The game looks worse than GTA3 at 1280x1024 and runs worse too. It's a shockingly lazy port, to say nothing of constant needing to use the keyboard in menus and very slow mouse acceleration.
? I don't have any idea what you're playing, but it runs excellently on mine. I must say, always set shadows to below 2 or 3, regardless of your system. You can set everything else to the highest settings on a decent card without too much of a hitch, but Rockstar still hasn't gotten down the times-old art of shadow mapping. 0 doesn't turn OFF shadows, it just turns them down to a very low level, so don't think it's going to look that shitty at the lowest setting.
tl;dr, turn down your shadows, don't worry as much about the other settings, shadows choke the entire game's optimization.
View Distance 25
Detail Distance 37
Vehicle Density 26
Shadow Density 0
Looks bad, runs bad, and also constant popping in of scenery, vehicles and people. Also, turning down shadows was the first thing I did, as other games often choke on shadows much more than anything else (such as NWN2).
Edit: Ran the benchmark program. 24 FPS seems oddly high. Also the video card was better than what I mentioned - forgot I'd bought a new one. Results:
Statistics
Average FPS: 24.22
Duration: 37.69 sec
CPU Usage: 95%
System memory usage: 78%
Video memory usage: 67%
Graphics Settings
Video Mode: 1280 x 1024 (75 Hz)
Texture Quality: Medium
Render Quality: Medium
View Distance: 25
Detail Distance: 37
Hardware
Microsoftｮ Windows Vista" Ultimate
Service Pack 1
Video Adapter: ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series
Video Driver version: 7.14.10.618
Audio Adapter: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHzp
Looks like it's limited on my CPU. I think I'll wait to play after an upgrade. Also, what is with this installing some rockstar social crap that runs outside of the game and is set up to auto-start with windows? I just want to drive around and shoot stuff! Don't do this!
RandomEngy on
Profile -> Signature Settings -> Hide signatures always. Then you don't have to read this worthless text anymore.
The goddamn thing won't even let me set the textures to medium. It looks like shit stuck on low. It's probably because I have an 8800GTS320. Anyone have any idea how to make it let me set shit to whatever I want?
I can run any other game at 1280x1024 at medium-high settings, but this? Even low settings run like molasses. I hope to god they make a patch for this, and soon.
The goddamn thing won't even let me set the textures to medium. It looks like shit stuck on low. It's probably because I have an 8800GTS320. Anyone have any idea how to make it let me set shit to whatever I want?
Try adding -norestrictions to a shortcut, or launch options if you're on Steam.
The goddamn thing won't even let me set the textures to medium. It looks like shit stuck on low. It's probably because I have an 8800GTS320. Anyone have any idea how to make it let me set shit to whatever I want?
Try adding -norestrictions to a shortcut, or launch options if you're on Steam.
I did this a boosted my textures and stuff to high. It was actually playing smoother than it was before, so I figured something was up. I ran the benchmark a few times with the same settings, and each time my FPS got lower and lower. I'm guessing there's some serious memory leakage issues, or something. Maybe.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
OK so now the game won't launch at all. It loads up the social club and all that then when I hit play it launches the little window that looks like a DOS prompt then nothing. Just nothing, the game doesn't load there's just nothing.
Anyone else had this problem? I have the Steam version.
So it looks like GTA IV does use multiple cores, so going from a dual core to a quad core should probably double your FPS, if you're indeed CPU bound (close to 100% CPU use during the benchmark). Also if you are CPU bound, changing resolution and a lot of other GPU related stuff won't help your framerate.
My advice: don't buy this game till you have a Core 2 Quad or better, unless you love choppy-o-rama, or you've found some tweaks to help with CPU use.
RandomEngy on
Profile -> Signature Settings -> Hide signatures always. Then you don't have to read this worthless text anymore.
I have that DOS prompt, but the game launches afterwords. The DOS prompt stays there as long as the game is running, though.
Retail edition here.
The one gripe I have now is things popping in and out when the camera changes angles. It's not that noticeable in gameplay, but in some cutscenes the background is totally unloaded and fades in when the angle changes (especially when it's a back and forth conversation.)
Ayulin on
0
MorninglordI'm tired of being Batman,so today I'll be Owl.Registered Userregular
edited December 2008
Guess I wont bother then. Don't want the replay thing if I wont even be able to get it to run. Not using a quad, only a core2.
Morninglord on
(PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
Also, rockstar community garbage, what are you doing? You bug me every time I start up even though I don't care about you. Then you stay open after the game has closed, even though I didn't even sign in? Whatever marketing exec is out there touting the great signup rate of rockstar community accounts needs to get whacked upside the head with a 2x4.
Also, the menu mouse sensitivity is slooooooow. How hard can it be to match Windows's settings?
And what is with the recent trend of Steam games that run like 5 installers of crap after the steam installation is done? I want to just play the game after I have installed it!
This better be an awesome game because it sure makes you jump through a lot of hoops to play it.
RandomEngy on
Profile -> Signature Settings -> Hide signatures always. Then you don't have to read this worthless text anymore.
I can't believe I got suckered into prepaying for this on Steam. I'm above the recommended specifications, which is typically a guarantee for me that the game will at least run on lowest settings. It runs at 8-10 FPS and looks worse than Vice City. I realize recommended specifications are usually optimistic, but that is absolutely misleading. I can run Crysis on fucking max. Rockstar better do something about this because it is the most inexcusably poor PC port ever released. Even worse than Assassin's Creed (which, amusingly, ran fine on my computer!).
I do too dude, it looks like a good game, but this is inexcusable. I can't believe they even released a product like this. You need a goddamn quad core to even play it. They sure as fuck didn't put that in the minimum settings. A friend of mine with a $600 videocard is getting 20 FPS on medium settings. At least he can play it.
GTA Forums is a burning ball of rage right now. It is beautiful.
Kevar on
0
Zxerolfor the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't doso i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered Userregular
edited December 2008
Bummer. I was considering buying this game too. I mean, my machine is equipped with a 3.6 GHz quad, but I really don't feel like dealing with this level of bullcocky right now.
Oh well. Tough breaks and lameass ports. C'est la vie.
I think it's more of a bug than anything else. I and many others have been getting higher framerates by boosting the setting beyond the vram limit. I'm sure it's something that will get patched very soon.
Neva on
SC2 Beta: Neva.ling
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
I'm currently farming achievements on the 360 version. I have the game completed, and I need to get Packie's friend rating up to get his ability. Can I just do a ton of shit with him over and over to get this done, or will he get sick of me and get annoyed if I do that?
I'm currently farming achievements on the 360 version. I have the game completed, and I need to get Packie's friend rating up to get his ability. Can I just do a ton of shit with him over and over to get this done, or will he get sick of me and get annoyed if I do that?
If I remember correctly, you can do up to 3 activities on a play date. I'm not sure if by doing more than 1 activity in 1 session increases how much he likes you, compared to just doing 1 activity.
My only question is... how the hell do I get Dwayne to do shit with me? Every time I try calling him, it just goes to his depressing v-mail.
That's it Baker, turn in your Starcraft Avatar. And your Starcraft 2 pre-order.
Anyway, all this talk has just made me decide to wait on it until the game's patched up. Or they at least acknowledge there are some issues.
I'll hold onto my SC Avatar, because I still love playen it. It's still my favorite RTS game, but... I did return my SC2 pre-order because .. well.. I'm just not going to go there, because I've already ranted enough about that.
I'm currently farming achievements on the 360 version. I have the game completed, and I need to get Packie's friend rating up to get his ability. Can I just do a ton of shit with him over and over to get this done, or will he get sick of me and get annoyed if I do that?
If I remember correctly, you can do up to 3 activities on a play date. I'm not sure if by doing more than 1 activity in 1 session increases how much he likes you, compared to just doing 1 activity.
My only question is... how the hell do I get Dwayne to do shit with me? Every time I try calling him, it just goes to his depressing v-mail.
I think you need to just let him call you for a bit until it gets to the point where you and him are friends. If you're at that point, make sure you aren't on a mission or have any other priorities the game wants you to do before you do anything else.
It's too bad Dwayne (Dwayne Downer) is so fucking depressing, because his friend ability is probably the best in the game.
In my Stats, it shows his Like and Respect... and ..
In terms of story wise, I've already killed
PlayBoyX
and was given his home by D Downer.
When I call up friends to do stuff, I do it after a quest, turn on Silent mode, so that I don't get other calls to interfere with me being able to go drinking.
I know! I hadn't even considered the possibility that it might not be a good port.
What.
What.
All the other ports were pretty shitty.
Well I'm mostly basing this on SA.
But how did you not expect this?
They've all been lazy. The only reason it's not been noticed till now is that it's only this gen the power of consoles and PCs is at all really comparable.
Posts
? I don't have any idea what you're playing, but it runs excellently on mine. I must say, always set shadows to below 2 or 3, regardless of your system. You can set everything else to the highest settings on a decent card without too much of a hitch, but Rockstar still hasn't gotten down the times-old art of shadow mapping. 0 doesn't turn OFF shadows, it just turns them down to a very low level, so don't think it's going to look that shitty at the lowest setting.
tl;dr, turn down your shadows, don't worry as much about the other settings, shadows choke the entire game's optimization.
Shaders Medium
View Distance 25
Detail Distance 37
Vehicle Density 26
Shadow Density 0
Looks bad, runs bad, and also constant popping in of scenery, vehicles and people. Also, turning down shadows was the first thing I did, as other games often choke on shadows much more than anything else (such as NWN2).
Edit: Ran the benchmark program. 24 FPS seems oddly high. Also the video card was better than what I mentioned - forgot I'd bought a new one. Results:
Average FPS: 24.22
Duration: 37.69 sec
CPU Usage: 95%
System memory usage: 78%
Video memory usage: 67%
Graphics Settings
Video Mode: 1280 x 1024 (75 Hz)
Texture Quality: Medium
Render Quality: Medium
View Distance: 25
Detail Distance: 37
Hardware
Microsoftｮ Windows Vista" Ultimate
Service Pack 1
Video Adapter: ATI Radeon HD 3800 Series
Video Driver version: 7.14.10.618
Audio Adapter: Speakers (High Definition Audio Device)
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6300 @ 1.86GHzp
Old PA forum lookalike style for the new forums | My ko-fi donation thing.
This? Sweet Fuck. I'm scared even trying.
I can run any other game at 1280x1024 at medium-high settings, but this? Even low settings run like molasses. I hope to god they make a patch for this, and soon.
Old PA forum lookalike style for the new forums | My ko-fi donation thing.
This sounds bad.
Try adding -norestrictions to a shortcut, or launch options if you're on Steam.
I did this a boosted my textures and stuff to high. It was actually playing smoother than it was before, so I figured something was up. I ran the benchmark a few times with the same settings, and each time my FPS got lower and lower. I'm guessing there's some serious memory leakage issues, or something. Maybe.
I hope this doesn't give anyone motion sickness!
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
Anyone else had this problem? I have the Steam version.
My advice: don't buy this game till you have a Core 2 Quad or better, unless you love choppy-o-rama, or you've found some tweaks to help with CPU use.
Retail edition here.
The one gripe I have now is things popping in and out when the camera changes angles. It's not that noticeable in gameplay, but in some cutscenes the background is totally unloaded and fades in when the angle changes (especially when it's a back and forth conversation.)
Also, the menu mouse sensitivity is slooooooow. How hard can it be to match Windows's settings?
And what is with the recent trend of Steam games that run like 5 installers of crap after the steam installation is done? I want to just play the game after I have installed it!
This better be an awesome game because it sure makes you jump through a lot of hoops to play it.
edit: I just feel bad for you PC peoples, because underneath all these bugs lies a truly fun ass game.
This describes the situation pretty well.
Oh well. Tough breaks and lameass ports. C'est la vie.
Man, I just didn't expect this from Rockstar. All the other GTA ports have been pretty great.
I'm just hoping for a miracle at my end because I doubt there's any way to return a game you bought on Steam.
I know! I hadn't even considered the possibility that it might not be a good port.
Not that I've played it yet. Maybe it'll be awesome.
"Everyone who is capable of logical thought should be able to see why you shouldn't sell lifetime subscriptions to an MMO. Cell phone companies and drug dealers don't offer lifetime subscriptions either, guess why?" - Mugaaz
I might hold off until this gets patched. I was really looking forward to this
Okay, so back to game talk?
I'm currently farming achievements on the 360 version. I have the game completed, and I need to get Packie's friend rating up to get his ability. Can I just do a ton of shit with him over and over to get this done, or will he get sick of me and get annoyed if I do that?
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
That's it Baker, turn in your Starcraft Avatar. And your Starcraft 2 pre-order.
Anyway, all this talk has just made me decide to wait on it until the game's patched up. Or they at least acknowledge there are some issues.
If I remember correctly, you can do up to 3 activities on a play date. I'm not sure if by doing more than 1 activity in 1 session increases how much he likes you, compared to just doing 1 activity.
My only question is... how the hell do I get Dwayne to do shit with me? Every time I try calling him, it just goes to his depressing v-mail.
I'll hold onto my SC Avatar, because I still love playen it. It's still my favorite RTS game, but... I did return my SC2 pre-order because .. well.. I'm just not going to go there, because I've already ranted enough about that.
I think you need to just let him call you for a bit until it gets to the point where you and him are friends. If you're at that point, make sure you aren't on a mission or have any other priorities the game wants you to do before you do anything else.
It's too bad Dwayne (Dwayne Downer) is so fucking depressing, because his friend ability is probably the best in the game.
Switch - SW-3699-5063-5018
When I call up friends to do stuff, I do it after a quest, turn on Silent mode, so that I don't get other calls to interfere with me being able to go drinking.
What.
What.
All the other ports were pretty shitty.
Well I'm mostly basing this on SA.
But how did you not expect this?
They've all been lazy. The only reason it's not been noticed till now is that it's only this gen the power of consoles and PCs is at all really comparable.