All these graphics, and the best FPS is still Counter-strike?

[NamelessMC]

I was reading the R600 thread, and then I thought about something.

What games would I really be playing that'd require me to get an R600 or 8800GTX(or 8900GT)?

Sure, Crysis looks good, but they said that in production and beta, Crysis is running on modified DX9C AFI on 7800GT's in SLI. If that's the case, max settings, wouldn't that mean an 8800GTS 320 should be enough to play max settings on Crysis?

Also, is one game worth the $400+ upgrade? Sure, Crysis is nice, but I think it'd be playable on DX9 AFI with merely a 7950GT or 1950XT. Company of Heroes DX10? Company of Heroes DX9 looks good enough, and I don't even LIKE Company of Heroes. Call of Duty 2 is nice, but I find myself playing DOD Source and Counter-strike Source more. Counter-strike came out in 1999 and it's STILL the most popular online FPS game?

I mean, back when Quake 3 Arena came out, I bought a GeForce 256, just because it was available and I could play Quake 3 at max settings with it, but it was NECESSARY to play Quake 3. I hands down, couldn't play Quake 3 on the integrated graphics I had before.

Actually, on second thought, I got a Voodoo2, which was freaking AWESOME! because it let you play Glide games on a crappy store-built Hewlett Packard PC my parents bought me to do homework on. I had to get my own gaming PC when more games came out, because I needed the hard-drive space and ram.

Either way, a new card back then was night and day for new games. Unreal Tournament, Everquest, Quake 3 Arena, Monolith games (This really awesome FPS/Robot game), Deus Ex.

But today, it seems really bland. I'm gaming on a 7600GT and I find it acceptable. Oblivion is the only game I can't play at high settings, and Rainbow Six Vegas, but not only do I hate Rainbow Six games, I also hate Las Vegas, so it's no big deal to me. Oblivion is a boring game, and I hate R6, so why upgrade? For Need for Speed Carbon? I'm not Vin Diesel and I'm not 17 with a Dodge Neon with exhaust on it.

I want good games, and every new video-card that comes out is benchmarked with Serious Sam 2 and Half Life 2. If I can play the games they benchmark with on good enough settings to please me, why should I upgrade? Who realistically NEEDS to play FEAR at 2560x 1600 with 8x AA and 16x AF?

The last game that came out that peaked my interest enough to buy it and play it was Half Life 2. Before that, Far Cry. Before that? I can't even remember....

If PC Gaming is dying, it's all Nvidia and ATI's fault. They make hardware too complicated for developers to make games on it. Anyone wanna buy a gaming PC? I want an Xbox 360 now.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Wrong forum, and I concur with your thoughts. The last game I fell in love with (played day & night) was Rome: Total War. These days, I just play FIFA or a NFS game when I need a quick fix. I even enjoy revisiting Max Payne 2 or Half-Life 2.

Of the newer games, not many have replay value...nor do they make me want to upgrade my aging PC.

 

[Matthias99]

Counter-strike came out in 1999 and it's STILL the most popular online FPS game?

...don't ask me. It's fun, but it gets real repetitive after a while and the AWP is horribly unbalanced. Some of the maps (at least from the original CS; I didn't play CS:S much) are also pretty bad.

If PC Gaming is dying, it's all Nvidia and ATI's fault. They make hardware too complicated for developers to make games on it.

It's not 'harder' to write games for a new card; it's arguably just as difficult to write for an XBox360 or PS3 (possibly even harder on a console, since you are writing more to that console's hardware than a standardized API that has been in use for years). It may be more complex to write fancy graphics engines with displacement maps and shaders on everything, but that will be difficult on any platform.

A more pressing question is why developers aren't making newer games that are more engaging and fun to play than older ones. Shiny graphics are nice, but they don't keep players coming back for years (WoW and CS are proof of that.)

 

[KeithTalent]

You kind of lost me in the middle for a bit there, but I think I get the overall point of your post.

I have an X1900XT and I can not even play CS:Source with max everything and at my native resolution (1900x1200) and still get decent frames, which is one of the reasons I am considering an 8800/R600 (along with other games I will want to play - Crysis, Quake Wars, LOTRO, UT3). I like to play everything at my native res and have AA/AF on; in order for me to do that in many games I need a powerful card, and will need a more powerful card very soon.

I think as more and more gamers move towards higher resolution displays the demand for these cards will increase. The simple fact is, the prettier you want your game to be when you are playing, the more horsepower you will need to drive it.

"Who realistically NEEDS to play FEAR at 2560x 1600 with 8x AA and 16x AF?"

Nobody NEEDS to play games at all, but if you have the money and want to spend it, playing FEAR at 2560x 1600 with 8x AA and 16x AF is a much more pleasant experience than playing it at 800x600.

As far as not having any decent games to play, well, that is a matter of opinion of course. I know there are a lot of people that enjoy FEAR (I'm not one of them), Oblivion, DMOMM, Prey, and even (gasp!) BF2142. So to say there is nothing to play with this hardware is totally subjective, though you are definitely not alone.

KT

 

[Matt2]

Take up console gaming like I did.

You'll save yourself from a lot of headaches thinking about topic.

I have found Xbox 360 games along with Xbox Live to be much more satisfying than anything PC has had to offer since Far Cry, Doom 3 and HL2 were released.

PC gaming is a habit that is more expensive than being addicted to drugs. I can't afford to spend $600 for a new video card and Crysis. I'd rather buy 10 Xbox 360 games.

 

[Srfrbum]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
I have an X1900XT and I can not even play CS:Source with max everything and at my native resolution (1900x1200) and still get decent frames, which is one of the reasons I am considering an 8800/R600

Your X1900XT must be broken because in my other computer, a 6800 Ultra AGP, AMD 3800+ Single core and 1GB of ram, lets me play 1920x1200 on my dell on high settings, max aa with FPS above 100 constanly. CSS isn't too much of a graphics demanding game.

 

[Genx87]

Originally posted by: Matt2
Take up console gaming like I did.

You'll save yourself from a lot of headaches thinking about topic.

I have found Xbox 360 games along with Xbox Live to be much more satisfying than anything PC has had to offer since Far Cry, Doom 3 and HL2 were released.

PC gaming is a habit that is more expensive than being addicted to drugs. I can't afford to spend $600 for a new video card and Crysis. I'd rather buy 10 Xbox 360 games.

You must be smoking the wrong drugs

There needs to be an original idea in these games. IMO the video game industry has become like the movie industry. It isnt quality but quantity. Put out as much product as possible and hope to sucker enough to make a profit.

Spore is a game I think has potential to really change the video gaming scene.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Srfrbum

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
I have an X1900XT and I can not even play CS:Source with max everything and at my native resolution (1900x1200) and still get decent frames, which is one of the reasons I am considering an 8800/R600

Your X1900XT must be broken because in my other computer, a 6800 Ultra AGP, AMD 3800+ Single core and 1GB of ram, lets me play 1920x1200 on my dell on high settings, max aa with FPS above 100 constanly. CSS isn't too much of a graphics demanding game.

Well no, it's not broken. I only play with Vsync on, so I am around 60 most of the time, but it slows down when there is a tonne of crap on the screen and I did have to lower the AA a notch and turn off HDR (not a huge loss, though I do like it).

 

[kylebisme]

Your processor is holding back your videocard in CS:S.

 

[NamelessMC]

Gears of War is the best game in 2006 I have played, and I only need $350 for the game and a "system" to play it on max settings.

I've always considered myself a PC gamer though, I was just addicted to WoW so long, I never got to see the actual game market slowly deteriorate.

 

[Matt2]

Originally posted by: NamelessMC
Gears of War is the best game in 2006 I have played, and I only need $350 for the game and a "system" to play it on max settings.

I've always considered myself a PC gamer though, I was just addicted to WoW so long, I never got to see the actual game market slowly deteriorate.

I am addicted to Gears of War. Nothing beats finding that 8 year old who talks too much crap on xbox live and blowing his head off with a sniper rifle. Then listen to him whine and complain about lag.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Matt2

Originally posted by: NamelessMC
Gears of War is the best game in 2006 I have played, and I only need $350 for the game and a "system" to play it on max settings.

I've always considered myself a PC gamer though, I was just addicted to WoW so long, I never got to see the actual game market slowly deteriorate.

I am addicted to Gears of War. Nothing beats finding that 8 year old who talks too much crap on xbox live and blowing his head off with a sniper rifle. Then listen to him whine and complain about lag.

This is one reason why I prefer PC gaming, I would rather pwn obnoxious teenagers over obnoxious 8 year-olds. Those 8 year old voices really get on my nerves.

 

[40sTheme]

I dunno; it really depends on your situation. I like FEARs multi as much as I like CS:S. I also like DoD:S, and I enjoy CoD2s multi. I can play all of those on max with these settings:
FEAR: no soft shadows or volume lights (both pointless in FEAR) 1280x960 (what I always game at) 4xAA 16xHQAF
CS:S: 16xSAA, 16xHQAF
DoD:S: 8xSAA, 16xHQAF
CoD2: 8xSAA, 16xHQAF
with a 7950GT. FEAR and CoD2 are better on the graphics situation than the latter two, and depending on my mood I may prefer one over the other 3, etc. CS:S is not necessarily the 'best'. And I don't like consoles; games are too boring; no IQ settings; have to have an HDTV for it to look any good; analog sticks are unprecise.

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: NamelessMC
Gears of War is the best game in 2006 I have played, and I only need $350 for the game and a "system" to play it on max settings.

Where do you get a 360, Gears, and a component or VGA cable for $350? Besides, even with that deal you can play all you want but not being able to save your progress though the game would really suck.

 

[Golgatha]

"Monolith games (This really awesome FPS/Robot game)"


That would be Shogo M.A.D. and it was a great game. Too bad it didn't work correctly under Win2K or XP. No One Lives Forever and NOLF 2 were great Monolith games also.

 

[adairusmc]

and the best FPS is still Counter-strike?

:laugh:

 

[Golgatha]

Company of Heros, Oblivion, and (soon) Supreme Commander (or C&C 3) all own/will own my hardware. However, I too took a step back recently and realized that if I upgraded from my X1900XTX to an 8800GTX; that there just isn't much point in upgrading right now. Reason being...the games just aren't there and my X1900XTX does fine with what I currently play.

Also, for the price difference between my current card and an 8800GTX I could grab a Wii or XBox 360 and try some games I haven't yet played. The only thing currently keeping me from a 360 is the fact that I really want a HDTV before I get any next gen consoles, as even the Wii supposedly looks better in 480p, which is something my CRT television just can't render.

I suppose that's my personal cyclic argument though, since I can play PC games at 1600x1200 with AF and AA turned on, and I don't have to wait long for PC games to come into the $20-$30 range. There again, I suppose I could get all the rental games I wanted for ~$20/month on a console, but I just don't have enough time for that to be worth the money either. I suppose I should just put my 3year old son on my lap, play the Flatout 2 Demo for the umpteenth time with him, and just enjoy life.

 

[Vinnybcfc]

Pubbing on FPS is dead for decent gaming playing in a clan/guild is the way to go

At least Ati and Nvidia are looking at IQ and not just performance

Hopefully with Direct x 10 developers will be able to make something great in graphics but easier to code so some thought goes into gameplay

 

[A554SS1N]

OP: Speak for yourself, CS isn't my top game, it isn't even in my top 20! lol

 

[BassBomb]

Originally posted by: Matt2
Take up console gaming like I did.

You'll save yourself from a lot of headaches thinking about topic.

I have found Xbox 360 games along with Xbox Live to be much more satisfying than anything PC has had to offer since Far Cry, Doom 3 and HL2 were released.

PC gaming is a habit that is more expensive than being addicted to drugs. I can't afford to spend $600 for a new video card and Crysis. I'd rather buy 10 Xbox 360 games.

That was a good year

 

[schneiderguy]

Originally posted by: Golgatha
Company of Heros will own my hardware

It isnt that demanding my 7600gt can run it maxed out at 1280*1024 with no aa, your x1900xtx could surely run it at 1600*1200 with aa and af

 

[Kromis]

I wouldn't quite say best FPS...I'd say..best multiplayer FPS!

 

[biostud]

UT2K7 maybe?

 

[happy medium]

I allways thought that you buy hardware to play the software.Why are
people buying high end hardware?To play through Oblivion and FEAR again?
Where's the games? I still dont see a need to upgrade. Don't give me "I want to be ready" crap. You can be ready and I'll buy the same system you have for 500.00$ less when the tiime is right.

Just a little rant

 

[Jules]

Originally posted by: Matt2
Take up console gaming like I did.

You'll save yourself from a lot of headaches thinking about topic.

I have found Xbox 360 games along with Xbox Live to be much more satisfying than anything PC has had to offer since Far Cry, Doom 3 and HL2 were released.

PC gaming is a habit that is more expensive than being addicted to drugs. I can't afford to spend $600 for a new video card and Crysis. I'd rather buy 10 Xbox 360 games.

I agree.