450°

Interview: Watch Dogs was delayed because people got *too good* at hacking

The reason for Watch Dogs delay, according to a new interview with the games' creators? Early play testers were coming up with inventive ways to use hacks that actually caused the game mechanics to break.

Meltic3648d ago

Cant trust ubisoft anymore. It wasnt the cause of delay they told us for not so long ago

-Foxtrot3648d ago

Yeah...seems to me they've thought of a better excuse and wanted to get it out there when really it's making them look more like liars

They said at first it was because it needed polish....nothing more, nothing less.

Baka-akaB3648d ago (Edited 3648d ago )

I dont see how them claming the hacking parts break the gameplay detract from the claim of needing more polish . It falls in line

mhunterjr3648d ago (Edited 3648d ago )

What if the hacking aspect of the game was unpolished (ei havin game breaking exploits), and the polished it during the delay?...

-Foxtrot3648d ago

@Baka-akaB

Then why didn't they just say that at the start when they delayed it.

If it's something like this which actually seems like a better excuse to delay it then they would of just said "Oh it's so we can polish it...BECAUSE people got too good at hacking and it needed work".

levian3648d ago (Edited 3648d ago )

Honestly? I don't care why it was delayed, or even that is was delayed at all. Sure it sucks we have to wait longer but what ever.

Would you really want an incomplete game shipped earlier? Personally I get furious when games release before they should, and need a patch to even function. Are you forgetting Battlefield 4 so soon? Games need to be complete and WORKING, on DAY ONE, where all you need is the disc. Patching should be for balancing issues only, or for bugs that do manage to slip past what should be a mandatory bug testing phase (at least more thorough than what most modern games go through).

If anything, we need more companies taking a hint from this and holding back their game to do more QA and bug testing.

All that being said, I have no idea the condition Watch Dogs will be released in. Who knows, after this delay it may end up still being a buggy mess, but the overall idea of delaying a game for QA purposes is a great one and should be applauded, not met with hate and death threats.

StoneyYoshi3648d ago

Back when they had that live stream on twitch talking about it they explained that they needed to polish the games mechanics. They explained that they weren't up to snuff for how they wanted the game to play out, so instead of releasing it and patching it, they decided to delay it. Its not their fault people think polishing a game just means improving the graphics.

Using the word polish for game development generally means make everything look and run smooth. you know that's what polish does, it smooths up the surface.

UnHoly_One3648d ago

This isn't going back on what they said before. It's just elaborating on it.

It needs more polish.

Polish = tightening up and aspect of the game to better balance it out.

I don't see the issue here.

Toadsanime3647d ago

How is some mild game mechanic faults being fixed not polishing the game, exactly?

This is the exact sort of thing that I expected the game had been delayed for and that's fine.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 3647d ago
Christopher3648d ago

I don't believe this. I think it was to improve the multiplayer.

markyboy21813648d ago

yea they said the ai became to predictible but that was through hacking which is pretty much the same thing theyve said here

Meltic3648d ago

still cant trust them. Remember far cry 3 at e3 ? good it was looking trees etc. And when it was released it wasnt the same. Ubisoft is good to hide stuff and telling us gamers that they haven't downgraded the game. I cant wait too see the division when its ''ready''.

XBOTTOX3648d ago (Edited 3648d ago )

your wrong far cry 3 looks amaze on pc. last gen died in 2010

@disagrees UM OK!! SHOW ME 3 GAMES THAT LOOK BETTER

levian3648d ago

I love all this talk of "trust" and "being dishonest" with gaming companies.

Where else in the world would people use words like that in regards to massive corporations? Are there any large corporations you "trust"? Do you trust the banks, Walmart, McDonalds? People get too personal with gaming companies, talking about them like they're good friends or a family member who broke their trust.

Let your money do the talking. If you don't like a game, don't buy it. If you are seriously disapproving of a company's actions, boycott them and try to start a movement where people of a like mind do the same. If enough people aren't buying their games, they'll get the message.

It's absolutely fine to be angry or disappointed when a game isn't as it is shown or advertised to be. The backlash is what gets things changed. But please don't make it personal. The thing is, they don't have to earn our trust. If they make a bad game or misrepresent it, there will be a backlash, and they will probably change their practices for the next time, and if their next game is a great one people will buy it regardless of whether they "trust" them.

Case in point, Dragon Age 2. Dragon Age Inquisition is looking like it's going to be a great game. Sure I remain skeptical and probably won't pre-order and buy it day one, our of caution from being burned again. But after watching some gameplay videos, if it turns out to look good I'll buy it that day, regardless of whether I still disapprove of what they did with DA2.

cyclindk3648d ago

GTAV... Amazing water... Submarine... Hunting... Properties... Cars, planes, choppers, tanks, bikes, jet skis, boats, golf, tennis, sky diving, darts, strippers...

n4rc3648d ago

Sounds like its as simple as players were finding glitches.. They took extra time to correct them... That could be defined as polishing no?

Either way.. I'm excited to play it

Visiblemarc3648d ago

Yeah, I think fixing AI is definitely part of polishing a game. Also would explain why the gaming press was allowed very limited access. Could be that the AI only "worked" in some limited environments.

Anyway, I'm all for delays when it's necessary.

AKissFromDaddy3648d ago (Edited 3648d ago )

"Watch Dogs: The city-hacking blockbuster is here". How can anyone not read this before approving. Additionally, the OP, bensillis, knows this.

The first paragraph: "The windy city, giant robot spiders and real-life hacks. Watch Dogs has finally arrived. It’s been four months since Watch Dogs, Ubisoft’s crowning jewel of next-gen gaming, was originally supposed to launch – but we’re currently in Chicago, the IRL setting for the game, still talking with the development crew about the upcoming release of the game. It’s now set to hit shelves next month, May 27 worldwide to be exact, but just why did the game get delayed? Has it been worth the wait?"

Bensillis nitpicks a specific question in a long interview as the interview's introduction.

You can clearly tell who only reads everything they need to on N4G: Meltic in particular.

Kevin Shortt, story designer for Watch Dogs, said,"...sometimes what was happening is that the game was doing a good job at encouraging the player to explore the possibilities of hacking, but sometimes they'd go really deep into the manipulation and get really creative about things – it would create a trigger and unexpected results. It wouldn't necessarily encourage them to continue to do it, but those kind of clashes happened."

It's a great interview about how they changed WATCHDOGS to encourage more exploration and hacking. It's disheartening that the fifth comment had to approach this issue with presentation and comments, in my opinion. Think about it.

Show all comments (27)
70°

The entire WatchDogs series is 87% off and it's not even Black Friday

If you are looking for a bargain, check out the huge discounts across the entire WatchDogs series on Steam.

Read Full Story >>
videogamer.com
200°

Watch Dogs Deserves A Remake, More Than Ever

With the world of information and technology, privacy and security growing every day, Watch Dogs deserves another chance in the spotlight, now more than ever.

RaidenBlack1003d ago

The only Ubi title that deserves a faithful remake right now is Splinter Cell 1.
All 2014+ Ubi titles are just underwhelming. Especially ones from 2016+ are just cancer.

LucasRuinedChildhood1003d ago (Edited 1003d ago )

Seriously, are we so far removed from Ubisoft actually making good games that people now praise Watch_Dogs in retrospect?

"Watch_Dogs has remained one of my favourite games of the last ten years." Jesus Christ.

HankHill1003d ago

I remember being so disappointed in Watch Dogs when I played it at release. It was alright, but I think I fell for the hype and I needed a game to play on my new PS4.

obidanshinobi1003d ago

This is what happens when mediocrity gets praised as good.
Standards are slipping across the whole entertainment industry.
What was once considering rubbish is now considered as OK, what once was OK is now being praised as good etc etc.

LamerTamer1002d ago

Everyone has their own likes. I liked it a lot myself. I played through it twice and liked the car chases and the open world with fairly decent environments and missions. It suffered from the whole downgrade thing where they showed graphics that weren't actually there. No game will appeal to everyone but it was still ambitious for it's time.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1002d ago
gantarat1003d ago

assassin's creed 1 should get a remake.

ExBee1003d ago

For certain! AC1 was brilliant at the time but with new graphics and gameplay it would be amazing! Do you prefer old combat or new though?

RaidenBlack1003d ago

I'd say a reimagining of AC1.
I direct AC1 remake would be a bad idea. It'll need better story pacing and significant better world building.

BlaqMagiq11002d ago

Old. Let it play like how it did with AC2-Syndicate style gameplay but refine the setting and story.

Profchaos1003d ago

It would need a lot changed for it to be enjoyable again as even back in 2007 on launch we were all complaining about it's repetitive gameplay go here perform one of three side quests repeat then assassination now do it over and over until a big battle with a unforgiving checkpoint system.

BlaqMagiq11002d ago

Absolutely. It needs it. The only AC I truly didn't enjoy.

chicken_in_the_corn1002d ago

I'd prefer it didn't. Ubisoft would make it so bloated, it wouldn't be anywhere near the original

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1002d ago
smolinsk1003d ago (Edited 1003d ago )

Absolutely, this watch dogs legion was terrible boring.

Profchaos1003d ago (Edited 1003d ago )

As a fan of the franchise legion was garbage and I regretted my purchase for the first time in the franchise the entire thing felt like an experiment in NPC behaviour and released without the writers input on what makes a good story.

I don't think I'm alone in that feeling though as wrench and Aiden are brought back and the campaign was rewritten to fit them.

I am tempted to buy the season pass to play it again with Aiden but fool me twice shame on me I'm waiting for a deep sale

camel_toad1003d ago

Agreed. Despite the annoying hipness of the characters in part 2 I thought it was a really fun game. I was extremely disappointed and surprised at how many steps back they took with Legion. You'd think it was made by an entirely different team. Or was it?

It was just so devoid of fun.

LamerTamer1002d ago

Honestly one of my biggest annoyances with Legion is that they took out the camera views for the driving. I mean the behind the car view that they stuck us with is near unplayable. I always used a first person driving view. After two releases why did they take OUT features? I don't get it.

TheSinsibleOne1003d ago

The fist watchdog game was the best by far
After that they weren't weird and annoying with that hipster stuff. Aiden was a badass.

LamerTamer1002d ago

I thought so at first too. I got used to it and it ended up being good after some play time. I just had to give it a chance.

TheEnigma3131003d ago

Remake the PoP series from xbox/ps2/gc era

RaidenBlack1003d ago

They are remaking Sands of Time.

TheEnigma3131003d ago

That's good news. Hopefully it's done right.

Show all comments (45)
290°

Inside the Driver game that died so that Watch Dogs could live

From VG247: "When cars slide, they leave tyre marks. In a game like Driver, they’re an aesthetic touch, part of the inherent cool of a handbrake turn. But those dark shadows in the road also tell a story. From tyre marks, you can determine the speed of a vehicle, when it started to skid, and its ultimate direction of travel – long after the car itself has vanished into the distance."

vallencer1067d ago

Different spellings in different parts of the world friend. Tyre is a correct way to spell it.

Pridefall1067d ago

Dunno why you got downvpted when tyre is correct in Australia.

mikefizzled11067d ago

The mystery that is En Fore Gee

neutralgamer19921067d ago

Give us driver San Francisco remastered

IGiveHugs2NakedWomen1067d ago

Why did they stop making some of the best games ever? Driver was one of them.

Gameseeker_Frampt1067d ago

Assassins Creed 2 showed Ubisoft how to make money and Far Cry 2 showed them that gamers don't like complex ideas. Now Ubisoft just turns out games that are just variations of the same thing.

WeAreLegion1067d ago

Best driving mechanics ever made. Nothing has come close.

Gardenia1067d ago

A story driven game with pure driving gameplay. I'd love to see a new Driver game or a remake of the first one.

ApocalypseShadow1067d ago

Yes. This one. A definite remake of the first without adding any ridiculous fluff. The first game had great physics and sound for its time. The start of the car in the beginning cinema I watched constantly. My father and uncles were big muscle and classic car freaks. Only thing crazy about the game was the relentless cops in the last level. Insane the way those police cars were and launched at you.

Bleemcast made it look better just like PC emulators. But would definitely take a remake.

Show all comments (15)