The Video Gaming Industry: Degradation.

This article I wrote in 2014 and made some additions in 2017.

                                                                      Press the button — will get a result,
                                                                      and your dream come true.
                                                                      Press the button, but why you're not happy?
                                                                      You have nothing more to aspire for.
                           The prophetic song to the video gaming industry by «Technologiya» band                                   

... Shot five guards from a 9mm Beretta on which were spent nine bullets I reloaded. Somebody detected a corpse of gatekeeper, which was strangled from a garrote personally by myself. And all efforts spent on seemed for me successful lurk of him became vain. When I was going to liquidate him, I had to take out the garrote, calmly sneak up so that he wouldn’t turn around and not make a noise, while at the same time I was stretching my elimination weapon. Calculated a moment, I threw the garrote and strangled him. Now I was running away and shooting myself with the entire security staff of the hotel. In the 9mm Beretta left a clip with six bullets. The missing nine went to those five guards. The chances of survival – minimal ... It happened at the beginning of the 00s.    

... Near to me was standing a back to me a terrorist. I haven’t squatted for a long time. Just came up and even made some noise on what the Arab looked back and he even saw me in all flesh, but when I went behind of the corner of the house after a few seconds he forgot about my existence and continued to patrol again his territory. Approaching to him, I got into his visibility two more times, but was hiding behind for some object, and he only forgot about me. Going up close and going to finish him, I felt some force that had owned my body, which had got off a spectacular combat technique over a terrorist. The villain was laying. My goal was to seize his machine gun and out of boredom to settle a genocide of local scale. I have no worry for myself. It happens to me for the last many years. Previously, I was looking for my goal by myself, now all these modern technologies point the way to follow for me.

Just right now, you read the reconstruction of computer games that were before and now. In the video gaming industry happened a total degradation. Having all the modern development potential ... it’s not using. Ten years ago, computer games were developing primarily for PCs, if not only for them. Don’t need to tell about the perfection of the computer, but today the developers prefer to put the consoles in the first place, which are technically completely weak and the going progress doesn’t gleam even on the horizon for them. The best example for my article serves Hitman and Mafia series.
Hitman: Codename 47 was released in November 2000 on exclusively for PC. The first game in the genre of social stealth, where the protagonist changes into clothes of dead enemies, drags corpses (for the first time, ragdoll physics!), great eleborated AI, which detecting corpses and raising alarm, extensive locations, not to mention about the fact that your actions influence on the gameplay.

Mafia came out at the end of August 2002, and it went around GTA 3 not only because there are no arcade elements in the form of find a star and rid from policemen, you must really hide from them. Moreover, the reason for the interest of the police authorities could be your transit through the red light. Above of all the computer Mafia from the console GTA 3 was excellent in the physics of cars, the extensive location of the city in which you can lost, as well as such little things as “unfinished clips”, which is also have Hitman: Codename 47.
In both examples, there is a common feature that the hero carries with him a certain amount of weapons that can hide in his suit. In Hitman: Codename 47 something, for logical reason, can’t be hidden as various shotguns and assault rifles. In Hitman: Absolution, released in 2012, Agent 47 could hide anything in the jacket and even among all he found a place for fire axe that (as all other weapons and objects.) was used close by pressing a button. Enough in the game of script-actions. Came to the right place and an event occurred, conceived by the plot. Mafia II appeared in 2010 and was also marked by a variety of QTE moments. Locations in both games are limited and are similar in area to a barn. About the “unfinished clips” - this is not today.

About the size of locations, I will give an example of the Elder Scrolls series. On August 31, 1996, only on the computer was released The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall with the open world called the Tamriel Empire contained regions of High Rock, Hammerfell, Morrowind, Black Marsh, Elsweyr, Skyrim, Valenwood, Summerset Isle, Cyrodiil. The total area contains 161,600 square kilometers. When the follow-up sequels The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Microsoft Windows and Xbox.), released in 2002, with an open world of 24 square kilometers, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3.) released in 2006, had ​​almost 56.97 square kilometers area, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3.) released in 2011 with ​​37 square kilometers area. If Daggerfall has 15,000 cities, villages, dungeons with more than 750,000 NPCs (non-player characters.), in Morrowind and Oblivion are only over 1000. As logically you understood, continues of Daggerfall in the game world represent only one of Tamriel’s regions. Someone assumes or knows that in The Elder Scrolls II was using a random and the characters in the continuations are more elaborated, but I will answer, that the developers don’t hide it. But could you answer on the question "Is it possible now to create on the new consoles a likeness of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall?". Don’t torture yourselves - no! Out in 2013, ARMA 3 has an open world of 270 square kilometers, and this game was released exclusively for a personal computer.

IO Interactive, who developed Hitman: Absolution, confessed that they were trying to please to the gamers and casual gamers, as well as the fact that they would like to realize a lot of their ideas, but the weaknesses of the consoles didn’t afford them to make all of it into truth. Race for two hares. Casuals - another reason for the degradation of the gaming industry. People who don’t like and can’t play hard games. Them need to show everything, simplify and spare. For them, as for Dorothy, highlight the road for lest not to get lost. Switch the aim to the red color indicates that you will hit the enemy. Let to these people play Hidden & Dangerous 2, and they willn’t be able to pass even the training level. Because you need to look for places for training by yourself and there are no permanent checkpoints.

Constantly pressing a button. Clicked, and of all carcass you stuck to a blockage or made some action calling mentioned QTE (Quick Time Event.). You press and watch how your hero does all the work for you. In Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and The Time Rippers, the protagonist Roger Wilco gets into the future and in a one space shopping center, he is looking for one video game in the thematic store. Among the things that lie there, you can find “Boom” (parody on Loom.), where the description ends with the phrase “Just insert a disc and watch it explode!” Computer games are the best form to tell a story. You see it, unlike a book. It doesn’t limited in time for narrating in contrast to the film. When playing, you, as an actor, enter the role of the character given by you (with condition, if the story well elaborated.). However, such things as QTE, the feeling of the intrusion into the character disappears. By this feeling of limitation, you deprived of the simple opportunity to jump. Approaching each time to the obstacle - you need to press the button. It was unpleasant to fall and fly off a cliff, as happened before, but today, developers are taking care of the players and not letting him to fall. Such nuance deprives a possibility to penetrate of the game.

Before was happened the consoling and the casualing, in the gaming industry there were a series of revolutions that didn’t further develop. In 1997 released The Last Express. Game of the quest genre. It’s unique thanks to lead developer Jordan Mechner, who for me makes a revolution every time when releases a game. Usually in the quest any character (not the one for which you play.) all the time stands in it’s own place and will move only after you commit an action. In The Last Express, no one will wait you. Didn’t solve the issue with the corpse - your trip is over. The train moves in real time, just as every character that played by real actor and was transferred to the game by the help of rotoscoping. I have never set graphics as a priority of importance, but on The Last Express is nice to watch today. Remember and try to play Crytek games as Far Cry (2004) or Crysis (2007). In the years of release, they had only admire to the spectacular graphics, but install now, as I did, and what will you catch on? I wasn’t impressed to their games even during the years of release due to what is calls the plot, ridiculous gameplay and bad AI. What about the graphics? Only this one? Today it’s obsoleted. As films of Bay and Emmerich. In The Last Express, each character is endowed with its own AI. At that time, as same now, it were a labour-consuming job, but agree, that watch on the current quests with waiting characters, as well as solution hints is unbearable, and for me is offensive.

From the evolution in the quest, I recall Largo Winch: Empire Under Threat being for me deserving the title of a masterpiece. The game is unique not only because it is a three-dimensional quest, but also because it successfully combines the combat part and computer hacking. It's also nice for me to play such quest where your hero can be killed. The developers very successful not only to mix all this, but also told an amazing story.
For some reason, the Red Faction series is not as thundering as it is worthy. In 2002, it was first released on the PlayStation 2 and only six months later on Microsoft Windows. The game was pointed in Geo-Mod engine that allowed to destroy everything around. Having made a shot from a bazooka, you willn’t see a black spot, as it happens at best, it will a huge hole in the wall. It can continue to expand. The series of games is also famous for its magnificent weapon arsenal, which personally made a strong impression on me. For example, “Magnetic gun” from the last Red Faction: Armageddon, as from the name has two magnets “+” and “-“. Shooting them at different points, every time I admired how happens contiguity between them of all that wherein dragging objects and parts of buildings. After that, I was amazed that the game didn’t succeed and THQ not only suspended the series, but later forced to file for bankruptcy. Now the series rights belongs to some Nordic Games and it’s known only that the publisher wants the game to be made by the same Volition studio for what they replied that willn’t soon be ready to continue the series. If at the beginning of the 2000s it was possible to create such destructions on consoles, now I amazingly perceive that no one is implementing total destructibility. Today this is only available in ARMA 3. There certainly isn’t perfect, but this is a progress on the background of everything else. How would EA not boast of a crumbling skyscraper, whose action is actually scripted, but this only proves that it could be done. Disappointing looking in Far Cry 3, when capturing the base, you shoot an RPG, and see only flying metal tin constructions.

In coming Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege, where the developers promise to make AI that won't stick out any part of the body giving by this to your character the opportunity to fetch down. It’s overdue time to implement, very long time to do so. No, it was starting with this. In the first half of the 2000s, the intellect was superior to the present. Especially if you compare games of stealth genre. In Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005), the enemy will pay attention to the opened door, in Dishonored (2012), it’s enough to hide from the eyes by closing the door in front of the nose. About you forget. In Call of Juarez (2006) the detecting was the end of the game, but now the opponents will be a little indignant, but then return to their usual patrol of the territory.
Games as Operation Flashpoint, Ghost Recon, Rainbow Six, Project IGI, SWAT, representatives of tactical shooting are a genre for a special niche of gamers in which they prefer not to go right through – pass thoughtfully. Think through all the details of the plan. These are games where you can die from one bullet, there is no health scale in them, and after being wounded, at best, you can go limping (it depends on where the bullet hit.). In the latest incarnations (with the exception of Project IGI.) of these games, there is no such complexity and made in them easiness is oriented for masses demand. Adding health regeneration to Operation Flashpoint 2 or a health sensor in SWAT 4, the absence of planning map and the addition of dynamics and special effects, and in some games artificial intelligence has deteriorated – large publishers prefer this approach.
In Hitman: Codename 47 on the enemy remained marks of bullets, you could see your reflection in the mirror, the corpses didn’t disappear, as a blood – with today's possibilities, even deprives in this. Needless to say, the disappearance of corpses wasn’t quoted since Wolfenstein 3D, and the Nazis could manually open the doors, not by the power of thought. To where disappeared the opportunity to see how the hero's hand touches the lever?

How much can realize! As always, the hope for veterans who got the opportunity to release their games thanks to popular donations, as Kickstarter site. Only still not a decent game has appeared. Either the small requested funding, as in Takedown: Red Saber, or the uselessness of the remake, as in Leisure Suit Larry: Reloaded, or the technical solidification, as in Carmageddon: Reincarnation, or the plot isn’t good and the puzzles have no logic, as in Tesla Effect: A Tex Murphy Adventure. Despite of the fact that none of the games made by crowdfunding justified me, but there were left those from which expect that them to be one of those who will keep the video gaming industry. I am waiting the classic quest from SpaceVenture, as well as from the Satellite Reign, a worthy successor of Syndicate Wars game, and also still not release Wasteland 2 popularized popular crowdfunding to developers of computer games and Kickstarter site. By the way, the working materials are impressive. And I willn’t forget to mention the space simulator with elements of commerce Elite: Dangerous.
Among of independent publishers are being developed huge projects, as the author of Mafia games, Daniel Vavra, left from the control of the large studio Take-Two Interactive because of disagreements over Mafia II and went into free creativity together with former developers of Bohemia Interactive (created by Operation Flashpoint, two additions and "spiritual successor" ARMA series.) are doing Kingdom Come: Deliverance. This RPG based on real historical events. The developers want to make a veracious world, with its naturally responsive characters (and not similar to GTA V the people don’t react in any way that the hero walks with a gun.), various dialogues, reliable archery, in battles with swords will get the choise to where strike and how to reflect.
I will call the main hope of the gaming industry, which originally demanded $500,000 at Kickstarter, but left with $2,134,374 and then opened it’s own donation fund on own website, which is now close to $52,000,000. Know it, Star Citizen. The game is developing for operating systems Windows and Linux. Moreover, the game nobody will mercy. If in the network game your character was killed, then create a new one. For me, all this sounds incredible, that such a game has collected a record amount of crowdfunding in anything. Take a look at the genre, “space simulator and trade” (with elements of FPS.). Certainly not a massive genre. Have a hope for such games and believe that everything isn’t bad in the video gaming industry. There are people who want just such serious games, but the video game industry doesn’t evolve. It hasn’t yet reached the stage when you make a game for a rating, as in cinema, but considering the huge budgets for what that create a high-quality computer game, so this can be.

High-quality projects are ruining not only high costs, but also mobile games and free-to-play. They are cheaper than expensive AAA games and still partly free. Such games also push the video gaming industry back into the past, as well as the incomprehensible admiration of the technically ancient Nintendo DS handheld console. On mobile games says how great the graphics are there, how much memory and the number of cores they have. They forget that they admired such requirements long ago on a personal computer. Mobile games themselves and free-to-play are built primitively, and speaking of the latter, RPG-elements are usually present in them, as level upgrading and acquiring new staff. Initially, everything is free, but when at some point you need something more abruptly, so then you already have to pay real money. Developer John Romero recently said that free-to-play have been killed many AAA studios. A couple of years ago I read predictions about the disadvantages in creating such projects and that they can disappear. Of course, there will be such games, but will not such ones disappear, as Star Citizen promises to us? Technical admiration for games on a mobile phone in response gives me to phrase “exult to degradation”.
Studying canceled games you come to the sad conclusion that the gaming industry drives by commercial gain, not art. Many creative men must demand money from people that release their game. I can go deeper into the education of society and the fact that it doesn’t accept truly genius games, but some large companies be themselves haven’t given (as same now.) to certain independent developers to grow. From them, the video game industry has lost a lot of decent projects. I consider this a “crime against art” that should be prosecuted by the moral police.
In the video gaming industry there are studios that produce not only original, but also interesting games. And the most worthwhile attention is produced in the Europe. Because all troubles that have gone in favor to the degradation of the video gaming industry emanated from American and Japanese corporations.