Sick of expensive video cards to play games

FYI, A P166 with 24MB of RAM and without a 3D accelerator isn't even entry level system these days. -- Eric T. Busch [link lost in import]

I for one am sick and tired of having to tweak or update video cards or drivers just to play CART or any other game..I for one am going back to ICR2 and run it out of DOS like I always did..First of all its more realistic, you dont need to spend $200 to play the game, and the thing works right out of the box...I think its time for the PC consumer to say enough is enough...I was hoping for so much when I heard this game was coming out, but after wasting a whole day trying to get the demo to play I am sure glad it had an uninstall feature..When you cant run a game properly on a 166Pent, with 24MB RAM, and 6MB video, then who needs it...I hope as everyone says that the new F1 lives up to its billing...

Yes. But it was *very* recently entry level. Like last Christmas. Fact is, many, many people cannot afford to buy a new system every six months. That does *not* mean that cutting-edge programming should not be used to make games that perform on this year's computers --they should, and backwards compatibility is not always going to be feasible, even to last year's PCs. And there are plenty of products that will perform well on that P166 with 24 meg and no accelerator. My system isn't that much better (P200, 32 meg, no accelerator), and though I'd love to have Rendition video for N2, I enjoy N2 quite well on my system and will for another year. (No, I can't just pop in a Rendition card... none of them have a feature connector for my TV/Capture card, and this particular TV/Capture card is tied to features on my monitor, so I can't switch it out for another card.) SODA is a stretch on here. CART Precision Racing I may well pass on. But I'll live with the thousands of games that fit my system until the fall of '98, when I'll get another system.

Well said.

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> I for one am sick and tired of having to tweak or update video cards or drivers > just to play CART or any other game..I for one am going back to ICR2 and run > it out of DOS like I always did..First of all its more realistic, you dont > need to spend $200 to play the game, and the thing works right out of the > box...I think its time for the PC consumer to say enough is enough...I was > hoping for so much when I heard this game was coming out, but after wasting a > whole day trying to get the demo to play I am sure glad it had an uninstall > feature..When you cant run a game properly on a 166Pent, with 24MB RAM, and > 6MB video, then who needs it...I hope as everyone says that the new F1 lives > up to its billing...

I guess its time to take out that old ega card :)

Too ***y true. I couldn`t agree more. It`s getting ridiculous. Sure, if people want massive hardware acceleration and fantastic graphics, go and get a Playstation or N64. They cost about the same, and no doubt if there was consumer demand there would be a steering wheel/pedal configuration AND sims. The machine is more than capable. Computer games used to be about much more than flashy graphics, and how many polygons you could shift around screen per frame. Now it seems the programmers just spend they're time trying to emulate consoles. It`s pretty sad. I can`t think of 1 game that's been out recently that is a 100% computer game. (Hell, we get the Playstations cast offs, though NHL98 is pretty damn good.) About the only area of games which are still computer only really are flight sims, and I don`t mean the arcadey crap, I mean stuff like MS-Flightsim etc... That`s about it though. (Feel free to try and prove me wrong.) I only recently got my machine, (3 months ago) and for new games (Like Shadows of the Empire etc...) it`s already obsolete, and it`s a P166 for christs sake! I know sims push the envelope of technology to extremes, but it`s getting beyond a joke. Nice post. I agree totally. (As you may have gathered.) And if I see one more "Realtime Strategy Game" i'm going to kill somebody. The words "Dead Horse" and "***" spring to mind. Leave it to the software industry to take a great genre and brutally *** it. --- The Chrome Plated Megaphone of Destiny

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> > > I for one am sick and tired of having to tweak or update video cards or > drivers > > > just to play CART or any other game..I for one am going back to ICR2 and > run > > > it out of DOS like I always did..First of all its more realistic, you dont > > > need to spend $200 to play the game, and the thing works right out of the > > > box... > R: > I can understand somebody getting a headache over this but seriously what your > saying is.. "Pc's stop progressing, this is the end". Well I for one am 100% > against that theory. IMO that would be truly dissapointing.

While what you say is true.... It *would* be nice if, instead of introducing the newer, faster, end-all and be-all, etc.... every three months... the manufacturers could wait a couple years in between.... or at least one. it's for this very reason that I have not yet upgraded (AGAIN). no matter what you get....or how much you spend... it's only gonna be the *in* thing for a few months.... for instance... I build my own systems, when I get one.... the one I'm on cost me about 1400 dollars when I built it. it would have retailed in the 2500 range... now, (if I could still find the old parts...hehhee) I could build this same system for less than 600 dollars.... with no retail value whatsoever, to speak of... and when you DO go out and upgrade, with the sole intent of improving your favorite sim.... they just release a newer version of it, and BAM, there ya go again... -- Handy^Man IVGA 4924 ~~pulling for #8 in 1998 ! :)~~ ICQ 3551448 GOoooo #3 !!

I sure hope so, I got a p233 mmx with a rendition card about 3 months ago, I plan on making it at least 3 years. -- Don Burnette

Unfortunately a 200MMX is now some 5 steps back from leading edge (PII300, PII266, PII233, P233MMX then P200MMX) and will be entry level within a few months (as will be the 3dfx within a few more). If you want something now that will handle everything that is thrown at it for a few months then you currently need at least a PII266. Sad but true - by the end of '98 we'll be seeing software with a "minimum" requirement of a P200MMX.... Cheers, Richard (who's currently trying to work out how to finance a PII300....)

>While what you say is true.... > It *would* be nice if, instead of introducing the newer, faster, end-all >and be-all, etc.... every three months... the manufacturers could wait a >couple years in between.... or at least one. Well, the time between 3dfx Voodoo1 and Voodoo2 products will be about 18 months. That said, the ver strength of the PC is the aggresive rate at which it advances. Note that with 3dfx the PC has launched ahead of even the N64 as the most powerful/advanced *** machine. Voodoo2 will raise the bar even higher, and I for one will be lining up to buy the first one of the assembly line. Joe

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> >While what you say is true.... > > It *would* be nice if, instead of introducing the newer, faster, end-all > >and be-all, etc.... every three months... the manufacturers could wait a > >couple years in between.... or at least one. > Well, the time between 3dfx Voodoo1 and Voodoo2 products will be about > 18 months. That said, the ver strength of the PC is the aggresive rate > at which it advances. Note that with 3dfx the PC has launched ahead of > even the N64 as the most powerful/advanced *** machine. Voodoo2 > will raise the bar even higher, and I for one will be lining up to buy > the first one of the assembly line. > Joe

I bought my Rendition board as well in October last year at its release and it did take a year for Rendition to release a newer board. Much faster and almost $50 cheaper to boot. I don't see the problem either. After selling my old board the new one hardly cost me anything. -- Dana Bailes

hey, now there's an idea.... all you folks upgrading all the time.... what's happening to your cast-offs...? I, for one, might be interested in purchasing some of the "outdated" stuff.... old rendition card, pent 133/166,motherboard... etc... anyone ? email me... :)

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> > >While what you say is true.... > > > It *would* be nice if, instead of introducing the newer, faster, end-all > > >and be-all, etc.... every three months... the manufacturers could wait a > > >couple years in between.... or at least one. > > Well, the time between 3dfx Voodoo1 and Voodoo2 products will be about > > 18 months. That said, the ver strength of the PC is the aggresive rate > > at which it advances. Note that with 3dfx the PC has launched ahead of > > even the N64 as the most powerful/advanced *** machine. Voodoo2 > > will raise the bar even higher, and I for one will be lining up to buy > > the first one of the assembly line. > > Joe > I bought my Rendition board as well in October last year at its release and it > did take a year for Rendition to release a newer board. Much faster and almost > $50 cheaper to boot. I don't see the problem either. After selling my old > board the new one hardly cost me anything. > -- > Dana Bailes

-- Handy^Man IVGA 4924 ~~pulling for #8 in 1998 ! :)~~ ICQ 3551448 GOoooo #3 !!

>hey, now there's an idea.... all you folks upgrading all the time.... >what's happening to your cast-offs...? > I, for one, might be interested in purchasing some of the "outdated" >stuff.... old rendition card, pent 133/166,motherboard... etc... >anyone ? email me... :) When Voodoo2 comes out in a few months there will no doubt be a ton of original 3dfx boards being sold second hand. Joe