PC Forum

Don't get me wrong, I do realize that the pc will end up having the best graphical version of most games.  From my experience they'll be buggier, in general, than the other versions, but still, the actual gloss is the best.  Not neccessarily saying it looks so much better, but it typically looks as good as the best version (I would say resolution too, but it really depends what they designed the textures at).  Go figure, they don't have to dumb the textures down, they just can say "well get a better card".  But still, it doesn't ever look significantly better, not something you could tell without a direct comparison.

Anyway, when you compare PS3/360 exclusive games to PC exclusives you'll notice one major difference- pc games look mediocre, graphically, in comparison.

There are exceptions to this, Crysis is the best example, but the main company that makes exclusives produce games of rather meh gloss (blizzard).  Valve's the same (although they're a multiplat studio, but they have a pc base).  

When you compare it to the 360/PS3 there's stuff that looks great- Killzone 2, Gears 2, Star Ocean 4, FF13, etc.


So overall, do you guys really think the graphics whore would want to go pc only (even if you're willing to get what you need to max it out) while they'll probably play weak graphical games?
I use to buy kickass gfx cards, but then I realized the majority of my pc gaming time was on Valve titles and stuff like Diablo, and those aren't exactly taxing.

Is it really worth getting a kickass card to be 2 years ahead with that one game, (very) slightly ahead for the multiplats, and behind for the majority of the exclusives?

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Is it really worth getting a kickass card to be 2 years ahead with that one game, (very) slightly ahead for the multiplats, and behind for the majority of the exclusives?


Within the next 1-2 years, yes it would be wise to get a kick as card. Multi platform games will allow developers to fully realize the games as they intended, on PC with no restrictions what so ever. We are already starting to see developers trying to make PC versions the most technically advanced, and the new cards will only make the gulf bigger, far bigger when possible.

Anyway, when you compare PS3/360 exclusive games to PC exclusives you'll notice one major difference- pc games look mediocre, graphically, in comparison.

That's dependent on the games developers and the resources they have available.

in my eyes the transition that new GPUs will take in the next two years of cards will be truly monumental. The gulf between those GPU's and that of the 360 and PS3s will be lol worthy. Quite frankly, the 360 and PS3's power will look like feeble shit in comparison when you have insane Terraflop processing power on GPU's. Such processing power is found in ILM machines. It's the kind of power is easily capable of creating movie quality computer generated graphics at a grand scale. It's something that developers are going to utilize to awesome effect soon enough. 

A few choice developers on PC will be able to use this technology to move the industry forward with innovations on PC that are simply never going to be possible on the current consoles. Such games will be a shining light to all developers on all platforms. They will want to utilize the technology themselves because the room for innovation without the need for restriction will never be greater. However, in the years of the current consoles they will have to develop on PC to take advantage of it. This eagerness if it persists may encourage the console makers to roll out their new consoles sooner than they would like. if one makes the move, the others will follow, bar Nintendo of course :)

Try 3 years ahead.

Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago

SmugDarkLoser said:

"Don't get me wrong, I do realize that the pc will end up having the best graphical version of most games.  From my experience they'll be buggier, in general, than the other versions, but still, the actual gloss is the best.  Not neccessarily saying it looks so much better, but it typically looks as good as the best version (I would say resolution too, but it really depends what they designed the textures at).  Go figure, they don't have to dumb the textures down, they just can say "well get a better card".  But still, it doesn't ever look significantly better, not something you could tell without a direct comparison.

Anyway, when you compare PS3/360 exclusive games to PC exclusives you'll notice one major difference- pc games look mediocre, graphically, in comparison.

There are exceptions to this, Crysis is the best example, but the main company that makes exclusives produce games of rather meh gloss (blizzard).  Valve's the same (although they're a multiplat studio, but they have a pc base).  

When you compare it to the 360/PS3 there's stuff that looks great- Killzone 2, Gears 2, Star Ocean 4, FF13, etc.


So overall, do you guys really think the graphics whore would want to go pc only (even if you're willing to get what you need to max it out) while they'll probably play weak graphical games?
I use to buy kickass gfx cards, but then I realized the majority of my pc gaming time was on Valve titles and stuff like Diablo, and those aren't exactly taxing.

Is it really worth getting a kickass card to be 2 years ahead with that one game, (very) slightly ahead for the multiplats, and behind for the majority of the exclusives?
"

Depends on what the person prefers control wise, I prefer the best looking visuals and least jaggies, and mouse and KB for any genre that I play really(I would never buy a fighting game on the PC obviously) but I always notice a difference, if you're referring to comparing platforms in videos or screenshots you've seen its hardly accurate. I've had a game on the 360 in the same spot before that I've compared to a PC version of it and can see in a half a second how much better everything looks...its no competition if you have a amazing PC. So in general is it worth spending money on a good PC to make everything look better? As I said it depends on the player/you, if you don't mind that much, which you don't see to, I hardly see how it would be worth it for you....but some of us out there it does matter to, and I'm one of those.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

I usually find that he best looking version of game is on the PC. That's because the developer has less restraints.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

While people with great PC's can generally squeeze out better graphics than consoles can manage, that is not, as is commonly believed, the strength of the PC as a platform. That strength, from a development standpoint, is mainly development cost. Developing games on the PC is cheap and you can get tools for free.

For the gamer, you have unprecedented backwards compatibility, you have superior input devices (keyboard and mouse and gamepad and joystick and whatever you need) and you have a wider selection of good games across the entire history of game development.

As far as graphics go, further graphics development is redundant. Graphics has not been a significant limitation on vision for years. Physics is where it's at. I'm actually much more interested in physics development than I ever was in graphics. More complex physics simulation can lead to interesting design choices in games, as we have seen in recent years, as far back as Half-Life 2.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

PC version tends to have bugs because of nonstandard configurations and conflicts with existing programs.
But they almost always look better, I mean, Fallout 3 on consoles looks like PC version on mid-high.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

SmugDarkLoser, for ports, that's possible, but for exclusives, I'd blame that on your computer. I think you shouldn't be deriding it - because I applaud developers that make scalable games that work on older computers. If you turn games like STALKER Clear Sky, Left 4 Dead, all the way up to max graphics, it'll exceed what the consoles can do.

There's no denying that PC gaming is more expensive. It is (just not to the extent that some people claim). It can be cheap - but you'll have to suffice with console graphics quality or less. People pay more for PC gaming because there's things about the platform that just are unique to the platform - the ability to play old games, Stream, RTS, MMORPGs, modding and custom maps - that really give the platform the edge.

It's up to you to decide whether the increased cost to play games at a graphic quality that far exceeds what the consoles can do is worth it. PC Gamers think it is.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

SmugDarkLoser said:

Anyway, when you compare PS3/360 exclusive games to PC exclusives you'll notice one major difference- pc games look mediocre, graphically, in comparison.

Sorry but i cannot in my good mind read that and not comment on that sentence..... Thats an absolutely false statement and would
love to know what games you are refering to, coz it really does seem that you are playing one or two games and that's it, comparing the whole console market to a couple PC titles like WoW which is grossly out-dated and an MMO to boot which would also mean gfx are already turned down because of this so an everyday joe can get online and play comfortably.

Your original post is a very good one, with some good points and i do see where you are comming from, those console tittles you mentioned ARE very good visually... but there other genre's to the PC other then FPS games that have really pushed the boundrys of graphics, such as World In Conflict, C&C 3 - Tiberium Wars and the new Red Alert 3 , the TOCCA car racing series, DiRT , GRID, GTR 2,  Diablo III when it finally gets released along with other tittles stretched accross all genre's.

One of the main issues in this HUGE debate of which platforms are better graphicly, is TV. TV have been the PC games industry killer since the arrival of halo, advertising every single little game happens to get released on either PS3 or 360 showing you only the cutscenes of games really doesn't reflect how the game actually looks when you play it.

What you need to do is find someone who actually has a reasonbly top end machine with some of the latest hardware pcs can have today including a GOOD monitor (cannot stress how important THAT is) and i'll guarentee you'll see the difference in top-flight FPS gaming over any console on the market today. Im gonna provide you with a short list of FPS games i'd like you to play on a top-end rig at around 1900 res. and tell me your thoughts.... i'd really like you to come back and tell me that PC gfx for the most part are mediocre, because i'd bet its your comp and monitor... only the newer flat screens dont deliver you pixleated pictures now.

Far Cry 2
Left 4 Dead
Fallout 3
Mirrors Edge (when its out)
Call Of Duty - world at war
Crysis and Crysis warhead
Bioshock
Stalker - clear sky
Frontlines - Fuel of war
Exodus From the Earth
The Orange Box

------------------------------------------------
And now the upcomming FPS games that already will be supreme graphicly on a nice PC rig

They
Doom 4
Chrome 2
Legendary
The Hunt
Cryostasis - The sleep of Reason

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Oh, uh, just thought I'd leave this here.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Man, kind of off topic but, that Killzone 2 shot is blurred to fuck. Dont get me wrong, I cant wait for K2, but they went a little overboard with the blur.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Smug, that looks fucking awesome and all, but two things
1- i'm running on high, not very high
2- motion blur all over the fucking place.
The specular and environment looks nothing short of beautiful.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

There's a difference between something being eye candy and nice to look at because of its art style, and something being eye candy more so because it is technically impressive. KZ2 is both of those, there is no doubting that, but the textures in some areas still are made low res to balance everything else out.(even if its not that noticable) Crysis still, visually, is and will be the best looking game that is out technically and all over the place. At least another year or two(more most likely) it will still be the best looking game....and the game to surpass it won't be a console game, that's for sure.

Edited 1 month, 3 weeks ago

BiggerBomb said:

"

The PC is capable of looking better, significantly better but not surprisingly better. And although I have never played Crysis, I'm playing Far Cry 2 in 720p HD on the Box and compared to the footage of Crysis that I have seen my Far Cry 2 looks better. But Far Cry 2 on the PC most probably looks better than mine. I don't think it is worth it, though. I simply enjoy console gaming more.

"

Exactly though, compared to the 'footage you've seen', trust me its not a debate , Crysis still looks far better than Far Cry 2 does, but Far Cry 2 does look very impressive , and its amazing how good the quality is even on the consoles for that game. I got FC2 on PC, and it looks amazing, but the textures are far far lower quality than Crysis's are. FC2 only looks the best when you have the sun shining right on your player, and the lighting really takes the game then...but Crysis looks good all the time, and doesn't need lighting and such to hide things that don't look so good.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago

SmugDarkLoser said:

"So overall, do you guys really think the graphics whore would want to go pc only (even if you're willing to get what you need to max it out) while they'll probably play weak graphical games?"

I think the issue is that each new generation of video cards is only slightly better than the generation before.  We're not seeing the jumps where the latest card looks significantly better than a card that was released one or two years ago.  While I think video cards will continue to improve for a long time, you can see that they're starting to level off.  So, while the PC will continue to hold the title for best looking graphics simply due to the ability to upgrade at any time, this graphical edge is becoming less and less noticeable.

I'd like to start seeing cards dedicated to physics and/or AI.  It'd be interesting to start seeing AI that becomes indistinguishable from a human players or games that can take physics to a whole new level.  Even a game as simple as World of Goo would be able to make awesome use of a physics card.  Physics cards would also be great for handling destructible terrain.

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago