Video Card Thread (Mostly Gecube x1950xt)

Shaff,

Here's another reason to play the Half Life 2 series. When you climb down from the viewing ledge . . .

...

over on the road awaits the car, with Alyx inside.

...


You play most of the series with Alyx, and some other main characters. Since you like the characters in COD4 SP, you're going to go crazy over these characters. That's another reason the game won so many awards. Let's walk over a little closer.

...

Alyx has a full personality - they took apart all the facial muscles and developed a 30 point grid for realistic expressions - they took it to another level beyond anything you've seen before in any other game. Here's a closup:


...


By the way, my very close relative, Miles Estes - (watch for his name on the opening credits at the train station as Half Life 2 begins) - did virtually all the animation for Alyx when he was with Valve up in Seattle. Here she is a little earlier down near the stream.

...

(Now Miles is with Valve down here in Orange County, Southern California.) I flew up to Seattle with some other family to surprise him at the office on his birthday, and much to my surprise, he invited me in to play-test Half Life 2. I saw it before the rest of the world!!

So are you sold now Shaff?!!

See you guys,
Rich

 

Hold on, let me sell him some more...
Stay tuned for a high res Alyx Vance.

It's not pornography, honest!

hehe, here we go:
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/2966/alyxvancewo5.jpg

 

Way to go Sam. You probably have some other great shots. Look at that one full size, shaff - there's that great little smile she flashes all the time. She doesn't sit still, she doesn't stand still. Trying to capture that close up car shot, she was looking around, scratching her leg, rising up in the car and adjusting her seat. When characters are talking to you, if you move around, they turn around and look at you - their eyes follow you. The game is cutting edge. You need to get that series, shaff. Do you have steam - it's free. Download steam, then go to the steam store and see how much the bundle costs. They have a bundle of splinter cell that I'm going to be buying soon - 6 games for about $35 I think. Check it out!

 

The orange Box is $40+VAT. At current exchange that should set you back approximately £25, and includes Half Life 2, the two Episodes, Portal and team Fortress 2. One of the most awesome FPSes, two of the most awesome FPS expansions, THE most awesome 3D puzzle platform game, and the most barmy FPS Online game ever.

 

Before they switched him over to Half Life 2 to help finish it up, Miles was originally hired by Valve to be on a small team working on Team Fortress 2. That's why he was surprised recently, when I said I probably wouldn't want to play that one, since I am mostly into World War 2. Singlehandedly, I specialize in killing Nazis, lol. Miles said, "You know that's the one I worked on up there with Moby and Airiel, right?" Anyway, one day I'll have to get it I suppose.

Sam, when you say it's barmy, what do you mean by that? I have seen the videos and I know it's kind of cartoony. Kind of art deco or something like that. It's got a definite style, and the style is not realism. How is the gameplay? I have heard it can be a real kick, a lot of fun. So do you like it?
- Rich

 

Jeezuss Sam, I took one more look at that high res Alyx shot you linked to - the grid on the bottom of the elevator has so much detail, at first I thought it was a persian rug lol. My elevators never look like that. No doubt about it, I have to get to 2560 x 1600!

 

It's the sort of game you could never play all day, but it's an absolute hoot for a couple of hours. Think of it as traditional 'light FPS' - you've got your capture the flag, point control and now Goldrush whuch is essentially base assault, but no deathmatch, not in the normal sense anyway. 9 different classes represent 9 different characters with their own weapon sets and play styles. Knowing who can kill you how is vital, and how best to humiliate someone even more important! The cartoony graphics only add to the hilarity. I don't think it's my favourite game, but it's well worth playing!

r.e. the second post, the detail won't change much with a higher resolution, only the scale of it (and the clarity to an extent). I'm using Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic filtering, however, which helps with stuff like that.

 

itll eat into my gfx card budget (which has been set back £50 already due to many an outing in the last 2 weeks) so im down to £100 for my 4870, which im now thinking of jsut spending on those nexus case fans, and some modding tools, or an antec 1200

btw i finished the ferriswheel, did the dogems thing (nades were annoying) but was very releaved and flying away in the copter looking at the background was breathtaking.

now im soap again, and i have about 7 air strikes, trying to get to the new LZ across the feild with a million RPGers and LMGer against me and Gaz and Cpt. Price. thats hard.

 

Btw, since we're talking about why shaff should get half life - ok, I know we got off that subject a long time ago, but I needed some kind of intro

Here's one more shot I thought you might like shaff, since you like well-defined characters. Here is a shot of Alyx with her dad, Dr. Vance. I think his first name is Eli. He's a scientist, and a main character in the series, second only to Alyx herself. Eli is very fond of Gordon Freeman (the character you play in the series.) When they were back at Black Mesa where it all started in the 1998 hit, Half Life, you - Gordon - you were a new, young fellow physicist.

...

Dr. Vance wouldn't mind Gordon and his daughter hooking up. One time in Half Life 2, the first 2003 game in the new series, he said something like "Yes, Gordon can handle just about anything, with the possible exception of Alyx." To which Alyx, as she always does, blushed and said "Aw, Dad, stop it."

Five minutes before the above shot was taken, he said - "Oh, I knew you guys would make it if you stuck together." Alyx answered "Yes, we make a good team." (She likes Gordon but is careful not to show it too much - plus they're in the middle of a war zone don't forget.) Then in this shot, Eli says, "Well, Gordon, since the suppression field is down.... You know we all need to do our part." Alyx blushes "Aw Dad" and Eli says "Well you can't blame an old man for wanting grandkids."

...

Now face it Shaff, you're gonna get the series, right? I guarantee you'll turn into a big fan-boy like me and Sam! LMAO!

- Rich

 

That helicopter with all the guys on the roof firing RPGs - that part IS hard. I died a bunch of times.

I'm glad you got through the ferris wheel. What does "did the dogems thing" mean? Did you try that spot near the bumper cars? You said the nades were annoying - but they mostly didn't hurt, right?

 

Yeah, I'll pick up TF2 sometime. Sounds good, Sam, thanks.

 

OMG!! Check this out!!

Sam posted a link to a high-res photo of Alyx Vance above and he jokingly said "it's not pornography." Then just above I mentioned there is a scene in the original where Eli says "There isn't anything Gordon can't handle with the possible exception of you." In this video, he is saying those words, standing there talking to his daughter,

WHO IS COMPLETELY NUDE IN THIS PATCH!

I kid you not, Half Life 2 fanboys everywhere, like me and Sam. Look what Alyx has been hiding under all that clothing! -rich

 

dogems means bumper cars for you non brits LOL. and yeah i kept on thinking they'd kill me but they didnt. the clays were a good idea.

i like the nude patch

 

BTW, I don't know if that little gag video from Gametrailers.com is appropriate on this forum, but I for one feel that nudity is no big deal - plus it's an animation. Anyway, I hope nobody is offended LOL

 

Dogems means bumper cars? It IS the same language we speak, isn't it mate?

At least Shaff likes the patch. (me too!)

 

Hey, this popped up (along with the nude patch) when I googled to get Alyx Vance's dad's first name, Eli:

For anybody who cares, this is a description of part of the prison section of Half Life 2 by a girl (I think it's a girl, maybe not, she hides her gender on her web site, but I think she's a girl) who says she sucks at video games - but, imo, she writes a hysterically funny blog:

one girl's traumatized description of what it is like to play the prison section of half life 2

Like I say, in my opinion, this is Laugh out Loud funny: For Shaff who has never played the game, I don't know what he'll think, but I think my point is that people love the game enough to write this kind of really funny sh*t about it:

Damn funny stuff, eh Sam? -Rich

 

Sam, you thought C-130 Hercules. You are probably right. I googled it. Cruising speed is 300mph. I thought we were moving slower than that in the game, but I just read the Warthog also goes the same speed. And I looked at a picture of the warthog, and that wouldn't allow somebody inside to be firing a choice of 3 guns - I think the warthog mostly is fired by the pilot, or maybe copilot. So I think you're closer to the mark with the Hercules. Hey shaff, since you're still in the cod4 sp, can you take a look sometime at the beginning of that section, I think it is called "Death from Above." What plane are they using?
-rich

 

it is the AC-130 Spectre gunship

 

Well, for Far Cry 2 I'm not sure how the whole feel of the game is yet.
The movement in general seems alright, not too fast I guess.
And also, you have walking and sprinting separately, which helps.
Because a lot of those Unreal-like shooters is just one speed you know, and usually way too overdone.
Like you could also recognize from Half-Life (2), the fast slippery motion and high jumping.
I also saw you can run and strafe at the same time in Far Cry 2.
Which is kinda weird, since who moves like that, but if it's not too fast left and right while running it's acceptable.

And sure you can run&gun, but then it also depends how much spread the weapons get you know.
I already love the fact they didn't use a crosshair as you know.
So that already makes it less run&gun since you'd have a harder time aiming while zoomed out and moving.
And if the accuracy would stay the same when moving, or even up to 70% or more, that will be more and more run&gunning.
The accuracy should decrease because you move around with a gun hanging in your arms, you can only estimate the aim then.


It just depends on what game you talk about, I'll give some examples of Source-games, you probably know best.
Run&gunning is of course completely acceptable, or shouldn't even be discussed, for a game like Team Fortress 2.
The whole game is already made to be cartoony with caricatures and such.
I'm completely fine with that, the speed can be over the top, but in this case still controlled and the accuracies just get pretty much fixed to 1 point according to the characters of the weapons.

On the other side, that you can do similar stuff in a game like Counter-Strike, is just utterly ridiculous.
To just jump around with any kind of gun, and just killing everything with pinpoint accuracy.
That's maybe exaggerating the facts a little bit, since I don't know the game 100%.
But basically, that's why I despise games like that, it just gets silly in a more realistic scenery and situations.
I like the "concept" of Counter-Strike, even though it's a years old game already.
But if it would be like, oh say 'Rainbow Six: Counter-Strike', it would be a lot more acceptable and just better.
However, I think the movement of Rainbow Six (at least Vegas) is júst too tight and heavy, but on the right path.


And yeah, they mentioned Splinter Cell, but Clint said, it's not as much as that, but similar I guess.


Edit:

Oh by the way, I forgot to mention another detail:
There is also a difference in if you play single-player or multiplayer.
Because obviously, when people play against each other, they'll take out all the possibilities, all the movements and push all the limits they can.
So if you allow them to unrealistically run&gun and also jump many feet into the air, they will use it to win.

However, when you play single-player, it just depends on the person's own preferences.
You might go around and do the same in multi-player to "pwn" bots with the greatest ease.
But that just takes out the experience for me, as you know I like realism.
So even IF you could do ridiculous moves, I'll play the way I want it myself and anyone can do that.

Like for example, Medal Of Honor: Airborne has really nice movement, maybe not perfect but it's really getting there.
One of the biggest problems is still the instant superhero-jumping, like in this game.
But that doesn't force me to use it and bunnyhop my way to victory.
So I like to just walk and sometimes run along with the rest of the soldiers, because if I'd be at war, I would sure as hell not be bunnyhopping towards or even in front of a bunch of Nazis. XD

So that I can of course concentrate on the situations, the tactics, my own position and my performance.

 

Think carefully about plopping such a vast sum on a case Shaff. It hurt to spend £85 on my case originally, but it was worth it. It's wise to spend a considerable sum on a case because you see it all the time, and it's the 'physical form' of your PC. That said, you're spending three figures on something that has nothing to do with performance, and cases like the NZXT Tempest which cost barely more than half as much are just as adept at cooling. For 1920x1200 you want a decent GPU, spending it all on a case is a bit of a waste. HOWEVER, seeing your current case, I can fully appreciate why you want a new one. Perhaps compromise and get a £60 case like the Tempest and a single HD4850?
Agreed on the COD4 bit with the RPGs, that was a bit tricky, but very enjoyable.
LOL @ the nude patch. That's evil!
Heh, of course, I forgot it's 'bumper cars' to americans... Make too many jokes about the differences between our languages and I'll cockney rhyming slang your ass! lol
DINC: I like counter strike, and I like it's semi-realism. They're making a new one soon I think.