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Why wasn't Subsistence released for PC?
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:24 am
by Dave
I have been thinking about this and I'm not all too sure why when Subsistence was released it didn't also come to the PC. Up until now all canonical Metal Gear games have been available on PC. And usually when the game is almost inevitably tweaked and rereleased (MGS: Integral, MGS2: Substance) it has always come out for PC. Especially with online niw being added I'm not sure why the decision was made not to port it. Anyone have any ideas?
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 6:23 am
by 87th
Probably because the PC version of Substance was a miserable failure of a port.
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 10:53 am
by Snake700
IGN said once that MGS3 was going to be released on PC. But getting back to the tropic, Subsistence would probaly don´t work on PC as good as on the PS2
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:40 pm
by 87th
Snake700 wrote:IGN said once that MGS3 was going to be released on PC.
And the XBox. They just assumed it would be the same as Substance.
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:48 pm
by Marc
They still seem to be having problems with the PS2 version as it is (Europe). Have they said anything about what's behind the delay?
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 1:55 pm
by ratperson665
Osiris wrote:They still seem to be having problems with the PS2 version as it is (Europe). Have they said anything about what's behind the delay?
You could just import the game from the USA or Japan.
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:01 pm
by Marc
I got the Japanese import last December, but I still am curious why it's taking so long for Europe.
Posted: Sat Aug 26, 2006 5:28 pm
by Artemio
Yes the European case has always been a bit tricky..
But I believe that in all cases the root of all tehse problems is also the root of the beauty of the game. The game was coded using the ps2 hardware to the limit. That implies that a lot of the code was done in assembly, with tight memory management and using hacks of the hardware, in other words, they are milking the ps2 to the last drop with stuf fthat only works in the PS2. In the case of europe, since they nee dto make it PAL, all their drawing routines must work correctly with the different resolution and frame rate.
This also makes it a pain to convert. Games these days are usually programmed using a portable language, like C. Or an API that works in all the target machines. That means, they use a proghramming language that, with minumal changes, compiles (runs) on all the desired machines. Or an "engine" that is already there. For MGS they have always bult their engines form scratch, and optimized in assemly (that is a non portable language, at all) for the PS platforms.
And since PC implies either emulating a part, or rebuilding big chunks of the code, it is not a cheap labor. And if it is notgoing to seel as well (just think about it with a cool mind, check out the games that sell in pc these days graphicaly and in type of games), it is not a sound desicion to employ the resources there if you can make more money with less effort.
Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2006 2:31 am
by Snake700
Where did you find that out?
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 12:54 am
by Artemio
You mean what I posted? Well, it is based on basic computer systems knowledge, computer programming, the document of MGS2, the performance of the game compared to other games on the ps2, and the type of binaries found on the game. It is all just supositions otherwise though.
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:53 am
by Snake700
Ok it´s just i never heard of anything like you posted
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 1:01 pm
by ShinjiPG
87th wrote:Probably because the PC version of Substance was a miserable failure of a port.
Hum, it had it's flaws... But really, if it wasn't for it, I couldn't have enjoyed MGS2. With a PS2 controller adapter, I could play it like I was playing it on the PS2. I had to tweak it a bit at the beginning, but after the work was done, it was just a matter to beat the game :)
They could have implemented the analog joystick better, tho. It's not a new thing nowadays...
This said, I suppose you understand I don't have a PS2, so I'm damn waiting for a MGS3 PC port... Or a good working PS2 emulator (which could possible exist in the near future).
But well, I waited 3 or 4 years to play MGS2, so I can wait for MGS3 too.
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:18 pm
by 87th
Surely second-hand PS2s are cheap enough for most people to buy, now? There's a great deal of fantastic PS2 games you can't get on the PC.
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 5:43 pm
by ShinjiPG
87th wrote:Surely second-hand PS2s are cheap enough for most people to buy, now? There's a great deal of fantastic PS2 games you can't get on the PC.
Oh, if I followed that idea... There is a great deal of great games for the Gamecube, and maybe the XBOX. What about GBA, NDS... The list goes on. I just want to play MGS3, so I just want them to port that one. Not a big deal, I think.
And I wouldn't buy a PS2 right now, especially if it was for just one game. PS3 is on the way...
The bliss of emulators.
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:34 pm
by Marc
I wouldn't count on KP porting MGS3 to another platform now.
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:53 pm
by Artemio
they usually outsource such ports.. but as i stated above, although I didn-t specify I believed itw a steh most relevant, I don-t believe it is feasible economicaly for Konami.
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 5:10 am
by ShinjiPG
Snatcher wrote:they usually outsource such ports.. but as i stated above, although I didn-t specify I believed itw a steh most relevant, I don-t believe it is feasible economicaly for Konami.
Yes, I read that and I think your right (given some of the problems of the MGS2 port). Well, that leaves emulators for me, I guess.
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 9:49 am
by 87th
Even if you wait for PC ports and emulators, you're not going to be able to play the full series for around 7 years (if you include MPO, which I don't see getting ported to anything).
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 10:41 am
by OtakupunkX
ratperson665 wrote:You could just import the game from the USA or Japan.
It's not that easy for Europeans to play imported games from other regions. They run on PAL television format, whereas the USA and Japan run on NTSC.
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 11:58 am
by 87th
Most UK TVs made in the last 15 years run on 60Hz mode.
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:52 pm
by Marc
There's also the question of being able to boot the non-standard games, though. The older ones are easy to work around with various gadgets, or a chip if that's your thing, but the newer ones are tougher (but not impossible).
Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 5:42 pm
by Snake Plissken
Snake700 wrote:IGN said once that MGS3 was going to be released on PC. But getting back to the tropic, Subsistence would probaly don´t work on PC as good as on the PS2
Actually the PC would have ran it 10,000 times better than the PS2 imaginable (PC > Consoles), but in order for the game not to turn out like Substance's PC port they'd have to re-map all the frame work (pixel shaders/frame rate affirmative to gfx drivers + memory), and compression of every file which they are so damn lazy to tend too (Substance was horrible being a 7 gig install). Which is probably the issue with Subsistence, nobody wants to spend the time to make it a quality port to PC without having to deal with teaking or messing with your video driver's settings. And this is always the case with Console to PC ports minus GTA Vice City and San Andreas as of late.