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As a Consumer Would You Rather?

Traditional Console + Everything Exclusive 20 42.55%
 
Xbox/PC Hybrid + Access t... 27 57.45%
 
Total:47
NobleTeam360 on 05 March 2023

It's kind of weird how Square went from wanting to release everything everywhere to seemingly focusing more on PS. You'd think Square Enix was this small publisher with few resources available to it.



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G2ThaUNiT on 05 March 2023
Barozi said:
Ryuu96 said:

Compulsion Games

RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF MONTREAL'S TOP EMPLOYERS (2023):

Here are some of the reasons why Compulsion Games ULC was selected as one of Montreal's Top Employers (2023):

  • Compulsion Games ULC helps employees access the care they need with unlimited coverage for psychotherapy (including coverage for their families) -- the company also maintains a subscription to the Headspace app, which provides resources on meditation, sleep wellness and physical activity
  • Compulsion Games ULC honours long serving employees with paid sabbaticals at milestone years -- employees receive a month off after five years of service and three months off after ten years
  • Compulsion Games ULC maintains progressive family-friendly benefits, offering maternity and parental leave top-up for new and adoptive parents (to 100 per cent of salary for up to 15 weeks) and unlimited paid personal days to help employees balance family commitments

Highlights

IndustryVideo game developer
Established in Canada2009
Parent companyMicrosoft
Parent company head officeRedmond, WA, United States
Major Canadian hiring locationsMontréal QC
Full-time employees in Canada87
Average age of employees in Canada35 years
Longest serving employee12 years
Hybrid workFormal hybrid work policy, $1,000 stipend for home office set-up (including lamps, decor, humidifiers), 100% reimbursement of home internet costs
Flexible work optionsFlexible work hours, 35-hour work week (with full pay), telecommuting
Long-term savingsMatching RSP
Health plan premiumAs part of the health plan, the employer pays up to 100% of the premiums
Maternity top-up (mothers)Up to 100% of salary for 15 weeks
Parental top-up (fathers)Up to 100% of salary for 15 weeks
Adoption top-upUp to 100% of salary for 15 weeks
Vacation allowanceNew employees receive 3 weeks of paid vacation after their first year on the job
Employee performance reviewsEmployees receive individual performance reviews every 4 months
In-house training initiativesOnline training
Related tuition subsidiesEmployer covers up to 100% of tuition per year

Top Employer: Compulsion Games ULC

I know US workers have it rough with paid vacation days but I expected Canada to be not just a little better but a whole lot better. Three weeks (I guess that translates to 15 working days if you're on a 5-day-week?) is still very low.

God I would love 3 three weeks….or even paternity leave lol. Had to use both of my vacation weeks for when my daughter was born. 



KiigelHeart on 06 March 2023

I have 7 weeks of paid vacation plus bonus holiday pay each year. Used to be 6 weeks but after 15 years of service got an extra week.

Also got 6 weeks of paternity leave per child with 70% salary. When my second child was born my wife had to travel 220km on an ambulance and spend several days in hospital. It cost us total of 200€ iirc.

Truly sucks to live in a communist hellhole like this. With government ripping us off with taxes, my 19% income tax is unbearable /s.



aTokenYeti on 06 March 2023
NobleTeam360 said:

It's kind of weird how Square went from wanting to release everything everywhere to seemingly focusing more on PS. You'd think Square Enix was this small publisher with few resources available to it.

Allegedly they have hit some less than stellar financial times. Sony money is probably helping stabilize them while also not losing that many sales. 



Ryuu96 on 06 March 2023

I hear from my insider sources that a Starfield Direct announcement is imminent.

Last edited by Ryuu96 - on 06 March 2023

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Ryuu96 on 06 March 2023


Machiavellian on 06 March 2023
Ryuu96 said:
Machiavellian said:

It was never a question to dump forge, the question is priority.  My point is that if I have a certain amount of resources, would I spend it all trying to get Forge running on Unreal or spend it on crafting the best Singleplayer game for Halo.  In my opinion it would be the SinglePlayer.  Yes forge is fun but its not bringing any new gamers to Halo.  Its not expanding the customer base nor does it get any gamer who isn't currently engaged with Halo excited.  Forge makes the current old heads happy but its not staving off the decline of Halo as the Big 3 in MS arsenal.  There needs to be a priority to what you can do in the short term and what you can do in the long term.  I feel the short term is a full commitment to the SP for Halo that get games excited to come back and want to engage in the game, not Forge which is just an extension of the MP but doesn't really change the scope of where Halo is now.

Bit hard to create a Campaign on Unreal Engine when they don't even have a Campaign team right now though, Lol.

On the topic of priority, Multiplayer would come before Campaign even there because firstly Multiplayer is a lot more of a bigger deal for Halo and has been since Halo 3, it's Multiplayer that keeps the players around and brings in the money. Secondly because they first need to nail the gameplay/gunplay/movement systems and they need to make sure they work for Multiplayer before Campaign because it's far more important to nail that stuff down precisely and make sure it works in Multiplayer before then moving onto implementing it into Campaign.

They've reportedly already got a build running of Forge on Unreal Engine as of last year which is when they made the decision to switch to Unreal Engine, they've likely focused on Forge first because it's going to be difficult to get up and running on Forge and because they know how important Forge is in itself and how it links to multiple other aspects of Halo's Multiplayer so they want to make sure Forge is possible on Unreal Engine before everything else because everything else should be fairly easy to get up on Unreal Engine.

I don't know how you can claim that Forge won't ever bring new gamers to Halo or expand the customer base but also claim that Campaign would do that after Halo Infinite...Halo Infinite was the PERFECT opportunity to do exactly what you believe, it was a soft reboot in the story, it dumped a lot of previous threads, it was a reboot in terms of gameplay (open world instead of linear) and it was widely considered to be great both in story, world and gameplay and yet by all evidence we have, it seems to have barely brought in any new gamers to Halo but also likely underperformed, which would also explain partly why the Campaign team was gutted. Halo Infinite was primed for exactly what you believe Campaign could do and yet it didn't.

343i shouldn't be chasing trends, it is what got us Halo 4's hated Multiplayer and a desire for extreme change got us Halo 5's hated story. Halo has a large enough fanbase on its own as Halo Infinite's launch proved, as the sales of Halo proved, and we shouldn't piss them off by putting well loved things in the background.

Infinite would have been in an infinitely better position right now and we wouldn't even be having this conversation if it simply had content after launch on a regular schedule, it could have sustained a large player base if it simply had content, it wouldn't need to shove anything in the background or try to make any major changes to survive,.

What Forge did/does is stem the bleeding and provide a ton of content which sets itself apart from the Competitive Multiplayer, it keeps the current and large Halo fanbase happy. Post-Forge launch, Infinite has by far had the most positive reception amongst the community since launch, Lol. Alongside the multiple other benefits I've mentioned which Forge provides (more/quicker/easier flow of content, the popular Custom Games Browser/Custom Games, a distinct fun side of Halo's Multiplayer, etc).

Campaign, Multiplayer, Forge - These are Halo now. Staples of Halo, they all deserve significant effort put into each when the time comes.

So basically they'd focus on Forge first because it's important but also because it is likely the most difficult to get up and running on Unreal Engine. Then they'd likely move onto Multiplayer (or Tatanka will do that) because GAMEPLAY has to be nailed first for Halo and they nail that firstly on Multiplayer where precision is important as Infinite/Campaign don't have many gameplay differences at all, then they will start building the Campaign.

They don't build the Campaign first because they may get the gunplay/equipment, etc. Wrong for Multiplayer, I.E. Find out that all this cool shit they've just put into Campaign doesn't even work well in Multiplayer, find out the Sprint breaks the flow of Multiplayer, or that the Equipment doesn't work, etc. If Grapple Hook didn't work in Multiplayer, I doubt we would have seen it in Campaign as that is just how 343i usually designs, Campaign/Multiplayer basically share everything and there are few gameplay differences.

My point way back at the start was that Forge not being able to work in Unreal Engine would make switching engines a major mistake, which if it didn't work, it likely would be dumped, I stand by that, if Forge doesn't translate well to Unreal Engine then they'd have made a major mistake in switching engines.

Ryuu, that is my point, has the MP increased Halo user base, NO, has forged increase Halo user base for as many years its been in Halo NO.  What is the most complaint concerning Halo, the SP.  So if MS isn't building a crack SP team to tackle this very big issue, the decline of Halo will continue.

This is why games like Halo decline.  What you call staples of Halo, I call a huge weight that shakle a game into this mold where it can never breath.  The game becomes stagnant and thus can only please the old heads but can never get new gamers.  That is why you see so many creative people leave the team because they cannot actually be creative.

Having something in Unreal really means nothing when you do not know the full scope.  Just think how long it took MS to just get Forge out on their own engine when it already have the foundation for it.  Unless MS showed a fully running forge in Unreal, I would take their statement as something more along the line of we got something up and running but nothing more.

So if they are not building the campaign first then would that not be their problem.  If you keep doing the same thing over and over again with each iteration worse results, its time to change things up.  My opinion is a refocus on the SP is the route as the MP just isn't lighting anyone fire to get back into Halo.

From what I am hearing, I do not hear anyone saying, I got to get back into Halo because of all these cool maps with forge.  I do not hear anyone saying, I need to get a Xbox for Halo.  What I do hear is people saying I need to get PS5 for Spiderman, GOD of War, The Last of US and a slew of other IP coming to the system.  Halo way forward to prominance isn't the MP, MS must get the SP right for people to care about actually playing the game and then come to the MP.

My point is that even if Forge could not work in Unreal, its not the vital point to getting Halo back as the big 3 in MS arsenal.  The SP has always been and should always be the main focus first and everything else builds from there because if you cannot make people want to play the SP, then why would they want to engage in the MP.



Ryuu96 on 06 March 2023


Ryuu96 on 06 March 2023


Ryuu96 on 06 March 2023
Machiavellian said:
Ryuu96 said:

-Snip-

Ryuu, that is my point, has the MP increased Halo user base, NO, has forged increase Halo user base for as many years its been in Halo NO.  What is the most complaint concerning Halo, the SP.  So if MS isn't building a crack SP team to tackle this very big issue, the decline of Halo will continue.

This is why games like Halo decline.  What you call staples of Halo, I call a huge weight that shakle a game into this mold where it can never breath.  The game becomes stagnant and thus can only please the old heads but can never get new gamers.  That is why you see so many creative people leave the team because they cannot actually be creative.

Having something in Unreal really means nothing when you do not know the full scope.  Just think how long it took MS to just get Forge out on their own engine when it already have the foundation for it.  Unless MS showed a fully running forge in Unreal, I would take their statement as something more along the line of we got something up and running but nothing more.

So if they are not building the campaign first then would that not be their problem.  If you keep doing the same thing over and over again with each iteration worse results, its time to change things up.  My opinion is a refocus on the SP is the route as the MP just isn't lighting anyone fire to get back into Halo.

From what I am hearing, I do not hear anyone saying, I got to get back into Halo because of all these cool maps with forge.  I do not hear anyone saying, I need to get a Xbox for Halo.  What I do hear is people saying I need to get PS5 for Spiderman, GOD of War, The Last of US and a slew of other IP coming to the system.  Halo way forward to prominance isn't the MP, MS must get the SP right for people to care about actually playing the game and then come to the MP.

My point is that even if Forge could not work in Unreal, its not the vital point to getting Halo back as the big 3 in MS arsenal.  The SP has always been and should always be the main focus first and everything else builds from there because if you cannot make people want to play the SP, then why would they want to engage in the MP.

"What is the most complaint concerning Halo, the SP."

This...Isn't true, at all, Lol. The biggest complaint by far with Halo Infinite was the Multiplayer support...The Campaign was widely praised across the board. Halo Infinite had a HUGE launch but it collapsed because the Multiplayer support after launch was terrible. We'd have an incredibly healthy and successful Halo IP right now if the Multiplayer support wasn't terrible.

I don't know where you're getting from that the biggest issue with Infinite was the Campaign...Infinite did NOT represent a decline for Halo at launch, it was actually an INCREASE in Halo's recent popularity but 343's post launch Multiplayer support caused all goodwill to vanish and for the game to collapse.

You know what the biggest complaint for Halo 4 was? The Multiplayer. It sold a ton at launch then quickly became irrelevant despite the great story and quickly ruined 343's standing within the Halo community right at the start. You know what 5's biggest complaint was? The Campaign. Guess what, Halo 5 had among 343's best player retentions, Lol.

"Has the MP increased Halo user base"

Yes, for Halo 3 and Reach, Multiplayer has been the main draw of Halo since Halo 3. If Halo Infinite's post launch support wasn't terrible, it would have easily increased Halo's overall userbase. Forge is an important competent to Halo's Multiplayer. Custom Games/Forge have played major parts in Halo 3, Reach and Halo 5. Custom Games was dead in Halo 4 because its Forge was terrible.

Now as we can see with data provided to us, once again, Forge is significantly helping Halo's Multiplayer.

Halo Infinite started with 20m players, that was a huge achievement. What more could you ask for? 50m? Lol. I've absolutely zero doubt that the majority of those 20m were in it for the Multiplayer as well. But the title went on to die because 343 couldn't keep them around because they provided terrible post launch support in an age where Multiplayer titles are constantly updated.

"The game becomes stagnant and thus can only please the old heads but can never get new gamers.  That is why you see so many creative people leave the team because they cannot actually be creative."

Forge is the last thing you can accuse of causing stagnation to Halo creatively, Lol. It's by far the most creative thing that Halo has. I don't see anyone leaving the Forge team either. The Multiplayer team was refreshed a little due to failures there and the Campaign team was let go as a cost/benefit analysis from the looks of things, I.E. Campaign isn't going to bring people back to Infinite, they need to focus on Multiplayer for now.

"Just think how long it took MS to just get Forge out on their own engine when it already have the foundation for it."

Look at how long it took for them to get basic stuff such as Maps out and Co-Op for Campaign, Lol, Halo Infinite's development was a mess and Slipspace was a bad engine. At least Forge in Halo Infinite is a MASSIVE step up from Halo 5's Forge which is why the community was mostly forgiving of the delay, they could see the huge improvement that they couldn't for Maps/Co-Op.

Microsoft haven't made a statement on Forge, that is a leak from Jez that they have an internal demo of Forge running on Unreal Engine.

"If you keep doing the same thing over and over again with each iteration worse results"

Halo Infinite had better results than Halo 4/5 at launch...

"Its time to change things up."

Which Halo Infinite's Campaign did, Lol.

"My opinion is a refocus on the SP is the route as the MP just isn't lighting anyone fire to get back into Halo."

I don't know if you're just a super fan of Halo's Campaign, I am, but I can at least see that the Multiplayer is the main draw of Halo now, Lol. Sticking your head in the sand and pretending it's Campaign isn't going to 'save' Halo. Microsoft has the data and there's a reason why they laid off the entire Campaign team, even we have the data in some parts such as charting or Achievement data for the 1st level.

What more could Infinite had done? It's practically a soft reboot of the franchise, Lol.

"The SP has always been the main focus first"

No...It hasn't...Not even during Bungie's days.

"My point is that even if Forge could not work in Unreal, its not the vital point to getting Halo back as the big 3 in MS arsenal."

It's a vital component to Halo's Multiplayer, I think that is what you aren't getting, Forge isn't just some thing on its own to the side, it is inherently linked to Multiplayer now and has been a major contributor to Halo's Multiplayer since Halo 3.

"From what I am hearing, I do not hear anyone saying, I got to get back into Halo because of all these cool maps with forge."

Aside from the data saying that Halo Infinite's Forge playlist is the most popular playlist it has EVER had. Also, I don't know where you browse, because I hear a massive amount of people complaining about Infinite's Multiplayer support and barely any complaints about the Campaign.

Halo has traditionally had both a strong Campaign and Multiplayer but when the Multiplayer is bad, it causes significantly more damage to Halo than a poor Campaign because that is where Halo's fanbase predominately is now.

Why this insistence on side-lining a staple of Halo now, to piss off millions of fans, to chase some imaginary "new" users that may or may not appear when Infinite had a massive launch on a strong Campaign/Multiplayer but ruined it all with bad post launch Multiplayer support.