custom soundtracks manditory

[solid-snake]

First of all Just Cause 2 isn't even a Sony title, they don't really have jurisdiction over how it is developed. Putting regulations on development will just irritate the developers too.

well atualy they do. when it comes to develpoing for sony there are guidlines like the game must be able to shut down withing 20 second incase of emegancy arises. or no game that are rated AO(adult only) and many other bits and bobs like that. so i cant see whe not just make in game music a reqwirement

[robotiod]

I see what people are saying with music as a requirement but you have to think, its the developers choice, if they dont want you listening to music. There is still nothing stopping you from doing it, you just cant do it with the ps3. Imagine playing heavy rain with linkin park playing over the top, the game wouldn't work.

[Silverleon]

Dude (rtm) you're the only one pro the idea, how can you not get it?
The problem is you're thinking too much about yourself and your " freedom of choice being lazy" so you're not seeing the big picture, how music is a part of games, the effort people take to make them, and legal issues why its not possible, and how easly you can override this with a mere music player and a pair of headphones

Seriously rtm, you of all people should understand...

[rtm223]

In honesty, I'd very rarely use the feature if it was there. So no, I'm not just thinking about myself. And I do fully understand how the music helps the ambience of the game and in most cases I prefer to listen to the default music as it certainly adds a lot to the experience. I should probably also clarify that I don't entirely agree with the OP that it should be made mandatory, but at the end of the day, it's a simple feature that devs should really add into their games as "added value" regardless of whether they are forced to or not.

I do understand the "bigger picture" (except for the legal ramifications, which I believe you have made up, TBH - it's just using the default media player that already exists, playing the music at the same time as the game will not have any issues, legally speaing), which essentially comes down to the music being important to the artistic integrity of the game. I can also see why devs would want to preserve this artistic integrity. However, as your primary argument states, it is easy for the user to override the default music. Very easy. Which makes any attempt by the devs to force the default music upon you completely futile. So the question to ask is, why not put the feature in? Why not give people the choice? There is no good reason to deny the user that feature.

It is a feature with minimal (probably negligible) development costs, some users benefit from it, no one loses out. There is no downside, from anyone's point of view, to adding the feature of choice. The only argument anyone has put forward against having custom music available while playing a game, is that that they wouldn't want to use it, but that isn't a valid argument against choice. The games on XBOX don't suffer because you have choice (they suffer because of the controllers Ahhh I kid, i kid), the games work just as well. The only thing I can assume is that I am crediting people here with more intelligence than they possess, and in reality you are simply too thick to make the decision for yourselves?


So, seeing as noone has actually put forward any kind of argument against being given the choice, I'm pretty content that there is no reason to change my viewpoint here, silverleon.

[Silverleon]

Wow, sorry m8,but that was pretty much a "you're wrong i'm right just because" argument m8...

You know what, whatever, its not really worth getting into a big argumet since i doubt its happening anyways (i'm not saying my point is right, just that that's what it seems its gonna be) and i don't wanna get into a big argument over these and whatever, and i don't want this to urn personal, so lets just drop it, ok m8?
We're both right and both wrong, so there!

Now can we please finnaly move on to something else? XD

[rtm223]

Wow, sorry m8,but that was pretty much a "you're wrong i'm right just because" argument m8...

Are you serious? Did you read your last post. The one where you literally say that I am selfish, don't understand the concepts involved, and that popular opinion is against me. Yeah, I really should bow down to your masterful analysis of the topic at hand

In seriousness, there is nothing personal here at all, but if you take the time to actually read my points properly, you will see clear logic in there, and my primary point (that there is no downside to the being given the option) is one that no-one has actually countered yet. If someone wants to actually have a stab at an argument against that, I'll totally take it on board. I'm not just simply saying I'm right, I'm pushing for someone to show me why I'm wrong

[solid-snake]

ok lock tread befor this fight gets out of hand plese. sorry for causing fights over my opinions. it seems to happen whenever i post

[robotiod]

Actually I think I have just thought of a point.

When making a game Developers have a strict time that the publishers want the game to be ready for, when they want it to be released ETC, If I have came to know technology at all in the last 16 years i have been alive is that nothing is ever do dimple.

My first point is that developers need to spend time actually making the game, in many cases this can be a very long process, so adding a feature that is not mandatory by SONY such as custom soundtracks would usually come very late in the development cycle. Now adding such a feature may have some effects on the game due to the fact that sound effects and music in the game would need to be quietened or muted all together, this may have adverse effects to other parts of the game forcing another round of testing on the title.

My second point is that since the publishers are pushing the developers to get the title done they Devs need to focus there attention on the game itself and not additional features. So the custom soundtrack option usually gets overlooked.

Finally for the artistic value option developers may want you to listen to their soundtrack, they spent the money on making it etc... so why would they spend development time adding a feature which they don't want to put in. They're not exactly forcing you to find other methods of listening to music they are just hoping that the people who purchase the game have the maturity to understand why they wouldn't activate the feature.