Unbearable pressure
Valve has gathered developers from around the world at the Steam Developer Day conference, and they decided together how to make the world better. In the end, we decided that it would be better without Windows.
What would happen if Microsoft suddenly turned out to be in Valve? The next day, under the windows of gaming studios, agitators with megaphones would surely have begun: “Dear Windows Developers! Go to our side! Microsoft is lying to you! Our great leader Gabe Newell does not eat babies for breakfast, and the Linux platform is very friendly, there are many solvent players here! Go to us and you will be guaranteed hot meals three times a day and sales of at least fifty thousand copies!"Well, what would happen if Valve was in Microsoft? Then the conference Steam Developer Days 2014. Actually, it is about her that our story will go.
The first congress
We have already written more than once that the PC-IGR market has one small problem-no one is engaged in them. Moreover, its development is quite actively harmful. For example, Microsoft has done a lot in recent years so that PC users have felt unhappy and useless to anyone, she gave the console a bunch of games and a steep online service, released a terrible Windows 8.
[[Bullet]] Xbox One? PS4? No, here he is – a real breakfast for the champions. Let's see how his game industry will be able to digest. Photo: Sergey Galenkin
It was not that it was a big problem. The PC platform is too large, strong and independent to suffer from the wrecking of even such a powerful giant as Microsoft. But still somehow insulting, do not find? Windows brings Microsoft to break the money, and they, you see, also do nasty things! Therefore, when Valve expressed a desire to take a place Microsoft and under its sensitive guidance to lead the development of the platform, users were only happy.
Only as possible to lead a free market that has neither laws nor owners? Until some time, it was believed that Valve will be limited to the release of Steamos, the creation of standards and the establishment of ties with manufacturers. Agree, for one company this is already a huge bunch of work. But the studio managed to surprise, going up to solving this issue much more serious than anyone could have imagined-it seems that they decided to take patronage over all the PC developers at once and the first thing they organized the Steam Developer Day conference.
[[Bullet]] Dilute the steam, get on the rails, our steam locomotive has not rusted-our bright leader, comrade Newell, is taking the PC platform ahead! Photo: Sergey Galenkin
Others would have convened the press and arranged a show to proto their loved ones, but Valve behaved completely differently in the role of a “platform holder”. Journalists were not invited at all, and instead they called 1,200 developers from around the world and began to share experience with them. They told how to make games better, how to make players happier, how not to step on the rake that they stepped on. At the same time, they talked about Steam, Steam Machines, Steamos and Linux programming-but at least some advertising connotation was not felt in the entire event. There was not a single Valve logo throughout the conference.
However, there was no need for this. Everyone already knew where they came, and indeed what was happening, the congress of the Communist Party in the era of the USSR scored – another 40 minutes before the beginning of the first performance, the hall was full, and Gabe Newel to dissected the stormy and prolonged applause. The atmosphere was almost revolutionary: the developers' army was preparing to listen to their generals who were preparing to lead them in battle against Windows monopoly. Let's listen!
Myths about penguins
What is Linux platform? Someone will remember the bearded imperial admins, others-about the famous patch for KDE under FreeBSD, others are remembered by Android. In fact, Linux in the minds of society today is nothing more than a collection of myths that have nothing to do with reality. Moreover, even such smart and educated people as developers of games tend to believe in such myths. Therefore, Steam Dev Days spoke not only how to program under Linux, but also why it is worth doing it in general.
[[Bullet]] Journalists on Steam Dev Days were not invited. Not invited at all. Well, how can it be, but? We would have arrived five to ten thousand of us, no more, and we almost do not take the place, we could stand up at the wall!
Many studios are afraid that when moving to Linux, they will have to support dozens of various distributions – BSD, Mage, Ubuntu, Suse, Mint, Knoppix, Debian and God knows what else. In fact, there are no difficulties. It is enough to make one option of the game, and it will be supported by any version of Linux; You just need to provide for such an opportunity in advance and bypass sharp corners – in particular, use the ligament of the libraries SDL and Opengl. The first provides support for the periphery and 2D graphics, the second-support for 3D graphics, and together they are something like Vincus DirectX, allowing you to support all Linux family at once.
The next obstacle (both for developers and users) is the situation with drivers with whom, as everyone knows, on Linux is very, very bad. So, this is the most “everyone knows” – another myth, which seems to have to be refuted for a very long time. We ourselves thought so, and sincerely believed that all this catavasia with Steam Machines is started in order to facilitate the position with iron support: create standards, agree with manufacturers. And what? Nothing. We did not wait for any standards, and Steam Machines are ordinary branded PCs without any configuration restrictions.
[Bullet]] forty minutes before the conference began, the hall was already full. There was something to do without lectures, conversations and discussions were carried out even in the corridors. Photo: Devin Reimer
Maybe they were generally released in order to dispel this very myth? Give a guarantee of working capacity to those who are concerned with this topic, and at the same time prove that Linux has no problems with iron support? After all, in practice it turns out that things here are sometimes even better than on Windows. There, when moving from one version of the OS to another, the support of some equipment is constantly falling off.
The author of the article can confirm: by changing the XP to Windows 7, he also had to change an excellent sound card and printer, simply because the manufacturer stopped supporting them, and the unofficial drivers, although they were found, did not work well. There are no such problems on Linux, so if the device had a driver in the Windows 95 era, it will work now.
Yes, this does not cancel the fact that some manufacturers did not write Linux drivers for their devices at all, but in the last year the situation has radically changed. The vast majority of devices that are now on store shelves support Linux no less good than Windows: just stuck and it earned. What role did Valve play in this? It remains only to guess.
[[Bullet]] opened the conference, of course, Gabe Newell himself. There are rumors that once a year he puts on a red fur coat and carries gifts to the children, teleporting with the help of a portal gun. Photo: Sergey Galenkin
Another myth says that, they say, there are no tools for Linux to the Linux. There is everything except, of course, Visual Studio (which Microsoft produces), but even for it there are excellent alternatives. Everything else supports Linux by default – software, engines, all Middleware, cool new technologies such as Oculus Rift or Leap Motion controller. One of the most popular engines in the indie environment, Unity3D, generally allows you to create a port under Linux literally one button-that is why the library of games on the platform is growing by the day, but by the time.
And in general, porting ceases to be a problem. Experienced developers say that if you make a game for Windows, but use the SDL and OpenGL libraries mentioned above (and they work perfectly on Windows and a bunch of platforms), you automatically completed 90% of the port, even if you This linux was not seen in the eyes and do not know at all what it is.
Learning on cats Valve
Not only Valve employees performed on Steam Dev Days – developers of successful studios, representatives of large companies, round tables were held, and round tables, where a variety of problems were discussed, read their reports. Everyone shared their experience with each other, trying to figure out how to make a game industry better. The issues of marketing and monetizing free games aroused great interest: whatever it may be, all games are made for the sake of money, and even more free, and it would be good if this money would be more.
[[Bullet]] Round table on marketing issues. There are leaders of Bossa Studios, Digital Extreme, Positech Games, Antichamber and Valve. Photo: Sergey Galenkin
There was something to tell, and her lectures on the economy Team Fortress 2 And Dota 2 , For many have become a real revelation. For example, when they asked how to determine the success of a particular chip, the studio employee answered-you can measure in different ways, but not profit, because you can easily add a chip to the game that will bring you a lot of money, but will push the players.
It would seem, why do we need players if we need money? But Valve assures: it is better not to let the player into the game at all than to lure him, to make leisure and throw it away after six months, complete grievances and disappointments. For many developers, including those who were present at the conference, this strategy is still not obvious. They believe that you can have time to break the kush and so. Well, let the players be offended. They carry water to offended, as the old proverb says. Well, to consider ourselves the most intelligent is the sacred right of each person, so we will not interfere with them. But if you are interested in knowing what they are mistaken in, if you please.
Remember, we talked about the problems that started in the mobile game market? Free games are going on the same way now. The cost of attracting a user is growing, and a monthly income from it is not. So, in order to survive, you need to detain it in the game not for a month or two, but much longer. Moreover, the industry is constantly changing, the studio can release new games or change the platform, and who will entrust that the one who has gone once will forgive all resentments and return?
[[Bullet]] Linux is not scary. Only games are held on Windows, because everything else is there, including programs for work. Text editor with error testing is better than in Word? Easily!
Therefore, happy players become not blessed, but a profitable investment in the future, a guarantee of stability, which in our troubled times is worth its weight in gold. Reputation, friendly audience, good product – very soon without all this to live in the market of free games will become very, very difficult.
For Valve, the player's happiness is the only objective measure of the success of her actions. For example, the Pay to Win system, according to the studio, is not bad at all that you can buy victory there, but solely because, due to the happiness of one person, it is necessary to make the unfortunate others.
How to make everyone be happy? There are a lot of possibilities, the main thing is not to be afraid to experiment. For example, you can earn on gifts. In Team Fortress 2 million players gave someone a gift, but almost two million received them. One player imagined himself to be Santa Claus and single-handedly distributed more than 12,000 gifts. Everyone is happy – both those who give, and those who receive, and the developers do not remain in the lining.
[[Bullet]] Steamos – also not scary. That is, scary, of course (OS, adapted to the gamepad, is how to play in f.E.A.R. at night), but since there is nothing exclusive there, you can use normal linux.
There are other examples. Everyone remembers how, during the last winter sale, people could “crawl” exclusive things from popular F2P games for themselves. Two million things were created, and income jumped 50-70%! Another case: During the championship of The International 2013, the studio was sold by compensation, an interactive book from which you could learn all the tournament news, participate in the voting and receive different bonuses. The more the book bought, the more buns it was received by its owners. Part of the income went to the prize fund of the tournament, as a result of which it was possible to increase it almost doubles – to $ 2.8 million.
Valve strategy – to make sure that everyone. Not because it is simple, not because it is profitable, but because it is the only right way. Money should be earned not by marketing tricks, but by increasing quality. Developers of Team Fortress 2 talked about their experiment: they began to actively add new items to the game to find out when the players get tired of them and stop buying. At first they released a dozen. Then two dozen. Then a hundred. Several hundred. The players bought and bought everything, and even asked for supplements. Studio employees for a long time scratched the heads and, finally, concluded: a quality product can be sold as many!
Hryvnia in Peso
Over the past year, Steam took a bar of 75 million users – and this is not about registered accounts, but about living people who buy games and even sometimes play in them. The company provided interesting statistics: they receive 41% of income from North America, another 40% from Europe, and Russia and the CIS countries are in third place, and with a huge margin – only 5%. Nevertheless, Valve considers the Russian -speaking sector the most promising region, because over the past year we have shown a record growth rate – sales have grown by 128%. Brazil, which has grown by 75%, has also proved itself to be well, its share is now 2%.
Valve believes that such growth has become possible thanks to the transfer of the service to rubles instead of dollars, as well as the establishment of local prices. At least, the company decided to continue the experiment on an even larger scale: this year this year will be added to the support of another twelve monetary units, ranging from Mexican peso and ending with the Ukrainian hryvnia.
The road to specialists!
Another interesting topic raised at the conference was the issues of adding user content to the game. Admit it, you also think that real experts who understand it, that is, players should play the game – but certainly not stupid developers, suitable only for writing code and acceptance of payments. In thin things, such as a balance or gameplay, they do not understand.
Oddly enough, but Valve is very close. They have repeatedly said that they could not predict the reaction of the players to the introduction of one or another chip that they are afraid to screw, and indeed they prefer not to make sudden movements, so as not to spoil something by their stupidity. But they trust players that it is logical: after all, everything is done for them, and they know for sure that they need.
“Let your audience make your game better,” said the speakers. Of course, one can not allow, but then your enthusiasts who are ready to waste their time and effort to improve your game will attract your competitors, since such people are always in short supply. Therefore, Valve not only allows, but also encourages: more than 90% of the content in Team Fortress 2 was made by the players themselves. In 2010, there were 63 such enthusiasts who made 106 items, having received almost 600 thousand dollars from the studio. In 2013, 661 people already worked on the production of content – they created 2349 things and earned more than ten million!
[[Bullet]] Kyle Davis from Valve talks about the economy in Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2. Photo: Sergey Galenkin
If it seems to you that this is a lot, we give another figure: only in the first week of 2014, Valve has already paid 400 thousand dollars, and certainly not at a loss to itself. Now in TF2 17 million accounts with items, half a billion items themselves and four billion transactions for their purchase or exchange.
It happens that Valve even hires sensible modes to his work – a resume is better than a popular mod, it is difficult to come up with. As an example of good mods were given Dayz , who made sales Arma 2 and, in fact, became the ancestor of the whole genre. Skyrim He still confidently feels in the top of Steam by the number of players, and not least thanks to mods: almost 20 thousand items have been created, more than 80 million downloads, the number of modes – 2.4 million people.
[[Bullet]] Taxes of objects in Team Fortress 2 began with only nine hats, which the developers added as an experiment.
For Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 4700 cards and more than 20 thousand skins for weapons were created. Many? IN Garry’s Mod Users have already created 250 thousand items! Although even this result fades against the background of Portal 2, whose players stuck as many as 381,000 levels, and all thanks to an easy and convenient editor. However, Valve warns: you should not consider players with gentle people and spend a lot of time to bring tools to create mods to perfection. The sooner they become available, the better.
In the same Portal 2, the current editor appeared quite late, and until then the players had to make cards in the Hammer editor, which were used by the developers themselves. He was very complicated and unsuitable for a mass user. And what would you think? Well, four hundred thousand cards in it, of course, did not make, but those that they did still remain the coolest and most in demand. So!
Once again, Valve officers repeated the seemingly well -known truths: trust users, let them prove themselves, use and direct their enthusiasm. Create Wiki by your game, because they will create it anyway, and at least you will control its content. Encourage the creators of mods (even not all), arrange contests with prizes. So, for example, developers come Red Orchestra 2 , And very successful. Russian -speaking localization for the game was also made in the form of a mod.
[Bullet]] Valve sold 484,768 “Exacidiaries”, increasing the prize fund of the Dota 2 championship by $ 1.2 million, while arranging a bunch of interesting events for customers.
The continuation of the principle “Players know how better” are Early Access and Greenlight. The developers do not understand so much that the market needs that they are even angry: for example, Enrique Oliphi, one of the founders Bossa Studios , Compared Early Access and Greenlight with a box, into which you can put the idea and get an answer, it is good or you can throw it on a landfill. How this box works and how to learn to guess the answer yourself is not clear, only ignoring its advice is very dangerous. Experienced developers advise in the absence of a response of players to throw the idea – and the sooner, the better.
By the way, Valve plans to abandon the Greenlight system in the future. As was said, "not because it is useless, but because we are constantly developing". How to drink it came up with something new!
I'm not greedy, I'm economical
User content not only helps to make the audience happy, but also saves the budget. It would seem that Valve is a rich company that does not peck the golden chickens, but no, it pays the closest attention to the issues of saving. In particular, the studio does not go to exhibitions, considering it a waste of time and money, recommends spending money first of all not on advertising and journalists, but on the game: if the project is good, then the journalists themselves will run and write (yes they need to be shot for opening state secrets!).
[[Bullet]] Whales – players who spend a lot of money in games. Ordinary developers love them, but in Valve they say that they would prefer a thousand players who will pay one dollar than one who will pay a thousand.
Valve is by no means entitled. As we already wrote, one of the main trends of the new generation will be the effective use of budgets, each penny will have to bring the maximum result. Distributions are still possible when the passing militants like HomeFront or Defance spend 50-70 million bucks, and on a cult The Witcher 2 – only 25 million, but time gradually sets everyone in its place. The creator of HomeFront has already went bankrupt, the creator of Defiance massively dismisses people, and those who do not want to follow their example learn to spend money correctly.
While the large industry says that it is necessary to reduce the time of the PR campaign, announcing games six months before the release, indie developers return to the old methods of work-they announce the games almost at the pre-production stage. On this occasion, a hot discussion unfolded on Steam Dev Days: some assured that it was necessary to start talking about the game early; Others categorically disagree, claiming that we should start even earlier; Still others said that early and earlier – this is too late, so we must start even earlier.
Laughter laughter, but the question is actually serious. It was previously believed that it is too early to open cards for business. It is expensive to conduct a long PR campaign, and the patience of the players is not endless: after waiting for the game for a couple of years, even the most loyal fan can “burn out”. Therefore, now large publishers prefer to invest in a short but massive PR-Atak on the consciousness of consumers.
[[Bullet]] very balanced "Steam Machine" from Materiel.Net: Core i5, GeForce GTX 760, 8 Gigabyt memory, terabyte hybrid hard drive. Such a machine is $ 1100.
However, indie studios believe that this option is not suitable for them. Firstly, their advertising budgets may not be enough for an advertising campaign of such a scale, albeit a short. Secondly, they often do not have a budget for advertising at all. Yes, she is not needed. Everything can be done perfectly yourself-give an interview, conduct a blog and send out press releases-for a couple of years they will still pay attention to the game. At the same time, you can establish ties with the audience, and a little later to launch Early Access for those who do not want to wait a year before the release.
The first results are already. Indi-Studio gradually ceases to be “indie” in the traditional meaning of this word and become new representatives of the middle class, who died out several years ago during the budget race. Starbound And Dayz Each collected more than a million copies-visual evidence of how tired of the refined AAA-Class games.
About gibpad and Steam Machines
Valve brought a bunch of interesting new products to Steam Dev Days: they showed Steam Machines, a new controller, read reports on Steamos. The new version of the gamepad was most interested in the most developers-it was so new that the details were made not at the factory, but right in the studio workshops, on a 3D printer (whoever does not know-this is such a device for the manufacture of plastic items).
He looked, frankly, unpretentious. But this is nothing, the development is in full swing, and the demonstration version was far from the first and probably not the last. The very first models, as it turned out, were equipped with trackballs. Tried to make them large and heavy, small and light – still did not like. It takes up too much space, weighs a lot, and even a hand to twist it tired.
[[Bullet]] prototype of the old gamepad. In place of four large buttons, there should have been a touch screen, which was also pressed. Photo: Sergey Galenkin
Then they made a large touchpad, but after the tests they refused it and. Uncomfortable, and accuracy compared to the mouse was still missing. Then an option appeared, which was shown during the announcement of Steamos: two touch panels instead of sticking and a touch screen in the middle. It looked pretty, only the subsequent testing revealed that this cool and beautiful sensory screen simply no one needs. Nobody will look at him at the height of the game, as the replacement of buttons, he is inconvenient as an additional controller – does not exceed the accuracy of the existing round touchpads.
There were no copies of the first gamepad of this screen at all, and no one suffered from its absence at all. And then Valve dawned on! Spend a lot of money, complicate the structure, increase energy consumption, and even collect a bunch of complaints about unusual buttons – and all this for the sake of dubious feature? Not at all! Having humbled pride, the studio released a new model – an almost accurate copy of modern console gamepads, only with touchpads instead of sticking. Judging by the positive reaction of those who managed to test it, this option has every chance of success.
The first Steam Machines also showed. There was a special thing in them that there was absolutely nothing special in them. The most ordinary PCs, from the Digital Storm Bolt 2 monster with GTX 780 Ti for 2500 bucks up to the baby Gigabyte Brix Pro with built -in graphics. Probably, most of these PCs initially were not related to the initiative of Steam Machines, the same Gigabyte began to develop its “brick” a couple of years ago under the name Brix 2.
[[Bullet]] made in a 3D printer version of the new gamepad. It is immediately visible, it is made only in order to check the new concept. Photo: Sergey Galenkin
By the way, this machine at the conference was handed out for free to all visitors. Wonderful thing, I must say. The computer is so small that it fits in the palm of your hand, although it weighs decently, because the filling is quite adult: the Intel Core i5 / Core i7 processor with IRIS Pro 5200 graphics, up to 16 GB of memory, Winchester for Terava. Although rather, the twin brother of Brix Gaming, shown a little later, is suitable for the role of Steam Machine: all the same, only with the AMD processor and a discrete Radeon R9 M275X video card with 2 GB of GDDR5 video memory.
For today, 14 models of Steam Mashin are already known, but this is clearly only the beginning. The studio is already negotiating with iron manufacturers outside the United States and Europe, so the list will be constantly replenished. In principle, any trading network that has a branded iron assembly department can be released by the release of devices. Steam machines do not present any special standards, the main thing is that they work under Steamos and not buggy. Well, who will conquer in the end – will solve natural selection. Sales promise to start in the second half of this year.
Gambling
Among other tips, Valve, one sounded quite unusual: "Add a trading system to games". Like, each player should be able to sell or exchange an object, and the items themselves must fall randomly. Grinding is boring, but the opportunity to get rare cool things, which can then be attributed to the market, is fun and very reviving trading. And the misuse of trade Valve only welcomes. She knows that players use game items for betting on the results of the championships, but is not going to hinder. Let it look like gambling, but it sounds interesting, and it is clear that the players enjoy it – therefore, they should not interfere with them. In general, the company considers it immoral to tell the player what to do with the things earned by him, and build some far-fetched barriers for this.
About striming
Valve always voted for healthy competition, so she prefers not to intervene. She does not make her own “steam machine”, is not going to do exclusives for the platform. Yes, what is there, even local striming, which everyone considered the Steamos and “Steam Mashin” chip, in practice turned out to be available to everyone, so neither Steamos, nor even Linux is needed here. Windows computer can strive for games on another computer with Windows. You ask who needs it? For example, owners of non -game laptops.
People are increasingly refusing to sit at the table, preferring to work and relax on the couch or in an armchair, in the company with their favorite laptop. Yes, and they would play on it, only it is very difficult to choose a gaming laptop. It is necessary to combine the incompatible: so that there is a good IPS matrix, so that there is powerful, reliable and unwilling, with good cooling and a great autonomous time. Streaming at once solves all the problems with performance, allowing you to turn even a decrepit old man out of a powerful game machine, released five years ago.
[[Bullet]] Unusual Steam Machine Scan NC10, costs $ 1100. Its chip is in the use of mobile components, Core i3 4000M and GeForce GTX 765M. Takes up little space, but the price/power ratio is very bad.
Streaming works simply. In terms of technology, this is something in the spirit of remote control, the picture from one device is completely broadcast to another, taking back the signals from the controls. In theory, you can turn the device into a full -fledged terminal of a remote machine: walking on the desktop, climb different folders, run programs (even those that are not on Steam). In beta versions, such an opportunity is not regularly provided, but if Valve is actually as smart as they say about it, then it will certainly add it to the number of local streaming chips.
In general, despite all our past skepticism, Streaming turned out to be a very cool thing. Although it was made as a crutch to support Windows-IGR on Steam machines, in practice it can get a much wider distribution. It is unfortunate that Valve advertises it only as an addition to the Steam Mashin, a sort of wireless version of the HDMI cable for connecting a PC to a large TV.
About virtual reality
Valve has a special iron development department where a wonderful person named Michael Abrash, a cult developer who wrote many famous programming books. Gabe Newel tried to hire him for a long time. Once a quarter, he agreed on a joint dinner and each time persuaded Abrash to join his team. In 2011, this idea was successful, and Michael Abrash began to work in Valve.
Now he is engaged in the development of virtual reality technologies – and arrived at Steam Dev Days to share his thoughts about the future of this interesting direction in the development of games. Michael believes that the future is much closer than everyone thinks – and it seems that it is not about Oculus Rift, whose release is expected this year.
[[Bullet]] For real fans: Ibuypower has released two Steam Mashin models called Gordon and Freeman. The issue price of only 500 bucks.
According to Abrash, the Oculus Rift option is not bad, but it’s hard to call it good. The second option, with a high-clay screen (the so-called Crystal Cove) is a big step forward, but still far from the ideal. But do not be afraid, fans of virtual reality, Valve is developing his own device, which will provide players with a complete sense of presence in the virtual world, and a person will feel very comfortable, without experiencing nausea and other unpleasant sensations.
Valve plans to complete the work in the next couple of years. True, they are not going to release this device on their own (although they said that plans may change). Most likely, the creators of the same Oculus Rift will take up production, which by that time will have to accumulate solid experience in this direction. Actually, both companies are already actively cooperating, refining a hedrecting system (tracking the user head).
[[Bullet]] Valve valve so far holds pressure, but sooner or later it will become truly unbearable. And then, maybe … in general, then anything can be! Photo: Sergey Galenkin
There are still many unresolved problems – therefore, it is necessary for two years to finalize technology, and Oculus Rift is in no hurry to enter the mass market for exactly the same reason. It is necessary to increase resolution, improve optics and heading, make the optimal system of settings of optics for different users (visual acuity, distance between the eyes), to top it all, it is necessary to make manufacturers of the screens make special panels for VR screens, the benefit of the requirements there are quite specific. And Valve wants to realize his long -standing dream and make a system of tracking the eyes, but so far the work in this direction is far from the completion.
However, all these problems are worth solving them. Abrash agrees with the opinions of Oculus Rift developers that virtual reality can be a new separate platform for games. The impression she makes on a player is difficult to compare with something. And the possibilities are completely amazing. It is possible that the entire entertainment industry – television, cinema, the Internet – will eventually migrate from two -dimensional screens to a new cyberseches. Yes, again, again the interplanetary chess tournament in New Vasyuk … But the future has repeatedly proved that it could advance much faster than we expect.
Results
Steamos and Steam Mashin expected a sensation, revolution, immediate overthrow of Windows and victorious procession in the vastness of the PC Rynka. But at the conference, Steam Dev Days became clear that nothing like that. Only a fool thinks that he knows everything and knows everything. Valve knows enough to understand that she knows nothing and is capable of mistakes in the same way as a young indie studio that has not yet released a single game. And even on even greater mistakes, given the scale of those things that it is cunning.
[[Bullet]] One of the Brix-shirts from Gigabyte. This one was created on the basis of AMD and managed to fit a discrete video card in himself. The size can be judged by USB connectors – this thing is really very small.
Therefore, she acts on the principle “measure seven times, and then advise with the people, is it worth it to cut a bit”. At the conference it was very noticeable. It was impossible to hear categorical statements from Valve employees: “It seems to us”, “according to our estimates”, “we hope”. They did not tell anyone what to do, only shared their experience, and if they taught something-so only the art is wrong, because everyone is mistaken, but few make conclusions from these mistakes.
Valve chose exactly the same policy with Microsoft. Instead of open competition and violent tug of users on Linux using exclusives, marketing or local streaming chips, it simply makes users a choice. Prepares for developers a convenient environment for work, creates an audience, campaigns for the creation of a cross-platform projects. Why fight openly, if it can be seen that the industry headed for the merger of the platforms?
[[Bullet]] with local streaming heavy, hot and expensive gaming laptops may lose relevance. We need power – they turned on the system system under the table, and play on netbook, tablet or TV.
Games are increasingly coming out where Windows is just the word “window” in English, not the name of the operating system. Consoles, iOS, Android, Mac … the further, the more often the developers begin to perceive DirectX and the like Windows tools are not as assistants, but as a weights attached to the feet. And then they make a choice in favor of modern cross-platform solutions. Valve's task is to make this choice become a little easier for them.
Valve's work style is experiments, cautious innovations, but not a revolution. However, these experiments and innovations gradually accumulate, like couples in the piston, creating unbearable pressure … and then with an insurmountable force move the steam locomotive of the industry forward. Tu-tu-oo-oo-ou! Chukh-chuh-chuh, chukh-chuh-chuh … Sorry if they ruined such a beautiful pathos ending!
Green mantle
Recently, AMD presented the audience to its API Mantle, which favorably differed from DirectX in that it allowed to reduce the delay of the video diver. The technology is good, but even during the announcement they said that another analogue of DirectX, known to all Opengl, has similar capabilities. At the same time, unlike the new Mantle, it has been known for a long time and is widely used.
The main supporter of OpenGL is NVIDIA, it was she who added an extension to this library, which reduces the delay of the driver. On Steam Dev Days, the company sent two specialists at once, who told how it all works. There were many boring formulas and few pictures in the report, so we will only tell you what it means for players: if at least one API defeats DirectX, computers will receive a solid increase in the efficiency of work.
The maximum effect will be noticeable when working with a large number of simple objects; A typical case is a particle system (sparks, fragments, smoke). All this will work much faster. The possibilities of low -level optimization will also expand. Perhaps they will not be as effective as on consoles, but the PC power is much higher.