CDP, did you accept hush money from MS?

[Demut]

Instead of 'ALLOWING' a discussion on the matter (how magnanimous of you), maybe you should just answer the question unless you have something to hide.

Agreed, the moderating here is absolutely atrocious.

Having said that, what exactly would be the problem if your suspicions were true? As Agent Blue said, for us, their fans, there doesn’t seem to be a downside to this even if they did get paid for this. On the opposite, actually.

 

[DukeAlmighty]

This topic is so dumb..

Think from logical point of view.
MS want's to present their new technology at their conference. In order to do that they need game which will support that. Here Witcher comes in. Why Witcher?
Because it's one of most anticipated next-gen games.

What CDPR get is free advertisement. All XBOX fanbois and geeks who will follow MS conference to get some news about new console will hear about this amazing RPG coming out in 2014.

In case you are not aware, Witcher series are kinda new to Xbox and consoles in general.
So this is great opportunity for CDPR to promote their game for free.

As I see it CDPR should pay MS for promoting their game.. not the other way around..

 

[username_3581677]

This topic is so dumb..

Think from logical point of view.
MS want's to present their new technology at their conference. In order to do that they need game which will support that. Here Witcher comes in. Why Witcher?
Because it's one of most anticipated next-gen games.

What CDPR get is free advertisement. All XBOX fanbois and geeks who will follow MS conference to get some news about new console will hear about this amazing RPG coming out in 2014.

In case you are not aware, Witcher series are kinda new to Xbox and consoles in general.
So this is great opportunity for CDPR to promote their game for free.

As I see it CDPR should pay MS for promoting their game.. not the other way around.. />
/quote]

You had a good point until that last sentence.....

In fact MS should pay CDPRed and pay them well for bringing such an iconic, perfect, and just plain way too good for the XBONE RPG game to their rather bland gaming system(oooppppsss I meant entertainment hub lol)......

 

[Sirnaq]

Stop bumping some troll necro thread.

 

[username_3581677]

Stop bumping some troll necro thread.

Yes, Sir Mr. Modera.......wait a minute.....You aint the law....

 

[Agent_Blue]

In fact MS should pay CDPRed and pay them well for bringing such an iconic, perfect, and just plain way too good for the XBONE RPG game to their rather bland gaming system(oooppppsss I meant entertainment hub lol)......

How a piece of hardware can be bland is intriguing.

When software runs on hardware the latter tends to become invisible. Most of Xbone's forthcoming content will be virtually indistinguishable from PS4's. Except to those filled with blind hatred for Microsoft.

 

[volsung]

Hardware can be bland if the design is uninteresting. The software is always limited by the hardware; even if you come up with highly efficient code, there is only so much you can do, so much physical parallelism, so much memory bandwidth, so much CPU bus, etc. And then there is the whole deal of what codecs, APIs and protocols the hardware implements natively. The X360 for instance does not support OpenGL *on purpose*, as a cheap tactic to strengthen DirectX. Every other device supports OpenGL.

So yes, a device can be boring, uncreative and limiting if it is not properly designed, or gimped on purpose. But this generation, it seems the Xbox and the Playstation are very close. Still, there are these seemingly minute details that might just make a difference.

 

[Agent_Blue]

Hardware can be bland if the design is uninteresting. The software is always limited by the hardware; even if you come up with highly efficient code, there is only so much you can do, so much physical parallelism, so much memory bandwidth, so much CPU bus, etc. And then there is the whole deal of what codecs, APIs and protocols the hardware implements natively. The X360 for instance does not support OpenGL *on purpose*, as a cheap tactic to strengthen DirectX. Every other device supports OpenGL.

So yes, a device can be boring, uncreative and limiting if it is not properly designed, or gimped on purpose. But this generation, it seems the Xbox and the Playstation are very close. Still, there are these seemingly minute details that might just make a difference.

Just in what way could XBone be considered bland and PS4 not? Even their respective aesthetics are affiliated.

Strengthening DirectX is in Microsoft's best interest. You want to dictate Microsfot's policies? By all means, become a shareholder or send in a resumé. No one is ever forced to buy an Xbox. I never did and Xbone shan't be my inaugural purchase.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

The software is always limited by the hardware; even if you come up with highly efficient code, there is only so much you can do, so much physical parallelism, so much memory bandwidth, so much CPU bus, etc.

Yes, hardware determines an upper limit of what is possible. But for programmers to reach this upper limit may take years. Compare Xbox 360 games of the first year of release, and of 2012. I wouldn't believe it possible for the games look and run on 360 as FC3 or Skyrim. People sure learned how to optimize and use resources properly.

Would the developers tap into full X1 and ps4 potential right away? I don't think so. So I find it reasonable to expect games for both consoles to look about the same, with the possible differences emerging may be later.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Strengthening DirectX is in Microsoft's best interest.

It's an interest of a jerk who uses technology to lock in developers and prevent progress and competition. Proper use of technology applies tools to do something useful, not to lock people into it. If Microsoft cared about technology, they could make DirectX an open standard. They never did. Using monopoly on tools is a dirty tactic.

 

[Agent_Blue]

It's an interest of a jerk who uses technology to lock in developers and prevent progress and competition. Proper use of technology applies tools to do something useful, not to lock people into it. If Microsoft cared about technology, they could make DirectX an open standard. They never did. Using monopoly on tools is a dirty tactic.

We disagree then. Back on topic.

 

[GuyNwah]

It's an interest of a jerk who uses technology to lock in developers and prevent progress and competition. Proper use of technology applies tools to do something useful, not to lock people into it. If Microsoft cared about technology, they could make DirectX an open standard. They never did. Using monopoly on tools is a dirty tactic.

"Proper use of technology" in a publicly held, for profit company is that which yields the highest return on investment. Locking customers in so that they end up being repeat customers out of necessity and lack of alternatives is "applying tools to do something useful."

I know that's as cynical as it sounds. But if you, as an executive, officer, or director of a company such as Microsoft act in a way that does not demonstrably make the highest and best use (as measured by profitability) of the assets you are responsible for, you had best keep your golden parachute carefully packed.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Guy N'wah: I disagree here. Company should innovate in services and something it offers to its users. Using lock in of tools is a disgusting method which I have no respect for. It means that they can't compete on merit of what they offer, and instead compete by preventing competition using lock in. Microsoft used this method like forever, and that's why they never deserved respect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft#Vendor_lock-in

This one is a clearly crooked methodology. Not unlike what for example some doctors do by tying patients to their services (i.e. forcing them to return). It might be "legal", but it's a disgusting approach. If instead of innovating some execs are busy with lock in tactics, they don't deserve even a parachute and should be kicked out from any decent company.

Also note, that because of this trend Microsoft is one of the biggest thorns in adoption of open technological standards. I.e. not only in computer graphics, but literally on every possible occasion. So you can say they are "maximizing the profit", and I say they are blocking the progress of technology because they are jerks.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

Guy N'wah: I disagree here. Company should innovate in services and something it offers to its users. Using lock in of tools is a disgusting method which I have no respect for. It means that they can't compete on merit of what they offer, and instead compete by preventing competition using lock in. Microsoft used this method like forever, and that's why they never deserved respect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft#Vendor_lock-in

This one is a clearly crooked methodology. Not unlike what for example some doctors do by tying patients to their services (i.e. forcing them to return). It might be "legal", but it's a disgusting approach.

If instead of innovating some execs are busy with lock in tactics, they don't deserve even a parachute and should be kicked out from any decent company.

You are right about it. But respect is very ephemeral, not too many people take it into consideration, and so it does not really give any determinate power, while money are very real, and they are power. It is just the way this cookie crumbles. Some people may struggle against it, wasting time of their lives in the process. Whatever. It does not change anything.

BTW, if your dentist intentionally over-cleans your teeth in order for you to develop caries more easily, the best way out of it is to cut your losses by switching to another dentist, not rage against him, or sue him.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Dentists are probably not a fitting example since they are generic enough.

Microsoft know they are viewed as jerks and not respected, but they don't care, since they have a huge locked in market (i.e. they feel monopolistic control). Monopolists don't care about how they are viewed by outsiders. I wasn't really talking about how disrespect affects them. I was talking about whether such practice is acceptable for any given company. I think not. And not every company is so sickening as Microsoft is in this aspect (lock in). By far not.

 

[GuyNwah]

Guy N'wah: I disagree here. Company should innovate in services and something it offers to its users. Using lock in of tools is a disgusting method which I have no respect for. It means that they can't compete on merit of what they offer, and instead compete by preventing competition using lock in. Microsoft used this method like forever, and that's why they never deserved respect: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Microsoft#Vendor_lock-in

You can disagree all you want, but you are not going to change the motivation or business plan of an publicly held for profit corporation by doing so.

Microsoft exists for exactly one reason, and that reason is to turn a profit. For Microsoft to operate in any way that does not turn the greatest possible profit would be a violation of the duty its officers and directors owe to its owners.

I won't disagree with you that their business practices are disgusting. But none of that changes who they are, what they are, or what they are required to do because of what they are.

A careful reading of Das Kapital will demonstrate that this is an inevitable and evil consequence of the capitalist system that is the foundation of innovation.

 

[vivaxardas2015]

From business ethics position it is a bad practice, sure. But it is not illegal. Also how many MS customers are concerned with it? I doubt they make a large percentage. Often for somebody who is personally interested in some issue it may seem that he has the entire army of supporters behind him, while, in reality, it is often not the case. MS is coping admirably with all this rage and backlash, they have a lot of smart people, and they can always hire more to put a positive spin on any crap they want, and to shut down anyone who starts really getting on their nerves. May be it will chance one day, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Guy N'Wah - Nice to realize that people are reading Das Kapital. And you are right - company people, be that managers or lawyers, are required to promote their company interests. I wouldn't hold any lawyer culpable in some unethical practices just because he uses his ingenuity to defend MS (possibly) unethical but legal practices in court, because it is his duty to do so. It may be seen as paradoxical though.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

you are not going to change the motivation or business plan of an publicly held for profit corporation by doing so.

Me alone - not. Open technologies will change that. Microsoft's monopoly is not an eternal thing and in many areas their lock in miserably failed with time. This will happen for graphics too.

Slowly but surely their lock in will crumble away. At some point in the past they had almost complete control over the browser market for example. That caused them using all kind of lock in methods (non standard tools and etc.) resulting in tons of IE only sites. That nightmare passed though, when competing browsers beat IE into the dust. Now MS doesn't dare to talk about violating standards on the Web.

About the Capital - it makes a faulty assumption that any kind of for profit company should be immoral. That's not only false, it's a crooked view, by which Marx justifies all the atrocities he proposes as a way to "fix" the humanity. It was proper to say that profit offers a challenge, since lust for money can make someone evil. But it doesn't mean everyone is evil and there is no free will.

 

[Mihura]

When I saw them pop up in the MS conference during E3, I was expecting a lot more rage from the fans I am glad it is not so. Still I think going for MS this time is not that good, Sony is a lot more strong this days on the core market.

Besides this was kind predictable they did launch the game in the Xbox 360 it is normal for them to have some kind of contract with them. People can always only support the PC version on GoG, although I understand people not liking this type of companies to associate with names like MS but soon or later it happens.

 

[username_3581677]

How a piece of hardware can be bland is intriguing.

When software runs on hardware the latter tends to become invisible. Most of Xbone's forthcoming content will be virtually indistinguishable from PS4's. Except to those filled with blind hatred for Microsoft.

It is Bland along with the ps4 because I am PCMaster Race and there for it is so.......