Xenon, Xbox Live, and Oddworld

[sligster]

Microsoft recently stated in an article

All games developed for Xenon will be required to take advantage of multiplayer gaming on the Xbox Live service (Will it still be called Xbox Live?) Microsoft wants to create a whole online marketplace where developers can sell updates and provide content either free or for a small fee.

now, how would OWI tackle this?

In my opinion, Stranger had potential for a good multiplayer mode, both on and off line.

But I'm not talking about a shooter like Stranger, or an RTS(?) like Hand of Odd, where it would be easy to implement a multiplayer mode, I'm talking about ol' fashion Abe & Munch stuff.

I think it would be possible, if there were two or more main characters (such as Abe & Munch) in the game, there could be a co-op mode, where one person controls Abe, another Munch.

Or even an industrialist vs native game, like what Splinter Cell did. One side would be native, with the power of possesion and other abilities, weapons, and mystical stuff (shrykull, spoocebow, ect.), while Industrialists would use pure strength through guns. I dunno, mabey after you choose a side, industrial or native, you pick a character (Tomahawker, Mudarcher, Big Bro Slig, Slig Popper, Flying Slig, ect.), and then fight against the opposing team, like what Conker: Live and Reloaded is doing.

But hell, it just said that the games would be required to have XBL, not full multiplayer. Mabey the Oddworld games would just have Xbox Live Aware, a feature that lets you access your friends list through an offline game.

I dunno.... it just struck me, that if OWI does any games for Xenon, how would they go to Xbox Live?

I do like the co-op theory the best, though. I don't wanna see the stealth- like Oddworld games go full- on action shooter

comments?

[oddguy]

Yeah...I read on IGN that all Xbox 2 games have to function on Xbox Live in some way.

Anyway, I think Oddworld could do a fantastic job of a Multiplayer experience. For stranger, I see most of the Live Ammo types working in a multiplayer fashion.

-oddguy

[sligster]

Yeah...I read on IGN that all Xbox 2 games have to function on Xbox Live in some way.

Anyway, I think Oddworld could do a fantastic job of a Multiplayer experience. For stranger, I see most of the Live Ammo types working in a multiplayer fashion.

-oddguy

yes, Stanger would be easy to implement multiplayer, but stuff like the Abe games.... that's where I'm stuck.... co-op is possible....

I like to think of all the possibilities an upcoming game can have, then play it through and see what I was close to, or even got right (you wouldn't believe how many ideas I had about Halo 2, that I got right.....)

[Dipstikk]

I had a thread about Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath and X-Box Live a while back. WHoop-dee-doo for me.
Anyway, I think it would be cool to play as multiplayer. But as what? Stranger? A bunch of Strangers running along the screen wouldn't look as good as a bunch of Spartains and Elited did in Halo 2.
So, I propose an Stranger/Steef creation thing, similar to a mix of the Halo 2 character creator and the City of Heroes creator. It would give the player the ability to use both Steef or Stranger models, or choose from the four outlaw variations, and choose skin tones/weapons/outfits/accessories for the origonality of their character.
Then choose the region, the settings, and team options, and get ready for a good old-fashioned X-box live session.

I don't have X-box live, but I think that my idea would work in that setting.

[Kimon]

I thought about Stranger for XBL. Everyone would want to play as Stranger, but if they did it would look stupid. Maybe people can choose Boss and Outlaw and Wolvark models? But then they couldn't run as fast as Stranger... It would seem unbalanced. I dunno how I'd deal with multiplayer.

[MojoMan220]

Yeah sligster, they only have to be Xbox Live aware. They're not going to force developers to throw in a rushed multiplayer component when they don't want to. I don't think OSW would have worked well with multiplayer, though I hope the sequel does.

[Xavier]

agreed with MojoMan... it just means it has to be live aware like Fable was...
and I understand their point of view.

but forcing a developper to create a multiplayer mode just to be admitted on microsoft's Xenon is totally absurd

[Software Bug]

Stranger's Wrath will just be SO awesome with mulitplayer , maby not co-op but just against eachother on live
18 player max or something:P

[Nate]

I reckon this is going to turn a number of developers off from using the Xbox2.

But OWI could use Live to provide extra levels.

[Cloverfield]

I think it's pretty stupid of Microsoft to force all of their developers to go down that path. Not everyone cares about online gaming, and they may lose some developers to opposition consoles if they are going to do that.

Although I'm not familliar with how Xbox Live works. Is it just multiplayer or are there other ways that it can be incorporated without forcing a developer to make a multiplayer option on their game? If it's just for patch and game updates, that kind of thing, then I guess it isn't that bad. But if it's forcing online play, then as I said ... it's not a very good move IMO.

Abe Babe...

[Xavier]

Abe Babe, I think they want all the games to be Live Aware... and the games doesn't have to be multiplayer to be live aware.

I think it's perfectly normal that Microsoft ask to devloppers to make their game live aware
nothing to worry about

[Nate]

[cynicism]They want games to be live aware so that they can upload patches to fix bugs so they don't need to test them as thoroughly[/cynicism]

[Xavier]

that's not the main point of Live Aware, the point it to be use the whole communication and mail options

[samtesla]

The requirement for Live for Xenon makes sense (if you're Microsoft :-)). If I believe half of what I have read about the Xenon, it will have a trio of PowerPC CPU's, and a serious ATI graphics engine. Plus the usual sound, etc. Total cost will be fairly high, and since it is not built on top of standard components (X86) there are serious infrastructure costs as well.

As such, Microsoft will be looking for the Live revenue stream to make up the money they will lose in the console hardware. Realistically speaking, it will probably sell for $300 or so, which would be a LOT less than what it costs to make it. Since game revenue will come in slowly (with more build-up costs) it will make sense to them to require everything to be Live enabled, or provide basic functionality nonLive and full functionality Live.

I don't agree with the idea, but that's where the money is.

[Esus]

The release of unbalance, unfinished and buggy games in inevitable with the rise of Online gaming through consoles and ability to periodically release patches to finish their games.
Just look at PC gaming, where it's already happened.

[Dark Elite_H2]

Oooooo. I heards on G4 that Stranger's Wrath should feature some online play. But, there's a slight problem. How would you's be able to play online multi in Stranger's Wrath? It really doesn't make's sense to me. Sure, opposite side battles would be sweet, like someone could's be an out-law, like's Meagley McGraw, or a minion, hell even a spiker minion. (Those big bad-ass minions with spikes all over em') And the good-guys could's be Stranger, Grubb, or Clakkerz, with their guns that they's has when Stranger did something bad in town. Probably make out-laws good guys, or something like off Halo, team battles and's stuff. Like that, but it'd be complicated, to me that is.

[Xavier]

Dark Elite_H2, stop bringing old topics back please.

[Nate]

... and asking questions that are five months out of date. We've all got SW, we know what's in it and there aint no Live.