Task 1 - Game Reports

Destiny:

The first game that I am going to talk about is destiny as this is a game that I play frequently and a game that I know quite a lot about.

Platform dependent?

Destiny is a game that isn't platform dependent as this game runs on many different operating systems on different consoles such as Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360 and PS3. The Xbox consoles run on the Xbox OS operating system which is based on the windows operating system whereas the Playstation consoles run off an operating system based off FreeBDS. However in a way you could say that this game is platform dependent as it is only on consoles with no PC version available due to unknown reasons.

Drivers Needed:

Destiny is a game that when an update is needed it will do this automatically so that all the games features/software is up-to-date otherwise you wouldn't be able to access the game. The current version that Destiny is running on is 2.1.0 as the game is always being developed and fixed to make the players experience better than it previously was, however updates always get a mixed review from the public as people would have preferred the previous version to the new one. Also when the Xbox system gets updated this may add a new feature to the console and if the company working on destiny see this as an opportunity to incorporate this new feature into their game then the next update will be based around this one feature so that the game doesn't fall behind. This means that the game will have to closely watched by developers over the next few weeks because this is when the most bugs and glitches will be created and be listed to be fixed as soon as possible (also known as a hot fix).

Application Software Used:   

As stated before Destiny uses the Xbox OS operating system on Xbox one and this allows the player to integrate some features that Xbox has to offer into the game of Destiny, The main application software used is the party chat because compared to "in-game" chat it is more clear, less audio issues and makes it easier to re-invite people to the game if they disconnect. However this does have disadvantages that the Xbox party chat isn't too great itself and when in game you can't see who is talking as their name doesn't pop up on screen, you would have to go to the party chat and see who is talking. Players also use the friends list on the Xbox by simply pressing the middle button twice in quick succession making it quick to get to and easy to find people by their "gamertag" and invite them to the game and party. Without these systems in place it would be incredibly harder to find people to join the fireteam to complete the raid and also meaning that you would have to use game chat with all the problems that it has.

Graphical API:

When playing on the Xbox Destiny uses the graphics card that is provided in the Xbox one to create the smoothest picture and FPS (frames per second) that it can produce. Not much is known about the Xbox one graphics card as it was custom made just for the Xbox one but Destiny runs at 1080p at 30fps on both the Xbox one and PS4 because the game is cross platform and the developers wanted everyone to have the same experience which is both a positive and a negative in my opinion because it takes away from the people who have bought next gen consoles for their games to run better but that has been taken away without a choice.

Sound API:

The sound on Destiny has been designed to be compatible with every headset and uses them to their best ability. For example with my own headset I get a very dynamic/surround sound from the game as I will be able to hear exactly where other players or enemies are whether that be to my left, right or behind. However at the other end of the spectrum the sound could be very mono meaning that everything sounds the same in each ear. 

TV:   

Depending on the type of TV you have the picture quality of the game Destiny will be different ,in my case I have a smart TV that supports HD so when I connect this cable to both my TV and Xbox one the games that I play including Destiny is anywhere from 720p - 1080p depending on how optimized the game is. 

Rock Band 4:

The second game that I am going to talk about is Rock Band 4 as this is a game that I have been playing most recently on both guitar and drums.

Platform Dependent?

Rock Band 4 is not platform dependent as it also runs on Xbox one, PS4, PS3 and Xbox 360 and I have previously talked about the operating systems. This game also doesn't have a PC version, not because of the multiple operating systems that PC has but because the company are afraid of people pirating the songs as there are no protections on PC to stop this whereas on consoles they are constantly monitored by the companies to ensure that this doesn't happen.

Drivers Needed:

Rock band 4 is a game that updates on it's own which means that it doesn't need any of the Xbox drivers to tell the game to update. As the game is newer the latest update added a lot of new features to the game because this is what the fans wanted and it also came with bug fixes so that the players can have a better experience when playing the game. The game will also be continually updated with bug fixes as these are also being created as updates on one certain things can cause another to break.

Application Software Used:  

 The only Xbox feature that Rock Band uses is the store which allows the player to purchase songs from a gargantuan library that is updated by the creators adding new songs to the game each month making the gameplay endless in a sense. By using the Xbox store this makes players information a lot safer as the Xbox store has been tried and tested to protect this information but if the game company decided to make their own store system this could have caused issues with privacy and protection as it would be a completely new system.

Graphical API:

When playing on the Xbox Rock Band 4 uses the graphics card that is provided in the Xbox one to create the smoothest picture and FPS (frames per second) that it can produce. Not much is known about the Xbox one graphics card as it was custom made just for the Xbox one but Rock Band 4 runs at 1080p/60FPS so the game looks smooth and runs well with no hitches/freezes for both PS4 and Xbox One meaning that the character models will look better, colours will look brighter, etc. This means that all players will have the same overall experience.

Sound API:

The sound on Rock Band is very mono based as you are basically just listening to music and going to the rhythm of the song. Depending on the sound system that you are using e.g. headphones, TV and sound bar the sound could either be extremely clear allowing you to hear everything or it could be of poor quality meaning that the sound would be gritty. 

TV:

When it comes to Rock Band the TV is one of the most important assets as the whole game is about hitting the notes that you see at the right time. With Rock Band there can be some TV's that will cause input lag on the game meaning that the note may look like it's in the right place but when you strum the guitar it says that you have missed the note completely.