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| Advancements in PC Gaming to 3D support functions |
- More Detailed Graphics than consoles
- Supports Larger games & discs
- Joysticks & controllers are supported offline
- Co-Operative game play with 2 or more players
- Keyboard & Mouse as default controller
- Music and additional files can be imported into certain games for extras
- Unlockable themes and pictures during gameplay
- Highscores & Leaderboards
- Video Output
- Sound Output - 5.1 True Surround Supported
- Wireless keyboard & mouse
- Wired Keyboard & Mouse
- Force Feedback
Limitations:
- Updates can't be done without a Internet Connection
- Multiplayer support cannot be done
- Patches can't be downloaded
- Can't use saved games in different locations
- Help and Support for the game is limited to the user manual
Evaluation:
Offline games are coming close to becoming a myth in the development of gaming technology on computers however they still exist. Online games have been the main focal point for game developers for the last 5-6 years due to the increase of Internet usage across the world as broadband becomes a readily needed service for everyone. Apparent to this there are still some games which are made for dedicated offline gameplay such as Skyrim, The Sims, Tomb Raider & Rayman: Origins. These games are dedicated for offline usage and don't have any online support for such things as Multiplayer experiences or Leaderboards due to their developers leaving the features out, which is normally down to the type of game it is or how the game play style is.
Due to these games being offline players have to lose out on additional features such as playing with friends & sharing their scores with other people world wide, to have a sort of challenging feel to the game. However, some games don't support the role of online gaming, for example Skyrim is a game which doesn't take on the use of online gaming or Multiplayer experience due to how the game has been designed which is a dedicated single player game where they need to take on quests & side missions. The implementation of an online experience would either work or not work in games such as these as the game may inherit the experience well or they may not work altogether which was attempted in such games as Assassins creed which was a dedicated single player until AC:Brotherhood was brought out and online free-for-all game modes were introduced. This paved a new type of gameplay for the game and worked well although was completely different to the main ideology of the single player game, however inherited the style of the single player game, into Multiplayer.
Overall I find that offline games are slowly becoming introduced to Multiplayer content & features as theres a growing demand for this type of gameplay, however this doesn't always work and games can become a huge success in their single player support and a massive disappointment in their online support & gameplay as the game was never intended to be online. These have included; Brink, Haze, & Prey, these games were intended for offline play however online play was introduced with their further developments, although the games were good offline, their online play lacked which triggered a reduction in sales and a total wipe out for the games popularity. PC offline gaming will soon be a thing of the past however for now, some games will continue to be a major success in the offline industry of PC gameplay.
