Master "My computer specs and EuIII" Thread

[wryun]

Almost all desktop computers have at least PCI slots (I'm NOT talking about PCI-E here), and it is possible to get EU3 compatible cards for them.

The real issue is laptop support...

 

[unmerged(16599)]

I find it hilarious that people are whining about the specs and saying they won't get the game because the specs are "overly demanding." If you are still using a geforce 4 mx400, that is just a joke. Not to mention you could get a new card that could easily play almost any game (especially eu3) for even less than $100, which is nothing.

And, if you have an old shitty comp as well, you can get an entire new comp with budget specs that nevertheless is 100x better than your old pile of crap for a few hundred dollars.

If you can't afford under $100 for a vcard, or a few hundred for a half decent computer, you shouldn't EVER have bought a computer to begin with. You have to understand that computers become obsolete very fast, and you cannot expect game or software developers to keep making their stuff compatible with your obsolete piece of junk.

As the thread also included laptops in the title I presume you arent referring to me as a "whiner" for posting about EUIII tech demands.
Take for example my laptop. It cost me 1300 Euros when i bought it. It works perfectly, Im not going to invest in another one, in order to play a game. So I wont bye the game. And I dont want a stationary PC, so thats out of the question too.
The last part of your post does not take into consideration, that we do not live in a communist society, where wealth is evenly distribute amongst the masses. And therefore not all people can keep up with, or wants to keep up with elitist people like you
So all in all, its not whining, its a statement. I for one would have preferred if Paradox would have downplayed the "look" in favour of making a decent AI or improving gameplay, by prevented too many bugs. Which to be honest, I fell have hunted their previous releases (ducks for incoming)
Well at least Matrix have released TOAW III and WIF is coming soon, so I can still get some decent strategy out of my old laptop. Nice.



Example of a good bugfree game with 10/10 gameplay

 

[unmerged(45481)]

Excellent. My laptop should be able to play this. Thanks for the info.

 

[unmerged(23946)]

Well, if you have a computer with no vcard slot you should get a new computer right away, because any computer with no vcard slot = garbage. I just checked, and you can get an entire computer system with a good vcard and good specs for about $600 US, which is very cheap as far as computers go.

I work part time and go to college, and you're calling me cheap because I can't afford to pay $600 for a new computer? I have a $800 dollar laptop with me right now and it was HELL saving up enough money to get this. I'm not going to buy a ****ing $600 desktop just to play one game and most sane people wouldn't either.

 

[unmerged(61599)]

Hi,

I have a laptop with a 200mhz processor, 2mb graphics card, 4 channel soundcard, and 8mb RAM. When I bought it in 1991, it cost me $4,000. If Paradox cannot release their games so that they run on my high-valued hardware, what is the world coming to?

I further demand that these newfangled DVDs be designed so that they are compatible with my Sony BETAMAX. I spent a ton of cash on that thing and these damn companies keep releasing incompatible formats!

WHY IS THE WORLD CONSPIRING AGAINST ME!!!!

 

[unmerged(16599)]

Hi,

I have a laptop with a 200mhz processor, 2mb graphics card, 4 channel soundcard, and 8mb RAM. When I bought it in 1991, it cost me $4,000. If Paradox cannot release their games so that they run on my high-valued hardware, what is the world coming to?

I further demand that these newfangled DVDs be designed so that they are compatible with my Sony BETAMAX. I spent a ton of cash on that thing and these damn companies keep releasing incompatible formats!

WHY IS THE WORLD CONSPIRING AGAINST ME!!!!

Funny, but again I and others are not demanding anything from paradox. We are just stating a fact. We wont upgrade, ergo we cant bye the game. End of story.
Now if this thread makes paradox think twice and includes a small fix that let older PC laptops play the game with less "flash" then fine. If they dont (99% probability) then so be it...


¤Waiting for next poster to make an absurd claim, on the secret motivation of the posters in this thread¤

 

[netko]

And I suppose you will have no problems paying an extra 10-20$ for the PS1.1 version? Because that is what it comes down to in this case. The graphics really aren't that complex that they (likely) require PS2.0, its just that PS2.0 is much simpler to work with then earlier versions and is well supported. Supporting the older cards would double large parts of the rendering pipeline which means you need to pay programmers to implement it, QA people to test it, the art department to make alternate versions of shaders that are being used etc.

PS2.0 and DX9 has been suprisingly stable as a standard compared to earlier versions. 10 is likely to be even more stable, however requireing 9 today really isn't unreasonable.

Windows Vista will also require a PS2.0 capable card for the shiny features of its interface (Aero), also for the same reason. If you don't have it, you get XP style graphics.

The real issue here is that manufacturers have been cutting deep into the bones on the cheaper laptops. Today if you are buying you are likely to get some sort of crap integrated graphics that runs PS2.0 even on the cheapest laptop, but even a year ago you could have easily got something that didn't support pixel shaders at all (DX7 or even DX6 level) even tho they knew that this type of shift was coming where things would stabilise for a while on PS2.0, but they didn't care because it was more profitable for them to, in some cases, save cents then enable their buyers to use newest software a year later. Couple that with people that are uninformed about the techincal characteristics and you get the situation you have now with people having otherwise quite adequate laptops but limited by the ultracheap graphics.

 

[unmerged(61473)]

Almost all desktop computers have at least PCI slots (I'm NOT talking about PCI-E here), and it is possible to get EU3 compatible cards for them.

The real issue is laptop support...

Actually most don't... However admitidly, those who don't generally aren't the ones who want to play games.

 

[Hunter Wesley]

I have a laptop with a 200mhz processor, 2mb graphics card, 4 channel soundcard, and 8mb RAM.

What are you, some mad government scientist with alien technology? In 1991 you're looking at 33Mhz, a 128Kb video adapter and perhaps 1MB memory.

EUIII is already being attacked for its graphics and every new game released on the market excludes a few more old system configurations. Laptops are a terrible excuse for a game system, IMO. They are hot, small, not ergonomic, may rely on batteries, have those terrible screens... If that is your only computer, you can't expect new games to run on it unless it's a "desktop replacement" thing with tower components wedged in it.

QuertyKeyboard: No, almost all systems do have P.C.I. slots. I don't know if there's a P.C.I. P.S. 2.0 card. It would not be cost effective.

 

[wryun]

Actually most don't... However admitidly, those who don't generally aren't the ones who want to play games.

Most desktop computers don't have PCI slots?

[expresses polite disbelief]

(the only computers I have seen without them are those that are _very_ small)


EDIT: there are a number of PS2.0 PCI cards, including ones based on the Nvidia Geforce fx5200 and 6200.

 

[unmerged(12378)]

Laptops are not meant for gaming, so while its unfortunate that games don't work on your laptop, you could have anticipated that before you bought it. A laptop trades power/capability for portability. Case closed.

If you have a desktop computer, and it has an AGP/PCI-E slot, then just go buy a 100$ vcard and your set. Like someone else said, you can even get vcards for PCI slots that might work OK for eu3 (though i wouldn't waste my money on such a card unless it was absolutely necessary).

Re. Total Krig's comment: "I for one would have preferred if Paradox would have downplayed the "look""

-LMAO

DOWNPLAYED THE LOOK? Have you even seen the screenshots? It looks like theyre using the first 3d gaming engine ever invented. If they downplayed the graphics any further you'd have stick figures running around on a digital camera photo of an atlas.

 

[unmerged(6777)]

And I suppose you will have no problems paying an extra 10-20$ for the PS1.1 version? Because that is what it comes down to in this case. The graphics really aren't that complex that they (likely) require PS2.0, its just that PS2.0 is much simpler to work with then earlier versions and is well supported. Supporting the older cards would double large parts of the rendering pipeline which means you need to pay programmers to implement it, QA people to test it, the art department to make alternate versions of shaders that are being used etc.

PS2.0 and DX9 has been suprisingly stable as a standard compared to earlier versions. 10 is likely to be even more stable, however requireing 9 today really isn't unreasonable.

Windows Vista will also require a PS2.0 capable card for the shiny features of its interface (Aero), also for the same reason. If you don't have it, you get XP style graphics.

The real issue here is that manufacturers have been cutting deep into the bones on the cheaper laptops. Today if you are buying you are likely to get some sort of crap integrated graphics that runs PS2.0 even on the cheapest laptop, but even a year ago you could have easily got something that didn't support pixel shaders at all (DX7 or even DX6 level) even tho they knew that this type of shift was coming where things would stabilise for a while on PS2.0, but they didn't care because it was more profitable for them to, in some cases, save cents then enable their buyers to use newest software a year later. Couple that with people that are uninformed about the techincal characteristics and you get the situation you have now with people having otherwise quite adequate laptops but limited by the ultracheap graphics.

That's a gold star post that hits the nail on the head. Well said!

 

[unmerged(61473)]

Let me modify my comments, most computers don't have a freed PCI slot, usaually these are being occupied by something else.

 

[Duuk]

Let me modify my comments, most computers don't have a freed PCI slot, usaually these are being occupied by something else.

Then you spent $100 less on your machine than you should have. I've never, ever seen a stock PC that didn't ship with 3-4 available PCI slots.

So you upgrade your graphics (1) and... what else?

 

[Registered]

Let me modify my comments, most computers don't have a freed PCI slot, usaually these are being occupied by something else.

Most graphics cards don't even go into the PCI slot (uless you're talking about PCIe.)

 

[wryun]

Let me modify my comments, most computers don't have a freed PCI slot, usaually these are being occupied by something else.

Again, disagree... almost all computers nowadays have _all_ the essential interfaces built into the motherboards, and therefore will have free PCI slots 99% of the time.

(To Registered: Yes, PCI-E is the current graphics card standard, but it is possible to get EU3 compatible PCI cards. Of course, the performance of aforementioned cards would be pretty abysmal.)

 

[Registered]

(To Registered: Yes, PCI-E is the current graphics card standard, but it is possible to get EU3 compatible PCI cards. Of course, the performance of aforementioned cards would be pretty abysmal.)

Most cards of the pre PCIe generation use a AGP, not the PCI slot.
I've not seen a PCI card for sale for ages.

 

[wryun]

Yes... but as I said, it is possible to get PCI cards. Have a look on newegg.com, for instance.

EDIT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?N=2010380048+1069609642&Submit=ENE&SubCategory=48

 

[Brasidas]

Most cards of the pre PCIe generation use a AGP, not the PCI slot.
I've not seen a PCI card for sale for ages.

They exist. Ask the salesmen in a reasonably-sized store, and they'll find them for you. They're frequently beside the AGP models.

 

[Grosshaus]

Laptops are not meant for gaming, so while its unfortunate that games don't work on your laptop, you could have anticipated that before you bought it. A laptop trades power/capability for portability. Case closed.

There are also females out there who refuse to allocate family funds to anything that doesn't please their aesthetic eye. Unfortunately laptops look prettyer and take less space in the living room