Doom 3
as expected, the game runs really shitty. 640x480, "ultra" low quality, with all options but shadows turned off for acceptable framrates (ie - minimal slowdown when 3-4 models pop up onto screen) Disabling shadows messes up the graphics anyways. Standard FPS single player. the slow cycle times of each gun is annoying (you'd think he would try and fire faster if a blood thirsty zombie was beating him) and after all the other FPS games with secondard mode of fire (unreal series, hell, even counter strike) this seems pretty disappointing so far. Normal "oooo we're going to scare you by having a monster appear...... BEHIND YOU... no no.... RIGHT AS YOU OPEN THE DOOR!..... then.... hmm I wonder if there is a monster that will try and jump me from the one dark alley down this well-lit hallway.
So far, no "oh shit" moments like that one scene in Unreal1 when you hit the switch, all the power goes out, and you hear stuff getting closer
So far, no "oh shit" moments like that one scene in Unreal1 when you hit the switch, all the power goes out, and you hear stuff getting closer
It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn't take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face.
-
Jonathan
- Grand Pooh-Bah
- Posts: 6722
- Joined: Tue Sep 19, 2006 8:45 pm
- Location: Portland, OR
- Contact:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=17590
or
http://forum.gamer.nl/archive/index.php/t-56471.html
depending on your preference.
or
http://forum.gamer.nl/archive/index.php/t-56471.html
depending on your preference.
Funny that the base GeForce 3 isn't even considered bottom of the barrel, though its now three years old. If I hadn't upgraded, I'd call my GeForce money well spent. I wonder if Vinny would like to try playing Doom 3 on his Radeon LE?
I feel like I just beat a kitten to death... with a bag of puppies.
-
VLSmooth
- Tenth Dan Procrastinator
- Posts: 3055
- Joined: Fri Jul 18, 2003 3:02 am
- Location: Varies
- Contact:
Heh, as a reminder, I have a refurbished Radeon 9500 Non-pro 128 MB that I softmodded to a Radeon 9700 Non-pro 128 MB for $108 right? (the radeon 9700 NP was going for ~$250 at the time iirc).
Regarding the LE, it might not even have a chance to whimper
Regarding the LE, it might not even have a chance to whimper
Last edited by VLSmooth on Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Ok, my impressions after fighting through the first level that actually has monsters...
The game is basically all black. No room has any level of ambient light. All lights are basically glowing points that don't actually illuminate anything. Even the flying skulls and imp fireballs don't actually cast light. Doors are only recognizable by the green (or yellow or red if locked) keypads next to them. I used the worthless flashlight to determine that some areas do in fact have bluish walls, so I guess some progress has been made. However, if the graphics are any more advanced than Quake 2, it didn't show. I tried the usual trick of turning the gamma up, but it looks like the designers were too smart. The shadows stay black even with the gamma way up.
Since I couln't actually see the monsters in most rooms, my tactics are 1) walk along until shot at. 2) get shot several times until I figure out where the monster is (usually behind me). 3) fire until the monster dies or my clip empties. 4) move to next room. Most monsters are only silouettes, visible only in contrast to some tiny light source behind them. Only in unusual cases will you see the textures on the monsters. That isn't a great loss. The monsters are pretty much grey humanoids. There are grey zombies with wrenches, grey zombies with guns, grey zombies with no weapons, and grey imps. They have very high res textures showing absolutely no detail at all. I hope they didn't pay their artists very much.
I was playing on the easiest level, so my "shoot only in self defense" tactic worked out reasonably well (I never fell below 75 health and 100 armor). However, its not really any fun, so I'll probably uninstall the game.
Oh, and my video card does support the heat shimmer. I saw it when looking past a jet of flame. It's too pronounced, though, and looks completely unrealistic.
I'd say this game is a complete loss, but since the engine runs reasonably well on my PC I hope someone builds a worthwhile game on it. [/list]
The game is basically all black. No room has any level of ambient light. All lights are basically glowing points that don't actually illuminate anything. Even the flying skulls and imp fireballs don't actually cast light. Doors are only recognizable by the green (or yellow or red if locked) keypads next to them. I used the worthless flashlight to determine that some areas do in fact have bluish walls, so I guess some progress has been made. However, if the graphics are any more advanced than Quake 2, it didn't show. I tried the usual trick of turning the gamma up, but it looks like the designers were too smart. The shadows stay black even with the gamma way up.
Since I couln't actually see the monsters in most rooms, my tactics are 1) walk along until shot at. 2) get shot several times until I figure out where the monster is (usually behind me). 3) fire until the monster dies or my clip empties. 4) move to next room. Most monsters are only silouettes, visible only in contrast to some tiny light source behind them. Only in unusual cases will you see the textures on the monsters. That isn't a great loss. The monsters are pretty much grey humanoids. There are grey zombies with wrenches, grey zombies with guns, grey zombies with no weapons, and grey imps. They have very high res textures showing absolutely no detail at all. I hope they didn't pay their artists very much.
I was playing on the easiest level, so my "shoot only in self defense" tactic worked out reasonably well (I never fell below 75 health and 100 armor). However, its not really any fun, so I'll probably uninstall the game.
Oh, and my video card does support the heat shimmer. I saw it when looking past a jet of flame. It's too pronounced, though, and looks completely unrealistic.
I'd say this game is a complete loss, but since the engine runs reasonably well on my PC I hope someone builds a worthwhile game on it. [/list]
I feel like I just beat a kitten to death... with a bag of puppies.
yea, I think I've become too jaded or something to really enjoy most linear, find the key (replace key with PDA) single player FPS like doom. lI'm sure saving and reloading every encounter so you have enough hp/armor to live to the end of the mission sounds like fun, but not really. plus the slow ROF and long reload/switch weapon times really gets to me being used to CS. that and the fact there is no duct tape to strap the wussy flashlight onto my friggin head. WHERE IS THE BAD GUY?? i know, lets put my gun away and whip out the flashlight+1.
If only Duex Ex 2 didnt suck so much
If only Duex Ex 2 didnt suck so much
It takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, but it doesn't take any to just sit there with a dumb look on your face.
I really enjoyed Silent Storm until I got the mechs. Then I just waded into combat and never really got hurt. Lost interest during the first mission that worked that way. The ability to destroy most buildings was fun. There was one mission with no enemies, just lots of mines in this one three story house. After trying to disarm the mines for about an hour, I gave up and tossed a grenade into the ground floor. My computer froze for about thirty seconds as it tried to compute the physics of all of the explosions. By the time it managed to render the next frame, there was nothing left but the basement.
Other than that, I haven't spent more than a day playing any single game in the last couple months. I started the Neverwinter Nights expansions last night. I think the last game before Silent Storm that held my attention for any length of time was Front Mission 3. Most of the PC RPGs I've played recently have sucked (ToEE, Sacred, Lionheart, Arx Fatalis). I did force myself to beat Arx because the plot seemed cool. It turned out I was wrong. Hopefully, the PS2 emulators will start plpaying real games soon.
Other than that, I haven't spent more than a day playing any single game in the last couple months. I started the Neverwinter Nights expansions last night. I think the last game before Silent Storm that held my attention for any length of time was Front Mission 3. Most of the PC RPGs I've played recently have sucked (ToEE, Sacred, Lionheart, Arx Fatalis). I did force myself to beat Arx because the plot seemed cool. It turned out I was wrong. Hopefully, the PS2 emulators will start plpaying real games soon.
I feel like I just beat a kitten to death... with a bag of puppies.
Actually, since June 1, I make over $60k. And, I'm now a T2 software engineer. If I knew any T1s, I could boss them around. Well, it doesn't quite work that way, but a new T1 might not know that.
And I've got too much crap on my desk, too many cables of various sorts running under it, and not enought outlets in the immediate vicinity. Besides, in theory, my computer should be capable of much better graphic quality than a PS2 outputing an interlaced analog low res signal captured by a low end tuner card, deinterlaced, scaled and strecthed to fit a monitor running 1280x1024.
And I've got too much crap on my desk, too many cables of various sorts running under it, and not enought outlets in the immediate vicinity. Besides, in theory, my computer should be capable of much better graphic quality than a PS2 outputing an interlaced analog low res signal captured by a low end tuner card, deinterlaced, scaled and strecthed to fit a monitor running 1280x1024.
I feel like I just beat a kitten to death... with a bag of puppies.