We recently got a chance to interview Hilmar Dietrich, Head of Programming, Noumena Studios and we discussed about their upcoming game: The Dark Eye Demonicon. The game is multiplatform, releasing on PC as well as on consoles, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Normally, developing on various platforms gives developers the knowledge of understanding the pros and cons of each hardware.
When we asked Hilmar whether they found any advantages for the PS3 over the 360 and vice versa, he replied in perhaps the best way possible.
“Both consoles have their advantages and disadvantages. On PS3 we use the always existing hard drive to minimise the loading times which will lead to a smoother gameplay experience. On the other hand is the better graphic chip in 360. We could render some of the effects in higher quality because we are not forced to calculate many things in half precision. We try our best to get best out of both platforms but at the end their will be some slight differences,” he explained.
He also explained why development was easier for them on the PC and challenging on the consoles. “On PC we have a special user interface for all gamers who want to play with mouse and keyboard. All other gameplay features were identical to the PC version, so all gamers will have the same experience when they play Demonicon. The visual quality is very close to the PC version because we are not forced to switch off effects or to reduce dramatically the quality,” he said.
“The development of the console version was a tough experience for our team, because we were developing only PC-games in the past. Our partner studio Gaming Minds (Port Royale-series, Patrician-series) helped us a lot with their experience so that we can release a fantastic looking version for both consoles.”
The Dark Eye Demonicon is published by Kalypose Media and will see a release in 2013. And you should keep an eye out for it. It is shaping up to be solid game. You can read our full interview here.
What do you guys think about Hilmar’s comments? Do you agree with him? Do you disgaree with him? Let us know in the comments section below.
