Fig455 on 29/3/2006 at 08:28
Um, My 9800 PRO is purring along fine. Bloom on, 1024x768, medium texture settings, max draw for almost everything. Don't hate on the Nine-Eight.
the_grip on 31/3/2006 at 15:06
i have no problems with performance on my rig - i'm running with an AMD 2.somethingorother XP, an ATI Radeon 9800, and 1 GB of RAM. i've cranked up the resolution to the highest on my LCD (1680X1050) with maximum drawing distances for everything. The only thing that is lacking from full detail is that i am using medium textures and no anti-aliasing. Some of the shadow effects are weird (the light source from behind an object will shine up from the bottom... giving a 5 o'clock shadow effect to talking NPCs).
The backstory is fairly weak - for anyone who has played the tutorial section, you'll know what i mean. It isn't very plausible, and feels very forced. That said, the tutorial integration is cool, and it was killer when [spoiler]i saw my first zombie[/spoiler] ;).
i've had fun exploring after getting out of the tutorial section. i've completed the first subquest of the main quest, and it took me about 4 hours (i don't use fast travel). i've had the occasional problem with an invisible wolf attacking me when out in the countryside, and the dungeons i've been in (except 1) are fairly repetitive. However, overall the game is pretty good. It is much better than Morrowind *except* the journal screen is wack. It took me forever to figure out that the inventory is actually in the journal (huh?), and to drop items you shift + left click. The lockpicking minigames are a bit cludgy as well... they don't seem consistent in their results.
However, running into a large group of bandits attacking a mounted guard patrolling the countryside is neat to see. i have also been accosted by various bandits and have had to fight for my life (no way i'm paying those jackasses ;)). That's some good stuff.
i am enjoying this so far. i bought it with a gift certificate, so it's no $$ on my pocket (which helps me opinion of the game for sure). So far, i would probably rate it about 8/10 - better than Morrowind, but nothing on the level of the Thief series, etc.
the_grip on 3/4/2006 at 13:46
i'd like to amend my comments on this one. Since that last post, i have played this game quite a bit more, and i underrated this game.
This game is everything and more that Morrowind should have been. Simply put, this is by far the best roleplaying game i have ever played. i realize that is a bold statement, but the sheer depth of the world in this game and the ability to do whatever you want in that depth is amazing. i have explored about 10 or so dungeons, and each one has had its own atmosphere, puzzles, and difficulties. The combat has been completely corrected from Morrowind, and this game is actually very *hard* (at least as an assassin). i have not been using fast travel except on two occasions, and there are all kinds of things scattered across the enormous landscape. This game truly deserves the highest accolades, and i would recommend it to anyone. At first glance, i found it somewhat less than what my expectations were, but now it has truly won me over. Imagine the breadth and depth of Morrowind X 100 with a good combat system (that scales in difficulty with your level) and a much more vivid sense of "real-ness". This world really feels alive.
i love this game. After playing it a bit more, i'd rate it 10/10.
