to print than two single layer discs. Also, I don’t think they actually make dual layer blu-ray discs for commercial products yet, because it’s too expensive to make. Note that HD-DVD doesn’t share this problem, as existing DVD manufacturing plants can be easily upgraded to support HD-DVD. Also, I don’t mean to say that 25 gigs isn’t a lot of space, it’s just another example of the hype out performing reality.

6) At first PS3 was said to be too expensive, but then studies showing old console prices adjusted for inflation made it look like it wasn’t too expensive. That argument is crap. First of all, the PS3 is still MORE expensive than it’s competition. Second, back in the late 80’s, my family bought a bare-bones Apple IIGS for $1400. After inflation that comes out to more than $2200. Would I spend that much on the latest computer today? Hell no, I’d get a Dell XPS 410 with a 19″ LCD for $990. My point is that you are comparing apples and oranges, and the only thing that matters is how much people are willing to shell out today. And I think for most people, $600 is too much to pay for a video game console.

Having said that, I do think that pre-ordering a PS3 is a good investment, because there will not be enough to go around, and I bet they’ll be selling on e-bay for quite a markup…

In the end, the games are the most important things, as that is really where the fun is had. So if you are going to have the most fun with games that are only available on the PS3, then you will probably end up with a PS3. Personally, I’m much more excited about the Wii right now…

Harmonix is being bought by MTV Networks for $175,000,000 (check out the press release linked from our web site). And the buzz amongst forum trolls everywhere: In how many unique ways will MTV destroy Harmonix? Look guys, Harmonix is built on the games and people who love them. If MTV destroys that, then the people will leave, and MTV will have spent $175,000,000 for an empty office. It’s that simple. MTV brings money, marketing, and music, all three of which are good for us. We bring the awesome. Plus, we have some really great reality TV show ideas…

This post is primarily to test layouts. I’m taking today off and just hanging out at home. Guitar Hero II will be on store shelves November 7, but we’re done on our end. Now we just have to wait for them to make the discs and guitars and ship them all out to the stores. We are selling two versions: a version with the guitar (the guitar is red/black and seems to have better fret buttons than the older black/white one), and a version with just the game. The latter is on pre-order at Amazon for $49.99, and for some reason I didn’t realize how much it would cost for just the game. Seems high, but it makes the pack with guitar seem more affordable, I suppose. And it is the best video game ever created by man kind, so I can understand the desire to get a bit of return. And it’s a small price to pay, considering bringing rock to the masses was how world peace was achieved in Bill & Ted’s…

And I no longer get royalities from Sly 2/3 sales, so you can all stop buying those now. :p

Actually, Sly 2 and 3 are still awesome, and I can’t wait until Sucker Punch announces their next title. I haven’t seen it since February, and it was still just R&D at that point, so I’m psyched to see what it has evolved into.

On that note, you know what sucks about working in the games industry? You have all this inside knowledge that you totally can’t talk about, because you signed legal documents that said you wouldn’t. It’s super annoying, because I want to show off all the cool stuff I get to work on everyday, and I can’t. And the developers and publishers take leaks of information pretty seriously, as timing is apparently key to marketing the game properly, or something. I can understand that, especially since it takes so long to make a game, and for a game to be any good when it finally comes out, it has to evolve during the development cycle, so early information may be wrong or misleading, and even if it’s dead on, you don’t want the hype to happen early and then be yesterday’s news when the game finally hits stores.

Well, enough wasting time, back to my new layout…

brakeley.net is dead! long live brakeley.net!

Gone is the TikiWiki, here is the WordPress. More to come soon…