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WTF is up with PC gaming nowadays?

B

BD2003

Lifer
Is it me, or is every newly released game absolutely buggy?

UT2003, bugs galore.
NOLF2, sound bugs everywhere.
GTA3, the entire game is one giant bug.
BF1942, worst netcode ever written
WC3, horrible performance, a little mipmapping wouldnt hurt either. Various bugs as well.

And the list goes on and on. I cant even think of one game released within the last 3 years that didnt need to be patched in one way or another.

I pick up a gamecube game, or any console game, and its perfectly bug free.

Regardless of the fact that theres a million different hardware configurations out for PCs, why can't they make a game that isnt totally bug ridden? Isnt everything supposed to conform to DirectX?

Dont even get me started on the cheating....
 
Is it time for an Xbox?

EDIT: Actually, it may be time for a PS2/Gamecube--I will be the first to admit that Xbox games are released with bugs! I picked up 'Mad Dash Racing' the other day cuz my sister wanted a Mario Kart-clone (this is the closest thing besides Crazy Taxi/Simpsons' Road Rage.) It was a bargain at $15 preowned. Well, after we started playing I realized why this game wasn't such a hot seller. This thing starts out at 60fps, but at certain sections it will slow down to 20fps! 20fps in a RACING game! Not good!
 
Regardless of the fact that theres a million different hardware configurations out for PCs
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Not only that, but there are a billion different software and OS configurations/drivers out for PCs. Thanks for answering your own question😉

Honestly, I haven't had problems with most of the games you listed, barring the terrible net performance of UT2k3 and BF1942 due to my school network. One of the major problems is that bugs are rarely encountered by the testers since they are a small population with different configurations, whereas there is only ONE PS2/GCN/XBox platform.

EDIT: Also, console bugs are downplayed since they cannot be fixed. Instead, a few are tolerated, including terrible framerate drops, explaining that sacrifices are made for super cool advancements. For example, Mario Sunshine may be pretty, but it has the most ANNOYING clipping and geometry errors ever. I love when Mario is stuck in the floor, ceiling, or just decides to rise/fall through platforms.
 
Then the companies need to get more testers, and buy more hardware. There is no excuse for missing 90% of the bugs out there. When I find a major bug and check the forums for that particular game, I see a million posts saying the same thing. Developers shift the blame to hardware manufacturers, and vice versa. I'm quite aware of why these problems exist, but its simply not a good enough excuse.

You know whats the biggest problem I've found that effects the most people? The CD protection present on all new games, which has problems with millions of drives. If I had pirated the game, I wouldnt have this problem. Its so easily defeated, why do they even put it there?

From now on, theyre not getting my money unless the game anyone actually works. Anyone want to buy some games?
 
I cant even think of one game released within the last 3 years that didnt need to be patched in one way or another.
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ummm... Return to Castle Wolfenstein? Serious Sam? Soldier of Fortune 2?

I don't know about you, but I have these and they never had any sort of problem. So if these needed fixing, I don't know - I never checked on the web to see if patches are available or needed.
 
I bought an Xbox. I play games on my pc far more than I do the Xbox because there is more selection, and I can use broadband and play a wide range of people. Xbox Live is coming in November, but it's a subscription service. I am not going to pay a subscription fee plus the game plus the hardware, because I don't hardcore game anymore. Regardless of bugs (which can be patched), I will stick with PC gaming.

edit: I have crashed my Xbox several times, in fact I found a bug in NBA Live where I could blue screen the system *at will*. So even the consoles are not without their problems.
 
RTCW wouldnt run for me without the first patch.

Serious Sam is the exception to the rule in more ways than one. It was admittedly as close to bug free as you can get, and it was $20.

SOF2 wasnt worth the CD it was stamped on, so I couldnt even say.
 
I liked warcraft3! I agree some games are so buggy that there should be suits launched against the makers. I remember that fallout2 was a particularly buggy game as was daggerfall, but these are only spectacularly buggy. THen also Ultima Online. Those games when released were quite literally unplayable. All software has bugs, but those were just totally out of this world.
 
Don't buy a game until the first or second patch is available. It's that simple.

Other perks: the game might be cheaper, there will be more support info. and fan sites up and running, forums will exist so you can troubleshoot any problem.

If you "gotta have it now" then expect bugs and STFU. 🙂
 
Originally posted by: JellyBaby
Don't buy a game until the first or second patch is available. It's that simple.

Other perks: the game might be cheaper, there will be more support info. and fan sites up and running, forums will exist so you can troubleshoot any problem.

If you "gotta have it now" then expect bugs and STFU. 🙂
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Exactly, I made the mistake of preordering Fallout Tactics and had time to play through Jagged Alliance 2 (a much better game) while I waited for the 2 patches needed to make FOT playable. Lesson learned, I'll never buy a game before or at the time of release again.

 
UT2k3 -Best FPS Ever! Are you trying to run the game on a 486? My friend has a 1Ghz PIII and GeForce 3 and it runs like a dream even on the higher resolutions. Yes, you do need a good computer. If your using Windows XP try to close out the other programs running in the backround. You do need a high speed ISP to run the game
NOLF2 -Best Game ever, what sound problems are you talking about! Are you using your internal sound card?
BattleField 1942 -Its a Multiplayer Game...'nuff said
Warcraft 3 -Best Stragtegy ever made 😀

You must be using a 486 BD2003
 
Is it me, or is every newly released game absolutely buggy?
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Most of the initial releases of games that I buy work perfectly and I think you're blowing the issue way out of proportion. Yes there are some examples of really poorly coded games but the vast majority of them work very well.

Also, why are you talking about performance when referring to bugs? Sure it could be a bug in the engine but more often than not it's just the simple fact that everything slows down when there's more action on the screen. That is not a bug, nor is slow performance caused by a sub-par system. If you're seeing so many performance "bugs" perhaps it's time to upgrade your system.

And have you stopped to think about the fact that perhaps your errors are caused by your system, not by the games? Drivers, flaky hardware, old BIOSes and chipset drivers and the like can all cause problems, problems which are not the fault of games.

UT2003, bugs galore.
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UT2003 runs perfectly for me with great speed and visuals. What problems are you having?

WC3, horrible performance, a little mipmapping wouldnt hurt either. Various bugs as well.
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Except for the known EAX issue in Warcraft III which I believe has been fixed in version 1.03, Warcraft III runs great with excellent performance and great visuals. What "various bugs" are you talking about?

I pick up a gamecube game, or any console game, and its perfectly bug free
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Uh, that's what you think. Console games might have less bugs on average than their PC counterparts but perfect they are not. Also a lack of patches on consoles means you miss out on mods, extra features, performance tweaks, etc. Also when you do get a bug on a console you're pretty much screwed because you can't fix it.
 
I've got no issues with the performance of any of these games except WC3 doesnt run as good as it should considering the graphics. Theyre great games, dont get me wrong, I love them all to death, but I just wish they wouldnt get rushed out like this. I'm not talking about framerate problems, they usually run, its just theres lots of annoying little things.

System:
1800XP
GF4200
Nforce Audio/Ethernet
512mb DDR,
5.1 Home Theater setup with 12 inch subwoofer

Not a wussy machine. Every driver is updated to the newest version. Running WinXP w/ SP1. I've done everything by the book.

UT2003 has horrible audio. The music and effects are great, but the engine is not. It doesnt occlude properly, it doesnt position 360 degrees properly. It crashes often. UT1 had a better audio engine, and I'm even using the certified 5.1 dolby digital encoder on my nforce. As with many bugs, many people either dont care or dont notice, but that doesnt make it any better. And unless youre using an audigy, there is no EAX effects. Check the UT2003 tech support forums and you'll see Im not the only one.

NOLF2 works great, but it was a headache to get the sound to work because it apparently cant coexist with the nimo codec pack, and I get no audio of anything more than a few feet from my character. I can see the guy shooting an AK47 in my face, but Ill only hear the bullets flying by my face. Tried disabling hardware sound, still the same problem, and hell, voices and ambient effects come out on practically only one side. Again, check the forums, and youll see its not just me.

I'm glad that at least patches do come out, but as consumers we should not put up with that sh*t. Sure you cant add mods to console games, but whens the last time your gamecube has crashed on you?
 
Originally posted by: Maleficus
Warcraft 3 is awesome u just gotta not suck at it to enjoy it. 🙂
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especially AEON maps and Various Tower Defence maps.. actually those are what I do with WC3, i dont yet even know all the races .
 
Originally posted by: wyvrn
I bought an Xbox. I play games on my pc far more than I do the Xbox because there is more selection, and I can use broadband and play a wide range of people. Xbox Live is coming in November, but it's a subscription service. I am not going to pay a subscription fee plus the game plus the hardware, because I don't hardcore game anymore. Regardless of bugs (which can be patched), I will stick with PC gaming.

edit: I have crashed my Xbox several times, in fact I found a bug in NBA Live where I could blue screen the system *at will*. So even the consoles are not without their problems.
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*cough*cough*Ummm....last I checked, the XBox IS a PC. One of my friends opened his up recently and it was a standard hard drive and DVD-ROM drive in there....kinda sad actually. I could probably build a better XBox if they made the main board available. Now THAT'S a good idea!!!!!! 😀

By the way, this is probably off topic, but if you already had a PC, why even bother to get a console and get the XBox? Just don't make no sense to me...ummm...nevermind, I don't want to start a console war discussion
 
*cough*cough*Ummm....last I checked, the XBox IS a PC. One of my friends opened his up recently and it was a standard hard drive and DVD-ROM drive in there....kinda sad actually. I could probably build a better XBox if they made the main board available. Now THAT'S a good idea!!!!!!

By the way, this is probably off topic, but if you already had a PC, why even bother to get a console and get the XBox? Just don't make no sense to me...ummm...nevermind, I don't want to start a console war discussion
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*cough*cough* let's not bring up this dumb ass arguement again. XBox is a console just as much as the GC and PS2. Just because you recognize the parts doesn't make it a PC.
rolleye.gif


And as far as the PC games mentioned above, they run perfect on both of my gaming machines (P4 and Athlon XP). 😉
 
Your argument would mean that a Tivo is a PC. Last I checked, I didn't do any word processing with my Tivo. Of course, my Tivo is running a more stable operating system than an X-Box. God, blue screening in a console. If that doesn't make you hate Microsoft, I don't know what will. (Yeah, yeah, Microsoft didn't code the game, blah, blah, blah...)
 
Originally posted by: wellerdball
yea games do seem to be going in that direction but man warcraft 3 had no excuses for being so lame it was delayed so badly
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being so lame? tell me how was it lame? balance issues, sure, everybody will bitch about one thing or another, but i never really saw any bugs in mine.
 
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