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[PA Comic] Friday, January 9, 2015 - Power Creep

DogDog Registered User, Administrator, Vanilla Staff admin
edited January 2015 in The Penny Arcade Hub
Unknown User on
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Posts

  • biohazardbiohazard Registered User new member
    Really? I must say I'm unsympathetic the minimum requirements only amount to a half way modern quad core and a 130 dollar gpu. As some one who games only on pc I'm tired of seeing games that are held back by what consoles can do. That is of course assuming that its not simply a buggy piece of shit that doesn't run well on anything like AC unity is.

  • shadaikshadaik Registered User new member
    I got two words: Console gaming. I never understood why people use an office device with an unwieldy keyboard input to play games anyway.

  • MirkelMirkel FinlandRegistered User regular
    I've named my computer Skynet ages ago, which makes this strip extra funny. Especially since it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements.

  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    shadaik wrote: »
    I got two words: Console gaming. I never understood why people use an office device with an unwieldy keyboard input to play games anyway.

    How about phones or cardboard/paperstock/plastic?

  • Rhesus PositiveRhesus Positive GNU Terry Pratchett Registered User regular
    Zxerol wrote: »
    shadaik wrote: »
    I got two words: Console gaming. I never understood why people use an office device with an unwieldy keyboard input to play games anyway.

    How about phones or cardboard/paperstock/plastic?

    Sticks held like guns and dustbin lids for shields or gtfo

    [Muffled sounds of gorilla violence]
  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    The only real difference between consoles and gaming computers these days is a custom case and a standardized, fixed-target hardware spec. Even the controllers are interchangeable.

    Commander Zoom on
  • A duck!A duck! Moderator, ClubPA Mod Emeritus
    I just went through this with Dragon Age: Inquisition, where I found after the lengthy download that my computer had no shot at even launching the game. That was a kick in the teeth.

  • QuidQuid Definitely not a banana Registered User regular
    Good ol' Gabe

    Always ready with a handy for those in need

  • PonyPony Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    When Dragon Age Inquisiotn was on the horizon, my wife and I looked at the minimums and recommends for the PC version

    we looked at the specs on our current PCs

    looked at the costs of upgrades

    ...and just turned in our 360s and bought two Xbox Ones instead and it was a fuck ton less money.

    Pony on
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    Gonna work that into my next sympathy talk with a friend.

    What is this I don't even.
  • Albino BunnyAlbino Bunny Jackie Registered User regular
    Pony wrote: »
    When Dragon Age Inquisiotn was on the horizon, my wife and I looked at the minimums and recommends for the PC version

    we looked at the specs on our current PCs

    looked at the costs of upgrades

    ...and just turned in our 360s and bought two Xbox Ones instead and it was a fuck ton less money.

    I mean, on the plus side with how weird the camera movement feels on KBAM in DA that was probably the right call.

    Also I remember the first game I shelled out a bunch of change to get my PC up to running:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNGuR8SO9xk

    It uh, put me off the practice. These days I just buy the best I can afford when I get a PC and say fuck it if I can't run a game well.

  • Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    I thought he already upgraded to future tech?

    217537272_RkWpE-1050x10000.jpg

    steam_sig.png

    Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
  • wormspeakerwormspeaker Objectively Terrible Registered User regular
    The midrange gaming computer I built last year beats the minimum requirements and actually comes pretty close to the recommended ones. There's no way that you could build a PC to play this game with the same dollar budget as a console, but for less than double the budget you could build a PC that smashes those requirements. I love gaming on PC, you get experiences that you just can't have on console and you actually save money over the long term because games are cheaper if you wait a few months for a Steam sale.

  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    Even the controllers are interchangeable.

    Really? Good luck playing games on a modern console with a flexible, precise keyboard and mouse setup - it's gamepad or bust! :D

    Anyway I just looked at the Witcher 3 sysreqs and my machine hits or exceeds all of them comfortably. I don't particularly want to play the game myself so it's academic to me but I'm glad that with the launch of a new console hardware generation developers feel comfortable pushing the limits... at least for a couple of years until PC hardware has left the consoles in the dust again.

    Gaslight on
  • Mild ConfusionMild Confusion Smash All Things Registered User regular
    Witcher is one of those weird series where it does so much that's cool and good, such as the C&C, interesting combat mechanics, nuanced characters, ect. And so much that's awful, such as Geralt being a brick of a character, unclear narrative at times that just tosses a shit load of info and ten new characters at you like drinking from a fire hose, the way they horribly exploit women, and -at times- truly horrible voice acting (though it's sometimes really good too).

    So... I'll be waiting on a Steam sale and upgrading my computer when prices drop on parts.

    steam_sig.png

    Battlenet ID: MildC#11186 - If I'm in the game, send me an invite at anytime and I'll play.
  • megascorchermegascorcher NorwayRegistered User regular
    I don't quite get it? I got my system 2 years 2 months ago, didn't shell out an ungodly amount on it, and still fall barely short of the recommended requirements for Witcher 3. (i5-3570k, 660Ti).

  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    Even the controllers are interchangeable.

    Really? Good luck playing games on a modern console with a flexible, precise keyboard and mouse setup - it's gamepad or bust! :D

    To me, "controller" means a gamepad. If I'd meant keyboard, mouse, or joystick, I'd have said so.

  • joshofalltradesjoshofalltrades Class Traitor Smoke-filled roomRegistered User regular
    Some games work better with a KBAM setup.

    Some games work better with a controller.

    Some people have unique preferences for one or the other in certain situations. Your personal preference is not objectively correct for everybody else.

    Now if you'll excuse me, there's an argument about whether Elvis or The Beatles were better that I need to go break up.

  • ElroydbElroydb Registered User regular
    It sounds like several people are using considerably older rigs but still fitting 8 GB of RAM of just DDR2 isn't expensive. I wouldn't even sweat the chip - any quad core should be fine. That isn't your bottleneck. A duo core might even be enough. The problem will be with the card but shop around with the GTX 700 series. You might not get 60 FPS with unlimited draw distance but I bet you could close enough to it that you wouldn't notice. After $40 in RAM and $150 in a GPU you won't have to worry about upgrading to play new games for a couple years. Don't despair PC Master Race gamers. Besides you can boycott purchase until these companies can frackin' port the game in a half decent way like with Dead Space so this overkill in horsepower won't be necessary to overcome shoddy work by the game developers

    Besides in a year or two a Skynet will cost about fifty bucks

  • LinktmLinktm Registered User regular
    Stuff like this always make me go "Well, son of a bitch, I guess I won't be playing that anytime soon." I'm pretty sure I'm close to minimum specs though, which is nice. Glad I did buy a new video card recently. Now I just need to play the other 2 Witcher games, lol.

  • NerdWarrio83NerdWarrio83 Registered User new member
    Awesome! I have two Skynets. :D

  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    A steak! wrote: »
    I just went through this with Dragon Age: Inquisition, where I found after the lengthy download that my computer had no shot at even launching the game. That was a kick in the teeth.

    Not to seem unsympathetic, but I'm a little confused by this. Isn't this why system requirements are listed? So people can avoid buying games they won't be able to run? I don't understand why this would happen.

    Gaslight on
  • TransluciaTranslucia Registered User regular
    see!

  • RedthirstRedthirst Registered User regular
    I guess it's just my country, but my PC costed about the same as previous-gen console did, and yet it can still run Witcher 3(doubt that it will give me decent FPS, but I never said that my PC was high-end).

    steam_sig.png
  • Warlock82Warlock82 Never pet a burning dog Registered User regular
    Panel 2 is fantastic

    Switch: 2143-7130-1359 | 3DS: 4983-4927-6699 | Steam: warlock82 | PSN: Warlock2282
  • BrettxPWBrettxPW Registered User regular
    I hope their wives are aware of the way these two friends get each other through tough times.

  • fightinfilipinofightinfilipino Angry as Hell #BLMRegistered User regular
    i gotta say, i didn't expect this comic thread to be done by the first two reply posts.

    ffNewSig.png
    steam | Dokkan: 868846562
  • EnlongEnlong Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    Even the controllers are interchangeable.

    Really? Good luck playing games on a modern console with a flexible, precise keyboard and mouse setup - it's gamepad or bust! :D

    To me, "controller" means a gamepad. If I'd meant keyboard, mouse, or joystick, I'd have said so.

    To me, "gamepad" means Wii U.

  • Albino BunnyAlbino Bunny Jackie Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    A steak! wrote: »
    I just went through this with Dragon Age: Inquisition, where I found after the lengthy download that my computer had no shot at even launching the game. That was a kick in the teeth.

    Not to seem unsympathetic, but I'm a little confused by this. Isn't this why system requirements are listed? So people can avoid buying games they won't be able to run? I don't understand why this would happen.

    System requirements are super weird and sometimes inaccurate.

    Partly because peoples definition of 'runs' for a game can be different (some people play stuff at basically 5fps if they really love the game) and partly because there's alot of weird and varied computer rigs out there so you can get odd cases where something that should be below the specs can run it surprisingly well and things that should be above the specs can't.

    Also you get companies who are basically talking shit out their arse for specs like Ubisoft has been ever since next gen dropped.

  • jwalkjwalk Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    not yet witchy enough
    i-58HjNcX-1050x10000.jpg

    jwalk on
  • TubeTube Registered User admin
    i gotta say, i didn't expect this comic thread to be done by the first two reply posts.

    Yeah, even I was surprised by how fast we covered all the bases.

  • StericaSterica Yes Registered User, Moderator mod
    Perhaps now it's too witchy.

    YL9WnCY.png
  • PMAversPMAvers Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    It'll be interesting to see how the final product comes out. CD Projekt Red feels like one of the few developers where you won't refer to the computer version as a "port", it'll be the full-blown lead version and not being held back by the lack of p processing that the consoles have.

    I'm looking at you, Ubi.

    PMAvers on
    persona4celestia.jpg
    COME FORTH, AMATERASU! - Switch Friend Code SW-5465-2458-5696 - Twitch
  • JeedanJeedan Registered User regular
    Witcher is one of those weird series where it does so much that's cool and good, such as the C&C, interesting combat mechanics, nuanced characters, ect. And so much that's awful, such as Geralt being a brick of a character, unclear narrative at times that just tosses a shit load of info and ten new characters at you like drinking from a fire hose, the way they horribly exploit women, and -at times- truly horrible voice acting (though it's sometimes really good too).

    So... I'll be waiting on a Steam sale and upgrading my computer when prices drop on parts.

    I never managed to get into it for this reason, I kept thinking "In a game purportedly about narrative choice if my PC is going to be this fucking boring then why not go the whole hog and make him a bioware style player created blank slate? At least then I might have some shot at getting invested in him."

  • RatherDashing89RatherDashing89 Registered User regular
    Perhaps now it's too witchy.

    It was bound to happen. Each game has been witcher than the last.
    i-3CnvcCW.jpg

  • OddfishOddfish On opposite weeks In odd numbered monthsRegistered User regular
    edited January 2015
    I was a console gamer.

    Until I discovered the majesty of e-mail alerts from Newegg and Amazon.

    When you can get a $500 card for $280 with free two-day shipping it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to invest in a console unless you absolutely MUST play an exclusive title on said console or the only way to enjoy a social gaming experience with your friends is to own the console on which they're all playing.

    Granted, you ideally have to have access to the bonus hobby funding at a moment's notice to take advantage of these "CRAZY DEALZ" but if you do you can stay ahead of the curve comfortably without ever falling into a power deficit.

    It's like waiting for Steam Sales. Patience, young padawan.

    EDIT: On the other hand, one has to wonder if there is an event horizon where the two will finally meet. There was a time when everyone thought the console was going to just become another PC but instead it went a whole other direction and became a fully functional home entertainment device. I don't think the two will ever be interchangeable but I do wonder if there will ever be a time when the specs will be so similar that the difference between the two will be negligible.

    Seeing as consoles are static I don't imagine that will ever be the case. I guess what it boils down to is how deep we plunge into the uncanny valley.

    Oddfish on
  • CalicaCalica Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    Gabe finally got a haircut! I like it.

    Calica on
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  • Commander ZoomCommander Zoom Registered User regular
    Perhaps now it's too witchy.

    It was bound to happen. Each game has been witcher than the last.
    i-3CnvcCW.jpg

    Witchaga.

  • EmperorSethEmperorSeth Registered User regular
    Pony wrote: »
    When Dragon Age Inquisiotn was on the horizon, my wife and I looked at the minimums and recommends for the PC version

    we looked at the specs on our current PCs

    looked at the costs of upgrades

    ...and just turned in our 360s and bought two Xbox Ones instead and it was a fuck ton less money.

    I just got the 360 version. I just bought a WiiU, no way I'm going to get another console.

    I have to admit, the "turned in our 360s" hurt me in the brainparts. I thought the Xbone isn't backwards compatible? So you can't play any of your 360 games again? No one last spin around a favorite RPG? No getting some DLC for a game during the slow months? No hopping in multiplayer with some friends, no picking up a few missed 360 classics you never got around to? eeee.....

    Not judging you here, but I never had the capacity to do that. Hell, the only reason I don't still have an NES and SNES is my brother claimed them. Well, and they were barely working. I still have my PS2 up on my backup TV, and it gets semi-regular use.

    You know what? Nanowrimo's cancelled on account of the world is stupid.
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