265: Punching the Baby Seal of PC Gaming

[Digital_Utopia]

A 34 year old giving up on PC gaming over Crysis? Something tells me this isn't a real PC gamer, or at least he hasn't been PC gaming for very long. You want pain and suffering in PC gaming? Let me take you back to a simpler time, before DirectX and Windows gaming. Back when DOS ruled the day, and gamers needed to be comfortable with files such as autoexec.bat and config.sys

See, back in those ancient days there was what was known as "base" memory, and "high" memory. Base memory was 640k, and high memory was everything else. The problem came in when certain games needed X amount of base memory to run. Most of the time there was plenty, however some of the higher powered games of the time needed above 600k of base memory to run. In order to do that, you had to make a boot disk that had a custom autoexec.bat and config.sys that was fine tuned to:

a) avoid loading all unnecessary drivers/programs
and
b) try to get as many drivers that you did need to run in higher memory

The Mig-29 expansion for Falcon 3.0 required 614k base memory to run. If there was a time in PC gaming history when someone was truly given license to punch baby seals, that was the time.

Today? Please. Make sure your drivers are up to date, get the latest patches, install the game, and play. If there are any problems, then nine times out of ten, the solution is just a google search away.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that everybody should game on a PC - your entertainment is your business. I however am happy that throughout my long history of PC gaming, PC versions of games are not only finally plentiful; but are also better in every conceivable way than console versions.

 

[Darth_Dude]

Wow, I had a really hard time reading that. Anti-PC gaming statements like this sure are infuriating. People talk about how the PC market is dying (which couldn't be farther from the truth), and here we have so-called writers basically talking down on the whole experience, when it's most likely due to user error? I mean, a number of factors can cause the problems you've explained. And most of them usually have to do with ignorance on the users part.

It's funny, because all of those games listed, I have had zero issues with. Crysis especially. What am I doing differently? Honestly, probably not much. Just simple things, such as keeping my PC free of dust, making sure I don't bottleneck my system with one amazing part and one ancient one (which I'd almost be willing to bet one of these two things is yer problem), ect.

Honestly, it's ignorant posting like this that I thought I was avoiding by reading the escapist. It amazes me that this was even published. Shit like this is only going to give the wrong perception of PC gamers to people who don't know better, and a market that is already struggling in the console age doesn't need crap like this tainting it's image. In short, and I'm sure I speak for all PC gamers when I say this: Fuck PC gaming? No, sir, fuck you.

To be fair, he even mentions that the article is tongue in cheek.

 

[olicon]

Thankfully I live in an age where the computer updates itself and fix most of its problem. If it wasn't for my extremely sub par hardware, my pc gaming life would've been much peachier.

 

[xxcloud417xx]

You know... if you're going to get excessively mad at your computer for not running games while you probably didn't bother to even glance at the system requirements, then first of all I won't pity you, and second of all, I'd like to just say that it's the people like you that I don't even care to have on the PC gaming community that I enjoy playing in. Go play your console and enjoy paying too much money for your games.

I'll leave you with a thought though: Consider all the money you're wasting on paying for Console games and imagine the kind of great PC hardware you could buy instead. Then you wouldn't get all pissy about Crysis perhaps...

 

[skywalkerlion]

I agree with this article completely. PC elitism pisses the crap out of me, because paying money for upgrades for the possibility of viruses screwing you over, the possibility of lag, and the 3 hour long installs, seems so pointless to me. And a controller is my favorite way to game. Not to mention a 360 (and a PS3, I'm quite sure) only costs around $300, will never lag, has no installs, and you'll never have to buy upgrades, just seems to me superior.

I don't seem to be part of the majority though.

 

[skywalkerlion]

You know... if you're going to get excessively mad at your computer for not running games while you probably didn't bother to even glance at the system requirements, then first of all I won't pity you, and second of all, I'd like to just say that it's the people like you that I don't even care to have on the PC gaming community that I enjoy playing in. Go play your console and enjoy paying too much money for your games.

I'll leave you with a thought though: Consider all the money you're wasting on paying for Console games and imagine the kind of great PC hardware you could buy instead. Then you wouldn't get all pissy about Crysis perhaps...

..

Because the occasional 10 dollars you'll save buying only PC games will totally end up saving you enough money to buy a super computer.

It costs like literally a thousand dollars to buy a premade machine that you can guarantee to yourself you're going to run whatever you put into it. And if you're going to build it your own way I can bet it'll cost around the same amount.

 

[xxcloud417xx]

You know... if you're going to get excessively mad at your computer for not running games while you probably didn't bother to even glance at the system requirements, then first of all I won't pity you, and second of all, I'd like to just say that it's the people like you that I don't even care to have on the PC gaming community that I enjoy playing in. Go play your console and enjoy paying too much money for your games.

I'll leave you with a thought though: Consider all the money you're wasting on paying for Console games and imagine the kind of great PC hardware you could buy instead. Then you wouldn't get all pissy about Crysis perhaps...

..

Because the occasional 10 dollars you'll save buying only PC games will totally end up saving you enough money to buy a super computer.

It costs like literally a thousand dollars to buy a premade machine that you can guarantee to yourself you're going to run whatever you put into it. And if you're going to build it your own way I can bet it'll cost around the same amount.

Go and tell me how much it would cost on console to get GTA IV + Episodes from Liberty City + Max Payne 1 + Max Payne 2 + GTA 1, 2, 3, Vice City and San Andreas + Manhunt + Bully Scholarship Edition.

Now if you can beat the $45 I spent kudos to you.

 

[skywalkerlion]

You know... if you're going to get excessively mad at your computer for not running games while you probably didn't bother to even glance at the system requirements, then first of all I won't pity you, and second of all, I'd like to just say that it's the people like you that I don't even care to have on the PC gaming community that I enjoy playing in. Go play your console and enjoy paying too much money for your games.

I'll leave you with a thought though: Consider all the money you're wasting on paying for Console games and imagine the kind of great PC hardware you could buy instead. Then you wouldn't get all pissy about Crysis perhaps...

..

Because the occasional 10 dollars you'll save buying only PC games will totally end up saving you enough money to buy a super computer.

It costs like literally a thousand dollars to buy a premade machine that you can guarantee to yourself you're going to run whatever you put into it. And if you're going to build it your own way I can bet it'll cost around the same amount.

Go and tell me how much it would cost on console to get GTA IV + Episodes from Liberty City + Max Payne 1 + Max Payne 2 + GTA 1, 2, 3, Vice City and San Andreas + Manhunt + Bully Scholarship Edition.

Now if you can beat the $45 I spent kudos to you.

Yeah, but most if not all of those are pretty old, and you can get them for real cheap for PC but you probably bought them already for your console if you've just switched to PC. I was referring to new releases, which cost 50$ (generally the popular ones are 60$ anyway).

 

[xxcloud417xx]

You know... if you're going to get excessively mad at your computer for not running games while you probably didn't bother to even glance at the system requirements, then first of all I won't pity you, and second of all, I'd like to just say that it's the people like you that I don't even care to have on the PC gaming community that I enjoy playing in. Go play your console and enjoy paying too much money for your games.

I'll leave you with a thought though: Consider all the money you're wasting on paying for Console games and imagine the kind of great PC hardware you could buy instead. Then you wouldn't get all pissy about Crysis perhaps...

..

Because the occasional 10 dollars you'll save buying only PC games will totally end up saving you enough money to buy a super computer.

It costs like literally a thousand dollars to buy a premade machine that you can guarantee to yourself you're going to run whatever you put into it. And if you're going to build it your own way I can bet it'll cost around the same amount.

Go and tell me how much it would cost on console to get GTA IV + Episodes from Liberty City + Max Payne 1 + Max Payne 2 + GTA 1, 2, 3, Vice City and San Andreas + Manhunt + Bully Scholarship Edition.

Now if you can beat the $45 I spent kudos to you.

Yeah, but most if not all of those are pretty old, and you can get them for real cheap for PC but you probably bought them already for your console if you've just switched to PC. I was referring to new releases, which cost 50$ (generally the popular ones are 60$ anyway).

No I did not buy them beforehand. I actually borrowed them from friends and etc... And I didn't just switch, I've been a PC gamer since the days I sat on my Daddy's lap watching him play Doom and Lemmings. lol

 

[ninja555]

Ahhh, reminds of when Relic forced me to download a patch for CoH. Spent a week trying to get CoH running again.

 

[CaptDom]

UPPITYCRACKER +1, Damn right man!

Wow, I had a really hard time reading that. Anti-PC gaming statements like this sure are infuriating. People talk about how the PC market is dying (which couldn't be farther from the truth), and here we have so-called writers basically talking down on the whole experience, when it's most likely due to user error? I mean, a number of factors can cause the problems you've explained. And most of them usually have to do with ignorance on the users part.

It's funny, because all of those games listed, I have had zero issues with. Crysis especially. What am I doing differently? Honestly, probably not much. Just simple things, such as keeping my PC free of dust, making sure I don't bottleneck my system with one amazing part and one ancient one (which I'd almost be willing to bet one of these two things is yer problem), ect.

Honestly, it's ignorant posting like this that I thought I was avoiding by reading the escapist. It amazes me that this was even published. Shit like this is only going to give the wrong perception of PC gamers to people who don't know better, and a market that is already struggling in the console age doesn't need crap like this tainting it's image. In short, and I'm sure I speak for all PC gamers when I say this: Fuck PC gaming? No, sir, fuck you.

I can't believe this shit got published,
it's bona fide justification for the entire INTERNET HATE MACHINE.
FACEPALM

 

[uppitycracker]

UPPITYCRACKER +1, Damn right man!

Wow, I had a really hard time reading that. Anti-PC gaming statements like this sure are infuriating. People talk about how the PC market is dying (which couldn't be farther from the truth), and here we have so-called writers basically talking down on the whole experience, when it's most likely due to user error? I mean, a number of factors can cause the problems you've explained. And most of them usually have to do with ignorance on the users part.

It's funny, because all of those games listed, I have had zero issues with. Crysis especially. What am I doing differently? Honestly, probably not much. Just simple things, such as keeping my PC free of dust, making sure I don't bottleneck my system with one amazing part and one ancient one (which I'd almost be willing to bet one of these two things is yer problem), ect.

Honestly, it's ignorant posting like this that I thought I was avoiding by reading the escapist. It amazes me that this was even published. Shit like this is only going to give the wrong perception of PC gamers to people who don't know better, and a market that is already struggling in the console age doesn't need crap like this tainting it's image. In short, and I'm sure I speak for all PC gamers when I say this: Fuck PC gaming? No, sir, fuck you.

I can't believe this shit got published,
it's bona fide justification for the entire INTERNET HATE MACHINE.
FACEPALM

Why thank you, kind sir

 

[Regular Guy]

PC gamer here, and Fallout 3 was infuriating for me as well. Crysis never gave me any issues, though.

Eventually I got FO3 working properly (lo and behold, Bethesda sucks at porting), loaded up some mods, and it's now my favorite game of all time.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

THIS! OH GOD THIS!
yes! FUCK PC GAMING! no tinkering needs to be done, no new hardware, no nothing when you go with a console. just fuck the pc, fuck it. worst. gaming platform. ever.

im glad i found this article, and whenever someone wants to tell me pc gaming is superior ill show them this.

UPPITYCRACKER +1, Damn right man!

Wow, I had a really hard time reading that. Anti-PC gaming statements like this sure are infuriating. People talk about how the PC market is dying (which couldn't be farther from the truth), and here we have so-called writers basically talking down on the whole experience, when it's most likely due to user error? I mean, a number of factors can cause the problems you've explained. And most of them usually have to do with ignorance on the users part.

It's funny, because all of those games listed, I have had zero issues with. Crysis especially. What am I doing differently? Honestly, probably not much. Just simple things, such as keeping my PC free of dust, making sure I don't bottleneck my system with one amazing part and one ancient one (which I'd almost be willing to bet one of these two things is yer problem), ect.

Honestly, it's ignorant posting like this that I thought I was avoiding by reading the escapist. It amazes me that this was even published. Shit like this is only going to give the wrong perception of PC gamers to people who don't know better, and a market that is already struggling in the console age doesn't need crap like this tainting it's image. In short, and I'm sure I speak for all PC gamers when I say this: Fuck PC gaming? No, sir, fuck you.

I can't believe this shit got published,
it's bona fide justification for the entire INTERNET HATE MACHINE.
FACEPALM

Why thank you, kind sir

except its not hate speech when its true.
pc gamers are individuals with more expendable income and more time on their hands than the average gamer.
honestly, how does anyone expect PC gaming to be better to get into when its so much easier to just buy a console and KNOW that when you pop the game in it will WORK instead of having to buy a new graphics chip, tear apart your computer, and replace parts every few months to a year?
fuck that, plus, if you dont have a credit card, getting all those "good deals" on games is useless
and if you dont have good internet connection speed, the DRM will just kill you
seriously, console gaming is just the way to go, its cheaper, more reliable, and you get a LOT of good ttitles anyways, like Mass Effect, Halo Reach, Gears of War, Uncharted, God of War, Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause, Crackdown, Yakuza, and MANY MANY MORE!

sure you're sacraficing games like Starcraft 2 and Civilization 5, but you know what? thats a small price to pay for constant reliablilty and inot having to spend hundreds more than you need to just to get a game to fucking work on the highest graphics setting(which console games dont need since they're desiggned to just work anyways )

 

[TheAmazingHobo]

Seriously guys,
why is this so difficult ?

Yes, PCs are a bit more complicated and have the amazing ability to crash (but so does the current console generation, so yeah...). But that is because they can do much, much more than any console.

If ALL you want to do is gaming, than yes, a console is probably better.
And why shouldn´t it ? It´s an almost single purpose device.
Purity of purpose, people, it makes things easier.

PCs will always be a bit less user-friendly than consoles.
No one will ever be able to change that.
But as long as I can still use my PC to game, while being able to use it as a word processor, while being able to use it as a video editing tool, while being able to programm on it, while being able to do anything else I want to do, with the hardware I want to do it with,
I seriously see no reason to complain.

If ALL you want to do is gaming, than yes, a console is probably better.
And if ALL you want to do is gaming, why the fuck would you use a PC ?

Complexity brings opportunity,
and complications.

 

[repeating integers]

Excellent, funny article sir. Glad it got re-linked on the "top stories of 2010" page.

I've never had a good PC, nor have I ever had the money to get/build one. This is the very core reason that I roll 360, and have been doing so for some time. This pretty much sums up my main problem with PC gaming - My 360's never had one single problem (it's not even RROD'd once, though to be fair I've been very careful with it) and I got it for around £120. Put simply, it's done every single little thing I asked of it, and I've been perfectly happy. Meanwhile, I use my PC for internet browsing, working, and most things you'd expect to be able to do with a PC - but, due to its server motherboard, it can't run games (except for Homeworld, thank feth). It's a perfectly good arrangement - sure, I miss out on some RTS games, including some that look really fun, but it's a workable tradeoff. And since I have no problem with shooters, I have no problem with the 360 (me and all my closest friends agree that console controllers are better for shooters, including the PC gamer who's got a monstrous quad-core dream machine all to himself... lucky bastard).

 

[Dzil]

This was recently my experience with Monday Night Combat. Free weekend?! It thought, how could this go wrong. I played. And of course, a lot of other newbs played too. It was fun. I got some kills. I got more deaths. I said, this is something good. This is something my friends should enjoy. And they've got birthdays just around the corner anyways.

1 4-pack deal-of-a-lifetime later, and my friends are downloading Monday Night Combat.

Hey, wanna play tonight? Yea? Sure. What time? 8ish? Alright, time for some MONDAY NIGHT COMBAT.

Uh, hey, my monitor went blank.
[15 minutes later]
Okay I think we deleted the right folder this time, go ahead and uninstall and reinstall one more time. Yea, no black screeen? Sweet. TIME FOR SOME MONDAY NIGHT COMBAT!
Oh, it crashed?
[2 hours later]
Ok, that should just about do it. Tomorrow, we'll play some MONDAY NIGHT COMBAT.
[tomorrow]
Alright, are you logged in? Ok, lets make a game. I'll, um, alright, server name is noobsauce. Do you see it? No? Maybe you can type... hmm, where do you type it in? Well how about join game from the Steam interface? Server Error... ummm. Alright, I'll check the forums.
[15 minutes later]
Alright, I've opened all the ports, lemme try again. Still server error? Boo, well maybe they'll patch it. Lets just join one of the dedicated servers. No, not that one. Ok, I'm in, are you in? Alright. Hmm, how do we get on the same team.... oh, you crashed again? Fuck.

(I still have not been able to join a multiplayer game coop or versus with my brother since we bought the game last week).

All that to say, I hear ya. If I didn't have such nostalgia vested in PC Gaming I'd have probably tossed it to the curb a long time ago.

 

[Your Fearless Captain]

I used to have this problem and then I had a brilliant idea, buy the game and then download a cracked copy off of the internet. Since that day even Fallout: NV and the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games work as they should.