23-11-2004 16:06									#121
	Put an end to popups!

Hehe... a little ATHF reference.

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	23-11-2004 20:21									#122
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization 2

They're supposed to FINALLY fix the st-st-st-st-stuttering problem that many users had (including me).

It sucked to have the fps drop to 2-3fps and have the sound stutter every minute...

	23-11-2004 20:47									#123
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Stuttering problem can also be fixed by letting the game run without the dumbed-down application for clueless users who can't use a browser to download a patch that is Steam.

Yeah... storyline discussion here should be fun .

	24-11-2004 03:33									#124
	Remove this text

If you have stuttering problems, and are using an ATI card, you might consider trying the 4.12 beta drivers.

http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/4701.html

I haven't really noticed a difference, but I had to upgrade to them because Wolfenstein: ET (or apparantly all games that use punkbuster) causes a complete system lockup under the 4.11 drivers. I was relieved when I found out there wasn't something wrong with my hardware. Anyway, everything works now, and according to some people on the Steam forums, the drivers help a little for HL2.

	24-11-2004 05:11									#125
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

I've been using the 4.12 beta drivers the entire time, they don't fix the problem.

and Valve looks like it's going to LIE again, there STILL isn't a fix to the stuttering problem.

	24-11-2004 05:37									#126
	Support Apolyton, buy Call to Power 2

Jeez, why are you so angry.

This is directly off of the Steam news button...

quote: We're also investigating a solution for the sound skipping problems a small number of users are running into. We'll have a solution for this as soon as possible.

	24-11-2004 10:17									#127
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Because yesterday they said they fixed it and they'd update the client by "tomorrow at the latest".

The bastards should know better to not be so definite, then miss it. You think they'd have learned that from the release date spectacle.

One of the first things I learned on my job is to NEVER give a definite date for ANY future release/patch. ALWAYS say you're "targetting" a date or something along those lines. To say you'll definitely have it out there breaks a promise to your customers, a huge no-no.

And I'm angry because I'm not playing the game until they fix this. There's 2 PCs in this house playing it, both are affected -- I don't think it's a "small" number of users, and I don't know how this got past beta testing. Every minute or so, the game drops to 2-3fps (I've nearly gotten killed a few times because of it), the sound stutters, and it totally ruins any immersion.

I'm pissed off because the game was way late, it took me about a day to play the game after I installed it, and now the game doesn't even run properly.

They need to get a crash-course in how to satisfy your customers...

	24-11-2004 10:37									#128
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

I guess I didn't realize the problem was that bad.

Mine does hiccup occasionally (like once every 5 minutes or so) and even then it's only when it's loading another area. I thought the problem was something similar to this, but I guess it's way worse.

I'd probably be angry too if my game was doing that.

	24-11-2004 14:46									#129
	Got spare money?

Game runs fine for me

Video settings maxed out

no problems whatsoever


then again... even though the game persists you to update your drivers.. I learned a lesson from previous games, that updating your drivers can make things worse.

I just left my old drivers as they were.

	24-11-2004 15:44									#130
	Get a bigger avatar today!

Ok, who can tell me what this is?

I found I guess a secret Vortigon, hiding in a grate. You have to run through a bunch of sludge to get to him (it hurts a lot). You can talk to him, but he only says the same things as the one who give your boat that gun as far as I can tell.

He is roasting some headcrabs though.

	24-11-2004 15:44									#131
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Here's where you get in. This is just after you kill the helicopter.

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	24-11-2004 15:45									#132
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

And here's the vortigon.

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	24-11-2004 22:02									#133
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

I have played for a couple of hours and have just arrived at a hoverboat. The problem with this game is the very same problem with DOOM III. It is completely linear with relatively small maps -- so far. Far Cry, in contrast, played on very large maps that allowed one a lot of leeway to get from one side to the other.

Still, it is visually the best looking game so far. Runs real smooth on my rig with everything maxed out.

	24-11-2004 22:04									#134
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

quote: I have played for a couple of hours and have just arrived at a hoverboat. The problem with this game is the very same problem with DOOM III. It is completely linear with relatively small maps -- so far. Far Cry, in contrast, played on very large maps that allowed one a lot of leeway to get from one side to the other.

Non-linear shooters . Just so you can get lost there and wander around? That's what RPGs are for. In shooters, there should always be a path ahead. The difference is that HL2 makes you work for the path, in Doom3 it was obvious.

	24-11-2004 22:07									#135
	Put an end to popups!

I agree with Solver. There are puzzle games for that. I get a bit anxious when I dabble with a part for too long, not able to discover the route onwards. Deus Ex's approach is perhaps the best, not only do you discover the route yourself, there are a few options to pick from according to how you play (guns blazing as opposed to the infamous ventilation duct, etc.). You don't expect a deep psychological and insightful plot from an action film, right?

	24-11-2004 22:26									#136
	Put an end to popups!

Yeah, no objections here either to maybe an alternative route every now and then, but again, in a shooter I don't want to be able to choose a path where I go by stealth and don't need to shoot. That's what Hitman-style games are for, where you decide how you want to play it.

Non-linearity would be a nightmare for me, I'm known for getting lost easily... HL2 puzzles were excellent though.

	24-11-2004 22:30									#137
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: in a shooter I don't want to be able to choose a path where I go by stealth and don't need to shoot. That's what Hitman-style games are for, where you decide how you want to play it.

Right, good point. Deus Ex was a poor example since it's not a strict FPS.

	24-11-2004 22:34									#138
	Inflate your Upload Space

Yeah, there are people who would go as far as to say that Deus Ex is more of a RPG than a FPS.

	25-11-2004 00:00									#139
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Well it's a hybrid, more FPS than RPG.

For pure FPS non-linearity is almost always inappropriate. The Far Cry approach annoyed me more than impressed me, though the game is decent.

	25-11-2004 03:29									#140
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Well, to each his own. I played Halo and Doom III just once and had no desire to play them again for any reason. I played the initial non linear Doom countless times. Ditto Deus Ex and Far Cry.

Half Life had the same linearity to it. What made Half Life really good, though, was its multiplayer mode.

BTW, my favorite game out there right now is not Far Cry, but Jedi Academy. Now that is a game! Those lightsaber battles are really fun.

	25-11-2004 06:58									#141
	Suffering from ads?

I just saw a review of HL2. Man, this game looks sweet! But the critic complained about the stuttering and the loading screens. It seems HL2 is loading screen city.

	25-11-2004 07:09									#142
	Got spare money?

quote: Originally posted by nostromo I just saw a review of HL2. Man, this game looks sweet! But the critic complained about the stuttering and the loading screens. It seems HL2 is loading screen city.

It plays a lot like Deus Ex II, with very small maps with significant loads as you transition from one small area to another.

	25-11-2004 07:47									#143
	Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

Fortunately, it looks a lot better than Deus Ex 2. But loading screens suck. Poor design decision.

	25-11-2004 08:09									#144
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

quote: Originally posted by nostromo Fortunately, it looks a lot better than Deus Ex 2. But loading screens suck. Poor design decision.

Most people who seem to know something about programming for the Xbox say that small maps are necessary for running on that platform. Thus, games that are designed for both PC and the Xbox have small maps, even though the games could have been designed with gigantic maps like Far Cry or Deus Ex I if they were designed only for the PC.

I wish game reviewers would note this in their reviews so that we PC owners can simply not buy XBOX games. They inevitably are major disappointments when compared to the likes of Far Cry.

	25-11-2004 08:34									#145
	Increase Your PM Length

What I like about Halo 2, for example, are the loading screens, which are rare and barely noticeable. (Or maybe they seem rare because they are barely noticeable.) So you're never taken out of the action with a loading screen. The size of a map isn't important if the transition from one map to the other is seemless. Btw, I don't think Valve made compromises for the Xbox's sake.

	25-11-2004 09:02									#146
	Inflate your Upload Space

quote: Most people who seem to know something about programming for the Xbox say that small maps are necessary for running on that platform.

This is bull on several levels. First, Halo 2 has massive levels, with ridiculously short load times once you're in the level (we're talking fractions of a second). If the Xbox can do this, the PC can. It just takes a lot of investment. Something Valve should have done...

Second, Valve isn't doing the Xbox version, another company is porting it. They didn't design this game with Xbox in mind, though it doesn't matter anyway because the Xbox can clearly deal with huge levels ala Halo 2.

----

So Half-Life 2 was updated...and the stuttering STILL occurs. Awesome fix.

I'll admit it's less often now, but it's still very, very annoying.

	25-11-2004 16:55									#147
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations

Asher, have your tried running the game without being connected to the internet? I played the game without "Steam" today and never once had a slowdown. However, the first day I played the game I had Steam started and did notice the slowdown on occasion. The problem, at least on my computer, seems to be related to Steam and the internet.

	25-11-2004 22:11									#148
	Remove this text

I get the stutter quite badly, watching the HD, its thrashing the disk a hell of a lot, so im guessing for me its a memory issue, as im only running with 256Mb on XP. I left the task manager running, and sure enough it hit 600Mb at some point, so thats a hell of a lot of VM.

So its off to PC world I go tonight to pick up a 512Mb Dimm

Im guessing you have more memory asher .. to be honest, its really poor that they load the sound effect at a point when its obvious your not going to get the next block in time to make a smooth play... have they never heard of buffering ???

	25-11-2004 23:00									#149
	Get a bigger avatar today!

I've got 1GB of CL2 DDR400 RAM on my system, and my HD is a SATA RAID0 setup.

It is indeed a texture/sound loading issue, so it happens at the worst time -- like when you're being shot at, or you turn a corner on the airboat, etc.

They're not sure why it affects only some systems, including many high-end systems, but they claim to be working on it.

I thought the reason the loading times were so terrible was it was caching/buffering all this in memory.

	25-11-2004 23:35									#150
	Increase the size of your Attachments

And I de-Steamed the game before playing for the second day - stuttering problem, gone. Loading times, halved. FPS, improved. Steam is an utter piece of ****. I'm glad I de-Steamed the game. I'd be willing to pay 10$ extra for a version of HL2 that has no Steam.