"Is the focus on up-and-coming as opposed to existing technology inhibiting design freedom by creating constant technology 'barriers'?"

Submitted by: Mark Oehl

Answered by: Mark Marion (lead programmer, Sierra On-Line)

"I would say that most games focus on the up-and-coming as a way to separate themselves from the pack. These new technologies often come with many limitations which must be worked around (or at least minimized).

"For instance, when games made the transition from low-res graphics to hi-res graphics, the amount of animation on the screen had to be reduced. This put a limit on the number of characters which could be animated, and therefore inhibited the freedom of design. On the other hand, developers who jumped at the new technology were rewarded by a marketplace that quickly embraced the new hi-res standard (and rarely settled for less).

"Today's most promising up-and-coming technology is 3D graphics. It has the potential of making the screen come alive, limited only by your imagination. This is a major challenge for designers. How do you design a game for the technology's potential, when it is uncertain if that potential can be reached? In addition, some of the new technology's limitations are not revealed until after it has been developed.

"But games that truly take advantage of 3D will continue to fall into the "too cool to pass up" category. You can see the same thing in the movie industry. If a movie comes out with amazing special effects, it quickly becomes a must see!"

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