Izuno

9600xt is a pretty good value card...i think you can get the 256 mb version for under $175 now. i think you'll be ok for most of the next gen engine based games like hl2/d3/stalker/bf2 you know, it would be great if there was a universal guide to what how each card fairs with each new game engine, especially for those on a budget who want something good but can't drop 5 bills on a 6800 or X800.

omg Zaph is becoming a vampire! Being the lazy sob i am...is there any hand to hand fighting? there's melee right? i'd love to be able to use my greater-than-human strength to smack around some ...erm...smacktards in the game. i think this is the first game that has me excited play as a vampire cause it reminds me of how badass Blade, and the villians, were in..erm...Blade.

yes

excellent question. right after E3 I was given one of our Athlon 64 machinces with the 6800 ultras for a low low price. I love the 6800u but honestly I don't have any games that push it. I only have Far Cry on 1280x1024 (native resolution of my LCD) but with full effects (4x AA, 8x AF and everything maxed) I get at least 40 frames/second most of the time. Problem is i don't find Far Cry fun so i don't play it, plus the MP is pants. In all other games the FPS limit on max settings seems to be the refresh rate of my monitor which is stuck at 100 hz or something...but the image quality is amazing in all aspects. Yes, it takes up to slots and 2 power outlets, so you'll want a newer rig with a 400 watt power supply. if you don't have such a rig or a can't spend the extra $$$, get the ATI. One of the key differences between the 6800u and the X800... the 6800u supports DirectX 9.0c. the X800 series does not. Right now there are no games that support 9.0c, and I don't think HL2 or Doom3 will have feature complete 9.0c renderers so you won't notice. STALKER (yes we know i'm biased) will have a full DX9.0c renderer and you'll need a compatible card to see all the effects. I've seen the difference between 9.0c and 9.0b and for the most part you can't tell, but in STALKER you can in some places and it is completely stunning. The 3.0 pixel shader in 9.0c is "awesome". Remeber the Unreal 3 engine tech movie from a couple months ago? That's the quality it can do. The 6800u is the only card currently on the market than can do this stuff. I highly doubt you'll see much performance difference between the two, or image quality for the most part unless you're playing STALKER...erm...whenever that gets released . However, the differences between 9.0c and 9.0b in the game won't diminish it that much...most people may not even notice but since we're generally more in toon with image quality we might see it. /gets of soap box...gets back to work.

omg this is going to be the best vampire related RPG game built from teh HL2 source engine everrrrrrr! seriously, looks very cool, and i like the real time combat--as opposed to turn based in KOTOR (KOTOR still rocked, though) gg

:-? not sure...active a lot in the last 2 years...less in the years before that...it's been so long i forgot.

Already looking better ---> lighting, textures, geometry. keep up the good work.

don't expect too much love, Zaph... with big titles like this they usually leave their other 3rd party developers to acquire the game by their own means, except for management. you may get lucky, though. this is essentially how it works at all publishers :-/ i've already planned to buy my copy and hopefully expense it as competitive research, but maybe i'll get lucky.

we just found out...we're already sucking up to people at Activision to get free copies...but we may end up buying in the store...dunno. Get your machine pimped now!

for details clix here: http://www.stalker-game.com/index_eng.html then clix on "engine" header in upper right. info is somewhat out of date, but for the most part pretty accurate.

omg best thread ever ~~~~ "4 out of 4 tildes!"

i think mino wins

werd. 10/8/03. i like that better anyway cause 10 + 8 + 3 = 21 = BLACKJACK! PAY UP, BIOTCH!

omg that's the library in the open scene from Ghostbusters!

no maps for me in this update.... back to Hammer

Hey guys, Since we're all hardcore FPS gamers for the most part, I'm interested in knowing what gaming related news sites you use, and if you have any strong opinions why one site is good or bad I'd love to hear it. If you use a Planet site like PlanetHalflife or PlanetQuake etc, feel free to reply with which one. Thanks!

god bless mapcore. i'm off to the UK for a week for business later in july, but i should have time for walking around, getting wankered, and taking pictars

i dunno, i gotta agree with Insta on this. map looks cool though. good job.

those textures sure do look familiar for the most part. interesting design. what is this contest cause i'm to busy to check it out myself. :monocle:

:ssj: is it april fools day? wait no...

these look like posters

New S.T.A.L.K.E.R. E3 2004 vignettes on IGN The 15 minute STALKER presentation shown at E3 has been split up into 4 episodes. Episodes 1 and 2 are currently on IGN's PC gaming channel. http://media.pc.ign.com/media/480/480467/vids_1.html If you don't have an IGN insider account, you'll have to watch the Windows Media version, but it looks fine. If you do have insider, you can also view in the Quicktime format. Right now these are exclusive to IGN, but once that expires I'll try to post the source movies for you.

gman's voice acting in HL was the most interesting delivery of an ending for sure. but don't forget the crazy dood with the head that opens up that you have to defeat...found that a very satisfying end boss puzzle that made the ending all the more mysterious, as in "wtf was that?!" my favorite ending still has to be the dark side ending of Jedi Knight. When Kyle assumes all power over the empire he squashes the holographic display device that has the only image of his dead father. it was one of the few gaming moments that was really tragic, worthy of cinema. worst ending (to a game i otherwise enjoyed very much): Red Faction. gotta defuse that bomb...woopdeedoo. Pandora Tomorrow ending was meh also.

good enough. and considering the evolution of engine technology and gameplay in the ww2 shooter genre, maybe this is the next logical step after Call of Duty...have characters that really feel like characters with well delivered dialogue that doesn't make you groan.

ah! well...i must admit as i watch BoB on HIstory Channel (like the 23423th viewing of it) i still think it would be cool to experience cinematic moments of "downtime" where you gotta do the mundane shit in a video game. not for a WHOLE game, but have moments between battles where you gotta deal with the "engineering" issues of ww2...you hear officers and troops talking about how they're gonna handle clearing that minefield or get those trucks across the river or other stuff...just to make the game REALLY feel like you are in ww2. why? cause why not? just for the hell of it....cause i think it would be a good way to show how video games is a medium capable of delivering really dramatic moments or at least very well acted moments that are interesting for their own sake, not just for combat and action.