Half-Life 2 gone too far?

[PowerLlama]

I don't know about you, but, you could call my technological equipment "lacking".
I wonder, has Valve taken HL2 just a little too far on the basis of raw processing speed? I for one live in Australia, in a small city called Sydney, don't know if you've heard of it, and it seems that all my friends are just like me computer wise.
Our computers suck ass. I will say that much, Condition Zero raped our machines.
If you are like me, you come home from school/work and just want to relax for a while, turn on your tv or computer, and entertain yourself. Now, I'm no expert in Hardware, no implications there, but I do understand one thing, the system requirements for HL2 are big. I still use the machine that powered Half-Life when it came out.
So I was just wondering, has Valve forgotten that a very large number of people who play video games do not have the latest hardware? My '97 IBM Aptiva works fine and I have no intentions on replacing it, I don't have the time nor the money to start over.
Australia seems to be behind in the computer scene, no one, I mean no one in my grade (216 kids) has a computer that meets the borderline system requirements of HL2.
I know no one with an advanced sound card, surround sound, massive screen or has upgraded their computer. These addons simply cost too much.

So I was wondering, is anyone hear in the same boat?

I dono if anyone else said this BUT..

damn man, stop crying and start using consoles and hope HL2 goes to it... never have to upgrade, but the graphics are gonna be shit compared to the PC counterparts.

 

[Cybernoid]

Mmmmh.... don't want to go off-topic here but, I think you need to change monitor... or glasses... or both :dozey: ... if you can't tell the difference between 4xAA + 8XAF and not at whatever resolution, don't ya?

I just can't see any difference. :imu:

 

[InZaneFlea]

Athlon 64 2800+
1 gig PC3200 DDR
Radeon 9800 Pro 256
160 GB Seagate HDD

Case, CD/DVD Burner, the sort, bought and built myself on newegg for $989. I'm running Doom 3 on High Detail, everything on, 8x AA, with about 30-50 FPS. I'm happier than ever. What'd it take? A part time job in the summer. I'm 15, and I made $1000 in 3 months to build my own computer. It's not tough.

 

[Ken5h1ro]

I just can't see any difference. :imu:

Well... I was wrong: you need to change eyes, in the end.

Don't get me wrong, don't want to be offensive, but... tell me, in your opinion, why do you think ATI and nVidia are developing their vid cards for what?... Why don't they stuck with their TNTs and RAGE PROs, and just be happy?

And why all the major website about computer hardware still post reviews of new cards containing pages and pages of tests, with the latest games, with and without AA & AF?

I think we'll better advice 'em that they're wasting their time and money... since there is no difference in using AA or AF.
Don't we?

 

[Cybernoid]

Don't get me wrong, don't want to be offensive, but... tell me, in your opinion, why do you think ATI and nVidia are developing their vid cards for what?...

My R9800 broke down almost instantly and my X800 is slower than a Geforce 2, so.. I really have no idea why they bother with new releases.

And why all the major website about computer hardware still post reviews of new cards containing pages and pages of tests, with the latest games, with and without AA & AF?

Dunno. AA/AF seems bs to me.

 

[Ken5h1ro]

My R9800 broke down almost instantly and my X800 is slower than a Geforce 2, so.. I really have no idea why they bother with new releases./QUOTE]

Ok, I'm wasting my time...
One last thing: since your X800 is slower than a GeForce2, I think you won't mind let it slip in my direction... I'll give you an old GF2 MX400 I've seen lurking in my drawer last day, in return.

 

[Cybernoid]

One last thing: since your X800 is slower than a GeForce2, I think you won't mind let it slip in my direction... I'll give you an old GF2 MX400 I've seen lurking in my drawer last day, in return.

I don't sell broken or malfunctioning equipment.

 

[Ken5h1ro]

I don't sell broken or malfunctioning equipment.

Actually, it's a new one. Never used...

PS: we're so off-topic that moderators would scratch the disk sector containing this thread with a pencil...

 

[Cybernoid]

I meant that I don't sell broken equipment. It's far less trouble when you just throw it away or return it to the store.

 

[The Hulk]

I for one live in Australia, in a small city called Sydney, don't know if you've heard of it, and it seems that all my friends are just like me computer wise.
Our computers suck ass. I will say that much, Condition Zero raped our machines.
QUOTE]

Orcone101 - aside from the subject - EVERYONE knows Sydney. That one of my top 3 vacation spots in the world! Don't sell your city short - beautiful city!
Hulk

 

[Bing_Oh]

Games are, for the most part, the single program type that push the edge of the envelope in personal computing. It's games that keep the computer world moving forward...after all, it's not like a word processing or spreadsheet program need the processor power currently being pumped out by Intel and AMD.

Unfortunately, if you have limited resources, you picked a bad hobby...especially if you're the type of person that wants to "keep up with the Joneses." If, however, you don't HAVE to play every new game at max resolution, you CAN do it for a minimum of cash (easily less than $600 for a whole new system here in the US).

But, upgrades are a way of life in computing...if we want the games to look like they are, there's no way around that. That being said, you are well below what would be considered "entry-level" here in the states. Time to upgrade to bigger and better things.

 

[Orcone101]

I read in your other posts that you have a 1ghz machine... I know for a fact that a 1ghz processor wasn't even created in 97. I bought top of the line computer in 98 and that was a Pentium 2 350mhz.... What's the deal man?



Checked up a little bit on a random '97 IBM Aptiva, the specs here.

233 mhz AMD processor
256k of external cache
32 meg. of memory
a 4 gig hard drive
integrated 2 meg video card
sound card

I'm confused....

I "had" a 1 ghz, thats before it was stolen :flame:
I'm expecting a "We're sorry mate, we didn't know you had it this bad" note sometime soon!

Just so that everyone knows, I'm not complaining about Valve, they just plain rock. I know games are evolving, but I was just wondering if companies were considering having "primitive" modes?
The original game would come out, set in all its 3ghz + glory. What I would like to see was something that let you tone down the performance to suit your machine. Settings that can change the maps and models to a lower poly count would be great!

I live in Western Sydney. There are 3 computer specialty stores in my area. They are all very pricey (17inch flatscreen $900 wtf?).
I'd like to play HL2, its not a necessity, but I'd like to hear the rest of the story. Alas, I guess I can enjoy Half-Life and its mods for as long as my computer holds together.
*welds vacuum tubes and mouse spin wheels back into place*
Thanks for your time guys.

*added*
And yes, as said before, computer gaming is an expensive hobby. Guess I'll be sticking to my motorbikes for a while :naughty:

 

[Brian Damage]

You do that. You could have made your position clearer.

And a "primitive mode" as you call it would probably actually require extra programming, not to mention a low-poly version of every model and a low-res version of every texture, which would take up more space. And a lot of the CPU power is actually required for the physics and AI, so you'd probably be playing without them, too. So you'd most likely have a crappy time.