Rogue Keeper on 9/5/2007 at 11:26
Yes, I think we are talking about the same thing. See that small disquette flickering from time to time at the bottom right of the screen when you are in the game? It appears when new areas/textures are loading. Sometimes I get stuttering at the same time as the disquette flickers, sometimes not.
Recently I mentioned elsewhere that Oblivion with similar open areas and large stressful textures has no stuttering of this kind, it may have lower framerate, but not anything significant like this. BUT I am getting similar kind of stuttering if I set ultimate quality textures in FEAR f.e.
Bjossi on 9/5/2007 at 11:31
I don't get any stutters in FEAR. I guess my video card can cope with that game but not Stalker.
Are there no commands to make Stalker preload all data needed in each level? I'd rather increase loading times than experience seconds long stutters every few steps I take like in Military Warehouses.
242 on 9/5/2007 at 11:41
Quote Posted by Bjossi
I don't get any stutters in FEAR. I guess my video card can cope with that game but not Stalker.
Are there no commands to make Stalker preload all data needed in each level? I'd rather increase loading times than experience seconds long stutters every few steps I take like in Military Warehouses.
Tried ro decrease texture quality? Remember to restart the game.
Rogue Keeper on 9/5/2007 at 11:42
Of course. Remove the -noprefetch command. :)
Bjossi on 9/5/2007 at 11:45
I get the stutters either way. :sweat:
Rogue Keeper on 9/5/2007 at 11:46
Oh well.
oisin on 9/5/2007 at 19:41
when I saw the ads for S.T.A.L.K.E.R, I really wanted to buy it. Before I was disgusted with THQ's Supreme Commander, more like Total Annihilation with only three levels and updated textures !
The engine in Supreme Commander was ridiculous, it would render every single lighting effect from every unit, most of which are not on-screen. This would eat system resources and start to lag after you start to build your army.
These games seem targeted at people who like to feel they need bigger and better systems it would seem, or they are building them around Xbox 360 architecture and not taking into account all the malware (DRM) and spyware most people have, from turning auto-updates on in Windows or using IE.
There is nothing new nor original nor practical about the engines, really.
I agree the engine's are complete crap and it is nothing to do with system settings. When I can run every modern game on Max settings, except that strange Hitman idiocy... on a GeForce 6800 256MG system.
---------------------
ok *breathe deeply*
The gameplay is utter rubbish and monotonous as hell. It has absolutely NOTHING over Morrowind Oblivion. The graphics are not really great either, I've had everything running smoothly on MAX settings, but when I checked how much RAM it uses, it was only 512MB total so.. I dunno.. more system requirements for the DRM.
If you like a game where you play someone that looks like a Russian junkie, and hear Russian shouted in your ear for hours on end, this is the game for you. It cracked me up (at the start), I kept hearing enemies sounding like they were right on top of me, but they'd be over 50metres away. Absolutely no environmental effects worth noting for sound, doppler, noise reduction. (I tried the Dsound option et al)
There is NO sneak element worth noting. The enemies tend to see you through buildings, fences, bushes, shadows and wherever you may be, unless their back is turned to you.
The game designers also placed enemies in the most annoying places, a shotgun NME right inside a door. you walk in... bang. Load. wait 1-2 minutes. throw grenade.
The NME's tend to spot you over 75m-100m away, which makes spotting them difficult. Especially with the sound engine the way it is. You have to look for the muzzle flashes of their rifles which can be impossible if there is some of the many foliage blocking your view.
One time I was in a guard-tower, trees all around. couldn't see 2 metres, but there were over 20 NMEs shooting up at me. Makes some sense I guess. They're all psychic.
The graphics look kind of blocky, the same grey monotony I haven't experienced since visiting Shenyang. The aiming reticle is just plain annoying, when you aim your gun, it takes up half the screen. When I hold a shotgun I don't put my fricking cheek onto the barrel, it'd burn to the metal !
The animations are similar to Unreal Tournament, sharp and unsmooth. The enemy will run one way, then a millisecond later will have turned around and be a metre to the opposite. And the damn russian, blabbering in your ear as if they're shouting right into it... All the way to the end. It gets a little worse at the end believe it or not.
Some creepy parts to the game, but nothing worth spending 60 euro for. The thing that crept into my mind as I played was.. the quality is more like a game Mod than a retail game. I remember putting two shots into one of the NMEs heads (point blank) with a double-barrel shotgun, but had to reload and put two more in ! just to kill the b***h. Found a good trainer after that, increased weapons damage.
The "artifacts" have an annoying "warp" around them, which doesn't make much sense and is just annoying. The "theme" of the story is very Russian. A 'myth', earn easy money. The ending was just so bad I deleted the 6gb of cr*p and threw it. The entire end part, some voice speaking Russian who sounds like Dracula blabbering on and on and on.. until you finish. Why. Why end like that. Why not just make it continue like Morrowind. Why bother with a FPS that has RPG elements and just end it like that?
If anyone wants a free STALKER game, I'll gladly post it to you. just looking at it pisses me off now.
I've decided NEVER to buy another THQ game after these two episodes. Thank god Total Annihilation works perfectly on XP. And I just now got System Shock 2 to work. :D excellent.
---------------------------------
S.T.A.L.K.E.R patched v1.0.0.1
XP PRO SP2 / XP PRO SP2 64-bit
AMD Athlon 64 3200+
2048MB RAM
ATI X1650 512MB
DirectX 9c
Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS (don't buy this)
ps: I believe they created the simulation of Chernobyl before they planned gameplay / story. I guess the development team's only issue is lack of depth and research. Most of the interesting parts (models, animation concepts) seem ripped from other well known games like; Area 51, Far Cry etc. It just lacks coherence, and doesn't come together well. I've heard people say; but your system isn't fast enough so you can't enjoy it. hogwash ! It just aint my thing. Hope this tidbit perspective was useful to someone.
Abysmal on 9/5/2007 at 20:02
I'd volunteer to take it off your hands, but then I'm not entirely convinced of the game either. I said in another thread, everything points to it being a shallow atmosphere piece, for those who get their kicks on moody stuff (with shooting thrown in of course, to pass as a game). Sure it's more complex than that, but the Deus Ex comparisons were premature eagerness it felt like.
Hey maybe I'm way off, but the ones I know who have it had their fun tweaking the heck out of it (where the real game is I guess), ran around for awhile to soak it in pretending it's the next big thing, and then promptly forgot about it.
Bjossi on 9/5/2007 at 20:13
Quote Posted by oisin
These games seem targeted at people who like to feel they need bigger and better systems it would seem
I would consider it pretty straightfoward that newer games get more graphically advanced.
Quote:
The gameplay is utter rubbish and monotonous as hell.
What the bloody hell have you been smoking lately? If you think this game is monotonous I suggest you have a doctor sitting next to you if you attempt to play iD's games.
Quote:
If you like a game where you play someone that looks like a Russian junkie, and hear Russian shouted in your ear for hours on end, this is the game for you.
It sounds like you'd not be bothered if the character looked "normal" and the game was in an English-speaking area.
Quote:
There is NO sneak element worth noting. The enemies tend to see you through buildings, fences, bushes, shadows and wherever you may be, unless their back is turned to you.
Here I agree. Every sneak attempt I made failed, it was like enemies had x-ray vision.
oisin on 9/5/2007 at 21:57
Abysmal: I'd volunteer to take it off your hands
K, you have dibs 'cause ur first.
Bjossi: I would consider it pretty straightfoward that newer games get more graphically advanced.
Sure.. but I have serious doubts that Stalker is a milestone in setting the standards for game developers. It isn't like Total Annihilation or Quake. It's just a level, split up into different 'segments' where your sole purpose is to shoot everything that shoots at you... hmmn.. sounds similar to Quake.
Why was I thinking there was more.. oh yes! All the reviews I had seen. I think I'm just a naive fool. It appears, to me at least, that advertisements of anything hi-tech have become separated from reality. Sony, MS (Vista) etc.
What the bloody hell have you been smoking lately? If you think this game is monotonous I suggest you have a doctor sitting next to you if you attempt to play iD's games.
ID is a company I respect greatly. They don't sell malware DRM infested CDs. They have great games, innovative yet elegant & not too complex. I felt a bit sour about Stalker because I was told it is the next best thing since sliced bread. I just don't want others to feel so disappointed and waste their money.
It sounds like you'd not be bothered if the character looked "normal" and the game was in an English-speaking area.
True, I don't have anything against Russians or any people for that matter.
Here I agree. Every sneak attempt I made failed, it was like enemies had x-ray vision.
LOL I'm sorry my post was so emotional. I was flaming angry :D
