SS3:BFE Release Date Announce, up to 20% Pre-order discount, new video!

[Dankk]

I think that if SS3 would have been at least a directx 10, or a directx 11 game, it would have been awesome. The shadows are not very fluid, things just look "clunky" and dated.

This line of thinking doesn't make any sense, and it's annoying.

FYI: The version of DirectX API you use to develop your game does not determine how good-looking or realistic it is (at least, not directly). If I'm making a game with DirectX 9, and I decide to change it to DirectX 11, the game doesn't magically look better. Sticking a higher number of DX on it especially won't do anything if you don't have any use for the extra features.

Obviously if you're working in DirectX 5 then you'll have some limitations. But when comparing DirectX 9, 10, and 11, the differences are extremely marginal for most applications.

There are plenty of DX9 games that look WAY better than DX11 games. For example: The beautiful-looking Witcher 2 (DX9) compared to the shitty-looking Dragon Age 2 (DX11). Just because Bioware used a newer API doesn't mean the game doesn't look like ass.

Another example: The awesome Hard Reset (DX9) compared to the mediocre-looking F.E.A.R. 3 (DX11).

Although it frustrates many PC gaming enthusiasts, most developers still develop with DX9, and for good reason. When Croteam made Serious Sam 3, they looked at their options, and they said, "We can accomplish everything we want with DX9. Therefore it would be a waste to use DX10 or DX11." And, when they've made the game with DX9, it makes the game more portable. The dying Windows XP crowd can still play it. Porting the game to console becomes easier as well.

Yes, Serious Sam 3 is coming to console, which I'm sure also factored into the decision to use DX9. PC gamers will whine and bitch, but technically, Croteam still did everything the right way. They created the PC version first and foremost, and then they will dumb it down for consoles (unlike most other developers who do it the other way around).

SS3 is a very good-looking game. You can tell they made it with PC gamers in mind, regardless of how many DirectX's.

Sorry. Just had to get that off my chest.

 

[PrayForDeath]

I saw the launch trailer, and I'm not sure why they felt the need to add a story to the game. The cutscenes feel out of place, and don't really make the game any better. It also seemed like the game has horrible blocky shadows (looked worse than Skyrim.) Gameplay looks solid though.

 

[Texashiker]

This line of thinking doesn't make any sense, and it's annoying.

It does not make any sense to "you", but it does to me, and if you are annoyed, too bad.

There is no reason whatsoever for a PC game to be designed for dx9, unless its going to be ported to, or from a console.

Look at the steam hardware survey, the majority of the people use windows 7 and a dx10 video card.

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

SS3 looks dated, as in almost 10 years ago dated, but the gameplay is solid.

~EDIT~

Saying its ok for a game developer to use dx9 is a double standard.

John doe - I am still using xp
The majority of the people - John, its time to upgrade, windows 7 is great.

Some game developer uses dx9 for a game, and for some reason its excusable? No, its not ok to tell people to use the latest technology, and then excuse developers for using outdated technology.

 

[CPA]

I'm not seeing the blocky shadows or dated graphics, but that could be because I am running around tearing the eyeballs out of Gnaars. LOL.

 

[Texashiker]

I'm not seeing the blocky shadows or dated graphics, but that could be because I am running around tearing the eyeballs out of Gnaars. LOL.

SS3 is fun, the 2 hours I spent playing is the best time I have had in a game in a long time.

It appears the developers put a lot of time into gameplay, such as certain weapons working best on certain enemies.

 

[PrayForDeath]

It does not make any sense to "you", but it does to me, and if you are annoyed, too bad.

There is no reason whatsoever for a PC game to be designed for dx9, unless its going to be ported to, or from a console.

Look at the steam hardware survey, the majority of the people use windows 7 and a dx10 video card.

http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey

SS3 looks dated, as in almost 10 years ago dated, but the gameplay is solid.

~EDIT~

Saying its ok for a game developer to use dx9 is a double standard.

John doe - I am still using xp
The majority of the people - John, its time to upgrade, windows 7 is great.

Some game developer uses dx9 for a game, and for some reason its excusable? No, its not ok to tell people to use the latest technology, and then excuse developers for using outdated technology.

If you don't like the graphics you shouldn't be blaming DX9, you should be blaming the developers for not putting forth enough effort into the graphics. Deus Ex:HR is DX11 (with tesselation etc) and looks like it came out years ago. While Witcher 2 by comparison is a DX9 title and looks more beautiful than many DX11 titles out there.

But I'm really glad to hear that the game is tons of fun. Cause after all, that's all that matters.

 

[Texashiker]

But I'm really glad to hear that the game is tons of fun. Cause after all, that's all that matters.

Oh yea, I had a great time last night, probably one of the best gaming experiences I have had in a long time.

In recent gaming memory, I am comparing SS3 to left 4 dead and left 4 dead 2.

A little further back, I think SS3 is in the same league as Half-Life 2.

Its already a LOT better then doom 3 and quake 4, if that tells you anything.

Unless I am missing something, I wish SS3 had a map feature, it might be there but I can not seem to find it. In some of the maps I got turned around and found myself backtracking.

 

[CPA]

haha my bad, I don't know how I missed that

I guess I spent too much time looking for secrets - I don't remember it being so hard to find them in the prior games!

Scratch that, Steam updated my time played this morning. It took me 3 hours to get through the first 4 levels. I guess time flies.

on a new note, man the 5th level boss is tough.

 

[PrayForDeath]

How many hours is the game supposed to last? (singleplayer, normal difficulty)

 

[Rakewell]

No reviews yet? Surprising.

 

[Dankk]

It does not make any sense to "you", but it does to me, and if you are annoyed, too bad.

There is no reason whatsoever for a PC game to be designed for dx9, unless its going to be ported to, or from a console.

Ok then, so tell me: What's the advantage of using DX11 if they aren't going to be use any DX11 specific features? And moreso, what's the disadvantage of using only DX9? Because I'm not seeing it.

Saying "it's outdated" isn't a valid answer. What makes it outdated? What would we be missing if they had developed it with DX11 instead? (hint: absolutely nothing)

If you don't like the graphics you shouldn't be blaming DX9, you should be blaming the developers for not putting forth enough effort into the graphics.

This guy is correct. Texas, if the graphics are bad, it's not because the developers chose to use DX9. The version of DirectX they used doesn't make any difference; it merely acts as a "shell" for them to develop their engine in. It all comes down to how much effort they're willing to put in for themselves.

SS3 looks dated, as in almost 10 years ago dated, but the gameplay is solid.

Show me a game from 10 years ago that looks like this:

Technically-speaking, SS3 certainly isn't the most bleeding-edge game around. It does, however, look very nice. And that's a result of the work they put into making their engine, the textures, models, and animations... NOT the result of DirectX.

You can keep saying "well, it makes sense to me, this is my opinion, blah, blah, blah" but as long as your opinion is based on a complete falsehood, I will continue to disregard it.

 

[mb]

Scratch that, Steam updated my time played this morning. It took me 3 hours to get through the first 4 levels. I guess time flies.

on a new note, man the 5th level boss is tough.

I was wrong on my time, too. I grouped the first two levels into one..
Stage 1 took me 27 minutes
Stage 2 took me 34 minutes
Stage 3 took me 40 minutes

I'm tempted to one day use a walk-through to find the secrets! I hate finding a secret that has ammo for a gun I don't have yet, but then I don't ever find the secret place for the weapon :-\

 

[mb]

What the hell are you supposed to do against that big ass space ship at the end of "Under the Iron Cloud"???? Nothing seems to hurt it!

 

[CPA]

What the hell are you supposed to do against that big ass space ship at the end of "Under the Iron Cloud"???? Nothing seems to hurt it!

First, don't shoot the middle blue orb, that does nothing. Wait until the back or front orbs open and shoot out the transport beam. Then hit them with rockets. You will probably only be able to git the orbs 5-6 times before they close up. Kill as much on the ground as possible after. Rinse and repeat.

Listen for the transport beam. That's when you can look up and start shooting, that is if you aren't being swarmed. It took me several tries to pass it. Starting with that boss monster, things start getting tough.

 

[mb]

Good god that is hard! Once the bulls start charging - forget about it!

 

[Texashiker]

Show me a game from 10 years ago that looks like this:

How about painkiller, released in 2004, quake 3 arena from 1999, doom 3 in 2004 and quake 4 in 2005.

as long as your opinion is based on a complete falsehood, I will continue to disregard it.

I dont give a crap if you disregard my opinion.

The version of DirectX they used doesn't make any difference; it merely acts as a "shell" for them to develop their engine in. It all comes down to how much effort they're willing to put in for themselves.

Have you ever seen a side-by-side comparison of what dx9, 10 and 11 are capable of? With statements like the one you just posted, I doubt you have seen any type of real comparison.

As far as I am concerned, the graphics of SS3 look dated, and I do not care if you like my opinion or not.

 

[Barfo]

Yeah what the hell man. Developers just need to tick the DX11 box in their programming environment and bam! instant higher detail! Not difficult at all.

 

[Dankk]

Have you ever seen a side-by-side comparison of what dx9, 10 and 11 are capable of? With statements like the one you just posted, I doubt you have seen any type of real comparison.

You still seem to be missing my point. Yes, I'm aware of what DX10 and 11 are capable of.

Croteam picked the version of DirectX that best fit their needs though, and it happened to be DX9. DX10 and DX11 certainly have newer features... but there isn't much point in developing with them if you're not going to use those features, no?

Let's just agree to disagree.

I'm also glad to see another Painkiller fan. The graphics in PK certainly have aged very well, alongside HL2, no doubt. But in Painkiller I'm not seeing the same detailed models, lighting, and particle effects that exist in Serious Sam 3.

Of course, that's because Serious Engine 3.5 is much more capable than the PainEngine.

But again... agree to disagree.

 

[PrayForDeath]

First review is out:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/11/24/wot-i-think-serious-sam-3-bfe/

He seems to like it alot.

 

[Texashiker]

Before I say too much, someone else try this.

Start task manager, click performance tab

Start SS3, play for a few minutes

Alt+tab out of the game, or control-alt-del

In task manager, check the load across all of the cores

Is the load equally distributed across all cores?

You still seem to be missing my point. Yes, I'm aware of what DX10 and 11 are capable of.

Croteam picked the version of DirectX that best fit their needs though,

When I see a directx 9 game, I believe its because consoles use DX9. Instead of using the newest technology, developers are hanging onto outdated consoles.

PC technology has outpaced consoles, but developers are still thinking about console development.

SS3 is a great game, and the graphics should not take away from that.

 

[mb]

Ugh I finally beat the space ship at the end of stage 4! That was really hard (for me)! I found that going into 3rd person really helped so I didn't get overrun by enemies.

Texashiker: I have a 2600k. It shows 8 "cores" in task manager since it's quad core with HT on. Core 0 gets used the most at about 75% (my estimate), and cores 2, 4, and 6 also get utilized evenly among them at about 30-40%. 1, 3, 5, and 7 aren't used.

And as far as the graphics go... sure, they could be better for a 2011 game. But they are by no means bad. This game is just pure FUN and the graphics do not detract from that.

If anyone is trying to get a feel for how long the game might be, steam says I have played for 6 hours now. I am at the beginning of stage 5. There appears to be 10 stages and each one has been bigger and more difficult so far. So after 6 hours, I still have ~5.75 stages to complete. I am sure you could rush through the game on easy or especially tourist mode, but that would just ruin the fun.

 

[CPA]

I'm at stage 7, I believe and have put in 9 hours. There are 12 stages according to everything I've read.

 

[imaheadcase]

How about painkiller, released in 2004, quake 3 arena from 1999, doom 3 in 2004 and quake 4 in 2005.





I dont give a crap if you disregard my opinion.




Have you ever seen a side-by-side comparison of what dx9, 10 and 11 are capable of? With statements like the one you just posted, I doubt you have seen any type of real comparison.

As far as I am concerned, the graphics of SS3 look dated, and I do not care if you like my opinion or not.

Wait a minute, are you saying that painkiller screenshot looks like the previous poster serious sam3 screenshot?

If yes, then you need glasses. They are completely different in graphics quaility. lol

 

[mb]

I'm at stage 7, I believe and have put in 9 hours. There are 12 stages according to everything I've read.

lol I'll get my facts straight one of these days!
When I was searching for help on level 4, all the sites I pulled up only had 10 levels listed for some reason. On the seriouszone forums it says there are 12 levels.

 

[N2gaming]

I didnt want to start another SS3 thread so I jumped in here but if I need to start another thread, please just let me know and I will.

I have already been playing SS3 for a little while now, maybe 80 min or so and I have started it about 3 or 4 different times without any problems.

So yesterday and last night and this morning I tried playing SS3 and got this message:

"STEAM ERROR - This game is currently unavailable Please try again at another time."

Well, at first I thought Steam was down but I tried another Steam game and I've played it multiple times so for some reason I cant load up SS3.

Does anyone have a fix for this or am I the only one so far btw, where is the Sam3.exe file located???

Thanks for your help