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Dual-Layer games are nothing new, PS2s have been able to read dual layer games since the dual-layer format came out. It's just how much space the developers need to store data (models, textures, sounds) and not actual programs.
Every so often, a new generation of games comes out. With more data than ever. There was a jump from games around the 1GB mark, up to around 3GB a couple years back. Recently, there was a jump in games all the way up to the 4.35GB mark. How much longer will the PS2 last? And will this new generation of high-data games be shortlived?
I honestly think that people are content with the way that games are presented now. So, models, textures, and sounds (and all other data) are probably going to stay like this a while.
It's not that developers can't make nicer looking games.
It's that they don't want to spend the time or money
having artists making higher and higher quality models/textures/sounds.
I think that today's games are at a quality that many people are happy with. Also, having a lot of experience on the PS2 platform, a lot of developers have learned little tricks that reduce the cycles needed to run games, that's why things are so amazing nowadays.
Here's what I can say : When most PC games start budgeoning over the single-DVD size, so will most console games. The code isn't so much the reason why games are so big, it's mostly media data that takes up all the space. I remember that old quake models (in the mdl format) used to always be under 200K, nowadays, some game player models are totalling in the megabytes, for super high polycount models.
It's not the developers making better games, it's the artists making higher-quality, less-compressed models, textures and sounds.
And for now, the standard is so high, that I doubt anyone will try to do better than that. I think developers are trying to squeeze out everything they can out of the system, and that it'll be easier for them when the PS3 comes out. They won't have to do a whole bunch of hacks to reduce cycles, they'll just take advantage of a faster processor and more memory, and have an easier time with that kind of stuff.
Also, it seems older PS2s have problems with dual-layer games. I don't know if anyone's noticed, but all the big blockbuster games that can't fit on one DVD are usually put onto 2 DVD5 sized DVDs. For instance, Xenosaga 2 came on two DVD5s, even though the first one came on a single DVD9. Also, Devil May Cry 2 and Star Ocean Til The end of Time also came on two DVD5s. It's just simpler for everyone to have the games on DVD5. I think this is going to be a continuing trend for RPG's and anything else that can be divided into more than one disc.
If you look at it, the majority games that have ever come out on Dual-layer were games that COULD NOT be sized down, and would have been a major hassle to put on two discs. For instance, sports games that can't be sized down (although most can be) would be a hassle to have the player put in a disc two. No one wants to have to switch in a second disc for another mode of play. Or have to put in disc 2 for certain levels. The other games on DVD9 were either bad calls, or laziness of the developers.
More often than not, games on DVD9 are limited release.
MGS2 : Substance could have easily been divided into two discs, one for the VR missions, and another for the game, but this would have pissed off a lot of players. Why put down another $40 to play a game, when you already own HALF of it. To make money, rather than selling the VR missions as another game (like they did with MGS1), Konami simply repackaged the original game, and added the VR Mission Data. It totalled over 4.37, and they were unwilling to downsize, therefore, they ate the DVD9 cost and sold it like that. I don't know if any of you know, but Konami discontinued the production of MGS2 Substance, not enough people were buying it, and the printing cost was high. That's why it's so hard to find that game nowadays.
I imagine if a third set of VR missions will be released, it'll either be another limited-edition MGS3 repack as a DVD9, or as a standalone game. VR Missions don't sell too well, but the MGS fans LOVE IT, so it's more like fan service than a business investment.
No publisher wants to eat the cost of a DVD9 game, and putting the game on a single DVD9 puts constraints on programmers to make compatability for older PS2s (even if it's easier for developers to put everything on one image)
Besides, it's simple if adventure games, RPGs, and anything that's story-based are on DVD5s. All it means is that when you reach level X, you swap discs. This is perfectly fine in these kind of games, seeing as when you reach that part of the game, you no longer put in disc 1, you just load your game with disc 2, and you never use disc 1 ever again, unless you want to restart.
For sports games and any games that require random access to ALL levels/models/music, DVD9 is the only way to go. Either that, or downsizing. Just look how many games come close to the 4.37GB mark.
Anyways, that's why I think that dual-layer games will continue to be a rarity. Publishers will continue to publish in multiple DVD format, as opposed to eating the cost of DVD9 production.
So, the future of PS2 backing up is simply going to be patches and ripkits for any special game that goes over the 4.37GB limit. Much like it always has been.
The hardest part right now : Getting the DVD9 checks to be changed to DVD5. After that, the rest is simple, we can easily downsample the game music and movies ourselves, and get it to fit on DVD5.
As for GT4, there's an extra layer. There's encryption on that game that we're having a helluva time decrypting. It's more than a format thing. The developers wanted to make sure we wouldn't be able to extract resources (such as music/movies) from the game for downsampling, so they encrypted the table for the game. There will be a ripkit within HOURS of when someone decrypts it's TOC. Until then, we wait until more skilled people (ahem, alucard.cc folks) can figure this one out.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. May 2005 @ 14:55
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