So "normal maps" is some sort of "High" Definition Rendering?

 

 

What you do is make a high-poly model with several millions of polygons that looks really good but is impossible to render in realtime. Then you make a sort of texture called a normalmap from that model and put it on a simplified low-poly version of the same model. That way it looks like you are watching a multi-million poly model with beautiful detail but its isnt really

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_mapping

Here is the check for system resources:

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/refer..._option_id=2046

 

There are some problems with it, and you need to permit pop-ups for the site to let the ActiveX plug-in run (it's verified by Verisign as valid).

 

My SPI hardware firewall wouldn't let it through, however (or was it my Norton Personal firewall). Anyways, I didn't think it was worth it to re-configure my firewalls, so I don't know what my system is rated at, but others have reported inconsistent results.

 

If you can run Doom 3 and / or Half-Life 2 then you won't have a problem, though, as it runs on the Doom 3 engine.

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Wow thanks for that link... passed the minimums on everything but the video card. I think it said I don't have a pixel shader. It's a fairly old card anyway.

Like what the hell, it think my X-Fi is an Audigy!

 

 

Is it a driver issue?

I wonder if my rig will be able to squeak by on this title too. Hm.

My rig handled HL2 and Doom3 without problems, so I suppose it'll survive Q4.

 

Interesting. Might, uh, "buy" it if I have the chance.

I just bought it. Multiplayer is fun but hasn't evolved. Singleplayer is better than Doom 3.

Singleplayer is better than Doom 3.

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That's not exactly saying much though, is it?

 

I have a feeling this game will disappoint me. I just feeeel it.

Ok, I beat it

Okay, Bokishi, the final verdict? Will it start hot and heavy and be fun throughout like HL2? Will it start slow but roar to the most awesome finish like Painkiller? Will it be fun throughout, but edging toward boring and irritating at the end like Doom3?

It starts out slow with Doom3 style drab levels, but towards the middle things become awesome with spetaculer looking levels. You can tell the Doom 3 engine gets pushed to the max with the giant canyons, underground Strogg fortresses and high towers with badass elevator rides. It will push your system more than Doom 3 did, I mean my 6800 will lag if I go over 1024 * 768 resolution. The plot twist is pretty cool as well; it's one of those rare shooters who's story will drive you to complete the thing, but as all ways, you get the standard hero saves the day ending. Overall, this game is better than Doom 3, but slightly below that of HL2. But yeah, it's worth buying.

Sweet, I'll check it out. I think i should upgrade my CPU before i do. I'm dreading this because i have a 2ghz pentium 478 pin i want to get 3.4prescott, but i hear they naturally run hot. Also they are more expensive then AMD's. But it will be a significant performance boast that will be worth it. If I decided just to build a AMD machine I'd have to scrap my 6800GTagp for a PCIE, not worth it.

It starts out slow with Doom3 style drab levels, but towards the middle things become awesome with spetaculer looking levels. You can tell the Doom 3 engine gets pushed to the max with the giant canyons, underground Strogg fortresses and high towers with badass elevator rides. It will push your system more than Doom 3 did, I mean my 6800 will lag if I go over 1024 * 768 resolution. The plot twist is pretty cool as well; it's one of those rare shooters who's story will drive you to complete the thing, but as all ways, you get the standard hero saves the day ending. Overall, this game is better than Doom 3, but slightly below that of HL2. But yeah, it's worth buying.

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How much RAM are you running with Bok?

 

Basically I'm trying to figure out if once again my RAM will be able to compensate for my video card.

1024 megs.

Damn, I'm gonna have to pass on this one until I have money for upgrades then.

I've been playing this for a while now (supposed to review it soon) and it hasn't impressed me at all yet. It's definitely better than Doom 3, but it's still just a rail shooter. You run meaningless, repetitive errands to keep a very weak story afloat, and you're surrounded by NPC's that you never feel anything for or get to know anything about. You still spend most of your time in dark corridors, fighting waves of 2-4 enemies at a time, just as in Doom 3, but Quake 4 has better pacing in between fights and they've gotten rid of the ridiculous monster spawning that Doom 3 had in bundles. The whole experience is a lot more cinematic this time around, you get to drive vehicles (still in corridors, so you basically just drive forward and shoot whatever moves) and they have tried to include outdoor missions. The outdoor missions.. Well, first of all, you never get the feeling that you are outdoors because the skybox looks like a bad painting. Second, the 'outdoor' areas are so obviously restricted that no matter where you are, you always feel boxed in.

 

Action fans will probably like Quake 4, but don't expect anything spectacular or innovative. It's not even close to Half-Life 2, but it's a step up from Doom 3.

You still spend most of your time in dark corridors, fighting waves of 2-4 enemies at a time, just as in Doom 3...

 

That's my biggest criticism of the Doom3 engine - it just can't handle more than a few enemies/corpses on screen simultaneously.

 

The whole "Strogg bodies disappear into green vapour" situation is lame - Q4 just can't match titles like FEAR for pure gory visceral joy.

 

I hope they fix the disappearing corpses issue before the next Wolfenstein game - nazis disintergrating in a puff of green dust would suck.

Edited October 24, 200520 yr by DemonKing

Hell, RtCW is still my favorite FPS of this decade. ...And, surprisingly, for its multiplayer component.

... the skybox looks like a bad painting. Second, the 'outdoor' areas are so obviously restricted that no matter where you are, you always feel boxed in.

That's *exactly* what I felt from the screenshots (haven't played the game yet). I couldn't understand why people were going ga-ga over the outdoor scenes -- the low-resolution flat skyboxes appear to from the HL1 era. Doom 3 had these, but then Doom 3 was a mostly-indoors game. I was hoping they would upgrade the engine to support high-resolution 3D skyboxes like HL2, but that didn't happen. Overall, Quake 4 seems to look *fantastic*, but the seamless vast-open-spaces feeling (that was awesomely done in HL2) is completely absent in the outdoor scenes.