The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread

Edit: God another long post - did somebody use the word obsessive??

Hey Estuansis, thanks much for the compliment.

You know, it's almost a philosophical point. Everybody plays these games differently. From my point of view you are a great gamer, because your excellent reviews show how well you appreciate the subtle essences of these games - the qualities of the graphics, textures, 3-D effects like POM, etc. - that others of us who are so busy "beating" the game hardly even notice.

I think boozer said it one time when we were discussing graphics - maybe along the lines of AA - he said he was usually so busy staying alive that he didn't notice.

I wonder if that's part of my syndrome - which is why I am attracted to the way that you look at gaming, and I think I need to pull back from the "beating" part a bit. The whole idea is to have a good time, right? Everybody approaches that differently.

With my weak card, x850xtpe, I have to dial back the effects in COD4 multiplayer, because I went back up to 1600x1200 which makes the textures look so much better, and also hopefully makes it easier to kill the other players way down at the other end of the map with my G3, so I can get a helicopter from time to time.

It may be a good quality to not be so obsessive about the "beating" part - I told myself a year ago or so that I had no business trying to play these games on super hard, because it meant that it took hours and hours to try to beat the game - time that I should be spending on real estate.

But when I play it below the hardest, then I want to see if I can beat it at hardest - I think there is some amount of unhealthy obsessiveness at work. If I didn't know from the first Half Life that you could kill the beasts by throwing things at them, I would not have been able to get through the EP2 house with all the little strider buddies (I forgot their names) coming in - which I finally did at the hardest setting, by stockpiling radiator grates in the cellar and making my stand there. I was petrified the first time the big ant lion king showed up in the prison of Half Life - I ran like hell and I have never been more scared since. Then, playing that sequence over and over, I learned to kill the stupid thing without one shot - just by throwing sinks at it. I learned that the gravity gun and a heavy object is more powerful than anything else you could do. And then in the EP2 final strider battle, I learned that you just have to use your car to run over the little guys - kill as many as you can that way - and stockpile the bombs - OH I LEARNED THAT FROM YOU - and then you just barely have time to save the missile.

So I'm always going to be the idiot who has to play the shooting sequences over and over and try to beat them on the hardest level. And I'll pick up tips from you - like stockpiling the bombs near the missile gate. And you and Sam will be the guys who are not that obsessive about that aspect of the game, but who are wayyyy more into maximizing the aesthetics, which I want to do more of, and less of the other.

Anyway, I'm trying to get control by limiting the gaming to only Wednesdays. And I have decided to come back to this forum on all the other days, besides Wednesday, because my one day fix has to run from morning through about 8:00 at night to last me for another week - about 12 hours of multiplayer COD4.

On single player mode, like playing through Far Cry, I kind of like the challenge of playing on super hard - but it's not really the same as going through and not dying. I have the very real advantage of knowing where the bad guys are the second and fifth and fiftieth time I play the sequence.

For some reason I don't mind dying, finding out where all the enemies are, and then using split second timing and tactics to beat them, even if I have to play the same sequence dozens of times, over and over again. "Wow, I beat it, now let me see if I can do it again."

Like I said above, I don't know if it's a good quality, or if this kind of bull-dog tenacity is really kind of stupid. When you smoke a joint, (which I don't do anymore and haven't done for a long long time) then you get the munchies, and you can eat the same little treat over and over and over again, without getting sick of it. So is that good, or bad? I took traffic school today, and the lady teacher said weed reduces your short term memory. Is that what is going on with me? Permanent short term memory disruption which allows me the ability to play something over and over again before the boredom factor sets in?? Is that good, or is that pathetic?

I got Condition Zero to improve Counter Strike. But when I played Condition Zero, that was a different type of single player experience. Mike Booth, Miles' boss, the guy who programmed the bots, programmed them to randomly change their game play all the time and adapt to my tactics. So getting through those maps at the hardest level was in some cases REALLY challenging. You have to win the round by two games. I couldn't just perfect one strategy, because they kept changing theirs. It was HARD, HARD HARD - for hours and hours and hours.

I don't know if it made me a better Counter Strike player or not. All I play these days if COD4. And I am not that good - but sometimes I'm pretty good. But so what? What if I were the best in the world. So what? Would that make me a great gamer? I don't know. It's something to do - something quite addictive - and I do it on Wednesdays. I enjoy it, I think.

And with your help I'm appreciating more the eye candy part. I am left with the conclusion that I absolutely have to upgrade in order to "smell the roses" as I try to get full enjoyment from this fascinating virtual reality that my family member Miles, the Valve guy, is such an integral part of creating through his animating, and that you and Sam are such great connoisseurs of, in terms of your appreciation and ability to distinguish the subtle qualities of the graphics.

One last thing about the potentially boring "beating" part. Having to play something over and over again can of course become fatiguing and boring - which is how I started to feel about trying to "beat" Mile High Club at the hardest level - I got up the stairs twice over a two hour period.

For some reason Far Cry never got to that too boring stage. I loved COD2 also. But there was one place in COD2 which was virtually unbeatable at the hardest level, and I had to backtrack and play one level below to beat it, and even then I just BARELY beat it, so I could move on in the game.

That was on top of the silo defending against all the mortar crews that kept showing up. My assistant had beaten it on the hardest level, as I found out later. The game was also one of his favorite of all time. I asked him how he could possibly have beaten it at the hardest level. Here was the answer: He had not thrown away the sniper rifle like I did early on, and so he took it up to the silo with him. There is another one already up there. So he had two sniper rifles, meaning ten rounds of sniper bullets. Timing it just right, with a break to reload both guns, he was able to replay and replay, and anticipate the crews, and finally beat it. I never went back. Do you remember that silo part?

One last thing I want to say about Far Cry. You are absolutely right - those guys are dead on accurate shooters from quite a distance away. But I found out that they are stupid, I mean REALLY STUPID, in terms of not throwing grenades all over like would happen in real life, when you have some dude hiding in a patch of bushes blowing all your buddies away. That is where the AI in Far Cry fails, and that is the trick to beating the game. Just plant yourself in a particular type of bush that makes you virtually invisible, and kill them at your leisure. Kind of idiotic, actually, and as I said, not how real life would work. But that's the trick to beating Far Cry.

- Rich

 

ok guys, i'm sorry, but i'm too lazy to read the long post...

 

Post processing haze was a bit of a downer on crysis' graphics, I'm pleased to see that removed. I'm buying Crysis Warhead and the Rockstar pack on Steam next week.
I have seen the majority of the band of brothers series, up until episode 8 - watched it in 1080p high def...
I'm very interested by your in-depth knowledge of Far Cry, and on that basis I will certainly go back to it. Hiding in the bushes was the staple diet of my Crysis tactics for quite a while, trying to hide from the damn chopper... man that got frustrating!

Estuansis: lol, sadly, that is also true of myself. All the gear and no idea! LOL!

Rich: Hunters, and by god are they a pain... I've never played Condition Zero, perhaps I should, the AI does actually sound pretty good. All you really need to know for real CS:S is how to beat the Camping Awp-whores... :S
As for enjoying graphics, while it is nice, good graphics are nothing without good gameplay, and there's no sense of satisfaction playing a game, no matter how good it looks, unless I enjoyed playing it as well. If a game keeps you coming back again and again, then it's a sign of a good game, not a sign of a borderline obsessive!

GTR: Apalling... Make time for Rich's tomes, they're good reads! Even if they do take up three entire pages at 2560x1600... :O

 

@Sam you're right, it's interesting...although i never played Far Cry, that post really makes me want to play, i want to see how "hard" can the game be.
And in Crysis, i'm like you, Stealth is the only way to survive in that kind of game.
"All you really need to know for real CS:S is how to beat the Camping Awp-whores... :S" F*** yeah!

@Rich "What if I were the best in the world. So what? Would that make me a great gamer? I don't know" I understand what you mean...so you must accept your defeat and be humble in your victories, thats what make you a great gamer. Unlike some people, they get so pissed because they're losing and vice versa. It happens, but hey! ignore them and play your game. It doesn't matter if you're losing or winning, it's just a game and games are suppose to be fun

 

I like the way you put that. You hit it dead on. Too many people just say that they're willing to settle for lower quality to achieve playability. But we're reaching a point where not only do the graphics look amazing, they make an impact on your experience. I certainly like to turn down the difficulty and just soak it all in. Not to say I don't play to win. I enjoy games for their gameplay too. Starcraft on a 24" widescreen anyone? Ugly...

Resolution and AA make a big difference for me. Jaggies and squashed textures are ugly and distracting. I've honestly gotten killed because I've been distracted by jagged lines. AND a higher resolution means much greater detail on screen. The difference between 1024 x 768 and 1920 x 1200 isn't just jaggies. Everything looks pixellated and butt ugly at low res. *points at console games*

Eh, I just conserved ammo a lot. So when the time came, the 357 magnum got some use. I never had issues beating that part at all.

Being an avid smoker myself, I don't think the memory problem has a damn thing to do with it. You're way over-analyzing it. You just like games a lot, plain and simple. As far as short term memory disruption? It stops after you stop smoking weed and really isn't as bad as people make it sound. Worst I've done is forget my headphones on the way to classes. Repeatedly

I just played that part a few hours ago actually. On ?veteran?(one step below hardest) difficulty I had little problem taking out the mortar crews. Again, play realistically and conserve ammo for your sniper rifle. One shot, one kill. This applies to any shooter I play. If you can't make sure the guys dies in the first round or burst(for assault rifles) don't take the shot. You'll only attract attention.

IMO the AI is cheap cheap cheap cheap CHEAP!!!! I found it to be a broken and unplayable game even at lowest difficulty.

 

Sam, that is hysterical:

That's what everybody complains about on CS - "campers." And Awps. Damn camping awp whores! Most popular curse in CS!! Lol!

GTR, I'm glad the post about Far Cry made you interested. I can see that Estuansis on the other hand will never take kindly to that game. I had a few issues with the AI, but I honestly didn't think it was THAT bad.

Now come on, Estuansis, think back, even just to the demo. Now, I have to be one of the the world's experts on that demo. (It's the level in the full game called Fort.) Remember the part where you drove the jeep up from the left-most beach, where you had sniped the 5 mercenaries? You come to the jungle area again, the save-game clicks "Save" and then, if you are in a wild mood, you run the jeep like mad between the trees straight for the mercs who are gathered and gaping at you in astonishment at the foot of the stairs. I'm a crappy driver and usually I hit a tree and get killed - but when I can get it right - I hit the bunch of them, kill a couple from the impact - the bodies go flying! - quickly bail out and flee to safety, and then grenade the capsized jeep so the gas tank blows violently and kills a couple more of the dazed idiots! Then I outflank and assassinate the remainder. Now don't tell me Estuansis, that you don't enjoy that kind of bloody sadistic massacre - I KNOW YOU DO! You said you like mowing down all the Cong bots in Battlefield Vietnam SP! So you should absolutely LOVE that type of brutal Far Cry action!!! LOL!



If I got you guys my saved game folder - zipped it up and emailed it to everybody - or put it on my website and figured out how to make FTS file transfer work - we could all go right to the best action sequences! That might be the way to re-introduce the game!

Getting back to damn camping awp whores! - in Condition Zero, Mike used everybody's hatred of camplers, and as you start a round with your team-mate bots, one of your CT guys will almost always radio "I'm going to camp Bombsite A." Another will say, "me too" etc. The bots on your team are talking to you all the time "Good shot Commander." or "I'm in trouble! SQZZZZZZZZ" Glance to the left to see where the team-mate was radioing from when he died, and that's where the terrorists are.

I will say this about snipers - sniping REALLY takes patience - and you also have to know where the good sniping spots are. I have played some CS sniping maps, where I "cheated" and put a spot of post-it note in the middle of the screen, so I could shoot the bloody rifle without zooming in. Some guys will just estimate where the middle of the screen is - you come around a corner and don't have time to zoom in, you're dog meat unless you Q quick-change to your Deagle.

I am not a good CS sniper - and I hate snipers like everybody else. But on COD4 I DO have a sniping class set on my COD4 MP, with the lungs of steel perk - extra breath holding for accuracy. I only did that because I watched a buddy play on my rig, and he's an excellent sniper. He gets a lot of helicopters! I haven't tried that sniping weapons class yet - and I won't be playing this week, but maybe next week I'll be a damn sniper if you guys happen to join the same COD4 server that I'm on. (The same guy showed me the SAW with grip for increased accuracy - I have gotten several helicopters from knowing about that.)

If you do pick up CZ, Sam, make sure you're familiar with the quick commands - "follow me" "hold this position" "I need backup." The bots on your team will save your ass when you need saving - if you call them to your aid. Except for the maybe really good shooters, who are, however, poorly rated in "coop" level, in which case the answer you will get back is "No Sir!" (Those commands also work on real CS:S servers where there are bots - the bots are the same Mike Booth bots from CZ.)

I have to say about Valve mp games, like CS and Day of Defeat - they are really big on talking while you are playing - using the mic. I have seen some COD4 players try the mic, but usually they are too loud - overloading the thing. Mostly nobody on COD4 uses the mic - a few type some words.

So CS and DoD have a much more "buddy play" feel to them, because you are always chatting when you aren't in a life-threatening situation. That adds a great deal to the fun of playing those games - another reason, I think, why they remain so popular after so many years.

"They're going long A" or "They're going short A" - very handy to have a CT team-mate radio you on Dust. And on Dod, I was always exhorting my guys, whether I played Allied or German - "We've got to hold the middle" - I think that map was the railway station in Argentin.
-Rich

 

Whoa, how the hell did I miss this huge conversation? I honestly don't have it in me to write this much. Brothers in Arms is AWESOME!!! Go get it guys!

Oh and Sam, it's complex enough for a console game at least. I am using my 360 BTW, guys. No gaming computer

 

Hell's highway is supposed to be Unreal 3 based. Tell me, how did they do with the graphics? Anything like the videos we've seen? I've had high hopes ever since the videos shown at E3

Oh and Sam, BiA is one franchise you might enjoy. It has slower, more tactical gameplay. Suppression fire, flanking, and cover are key to taking out enemies.

But there's a limit. I like to actually have an advantage on my enemies. It's no longer fun when I'm sweating my way through the easiest parts and constantly repeating the level. I still play from time to time if only just for nostalgia. I still think it's an expertly crafted game with ground-breaking graphics that still look very nice. It just needs the difficulty lowered a lot.

 

The graphics are pretty good. Nothing to write home about but they wont take away from the experience. But yeah, I dont know what the videos are like. I just always waited for this game and when I saw it was out I just grabbed it.

I've only played it a little bit because I barely have any time. I'll play some more today and let you know for sure how the graphics are.

 

but man, PC version is not out or won't there be PC version? Cause Xbox360 and PS3 are out already...

 

It comes out tomorrow on PC.

 

Estuansis: Diablo 2 on a 30" monitor? Lmao
Lol @ your abuse of console games, 1024x600 vs. 2560x1600... hmmm.... Honestly, lack of AA is distracting, but lower resolution is more distracting still...
As for sniping down the choppers - I'm an RPD fan - A 100 bullet belt will have that copter down in no time...

 

Well if I had nice monitors like you guys I would like PC games more. Right now I'm playing on a 65" HDTV so I'm happy with consoles.

 

You do realise of course, you can plug a gaming PC into one of those? If I remember rightly, you have your own vast TV as well...

 

yeah and i presume the HDTV is a FULL HD resolution...i actually wanted to do that but before i must get an HDTV first. But can't parent can't stand the streching/widescreen

 

Only if its newer, a couple of years back, only select 42" TVs were 1080p, anything smaller OR larger was 768...

 

Yeah, it's just that I can't put my gaming PC in the family room can I? Whenever I have a gaming PC it's my primiary computer. I guess if I tried I could put it with the TV and use my laptop.

Next time then. I would also need to get HDMI cables lol! I only have a small one for my PS3.

 

I got the chance to run my HD4870 with my sister's 50" HDTV in full 1920 x 1080. Crysis, Assassin's Creed and CoD4 were glorious *tears in eyes*. I've never seen so much detail in my life. Oh, and AA does help even more too. CoD4 with 4xAA? Beautiful

Sweet! Looking forward to it

 

Again, your OWN TV. Last time I'm sure you said you had a family 65" and your own similar sized TV, what was it 55"?

 

I wish I had a 65" TV

But I really enjoy a high resolution PC monitor. Much better image quality, IMO.