Yet another moment in GH3’s comedy of errors

The guitarhero.com portal launched alongside the game, so it’s been up for almost a week now. In that time, I have yet to be able to link my portal account to my game account.

I decided to try again this morning, when I was presented with a message stating the portal was undergoing maintenance. At 12:00 noon central time on a Friday? What a bunch of yahoo’s. Apparently the launch for this portal included no capacity planning, as the company that maintains the site(Agora Games) has maintained since launch that the site was getting hammered, and they had experienced unexpected load.

Gee. Let’s consider. Activision had a product roll-out plan. They had projections months ago about how many units would be shipped for all platforms at launch. I’m sure as the launch approached, those numbers became more and more concrete. So the number of units available at launch could be used as a reasonable ceiling for the number of accounts created on the guitarhero.com portal at launch. Seems only logical.

From there, any competent team producing a web application could size the approximate processor and bandwidth load per user. The team obviously knows which stored procedures/triggers are fired whenever an action occurs, either on the portal itself or when data is uploaded from the game. It’s reasonable to assume that the team had produced transactions per minute figures for each component within the application: forums, portal, and data upload/synchronization. Combine those figures with the projected number of accounts created, and one can arrive at a worst possible case for application demand/load. That’s called capacity planning.

Yet the site, other than forums, has all but been inoperable for the site’s first week. And here we are, right in the middle of the day in North America, and it’s down for maintenance. If that’s not enough, users are presented with a friendly message stating “We expet to restore functionality around 1 PM EDT.” Expet? Really? Did any one bother reading the message before promoting the page to the production environment? Do they have a production environment, or have we all been hammering the dev boxes for the past week?

Follow-up to Guitar Hero 3 review

I’ve caught quite a bit of flack for my review of GH3. Some of it has come from ps3 owners that haven’t experienced any issues. Good for them. But most seems to come from a segment of ps3 users that automatically disbelieve anything critical relating to the PS3.

I wrote the review two days ago. Since then, I’ve had time to try a few things within the game and to experience the online community over at guitarhero.com.

First off, the controller related issues persist. I still experience dropped notes and ghost frets. Many have attributed these behaviors to poor contacts between the neck and body of the guitar. I’ve made sure that my contacts are clean and the neck is seated properly. I don’t know what the root cause is, and if this issue is a design flaw or a flaw in my particular unit. I really don’t want to go back to EB Games to try to swap out the guitar.

I’ve also noticed that the controller seems to require more force to correctly register fret invocations. This isn’t a huge deal, but it makes sliding very difficult.

On the timing front, I read a post over on ps3forums that claims if you are using optical out, the disabling of everything but two-channel PCM would largely correct timing issues. I tried this out, and it helped immensely. It’s not perfect, but now it’s close enough that I can attribute the remaining delta to built-in design. While I’m not a fan, I can get used to it. However, there remains one drawback. Audio is not leveled properly when using PCM 2 channel. The guitar effects are so strong that they overpower most other sounds. It’s very similar to what a song sounds like in Practice mode; the vocals and other instruments are barely there, just below the surface. I have not tried adjusting the levels in the sound options yet.

Seriously, did any one at Activision/RedOctane/Neversoft perform any kind of user/configuration/environment/acceptance testing on actual production PS3 units? If so, what were the configuration scenarios? Were the standard a/v cables used? How about component or HDMI? Optical? What sound options were enabled? Did they test the guitar/dongle for RF interference with the SIXAXIS?

The longer I’m exposed to this product, the more it seems like this entire product and it’s launch is a rookie effort. Are you listening Activision/RedOctane/Neversoft?

Review: Guitar Hero 3 on the PS3

Short And Sweet:
What best describes the PS3 version of Guitar Hero 3? Choose your favorite from the following:

A) Big Steaming Pile of Broken
B) Activision, RedOctane, and Neversoft combine to gangbang the pooch
C) Some Random Dude
D) Sellout
E) Sabotage!
F) All of the above

I choose F) All of the Above. Simply put, GH3 on the PS3 is fraught with so many issues that it’s not worth owning. If you want GH3, pick it up on another platform.

Presentation/Navigation
GH3 is remarkably like previous entries in the series. Navigation consists of the root menu, and progresses from there with steps including Character selection, Venue selection, and Track selection. Pretty straightforward. The screens also look more professional(gone is the handwritten/scratch font on the tracklist screen), and the tracklist even includes Author and Year that the song was published.

The only problem is an occasional pause for a few seconds between two screens. I’m not sure if something is being loaded, as there is no “please wait” or “loading” screen. You simply press the green fret button to continue to the next screen, and the game halts for a few moments. The first few times this occurred I thought my PS3 had locked up.

Within the game, the notes are sharper with better contrast. They are more visible, including in the periphery. That’s a good thing, especially while in the midst of a flurry of notes. If your eyes are focusing on the oncoming string of yellow/orange notes, and a random green note appears, it’s much more visible out of the corner of your eye.

The character models have been improved, and the lighting is much better. Unfortunately, every other model in the scene screams PS2. From the circular-esque wheels of the truck on the Pontiac stage, to the massively aliased everything that’s not a band member, to the hokey flame/smoke effects, the overall graphical effort is just poor. I have not seen the 360 version in person, but my best friend claims it’s much better than on the PS3. Sure, while you’re actually playing you typically ignore these elements. But each song opens with a lengthy panorama around the set, and these issues are so in-your-face that they are hard to ignore, much less accept.

Gameplay
The gameplay mechanic is by now well understood. Other reviews have mentioned the fact that HOPO windows have been enlarged, and for people that suck at solo(like myself), it was a welcome change. However, there’s just something slightly off about the timing and the scrolling of the notes. I don’t know exactly what the issue is, but a consistent strumming rhythm is often rewarded with broken notes.

The notemaps are more varied than songs in previous games. Additionally, 3-button power chords are used more heavily in Hard and Expert difficulties. There also seem to be more cross-neck transitions, such as going from G+R chords down to Y+O chords within an eighth-note.

Unfortunately, the timing issues just cripple the gameplay. I commend Neversoft’s effort in reproducing the original mechanic with zero code and timing metrics on which to base the new engine, but ultimately that effort falls short.

Controller Issues
On top of the timing issues, the controller itself is inconsistent. During the game, long notes will randomly drop. Chords are often not registered correctly. There are reports of the 360 version of the controller registering a yellow button during R+B chords. This issue occasionally happens with the PS3 controller as well. But it’s not limited to that combination. Chords often register extra button presses, and many times only one or two of the buttons are registered correctly when playing a chord.

One example is the song by the Killers. This song’s rhythm sections strongly rely on evenly separated chords, transitioning to other chords. In past GH games, I aced those sections(take for example Because It’s Midnight). But in this particular song, and many others, a consistent rhythm simply cannot be established. I’ll go from a full green rock meter to failing a song in simply no time at all; many times this occurs on easier sections of the songs.

That one song was so frustrating that I had my wife watch me play. She sat so that she could see my fret-finger movements with the TV screen behind me. She said my timing was dead-on, and I was pressing the buttons correctly. The simple fact is that easily a third of the chords were not registered properly.

Beyond these button and timing issues, the PS3 version of the controller isn’t a good RF citizen. With the dongle plugged into any of the four available USB ports, no other controller is able to register as controller #1. This means that if the dongle is plugged in, other games using the controller are inoperable. Interference also seems to be a problem, as when the dongle is attached, I couldn’t navigate the XMB from a standard SIXAXIS controller. And I tried three different controllers. I had to deliberately remove the dongle and forcibly reboot my PS3 to get the standard SIXAXIS controllers to respond correctly. This is not an isolated condition; I’ve had to deal with this issue on 3 separate occasions now within 24 hours of launch.

Battlemode
This new feature is better named gimmick. When I first read about this feature, I thought it was hokey. Sure enough, when I finally got to experience it, I thought it was a joke. The battle with Tom Morello isn’t actually half bad; at least musically. The original piece is intriguing, quite fun to play, and authentic Tom Morello. But the so-called “powerups” completely kill this new mode of play. It certainly cements the fact that you are actually playing a game, rather than make you think you’re “rocking out.” Maybe I’m a stick in the mud, but introducing these “powerups” into the mix is akin to putting oil quirters, roof-mounted rocket launches, and wheel-mounted spinning razor blades into a game like Gran Turismo or Forza.

Selling Out
I don’t know who should get the blame for this one, but the game is filled with in-game promotions and tie-ins. Pontiac has its own stage, and Redbull cans litter each stage. At least I think that’s Pontiac and Redbull. I can’t exactly tell. Because like I said earlier on, the models and textures for anything that’s not a band-member are so bad that I’m not quite sure whom the sponsors really are. If I were a major a-list corporate sponsor like Pontiac or Redbull, I’d demand some sort of make-good after viewing this advertising effort.

Online
GH3 is the first in the series to support Online Play. I must admit that this is one thing that Neversoft absolutely nailed, at least the core. I only played two songs online, and I experienced zero lag. How this was pulled off is nothing short of magic.

Sadly online is much more than lag-free play. The game allegedly supports voice chat, though I haven’t tried it. The game also sports leaderboards in-game. It’s kind of cool, and features some useful filters. But the leaderboard is not paginated, and it’s impossible to jump to the beginning or end of any given list. It sure would be nice to know how many people have actually played the game at any given moment.

And the largest missing feature is the ability to invite a friend – another area where the PS3 version of a multiplatform title falls short. If you want to play, you can join a match that’s already been setup, or play a quick match. Either way, you’re gonna be paired with Some Random Dude. I’m sorry, but I want to play with my friends, both local and across the country. I didn’t become aware of this missing feature until after I purchased the game. Had I known it before hand, it would have been the tipping point in skipping the title.

Compatibility
The new controller is not compatible with previous entries in the series when played on the PS3. Why is that? Who is responsible for that decision? According to vgcharts.com, Guitar Hero 1 has sold 2.06 million copies, Guitar Hero 2 3.26 million copies(PS2), and Encore: Rock the 80’s 0.62 million copies. Surely some significant portion of those whom purchased the original titles on the PS2 have moved on to the PS3. These owners, myself included, are still left out in the cold.

When I purchased the PS3, I moved my PS2 into my son’s room. When I discovered Guitar Hero, I liked it so much I purchased a second ps2, and it’s sitting next to my shiny PS3 hooked up to the same television. I’ve purchased all three titles on the PS2, two guitars, and now the game+guitar for the PS3. That is an investment that in dollars exceeds what I spent on the Genesis and all of its games 16 years ago.

Packaging
For the PS3, the game is packaged only one way: the game and the controller bundled together. One cannot buy the game by itself. One cannot by an extra guitar. So if you want to play offline multiplayer, you my friend are hosed. One Gamestop employee told me that the PS2 guitars would work if I had a PS2>USB adapter, which I do(for fighting sticks and MAME). Not surprisingly, that guy was wrong. I had 3 close friends over Saturday night after midnight to play the game. We each had to take turns instead of enjoying multiplayer.

Fear not – extra controllers will allegedly be available next year. You read that right. Good luck with that Activision/RedOctane, you’ve taken your last dime from me. Had an extra guitar been available at launch, I would have picked it up. I have a feeling that after this release, many PS3 players will give up on the series. If extra guitars had been available for purchase, the ultimate decision would likely have been the same, but Activision/RedOctane would have been the richer by the cost of a solo guitar times at least half of the people to pick up it at launch.

Did anybody on the board of directors think this was a good packaging decision?

Troubleshooting
I attempted to troubleshoot the timing/controller issues. On the same TV, previous entries in the series required no calibration. Every previous attempt at calibration yielded 0 ms. Likewise for GH3. Yet after a calibration of 0 ms, the timing issues and button drops persisted. I played with calibration values all the way up to 50 milliseconds, with results not any more playable.

I then changed the output on my PS3 from HDMI to composite, the same output method I used on the PS2. The already crappy visuals surprisingly showed little degradation, but the timing was unaffected.

As a result, I’ve determined that the game is just broken. I’m no guitar god, but of the combined 100 licensed tracks in the previous titles, I’ve completed 90 on expert. At the minimum, I’m competent.

Unrealized Areas of Improvement
As strong as the core mechanic has always been, I’ve long thought the series was missing a few features.

The first is historical stats. Like previous entries, once a song is completed, you cannot go back and see your stats from previous plays. I’d like a fully historical account of stats for each song and difficulty. If I’m struggling for that last 5,000 points and that last star, I’d like to be able to plot how I’m progressing through various sections.

The next huge feature would have been replay. For the life of me, I can’t beat Cowboys from Hell on GH1 on expert. I’d really like the ability to save a replay, much like that feature in Gran Turismo. It would be imminently helpful to replay a previous session, be able to jump to different sections, and speed-up or slow-down the replay to see exactly what I was doing. Did I over-strum a certain section? Was I strumming too fast? Why do I keep missing that red during that transition? A replay feature could ultimately prove just as useful as a practice feature for those interested in getting any better.

Final Words
I’m a 30 year old professional with a wife and a 5th grader. My life is busy enough with work, the kid’s school, sports, other engagements, and other things adults like to call “life.” The time I can devote to gaming declines year after year. Activision/RedOctane should be privileged that I choose to use those hours that still remain on their products. I have dumped hundreds of dollars into the franchise and have been rewarded with the following: a graphically inferior, feature gimped, broken guitar game that is now more frustrating than fun, and even if I did want to play it with multiplayer I must wait possibly 6 months for another controller. Why bother? This game is absolutely worthless. And instead of severing my ties with my PS2, all Activision/RedOctane has helped me accomplish is that I now have severed my ties with the GH series.