Who Killed PC Gaming?

  • Two Factor Authentication is now available on BeyondUnreal Forums. To configure it, visit your Profile and look for the "Two Step Verification" option on the left side. We can send codes via email (may be slower) or you can set up any TOTP Authenticator app on your phone (Authy, Google Authenticator, etc) to deliver codes. It is highly recommended that you configure this to keep your account safe.

Phopojijo

A Loose Screw
Nov 13, 2005
1,458
0
0
37
Canada
The only real problem I've had with GTA3 was that the aiming on the PC was terrible (crosshair parallax at distances that really really should be correct). Otherwise? It played quite fine.
 

-=WolverinE=-

New Member
Apr 16, 2006
227
0
0
Just turn the sound all the way up. Sound isn't broken now.
eng101.gif

You're just trying too hard to find facts to bring it down.
O rly? So why do I have to force my sample rate to 44100Hz to be able to hear a normal sound? Everything above that value makes the sound play VERY fast. Also, turning up the volume doesn't improve much, because all the cut scenes are even more muffled.

Activision should've ported it like Spiderman Web Of Shadows. It may have ran crappy, but the sound was alright.
 

Kantham

Fool.
Sep 17, 2004
18,034
2
38
Seriously guys. I went trough the entire game and thought it was a decent port, except for some minor audio issues. That doesn't make it a terrible port, nor a good example of terrible port. I mean, the audio issue could be patch fixed easily this I'm sure.

It's not like the game had terrible driver supports, texture poping, terrible performance, and so on.
 
Last edited:

elmuerte

Master of Science
Jan 25, 2000
1,936
0
36
42
the Netherlands
elmuerte.com
Turning up the volume in prototype doesn't fix:
  • 5.1 support
  • ambient sound, it's not there at all
  • no fluid sound in the "brain sequences"
  • missing sounds, about 25% of the spoken text isn't spoken at all
  • ...

The only thing turning up the volume fixes is the overall low volume. The spoken text volume is still so low compared to the other sounds that you can barely hear it at all.

You should consider yourself lucky that you didn't have those issues. And I'm just lucky that the overall performance is ok on my system.

Also, prototype does have LOD popping, and just like with most other games it's noticeable after loading. Then again, LOD popping isn't really an issue, it's a design decision (you could also have longer load times).
 

Kantham

Fool.
Sep 17, 2004
18,034
2
38
Also, prototype does have LOD popping, and just like with most other games it's noticeable after loading. Then again, LOD popping isn't really an issue, it's a design decision (you could also have longer load times).

And so they have LOD popping on the Xbox 360/PS3 versions.

I don't know if I'm lucky with the sound issues, but TBH I never had any of those problems.
 

Grobut

Комиссар Гробут
Oct 27, 2004
1,822
0
0
Soviet Denmark
In order to qualify as a port it has to be BUILT for consoles and then ported to PC. If something like the interface was designed for consoles, that doesn't mean it was ported.

Thats just semantics, sure we should technically say that it was developed multi platform, and technically it wasen't ported, but we all know what people mean when they call it a console port, they mean it feels like it was made for a console (which it does, the UI, the mouse acceleration, it had barely any graphics settings at launch, the lack of controls like voice binds and vehical zoom, you can definately tell the game was designed so it could work with a gamepad, and not enough effort went into making it feel at home on the PC).

We're all saying the same thing, so why bicker about the choice of words (no really, why is it important for the average gamer to know if the bad mouse support and UI happened durring initial development? or if it happened later? it doesen't, all he cares about is the final result that he's playing, thats what he see's and that's what he knows, and "port" is a nice 4 letter word to describe it).
 

Sir_Brizz

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2000
26,020
83
48
Because calling it a port cheapens the hard work the developers put in specifically on that version. If you want to say the initial release FELT LIKE a port, okay, I could probably get on board with that to some degree. But calling the current state of the game a port is a weak jab at all the hard work Epic has put into the game over the last 18 months.
 
U

Unregistered

Guest
If consoles took any mouse and ran the firm ware and you could use a keyboard I would see few reason's to still have a PC for gaming.

How about all the other things you can do on PCs? How about modding? The possibility to setup your machine anyway you want? Run other apps at the same time? Maybe have something else like a quick reference on your secondary monitor while you play? Stereoscopic displays?

Basically, with PC you can do anything*. With consoles you can do what the manufacturer wishes to allow**.

* within the limits of the physical universe
** modding the console and installing a PC OS can allow more than the manufacturer intended, but turns it into a PC
 

shoptroll

Active Member
Jan 21, 2004
2,226
2
38
40
For therest GTA3 was still tuned to the PS2 gamepad input, which made mouse/keyboard control quite cumbersome.

Outside of the sniper missions, I just used a gamepad so I never really had trouble with the controls :)
 

LivingPuppet

Registered Puppet
Sep 13, 2003
123
0
0
Tiny Toy Town of Terror
Visit site
GTA3 on pc is a sucky port mostly because of the performance issues at the time even if you surpassed the recommended specs. Personally I never really had problems with its mouse and keyboard control. Its just that the game was poorly optimized for PC stability wise and had many glaring bugs.
 

Soggy_Popcorn

THE Irish Ninja
Feb 3, 2008
564
0
0
In order to qualify as a port it has to be BUILT for consoles and then ported to PC. If something like the interface was designed for consoles, that doesn't mean it was ported.

But the right thing to say is that the game was designed for console. It wasn't ported.

Well, I and numerous other people would agree with Kantham. The game was designed for consoles. Which is why so many things were clunky.

In fact, I've noticed that pretty much every UE3 game has had clunky, inaccurate input, with some degree of acceleration almost omnipresent. Seems intended for the consoles' joypads.
 

Sir_Brizz

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2000
26,020
83
48
Well, I and numerous other people would agree with Kantham. The game was designed for consoles. Which is why so many things were clunky.

In fact, I've noticed that pretty much every UE3 game has had clunky, inaccurate input, with some degree of acceleration almost omnipresent. Seems intended for the consoles' joypads.
If the engine is designed for consoles, that doesn't imply that the games are. UT3 is specifically different on PC than the console versions, so it is completely impossible that the game itself was designed for consoles. So, leading from that point, it's also impossible that it can even be considered a port.
 

KeithZG

will forever be nostalgic
Oct 14, 2003
118
0
0
Visit site
In order to qualify as a port it has to be BUILT for consoles and then ported to PC. If something like the interface was designed for consoles, that doesn't mean it was ported.

You are entirely correct; people seem to often be saying "port" when they mean "suffers from consolitis" ;) But snarkiness aside, yeah, you're right. (Sorry, memories of Deus Ex 2 and R6:Vegas still embitter me).
 

MaestroMaus

New Member
Jul 22, 2008
76
0
0
It is gonna end like a monopoly as the one u see in the OS market. Then we will have to forget about innovation, new ideas etc.

Your blowing Microsofts success out of proportion. Microsoft is not doing very well right now:
1. Wii sales still outnumber 360 sales and Nintendo earns more money from each sale.
2. The Zune is a complete failure (Ipod, and pretty much everything else is selling better)
3. Windows Mobile isn't very popular with the consumers (Mac/Iphone, Nokia/Symbian, Google/Android)
3. Windows search/advertising sites aren't doing well (Google)
4. Internet Explorer is not doing very well (Firefox, Opera, Safari)
5. Windows isn't quite the popular OS it used to be (Mac OSX).

Think of Microsoft as MG. They are big and they are not delivering very good products most of the time. They still think they can compensate for that with their size but once they start going downhill fast they realise that they should have done a better job and start making good products. Realising that often happens to late though.
 
Last edited:

shoptroll

Active Member
Jan 21, 2004
2,226
2
38
40
5. Windows isn't quite the popular OS it used to be (Mac OSX).

If this was true, Mac market share would've increased more than it has. Last I heard it was maybe a single digit percentage increase. The "Mac vs. PC" ad campaign has been effective, but let's be honest hear... Windows is entrenched in the corporate office. There's no easy way to surpass it at this point.
 

Sir_Brizz

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2000
26,020
83
48
If this was true, Mac market share would've increased more than it has. Last I heard it was maybe a single digit percentage increase. The "Mac vs. PC" ad campaign has been effective, but let's be honest hear... Windows is entrenched in the corporate office. There's no easy way to surpass it at this point.
Not only that, but Apple hardware is still massively expensive in comparison.
 

Sir_Brizz

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 3, 2000
26,020
83
48
Those brushed steel custom cases that look so cool don't grow on trees!! I don't think I'm exaggerating at all to say that, with most Apple products, you are paying more for the status symbol than an actual decent and reasonably priced piece of hardware (and yes, I'm fully aware that isn't 100% true of all of their products).
 

shoptroll

Active Member
Jan 21, 2004
2,226
2
38
40
Fun fact: MS got a call from Apple's legal team requesting them to stop the Laptop Hunter ad campaign after Apple dropped their prices recently. Or so MS claims.