Rein clarifies Gears of War PC campaign length

By Tom Bramwell Published 27 July, 2007

"About 20 percent extra."

Epic Games' Mark Rein has clarified the length of the additional single-player content going into the PC version of Gears of War.

Speaking to Eurogamer at last night's GamesIndustry.biz Summer Party, Rein said: "the five chapters are about the same total as one Act", adding "it's about 20 percent extra".

Gears of War on Xbox 360, of course, ran to five Acts, although the last two were a bit shorter than the others - with most observers speculating that development was running a bit close to the wire as the final touches were added.

Rein also told us that Epic wouldn't be altering the original five Acts, so PC gamers will be able to enjoy the fight to retrieve the resonator, the battle through a mining facility and the awesome third Act in the depths of Sera unmodified.

The PC version of Gears of War, due out later this year, also includes new multiplayer maps, game modes for online and a game editor. Rein has previously said we'd be unlikely to see the extra content appearing on Xbox 360 due to changes in the codebase - something he reaffirmed last night.

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About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • afghan_jones #1 5 years ago

    stop being silly and let 360 owners have the extra content now. you know itll be there in 6 months anyway.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #2 5 years ago

    As far as I remember, Mark was saying that - in addition to the issue of file-size - the 360 codebase had been patched several times, and the PC version had been built from the original version, so moving the additional content over to 360 would be extremely problematic. Whether that's something they decide to prioritise overcoming in future is hard to say, I guess, but I wouldn't be surprised either.

  • BobsYourUncle #3 5 years ago

    PC > 360...again

    /lays bait

    /runs

  • lambtron #4 5 years ago

    "As far as I remember, Mark was saying that - in addition to the issue of file-size - the 360 codebase had been patched several times, and the PC version had been built from the original version, so moving the additional content over to 360 would be extremely problematic. Whether that's something they decide to prioritise overcoming in future is hard to say, I guess, but I wouldn't be surprised either."

    This sounds like one of two things:

    1) BS.
    2) Extremely bad project management.

  • 3william56 #5 5 years ago

    Where's the headline "Gears of War better on PC"? Huh? Huh?
    Memo to EG - this is how it should be reported, not stupid tabloid tardbait. Thanks.

  • Lonestar #6 5 years ago

    So you could say, you can only get the "complete experience" on the PC...

    /dies

  • souljacker2000 #7 5 years ago

    it wont be better on pc, how can it be, built orignally for the 360... gona b easier to play and better to play on the 360... you just get extra content on pc

  • Steroyd #8 5 years ago

    That's the point soul this article is the exact same as that "other" article yesturday but with a more mellow headline.

  • Dizzy #9 5 years ago

    >"Gears of War better on PC"?

    It is better...

    But consoles != PC and it is one year late to the party so you will have to choose between "better" and "play it one year earlier".

  • morriss #10 5 years ago

    Cliffy B said:

    "There is no plan to provide the PC exclusive content to Xbox 360 gamers for a number of technical reasons. One is simply the size and scope of the new content which would be difficult to deliver as an update. But more importantly, Gears of War for Windows was not created with the same version of Unreal Engine 3 as Gears of War for 360. We wanted to take advantage of all the latest and greatest optimizations and features that are constantly being added to UE3 and as such, this new content is not easily compatible with the Xbox 360 version."

  • Kropotkin #11 5 years ago

    The PC is always the technically superior of all gaming platforms, provided you can afford it. A top gaming machine will cost you the region of around £1500 to £2000 which is an outlay few can justify which is why the PC gets dumped on by so many these days. Why fork out so much cash when you can get more or less the same experience on a £300-400 game console?

    Speaking for myself I am one of the teeny tiny minority that does have a current generation PC that can run pretty much anything. I will be getting GoW on the PC as I really liked it on the XBox 360 plus the added precision of mouse control can only be regarded as a good thing.

  • login_name #12 5 years ago

    "it wont be better on pc, how can it be, built orignally for the 360... gona b easier to play and better to play on the 360... you just get extra content on pc"

    You can use the 360 controller on PC, not that you would want to, but you could, so it'll play exactly the same (better with keyboard/mouse combo, due to far superior/accurate aiming).

  • penhalion #13 5 years ago

    A totally silly explanation for why this can't go to the 360. I suspect the real reason is that Micrsoft don't want the new content on 360. At least not yet. After all there would be absolutely zero reason to buy the PC incarnation if the entire game was on 360 too.

    For instance. Anyone who has used the unreal engine knows that events and AI are scripted so version isn't an issue. A level is a level so that's a mute point too i.e. a map loads into any version of the engine as do textures, sounds etc. etc.

  • UncleLou #14 5 years ago

    A top gaming machine will cost you the region of around £1500 to £2000

    Or you could spend half of that and still get a top PC with a sensible price/performance ratio.

  • Cannibal #15 5 years ago

    They keep saying they can't do it because it would be too hard to update through live... Well, just release it as a stand alone product with a "Game of the Year" tag like Oblivion is doing or just give it a subtitle like the various Ninja Gaiden re-releases. It's not fecking rocket science!

  • absolutezero #16 5 years ago

    Epic Games' Mark Rein is a cock.

  • SniperWolf #17 5 years ago

    360 owners should stop playing and buying Gears of war until they get the extras

    Cliify B and Rein are pricks who needs to be taken down about ten pegs, and there engine sucks ass.

  • menage #18 5 years ago

    They should have brought that big monster to the 360 in the first place. Showing it in dozens of trailers and having it only in 1 lousy cutscene screams rushjob to me. Most overated game ever.

  • Wayne #19 5 years ago

    "Rein also told us that Epic wouldn't be altering the original five Acts, so PC gamers will be able to enjoy the fight to retrieve the resonator, the battle through a mining facility and the awesome third Act in the depths of Sera unmodified"

    Yep, thanks for that.

  • rudedudejude #20 5 years ago

    "2) Extremely bad project management. "

    These things happen you know, if they coded it for a quick release to get it finished in time they might not have been able to lay good foundations for expansions to be built upon th current structure, and it's highly likely that it would take a lot of work to code the expansion for the 360.

  • Monkey_Puncher #21 5 years ago

    Wouldn't be suprised if the content came out on 360 next year, they're probably saying no now to make sure people run out and buy the PC version first. Then next year they can make themselves sound like heroes when they announce it for 360.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/07 @ 14:26

  • morriss #22 5 years ago

    Grow down.

  • VMerken #23 5 years ago

    What Dizzy said, and personally I'll be happy to finally see what this GeOW business is all about.

  • The-Bodybuilder #24 5 years ago

    Grow round and round

  • Cannibal #25 5 years ago

    Grow sideways.

  • Steroyd #26 5 years ago

    Everyone knows this is Microsofts doing and not Epic right?

  • crozon #27 5 years ago

    why would microsoft care about this. they don't make money on games sold on windows

  • Hunam #28 5 years ago

    Microsoft are publishing it on windows, so they are making the money.

  • Pablo2k5 #29 5 years ago

    lambtron said...
    "This sounds like one of two things:
    1) BS.
    2) Extremely bad project management."

    This sound like one of two things:
    1) You're not living in the real world
    2) You've never developed a complex cross platform video game before

    I'd guess both. ;)

  • ChromeMud #30 5 years ago

    Big Deal.There are a load of games on the 360 this year that won't allow a second's thought about a 20% extra on a year old game.GOW is a good game,so let the PC owners have their time with an enhanced version while we get on with the next gen games of this year,game on...

  • lambtron #31 5 years ago

    "This sound like one of two things:
    1) You're not living in the real world
    2) You've never developed a complex cross platform video game before"

    Wrong on both counts. I'm the first to admit that cross-platform dev can be a nightmare. However, when said development is for a platform you've already shipped on, using an Engine which is already cross-platform and the development is based off the codebase for the platform you're claiming can't be ported to something clearly does not add up.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/07 @ 17:02

  • Troopa3k #32 5 years ago

    biker_bob said...

    "The reason why these chapters were omitted, was that the game didn't fit on the DVD in full form, hence the very short 5th act. I thought it common knowledge already. Apparently not. "

    When I read that I instantly thought that it came from a complete Sony fanboy, and someone who would argue the merits of the extra space Blu-Ray offers, and how DVD's are too small for "teh real next-gen". Just to amuse myself I thought I'd check out your games collection, and imagine my surprise! 99% Playstation 1, 2 and 3 games owned, one Gamecube game, and a few PC games - and not a single Xbox/360 game owned (though you've "played" them). But you're not a fanboy, no?

    Edit: To bring it back on topic though, this does smart a little for anyone not planning on buying the PC version. It does slightly put me off buying the sequel until I find out which version has the most content (thus hopefully offering the most bang-for-buck - plus I'm a sucker for "more story";). I hope, as has been suggested, 6 months down the line they "magically" find a way to overcome these technical difficulties, or just release a Game of the Year edition with this stuff in.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/07 @ 17:04

  • Dizzy #33 5 years ago

    "The reason why these chapters were omitted, was that the game didn't fit on the DVD in full form, hence the very short 5th act. I thought it common knowledge already. Apparently not. "

    Yeah... that is why the PC version comes on a Bluray disk.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/07 @ 17:54

  • Skeletor #34 5 years ago

    "Yeah... that is why the PC version comes on a Bluray disk."

    No, but the compression on the PC DVD might be a bit stronger which means that installation takes a while but you basically can fit lot more content on a DVD9.
    On the 360 you have to stream a lot of stuff, so compression that is too strong might be a problem.
    It's funny how people are using state of the art technology on a every day basis without even the slightest knowledge about how it actually works.

  • Dizzy #35 5 years ago

    "No, but the compression on the PC DVD might be a bit stronger which means that installation takes a while but you basically can fit lot more content on a DVD9.
    "

    Oh FFS dude... do you believe your own bullshit? Some peope are devs here... do we need to explain AGAIN?
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/07 @ 21:46

  • Yaz #36 5 years ago

    @Dizzy

    "Yeah... that is why the PC version comes on a Bluray disk."

    ??? When was that announced?

    GeOW will be released on DVD on the PC afaik. :|

  • menage #37 5 years ago

    If they really wanted to, they could have made 2 DVD's. The whole argument about blu-ray is crap. It's a linear mission based game, so that couldn't be a have been a big issue. It would sell millions just as well.

    Its just a rush job. and MP was more important anyway.
    Edited by 1 at 27/07/07 @ 23:50

  • Overlush #38 5 years ago

    Let me guess: this is no big deal for 360ers but them getting 3% more GTA is?

  • t8yman #39 5 years ago

    as a 360 owner and therefore a bit of a fanboy, I still fail to see the attraction of this game other than as a tech demo for the 360, and a bit of an ooooh factor to show your mad uncle when he comes round. Dont get me wrong, I bought it on launch day, played it through and was a bit impressed but-

    The sp is far too short and samey.

    the mp is imho utter shite, one death and you spend the rest of the round watching fixed cameras that are not on the action and waiting for every cunt else to die before you can finally get back into another shitty game.

    I truly dont understand its massive longevity on live.

  • Skeletor #40 5 years ago

    @Dizzy

    Explain what, genius?! Maybe you haven't noticed yet - PC games ARE played from HDD therefore you can stuff the disc to the max. You absolutely can't do the same on the 360 where you play the game from the disc. The structure and compression on the 360 disc IS different than on PC.

  • FooAtari #41 5 years ago

    Wonders if this is a competition to see who can say the stupidest thing first.

    Hates fanboys and leaves

  • BadBoyBonner #42 5 years ago

    All the technical points of levels designed in the UE3 editor then loading on the engine regardless of machine etc etc seem perfectly sound to me [after a little editing]. Is that not the idea of the engine?

    As for the difficulty that most here are speculating about, could it not simply be that they [Epic] have constructed levels , where the view in game [due to length of breadth] is outside the memory footprint of the 360? Obviously all they have to do is chop it up a bit, like Half-Life 2 on the old Xbox to prevent this and it would run.

    If so then it makes almost everyone’s statements true. It’s not feasible to have those EXACT levels run on the 360 – and therefore Reid isn’t lying; he is simply falling to mention that an approximation of that level is quite easily achievable on the 360 – where most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

    If the above statement is not correct – then the UE3 may not be what Epic promised – so much so, that perhaps a developer licensing it may even feel the need to begin legal proceedings….

    As for the technical shenanigans with code base and patching – I am less convinced. Maybe he just means your save games would be lost, a la PC games updates of nearly every FPS on the PC to date that has been extensively updated.

    He seems to contradict him self, one minute he’s saying the UE3 is so versatile you could do Gears of War Golf [and announcing we did it in less than a day] with the same code base, next minute he is saying exactly the SAME game has no chance of running and would be far too complex a proposition – go figure.

    The reason Reid is losing credibility in swathes with his statements to my mind is, that he could offer absolute clarity very easily, but is instead being purposefully ambiguous. We can all smell a rat from about 200 paces, and this one smells like Roland.

    For me, the most interesting thing about Gears on Pc, will be how powerful a rig will be required to be on par with 360 performance with the engine.

  • captainrentboy #43 5 years ago

    Hey Bullshit_Bob, you wouldn't happen to have some sort of link to that news would you? I can't remember reading anywhere that GOW was cut down on the 360 due to disc limitations.
    But hey, you own all the consoles right, so you're totally neutral in this wonderfully silly console 'war'. So you wouldn't just be spouting shite on the internet to get people riled up would you?
    You'd have better things to be doing with your time yeah, no fully grown, 48yr old man is that much of an immature twat right?

  • Hangman #44 5 years ago

    I thought Gears Of War was great when it came out, finished it twice even. Tried to play it a few weeks ago though and it bored me to tears. It's all so repetitive. Shite online two - Rediculous host advantage, and WTF is it with people knocking you down, to let you back up, to knock you down again to put some points on the leaderboard. Broken piece of SHITE

    BTW, has anyone watched the bonus DVD that comes with the collectors version. It's basically a diary of CliffyB breaking up with his girlfriend, then them getting back together again. WTF, but hilarious.
    Edited by 1 at 29/07/07 @ 00:49

  • numptyboymatt #45 5 years ago

    Well, as a 360 owner I find it a tad disappointing to hear that the extra content wont be available to us, but I wont lose sleep over it.