Xbox game development has a long way to go

Some brief introductions to XBOX: XBox, Game, Life
Is it suitable for Chinese companies to develop Xbox games? Can a small and medium-sized company develop Xbox? Can we make a difference in TV games outside the competitive PC gaming market?
 
The following is relevant information from the Game Developers Association of Australia and Yuquan International
 
Australian Game Developers Association:
This is an article that analyzes the development of the game industry, indicating that the increase in the demand for talent in the game industry is an example.
 
Such as Sony's Playstation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 2. "For example, you need to develop a Playstation 2 or Xbox game," Richardson said. "You need to hire 40 to 50 developers to work full-time for 2 years, and the budget is between $ 8 million and $ 10 million; while in Playstation 3 Or in the Xbox 2 environment, you need 100 to 120 developers to work full-time for 2 years, with a budget of $ 15 million to $ 20 million. In fact, this is not a jump increase, but an exponential expansion. "
 
Yuquan International (technical perspective):
Pioneer of domestic development of XBOX games, the first game "Iron Phoenix", Cai Junsong is the creative director of Yuquan International
Original: Hard journey from PC to XBOX ~ Interview with the producer of "Iron Phoenix"

◆ Higher technical difficulty, more stringent requirements for finished products
How exactly does XBOX game development work? Cai Junsong said that he must first apply for the game or plan to Microsoft, and then wait for the development machine to come down to work. In fact, the so-called development machine is an XBOX that can be directly connected to the computer for testing. All games, including PS2, are also developed on the computer, but the design must always consider the hardware specifications and limitations of the host.
Cai Junsong explained that at the technical level, the biggest difference between developing XBOX and PC is the game's "completion" and "program scheduling". Generally, when developing PC games, marketing schedules and company policies are often adopted to make less perfect games go to market. Anyway, update files can be released. However, there is no patch for TV game, and it is equivalent to closing the case as soon as it is produced. There is no room for revision no matter whether it is good or bad. Therefore, the completion degree is definitely higher than that of PC game, and the test period is longer.
Secondly, the so-called "program scheduling" is simply to set when and what objects or instructions should be read into the memory for access during the game, how to make the screen show at the fastest speed without Delays or rejections are the most nerve-wracking part of the procedure.
As far as computers are concerned, 256 MB of memory is already small. Most players are usually 512 MB, and even those with 1 G of memory are still there. Development of computer games can be more casual, there is no need to consider the scheduling problem, anyway, the memory is large enough, no matter what the player sees or does not see, all are stuffed into the memory for backup.
But what about home consoles? XBOX only has a few 64 MB, PS2 is more pitiful, only 32 MB, when and what objects should I wait for? When will the player do what, or "impossible"? Who can wait? Which objects can't wait and need to react in real time? All need to be carefully considered in scheduling, this is the biggest challenge.
For example, suppose a character walks to the door, and the things behind the door are invisible if the door is not opened, so the sort can be a little behind, but the weapon in the character's hand may be dropped or picked up at any time, so he must wait at any time Spare in memory. These designs not only involve procedures, but also need to communicate and discuss at any time, including planning and art, to determine where the scope of revisions can be.
Cai Junsong said that for the XBOX game, the communication of the entire team should be very flexible and smooth. Is it necessary to plan the idea first to allow the program and the art to evaluate the feasibility; Play within range? Because TV game hardware restrictions are greater, the difficulty of coordination is even higher.
In addition, the allocation of computing resources also needs to be considered. Everyone said that XBOX and PC are very similar. In fact, the similarity between the two is not a system, but refers to the similar logic of hardware resource arrangement and allocation. So from PC to XBOX, as long as it is arranged with a similar idea, it is generally OK, but PS2 is different from the PC system in terms of hardware planning or firmware, and there are more places to adapt.
◆ Final test: XBOX's TCR certification review (technical certification requirements (TCRs))
"Iron Phoenix" is now considered "development completed" and is undergoing the final "TRC review". What is TRC? Cai Junsong explained that this is a kind of certification by Microsoft, and it must pass each of its regulations in order to be recognized as an XBOX game, and then be successfully listed.
Is it easy to pass TRC? Cai Junsong shook his head and said, "It's not easy. It has thousands of regulations, and it is updated every day. From the beginning, we received more than 200 pages of specification documents. By the end of development, it has expanded to 500 pages. Do you say it is difficult? "
The TCR's regulations are not only ridiculous, but there is no room for beaks. No matter what you think is unreasonable, the regulations must be followed. Cai Junsong cited the "game handle" (controller) as an example, which stipulates that no matter what stage the game is in, unplug the handle and plug it back in, or pull it out to replace another connector, or even pull it out for another. The brand's handlebars, the game still has to proceed smoothly, and cannot be affected in any way. Cai Junsong said: "Of course we can't help but doubt that some players will be so bored to play a game to pull the handle up and down? But this is the" quality assurance "abroad, as long as it is within any desired range, it requires certain To maintain the stability of the game. "
In addition, there are other more detailed regulations, for example: LOADING time must be less than 15 seconds, if 16 seconds will be returned to redo. Cai Junsong said with a smile: "Because of these regulations, sometimes it also triggers many interesting" cases "! Like there is a regulation in TRC, every screen must be" interactive "except for LOADING, and no one screen can be stopped There, as a result, some game developers simply designed a small game in these slots. Do you want to "interact"? Just give you "interaction"! This is also in line with the regulations! "
Cai Junsong actually holds a positive attitude towards these regulations. He said that Chinese game companies will be scared when they first contact, but other foreign manufacturers are treated the same way, and they can make very good games. This is professional. "Game developers must ask themselves:" Do you want to enter the international market? "Cai Junsong said seriously:" Of course we can choose not to comply with these regulations, but then our products will never keep up with the international pace. "