WoW 3.1.1 Patch Notes

[Wreckage]

http://www.wowinsider.com/2009...es-released/#continued

Corrected an issue for GeForce2/ATI 7 series card users that would result in critical errors for select actions in game. As a result certain projected textures, like spell effects and targeting circles, will no longer render on some terrain objects.

Seriously? I could not imagine running this thing on Geforce4/ATI 8 series let alone anything older.

Blizzard collects hardware information from time to time when you run WoW. I would be curious to see a hardware survey from them similar to what Steam posts.



Moving to PCG.

AmberClad
VideoModerator

 

[Barfo]

Not surprising at all for me, back in the day when I played almost everyone was on integrated graphics.

 

[ggnl]

Not surprising at all. One of the major reasons behind WoW's massive playerbase is its ability to run on completely craptastic hardware.

 

[schmedy]

Originally posted by: Wreckage
http://www.wowinsider.com/2009...es-released/#continued

Corrected an issue for GeForce2/ATI 7 series card users that would result in critical errors for select actions in game. As a result certain projected textures, like spell effects and targeting circles, will no longer render on some terrain objects.

Seriously? I could not imagine running this thing on Geforce4/ATI 8 series let alone anything older.

Blizzard collects hardware information from time to time when you run WoW. I would be curious to see a hardware survey from them similar to what Steam posts.



Moving to PCG.

AmberClad
VideoModerator

I would bet they are talking about 280 series, or more so I hope they are, I can't even remember how long it has been since I have a 2 series one. Next patch will be the dos 6 patch so ascii shows up better, and yet still no SLI fix....

 

[Balt]

If you look at the listed minimum specs for WoW and its expansions, they are still very, very low.

Is the game really playable with those specs? Probably not. *Maybe* if you avoided every major city and highly populated area in the game.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Not surprising at all for me, back in the day when I played almost everyone was on integrated graphics.

WoW now with everything cranked will bring a lot of DX10 hardware to its' knees. Pretty much everyone I play with runs 8800 or better hardware. I suppose you may be able to play with lesser hardware, but just due to the way the game is coded right now it isn't viable, these patch notes are an example-

As a result certain projected textures, like spell effects and targeting circles, will no longer render on some terrain objects.

That means anyone with older hardware is now auto removed from current raid content. If you can't see void zones etc, you can't run raid content(5 mans will be a problem also, but slightly greater healing is a lot different then assured fail).

 

[schmedy]

I could only imagine Dalarin with minimum specs, or even better WG.

 

[Aikouka]

I know way too many people that play on laptops and such with the horrible integrated graphics. Heck, my laptop has a 8600GT in it, and it can be a bit of bear even on that system.

 

[iahk]

You must remember the base game of wow launched in nov 2004. Just look at the box, min requirements... video card with hardware t&l such as Geforce 2 series.

Blizz added the pretty stuff later on and you can see it reflected with the minimum requirements bumping up on each of the expansions

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: barfo
Not surprising at all for me, back in the day when I played almost everyone was on integrated graphics.

Before the expansions, sure. I was running this on my laptop. It completely chokes on WotLK.

 

[makken]

Hmm.. is anyone running this on an ATi 4870? I'm getting some weird fps / shuttering issues, and I'm in a deserted zone in the old world. heck, it's performing worst than my laptop which has an ati x600

 

[BenSkywalker]

Hmm.. is anyone running this on an ATi 4870? I'm getting some weird fps / shuttering issues, and I'm in a deserted zone in the old world.

If you have a 512MB board, try backing off the draw distance a bit(or lowering the AA a tad- although draw distance seems to be a much larger issue). Wrath's draw distance at max is about double what it was in TBC at max. Other then that, shadows tends to be the big pita as that is handled by the CPU in WoW instead of the GPU.

 

[makken]

yeah, i just disabled dynamic shadows and toned down shadows settings from max and my fps jumped from 30ish to 120ish. I still have shuttering issues especially when I try to look around fast though

 

[Cancer12]

Originally posted by: Wreckage

Originally posted by: barfo
Not surprising at all for me, back in the day when I played almost everyone was on integrated graphics.

Before the expansions, sure. I was running this on my laptop. It completely chokes on WotLK.

Does it look significantly better to warrant choking hardware it once ran fine on?

 

[Harabec]

When I built my new PC a few months ago I ordered my 4850 from a different place so only had integrated graphics for a couple of days.
Lowered everything, looked like crap, but WoW ran just fine

 

[Aikouka]

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker
If you have a 512MB board, try backing off the draw distance a bit(or lowering the AA a tad- although draw distance seems to be a much larger issue). Wrath's draw distance at max is about double what it was in TBC at max. Other then that, shadows tends to be the big pita as that is handled by the CPU in WoW instead of the GPU.

I'd say texture detail would be better to lower. I have a 512MB 4870 and that's what I did to make dual-client easier.

 

[makken]

i'm actually surprised that WoW has high enough quality textures for me to be running into the vram wall. I do play at 1920x1080 so that may have something to do with it. oh, and yeah, it is a 512 mb card, wasn't really planning on getting it in the first place, but couldn't resist the $134AR price.