(Image courtesy of CounterAgent.)
Like anything really, PC gaming has its upsides, and its downsides. Really I suppose it's a matter of whether or not either is excessive. Alec Meer on Rock, Paper, Shotgun seems to think the downsides are, as he's compiled a rather comprehensive list of things PC games should do, but don't. I've republished the list here with some excerpts of his grievances:
1. Alt-tab support ("Quickly and smoothly, and in the original release of the game, not in a patch down the line")
2. Use standardised install and savegame folders ("This is doubly true of savegames. We need to be able to back those suckers up in case of disaster or a Windows reinstall. Know where STALKER hides its savegames in Vista? C:\Users\all users\documents\stalker-shoc, that’s where.")
3. Automatically set themselves to your desktop screen resolution / 4. Support widescreen resolutions
5. Uninstall in seconds.
6. Don’t require the CD/DVD in the drive to play. ("Requiring PC gamers to scrabble through a vast pile of discs just to play the game they’ve already installed is contrary to the nature of the platform, and lures people towards less than legal solutions that may ultimately push them further towards piracy.")
7. Keep the quicksave and quickload keys far apart.("Hitting quicksave when you’re reaching for quickload is the worst thing in the world, including being licked to death by a pack of hobos.")
8. Escape means menu/pause ("Please respect that button’s purpose. Please respect your players - and if you make any of your cutscenes unskippable, you don’t.")
9. Auto-backup quicksaves
10. Patches should fix, not break ("If your patch renders savegames from previous versions of the game inoperable, it’s just not ready for release. If people have to restart a game from the very beginning because of this, they will hate and distrust you for it. If there’s honestly no way around this, because the under-the-hood changes really are that absolute, then the patch needs to say as much in giant red letters when it’s run: “INSTALLING THIS WILL BREAK YOUR SAVES. OK?” A footnote in the readme file is not enough. Better yet, the lead designer should show up at the door of anyone installing the patch with a box of chocolates and an apologetic hug.")
I suspect PC gaming could ascend to a god-like status if all of his suggestions became the standard by which to follow. Why do PC games get all these troubles? I'd say to heck with it, just leave gaming to consoles, but there's too much to love, too much that is unique, here. Keep fighting the good fight, PC gamers, developers, and publishers.
