Software, Computers, Video Games and D&D UtilitiesGeneral discussion on computer software and hardware, PC and console games, and RPG utilities such as eTools, PC GEN, etc.
That's helpful info.....System Lab shows my comp as being too weak....but it ran the Witcher fine, with a few places, like boss battles in a few levels, requiring me to lower my graphics for the few minutes it took to finish the battle.
If it runs smoother than The Witcher did, then I may be fine...
Banshee
Yeah, that is just for me though. Might be some strange setting on one or the other I had set differently that made DA run better. So who knows?
One interesting feature about the game is that your hp/mana regenerates very quickly outside of combat, so you will almost always enter a fight at full life.
An attempt to simulate the healing surge/encounter power system of 4e?
Well, what makes (a bit) of sense in D&D has always made for frustratingly slow computer gaming. You can handwave an 8 hour rest in game, but Baldur's Gate made you sit there for 30 seconds doing nothing and watching a camp fire in order to get back your health.
Plus, I get the impression there's less D&D-eseque healing magic in this game, so quick health recovery is a very good thing.
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One interesting feature about the game is that your hp/mana regenerates very quickly outside of combat, so you will almost always enter a fight at full life.
An attempt to simulate the healing surge/encounter power system of 4e?
Certainly the same design philosophy, but I am not sure it was taken from there directly.
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You can get a completely capable gaming PC for about the price of a console.
You need to upgrade (well replace) consoles, too, every now and then.
Not really seeing the big deal here.
Bye
Thanee
Except that when the economy bailed last year, my entire division was shut down.....so, I decided to start my own small company....money's a little tight while I work on building up sales.....so my gaming PC is also my business desktop, and I am paying off a laptop I bought for presentations. So, until that's paid off I'm trying to be careful about expending too much cash in too many places.
The PC needs an upgrade anyways.....I damaged the mother board by shorting out some ports while working on a client contract.....and if I have to replace the MoBo, I need to pretty much replace the CPU as well.
Maybe prices are cheaper in the U.S......in Canada, a decent PC generally costs about $800-1000.....twice the cost of a console....at least from the price research I've been starting to do.
Well, what makes (a bit) of sense in D&D has always made for frustratingly slow computer gaming. You can handwave an 8 hour rest in game, but Baldur's Gate made you sit there for 30 seconds doing nothing and watching a camp fire in order to get back your health.
Plus, I get the impression there's less D&D-eseque healing magic in this game, so quick health recovery is a very good thing.
That might be a good thing.....(waiting while resting, that is). I find in NWN, resting probably took 3 seconds, and it encouraged a play style where you basically blow all your best spells immediately in every battle, and rest frequently. Making it so that you have to sit there and wait for a "time out" during rest periods makes you at least consider whether to rest, instead of taking it for granted.
You can get a completely capable gaming PC for about the price of a console.
You need to upgrade (well replace) consoles, too, every now and then.
Not really seeing the big deal here.
Your definition of a completely capable gaming PC is certainly different then mine, an Xbox360 currently starts at $200 and ends at $400 and includes a very new game. You can't get a comparable gaming PC for that price...
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Your definition of a completely capable gaming PC is certainly different then mine, an Xbox360 currently starts at $200 and ends at $400 and includes a very new game. You can't get a comparable gaming PC for that price...
You certainly can. One that will kick any given console's ass every which way, in fact. That isn't asking much, you see.
Minus monitor, that is. . . Still, it's not like consoles include a monitor / HDTV, so.
edit --- hm. actually, if you bought a fairly cheap (i.e., small) LCD monitor, you might even be able to squeeze that into that price too ($400, not $200.)
The PC needs an upgrade anyways.....I damaged the mother board by shorting out some ports while working on a client contract.....and if I have to replace the MoBo, I need to pretty much replace the CPU as well.
If you need to upgrade your MoBo and CPU, the only item left to make it a gaming PC is the graphics card. Is a decent Graphics card more expensive than a console?
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That's gonna be one crummy little rig for around $200-400.
Agreed - but maybe it is a regional thing... cheaper parts available elsewhere in the world? But around here (near washignton dc, usa) I wouldn't be able to get a motherboard, cpu, graphics cards for that price range. the graphics card alone would easily eat half that range (100-200), ram would eat the other half, etc. or off the shelf prebuilt that budget wouldn't even come close. But, other parts of the world may very well have cheaper access to parts, or maybe i just don't know the right rocks to look under for deals, so your experience may vary.
Back on topic -- I was noticing that the PC version users can also use the toolset (build your own character, adventures, etc - it's for download from the bioware site), so if that stuff appeals to you, you may well love that feature.
i recently got it for console (my PC can't handle games), but I have yet to play it. I am waiting until after grad school semester ends in a few weeks or else i know i won't get any work done -- it sits there, on the shelf, taunting me though... calling to me like a siren's call. i'm pretty excited to hopefully get to play it soon.
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Im currently running Dragon Age on the following rig:
Intel Core i5 750 Quad Core Processor 2.66GHZ
4GB DDR3-1333 RAM
Radeon HD 5850
24 inch monitor
Windows 7 OS (which I am surprised to actually like)
I am playing the game on maximum graphics and at the highest resolution, which is effectively 1080p (1900 x 1200). I can tell you that on PC, with top graphics and resolution, the game is gorgeous and extremely smooth. Sure there are a few graphical parts that could ideally be improved or pumped up (this isn't Crysis after all) but it seems to me that the developers went for a more accessible and scalable product. I have seen the game run on lower power machines (slower processors and cards one generation earlier than mine) and the graphics were still able to be bumped up with smooth performance.
I watched a friend play the game on his 360 and while still extremely enjoyable, the graphics definitely do not look as good as on the PC and the interface is not very intuitive (for me).
With respect to the game itself, I am totally buying into the whole "spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate" thing. I played the hell out of the BG series and its IWD friends and I have been waiting for this game since it was announced. I can honestly tell you that Dragon Age is, imho, one of the best roleplaying games I have experienced. There is a bit of a learning curve on their ruleset but I think that will just make for more efficient play throughs once I have it down solid. The races feel distinct and the world is dark and gritty.
Check it out.
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If you need to upgrade your MoBo and CPU, the only item left to make it a gaming PC is the graphics card. Is a decent Graphics card more expensive than a console?
Well, my current PC uses the ATX form factor motherboard, and a case to match....if they've changed the motherboard format, then the case will no longer fit.
What I *know* is that I need to replace my motherboard, CPU, probably my RAM (mine is DDR1), my sound card (mine seems to be shorting out....it's an old Soundblaster Audigy, and I'm getting static now, that intermittently comes in and out when playing anything with sound....music, games, video files, etc.). And my video card. Also my power supply fan is on the fritz, and just about ready to kick the bucket.
At least from what I've seen, to get a decent video card, you're looking at about $120-200.....and that's for a slightly older one....you *could* pay up to $600 for a top of the line video card, but that's more than I need.
I don't need a monitor, keyword, mouse, speakers or printer, as over the last few months, I've added dual LCD monitors, a new router, network card, and a laser printer/scanner/copier (didn't pay for this....my old printer broke, and I found that I had bought a four year extended warranty on it at Future Shop, so I brouight the old one there, found that they don't service the manufacturer anymore, so they gave me a new Samsung unit for free).
So I pretty much need to upgrade the core machine, because most of the parts are getting old.
My copy is in the mail. I'm hoping this will be my next addiction now that I've finished Fallout 3. (By finished, I mean "seen absolutely everything included in the game and all of the DLCs, up to and including the room filled with plungers, the recording of the Flatbush drunk insulting the aliens, and the Roach King.")
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The game runs smoothly for me at 1920x1200, all eye candy on. I've played for about 20 hours now. Not one lockup or bug yet within the game (BioWare social server?...not so much). That's a record for me and BioWare.
I don't understand the squawking about graphics. Graphics are better than any other CRPG's. The Witcher's lighting engine appeared to be better at times - but that's because they used 3rd party middleware to bake the lighting into some textures. A clever lighting engine design for a PC game, but totally a non-starter for a console game. Which is one of the reasons a console port of The Witcher has yet to be released, I might add.
Playing a noble warrior. Definitely the best start to any BioWare game I've ever played on that Origin path. Given that the start of their games tends to rather weak, that's a big deal to me.
I know for marketing they would rather pitch this as a "spiritual successor" to BG2. I think a more accurate assessment is that it is KotoR 1, with one extra party member, and a top down iso camera on the PC -- looking very pretty and in very detailed and fully realized fantasy world. On a console, you don't get that additional top down persepective and KotoR1 is very much the style it evokes.
I finally got my copy last night. This is the game I have been waiting for ever since Baldur's Gate 2. I'm playing a City Elf Rogue, and I'm loving every moment of it.
My machine is only slightly below their recommended specs (Athlon X2 2.8 GHz and GF 8800 GTS 640 MB), so I should be fine (maybe not with everything set to highest quality, but most).
Bye
Thanee
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