I forgot why I hate PC gaming so much... (a vent thread)

[Reaver]

I used to be nothing but a PC gamer. Back then I thought consoles were just for simple-minded simps who couldn't hack a real gaming machine. But, when the Dreamcast came out, temptation was too hard to resist, and I picked one up. After that I slowly but surely became a console gamer. Occasionally I'd pick up the random PC game (mostly RPGs), but every month saw my console gaming time increase and my PC gaming time decrease. And up until a couple of weeks ago it got to the point where I might play a game on my PC once a month, and never for very long.

But The Sims 2 came out, and suddenly I was hip deep into it again. My wife is a HUGE fan of The Sims, and I like it quite a bit myself, so when it came out we had to get it. Unfortunately my wife's PC was too old to run it, so we've both been playing on my PC, and for the most part that's been fine. This weekend, though, we decided to get her a laptop. It's a Z series HP Pavillian, and it's a really nice notebook PC. Faster CPU than what I have, lost of RAM, hard drive is spacious, DVD burner, widescreen screen, ATI Mobility Radeon 9200, wireless network integrated, etc. Nice. I spend several hours getting rid of the programs she didn't need, installed a new virus scanner, Office, Quicken, that sort of stuff, got it running on our home network, and then finally installed The Sims 2. It ran very well on her laptop, but we noticed that some of the textures (the grass, the back of the fridge, some of their clothes, etc.) were blurry. Figuring that might be a graphical glitch, I updated the graphics card driver with the latest version HP had on their site. But now it has another issue. Any time someone is showering or going to the bathroom or doing anything else where they might be naked we get this... I guess you call it banding or interlacing... across some items, such as lamps and the diamonds over their heads and other things. Nothing major, mind you, but very annoying, and the game even crashed on her on her last play session. Ugh...

I've tried rolling back the driver, but couldn't. I tried uninstalling the new driver and reinstalling the old one from a version I got from HP, but that just made the game crash right on startup. I've reinstalled the new one, reinstalled DirectX, even installing a new sound card driver, but nothing seems to be making a damn bit of difference. I've looked over EA's website, and the game's webiste, but there are no patches as of yet, and nothing else to help me. I am completely stymied.

Anyway, this is one of the many reasons why I abhor PC gaming, and why I'm so glad I'm damn near done with it. The only upcoming game I'll probably get on the PC is Half-Life 2. After that, I'm done. Period. Kaput. I just can't stand it any longer...

Sorry to bore everyone. I just had to vent that.

[Ruined]

It's pretty common that ATI cards have graphic glitches with EA games when they first come out, EA is a big NV supporter.

[Reaver]

Do these issues generally get patched or resolved?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Reaver

Do these issues generally get patched or resolved?

eventually most of the time...

[Reaver]

I wish I'd known that ahead of time.

Also, ATI's website says that I shouldn't use their drivers for Mobility cards, and instead should use the drivers issued from the laptop manufacturer, but seeing as how ATI's driver is several months newer for the Radeon 9200 I think I might try it. I mean, hell, at this point, could it hurt? I could always unistall the driver and go back to what I have now...

Advice?

[Frank Gunn]

Yeah, I bought an Xbox for $200 a year and a half ago, and it's been nothing but gaming bliss ever since. I can't imagine sinking the time, effort, and headaches into PC gaming.

[Sycowulf]

Originally Posted by Ruined

It's pretty common that ATI cards have graphic glitches with EA games when they first come out, EA is a big NV supporter.

Just FYI Sims2 plays fine on my pc with an ATI card in it with no graphical glitches to be seen :p

[elwood731]

Originally Posted by Reaver

I wish I'd known that ahead of time.

Also, ATI's website says that I shouldn't use their drivers for Mobility cards, and instead should use the drivers issued from the laptop manufacturer, but seeing as how ATI's driver is several months newer for the Radeon 9200 I think I might try it. I mean, hell, at this point, could it hurt? I could always unistall the driver and go back to what I have now...

Advice?

Maybe you've said so, but have you tried playing another game on her computer? I would try loading something else that uses polygons and seeing what kind of problems you see. Then you might have a better idea if the problems are with the driver or game/card conflicts.

[Reaver]

Well, I've figured out that it has something to do with a feature on the new Mobility Radeon drivers called SMOOTHVISION. Whenever I uncheck the box that lets programs automatically configure that feature, the bar problem goes away only to be replaced by some textures that blur. This is so strange, but I've sent EA a message about it, so we'll see if they address it.

[dkogler]

Reaver, man, it seems that we're in the same boat together. My video card (a GeForce 4Ti 4600 that I paid $250 for) just recently died on me and I had to replace it with a GeForce 2 MX. Before this, I had recently bought Rome: Total War and "playing" that game on this video card is a contradiction in terms. It looks like I'll be missing out on the PC gaming scene until January when I can use my Christmas money to buy myself a new PC. Half Life 2 is going to sit on the shelf for a while.

I'll admit that my recent troubles have given me thoughts of just quiting the whole PC gaming scene, same as you. The $1400 I'll have to spend after Christmas would buy a hell of a lot more in console gaming than it would in going toward a new PC. But one of the reasons that I stick it out with PC's is that there are some types of games that you just can't get on consoles. For example there is nothing like Rome: Total War on consoles and I love good strategy games like that. Also I've had a huge amount of fun playing the user designed mods for Neverwinter Nights, and playing Warcraft III online is always fun. On consoles the online community is just getting off the ground, and the mod community is virtually nonexistant. Also games that come out on multiple platformes usually have better graphics and other features on the PC than they do on consoles. KOTOR is a good example of this , as well as Doom 3. So in conclusion I think that there's a certain type of gaming experience you can't get anywhere else but the PC, and for me that makes it worth it to put up with the hastles of PC gaming that consoles don't have.

[MooglePorn]

I HATE PC gaming. The last game I played on a PC was Diablo 2, and even that had some problems that made me hate playing it. Bah! Games are supposed to be fun, not the endless headaches I've had with PC games.

Side note Reaver: I believe Half-Life 2 was confirmed for XBOX2 release... or so I read in Game Informer.

[Scottish Punk]

I can understand the frustation with the technical side of things during pc gaming, but it still beats consoles hands down.

The only thing consoles have going for them is ease of use. You know when you throw a dvd in a ps2 or xbox, there won't be any compatibility or system problems.

PC games have:
deeper and more complex games.
Online play is a million times better.
Graphics are better.
Games generally run/load/save faster.
Can be patched for updates or mistakes.

PC games aren't limited to a single platform/hardware specs. Also keep in mind the xbox is basically a hacked down three year old pc.

Everytime I play a console or see some new advance in consoles, it is something which a pc could do five years beforehand.

[MooglePorn]

You obviously aren't playing XBOX...

PC games have:
deeper and more complex games.

I don't think so... you should see some of the strategy games on consoles now, and FPS and RPG games are getting just as complex on consoles as they are on PC. I'm sure there's some exceptions that need a keyboard to function, but it's a rare case.

Online play is a million times better.

No, no, no my friend... try XBOX Live sometime. Silky smooth, full voice chat, friends lists, special events... it's the winner hands down.

Graphics are better.

Only if you constantly update your system, and then, only on certain games. Also, there's usually a lead time... HALO looked better than most PC FPS games that year... XBOX 2 will blow people away, I have no doubt.

Games generally run/load/save faster.

Not real sure about saving and loading, though I've rarely had problems with those on XBOX or the Cube... what do you mean by "run"? Frames per second? I've barely EVER had slow down on a recent console game... most PC games I've played have some.

Can be patched for updates or mistakes.

A) XBOX can, B)They rarely ever have mistakes.

[Sycho]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

XBOX 2 will blow people away, I have no doubt.

what about PS3, huh?

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by Sycho

what about PS3, huh?

Oh... is Sony making another console? Well God bless 'em I guess...

[Reaver]

I thought for a moment that I'd fixed the problem when I discovered that it was a certain setting on her video card that caused the banding. When I turned that setting off, no more problems with that, and instead there were just some blurred textures. And that was okay, but the game still crashes randomly, and that's just not acceptable. I think I'm done, aside from Half-Life 2. After that, color me ConsoleBoy.

As for consoles not getting some games that you can only get on PC... Hhmm... That's true, but ya know what? I don't care. I don't have time to play each and every game that's out there, and for the time I do have consoles offer more than I can possibly ever want. Right now I'm playing Kingdom Under Fire and Fable, I need to pick up X-Men Lengends and Burnout 3, and soon I'll be playing Halo 2, Prince Of Persia 2, Oddworld Stranger, DOA Ultimate, Demon Stone, GoldenEye2, KOTOR 2, Jade Empire, and so much more. Trust me, I ain't missin' out on much.

[umainebearman]

Well I split my games smartly between my pc (which is 2 1/2 years old and still runs Doom 3 without a hitch) and my xbox. There are some games that I just can't see playing on the pc and some I wouldn't ever play on the xbox. Doom 3, Half life any really good shooter or RPG is meant to be played on the pc. Ghost Recon, Rainbox six, squad based games like that on a console please thats insulting. A game controller has nothing on a mouse and keyboard. However there are games like Prince of Persia (I know some of you poor soles played this on the pc), Ninja Gaiden and adventure games that would give you carpal tunnel and brain freeze if you had to play them on the pc. platform exclusives are a different animal theres just no way around them. So when someone asks me how to fix there game on there computer I just tell 'em stick to your Mario box.

[Wurms]

PC games could easily be a billion times better looking than any console game if developers designed games based on the newest consumer technology out. But they don't. Since the majority of people have 2 or three year old PC's, developers have to design the game around them. So really, PC games these days are only slightly better graphically than consoles (and thats if you have a good vid card).

I usually only get about 1 or 2 PC games a year and they are pretty much always Strategy games. Consoles don't even come close when it comes to strategy games like Rome: Total War and Rollercoaster Tycoon. Those are the only types of games I like to get on PC with the occasional FPS title.


Another advantage of consoles is the friend factor. PC games are single player or online multiplayer. Consoles, you and your friends sit down and battle it out screaming, raving, and ranting at one another on how bad you just kicked their ass. Nothing beats the look on your friends face when you just got a flawless victory twice in a row in Mortal Kombat after he bragged how great he was. Or throwing a 70 yard TD pass with 20 seconds left in the 4th quarter on ESPN NFL 2k5.

[decorm]

Personally, I have found a happy medium between console and PC games. I started off as a console gamer but now I wouldn't trade one for the other. Certain genres are just better on the pc and vice versa. As umainebearman said, games like Doom 3 and HL2 should be played on the PC. Likewise, I wouldn't want play Soul Calibur 2 on the PC.

I am anticipating the next round of consoles as the current ones are really showing their age. The Halo 2 screenshots in the latest EGM looked very blocky and not all that impressive compared to what you can get today with a decent PC. There's only so much a 4 or 5 year old console can do. Obviously, upgrading your PC every couple of years can get expensive so it's a price vs. performance issue.


As for the original issue, you can try reimaging the laptop if the crashes are happening that often and then starting again from scratch. I have also had problems in the past with ATI mobile video cards and games and those were only fixed with driver updates.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by decorm

Personally, I have found a happy medium between console and PC games. I started off as a console gamer but now I wouldn't trade one for the other. Certain genres are just better on the pc and vice versa. As umainebearman said, games like Doom 3 and HL2 should be played on the PC. Likewise, I wouldn't want play Soul Calibur 2 on the PC.

I think this is the best approach. Personally I like dual analog stick control a LOT better than keyboard/mouse.. I downloaded the DOOM3 demo, and I hated using the keyboard... it was just ass. But that's my opinion, not a fact, and if you like PC control then go for it. (I do have to say though, dual analog takes time to get used to, but anyone who does will find it works amazingly well... after a a few hours, you'll be spinning around and shooting in higher and lower directions like it's nothing... something I NEVER found with a klunky keyboard... two sticks become second-nature).

Originally Posted by decorm

I am anticipating the next round of consoles as the current ones are really showing their age. The Halo 2 screenshots in the latest EGM looked very blocky and not all that impressive compared to what you can get today with a decent PC. There's only so much a 4 or 5 year old console can do. Obviously, upgrading your PC every couple of years can get expensive so it's a price vs. performance issue.

Well, if PC's are just now pulling ahead of XBOX... and XBOX 2 comes out in a year... that's a gap I can live with. It's better to be a year behind than to deal with all the problems and upgrading of PC gaming, IMO.

[decorm]

Originally Posted by MooglePorn

I think this is the best approach. Personally I like dual analog stick control a LOT better than keyboard/mouse.. I downloaded the DOOM3 demo, and I hated using the keyboard... it was just ass. But that's my opinion, not a fact, and if you like PC control then go for it. (I do have to say though, dual analog takes time to get used to, but anyone who does will find it works amazingly well... after a a few hours, you'll be spinning around and shooting in higher and lower directions like it's nothing... something I NEVER found with a klunky keyboard... two sticks become second-nature).

Once you become accustomed to WASD and a mouse for FPS games, you'll never want to go back. I found it difficult trying to pick up the controls for Halo way back when, but I guess it's just what you are used to. I eventually got used to the controls but never felt as comfortable as I would have been with a keyboard and mouse.

[MooglePorn]

Originally Posted by decorm

Once you become accustomed to WASD and a mouse for FPS games, you'll never want to go back. I found it difficult trying to pick up the controls for Halo way back when, but I guess it's just what you are used to. I eventually got used to the controls but never felt as comfortable as I would have been with a keyboard and mouse.

It's not a lack of experiance on my part... I've played plenty of FPS games on a PC, mostly back in the Half Life/Unreal days, and as I said, I recently played DOOM 3... Analog sticks are just better, for me...

[Sid]

PC gaming is indeed a bitch. I lost all hope on it years ago. The last game I got was Law and Order: Dead on the Money, and it was cool. Then we upgraded our computer and now the game doesn't work. But my computer is indeed a piece of shit.
But my interest in PC gaming has changed lately because I got 90% of my old games working using Dos and soundblaster emulators. Leisure Suit Larry and the Lucasarts classics are now back into full swing
My friend just bought a badass laptop. I just installed MAME on it and it runs flawless. It even runs Doom 3 good (but not at max resolution, but its still better looking than anything I've seen yet). I just hope to be able to own a cool laptop as good as that in a few years, so it will be outdated and cheap