Batman is exactly why I don't PC game

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

If I buy a game for a console, it's going to fucking work. I don't have to search forums looking for a fix for an issue instead of actually playing the game. I put in the disc and in a couple minutes (at most), I'm playing the game. Time is very important to me as I try to spend as much time enjoying myself as I can as time is limited regardless if it's gaming or anything else I enjoy doing. I'm sure after the game is officially or unofficially patched to fix the issues, Batman would be a better experience on PC but by then, I will have already played and beat Batman. I realize that Batman is not the norm but several games (and big releases) do have such issues that cause many gamers to not be able to use a product they purchased. The pro to having set hardware is shit will work whereas having any hardware configuration imaginable means there's potential for a better experience, but that's not guaranteed either because shit may not work.

 

[Morgoth780]

I would argue it's lazy devs instead of the pc platform itself.

It's not like console games don't launch completely broken - ac unity being one of the more high profile examples.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I would argue it's lazy devs instead of the pc platform itself.

It's not like console games don't launch completely broken - ac unity being one of the more high profile examples.

I'm fully aware that it's the devs fault, but the gamer has to deal with said issues too. Whereas even a bad console port (like say PS3 Bayonetta) still works and is playable. I don't actually recall what Unity's issues were, I think it was still playable. The entire game of Unity was broken so platform didn't even matter. The major issue a console game may potentially have are usually save game issues, which are simply avoided by backing up saves. I don't think I've ever not been able to play a game I've bought on a console all the way from NES to now.

This is why I don't buy games on launch and then I wait. I do research before I buy something and wait for the complete edition and a price drop. It's because I have something called common sense...and a huge backlog of games to keep me busy.

The only thing I research before the game releases is the game itself and I spend like a minute on CheapAssGamer and I usually find a deal for $10 off a game on release day. I know the game will work when I buy it, I've never had an instance of a game not working. A consumer shouldn't have to research a product to see if it actually works, they should only have to research it to see if the product is something they want. You don't research a CPU or a video card to see if it works, you know it will; it'll possibly be DOA but you'll return it for another.

 

[Supernova1138]

I would argue it's lazy devs instead of the pc platform itself.

It's not like console games don't launch completely broken - ac unity being one of the more high profile examples.

I'm fully aware that it's the devs fault, but the gamer has to deal with said issues too. Whereas even a bad console port (like say PS3 Bayonetta) still works and is playable. I don't actually recall what Unity's issues were, I think it was still playable. The entire game of Unity was broken so platform didn't even matter. The major issue a console game may potentially have are usually save game issues, which are simply avoided by backing up saves. I don't think I've ever not been able to play a game I've bought on a console all the way from NES to now.

This is why I don't buy games on launch and then I wait. I do research before I buy something and wait for the complete edition and a price drop. It's because I have something called common sense...and a huge backlog of games to keep me busy.

The only thing I research before the game releases is the game itself and I spend like a minute on CheapAssGamer and I usually find a deal for $10 off a game on release day. I know the game will work when I buy it, I've never had an instance of a game not working. A consumer shouldn't have to research a product to see if it actually works, they should only have to research it to see if the product is something they want. You don't research a CPU or a video card to see if it works, you know it will; it'll possibly be DOA but you'll return it for another.

AssCreed Unity had all sorts of problems with disappearing textures, clipping issues and poor performance on consoles, it couldn't even stay at 30FPS and was frequently dropping down to 20FPS on consoles, so no it wasn't particularly playable unless you're used to shit performance because you just bought a new console after trying to game on Intel integrated graphics for the past few years.

I didn't bother preordering and will wait, the PC port of Arkham City was shit too, and remains shit if you wanted to run it in DirectX 11 mode, even with patches, it's obvious that Rocksteady gives absolutely no fucks about PC. I hope Rocksteady gets burned really bad by Steam's new refund policy, maybe that will persuade them not to farm out the port to a 12 man team that only makes iOS games.

 

[The Wykydtron]

I primarily PC game now because the new console generation has so far been so not worth buying into and this is coming from someone who played nothing but console games plus League of Legends on a shitty old laptop at 18 FPS for years. There's like nothing out aside from Bloodborne on PS4 right now, i'll end up getting a PS4 once Persona 5 comes out sure but with reluctance cuz as if there would ever be a PC release. Exclusives feel more like hostages now.

That was my logic back then too OP, back when the console market and AAA games in general weren't utterly retarded in terms of business practise and paying for a new console generation felt like a good thing. I would rather take the chance on a game being a lazy piss poor PC port on my PC instead of shelling out like £300/£450 on a console that makes sure (mostly) that that same game works. Also Steam refunds could not have come at a better time. A few years late even, if the EU has anything to say about it.

What is so hard about stable frame rate anyway, i'm not even a guy who screams about 60 FPS as standard but consistent massive frame drops just should not exist in a AAA environment, that's something I expect from the abyss of Steam Early Access. Optimisation is hard apparently. It can, and in Batman's case *does* make even the best MLG double tower swaglord rig chug like a ***** just cuz of lazy optimisation but good optimisation makes my oldish PC able to run the new Wolfenstein at a very playable frame rate when I was half expecting it to just fall over and die to be honest.

 

[Asclepion]

A consumer shouldn't have to research a product to see if it actually works, they should only have to research it to see if the product is something they want. You don't research a CPU or a video card to see if it works, you know it will; it'll possibly be DOA but you'll return it for another.

For many PC users, setting up a build is a pleasurable experience. Watching benchmarks and assembling a customized system is an enjoyable task, as opposed to simply buying a mass produced prebuild. You may not find so, but the higher initial barrier to entry does not automatically make it worse.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

For many PC users, setting up a build is a pleasurable experience. Watching benchmarks and assembling a customized system is an enjoyable task, as opposed to simply buying a mass produced prebuild. You may not find so, but the higher initial barrier to entry does not automatically make it worse.

I'm a PC tech, I build my own computers too. I even tweak Windows as well, disabling a bunch of services and programs, doing some registry edits, etc. I really use no other Microsoft software other than Windows itself like I don't use Windows Media Player, Firewall, Defender, even automatics updates are disabled. I don't even have an anti-virus install as there's no point because on the extreme rarity that I get one, restoring an image is faster than running the anti-virus. I game on a console primarily (I do play some PC games) not because it's pre-built but because it allows me to spend more time gaming instead of trying to fix shit.

 

[Wasted]

As much as I love the Arkham series, it has a terrible history with its PC releases. City still has a broken DX11 mode years after release. Origins had game-breaking bugs for a month.

I just picked it up on the PS4 to avoid their BS. I don't trust Rocksteady or WB Games to make a half-decent PC game.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I would argue it's lazy devs instead of the pc platform itself.

It's not like console games don't launch completely broken - ac unity being one of the more high profile examples.

I dunno, Yahtzee compared the console version favorably to the PC version.

 

[Morgoth780]

As much as I love the Arkham series, it has a terrible history with its PC releases. City still has a broken DX11 mode years after release. Origins had game-breaking bugs for a month.

I just picked it up on the PS4 to avoid their BS. I don't trust Rocksteady or WB Games to make a half-decent PC game.

Surprisingly, shadow of mordor had a pretty good port. I was able to run it smoothly without any frame drops, and I didn't encounter any bugs.

Although... I didn't play it for a couple months after launch, so that could partially be why.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

Well unfortunately that is your problem. You need to have a realist way of thinking and stop having expectations of something working. In the real world you have to dig and research things. History in the gaming industry should've taught you this. Look at the plethora of horrible launches that have happened in the past 5 years alone. Expecting something to work out of the gate like a PC game or even any Triple A game release these days is just wishful thinking.

Bloodborne, Witcher 3, and Batman have all worked perfectly fine on Day 1 for me just like every other game I've ever bought for a console. Why wouldn't I expect something that has always worked before to continue working? Just put in the disc and it works.

 

[The Madman]

A fair enough complaint, that is definitely one of the drawbacks of the PC gaming platform. You've just got to decide whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages in your mind or not.

 

[Paragon Fury]

I would argue it's lazy devs instead of the pc platform itself.

It's not like console games don't launch completely broken - ac unity being one of the more high profile examples.

I'm fully aware that it's the devs fault, but the gamer has to deal with said issues too. Whereas even a bad console port (like say PS3 Bayonetta) still works and is playable. I don't actually recall what Unity's issues were, I think it was still playable. The entire game of Unity was broken so platform didn't even matter. The major issue a console game may potentially have are usually save game issues, which are simply avoided by backing up saves. I don't think I've ever not been able to play a game I've bought on a console all the way from NES to now.

This is why I don't buy games on launch and then I wait. I do research before I buy something and wait for the complete edition and a price drop. It's because I have something called common sense...and a huge backlog of games to keep me busy.

The only thing I research before the game releases is the game itself and I spend like a minute on CheapAssGamer and I usually find a deal for $10 off a game on release day. I know the game will work when I buy it, I've never had an instance of a game not working. A consumer shouldn't have to research a product to see if it actually works, they should only have to research it to see if the product is something they want. You don't research a CPU or a video card to see if it works, you know it will; it'll possibly be DOA but you'll return it for another.

AssCreed Unity had all sorts of problems with disappearing textures, clipping issues and poor performance on consoles, it couldn't even stay at 30FPS and was frequently dropping down to 20FPS on consoles, so no it wasn't particularly playable unless you're used to shit performance because you just bought a new console after trying to game on Intel integrated graphics for the past few years.

I didn't bother preordering and will wait, the PC port of Arkham City was shit too, and remains shit if you wanted to run it in DirectX 11 mode, even with patches, it's obvious that Rocksteady gives absolutely no fucks about PC. I hope Rocksteady gets burned really bad by Steam's new refund policy, maybe that will persuade them not to farm out the port to a 12 man team that only makes iOS games.

Speaking of AC: Unity - did they ever fix it? I have it installed to my Xbox One since it came with it, but I didn't play it because I heard it was broken as hell.

 

[Ihateregistering1]

It's funny you actually specifically bring up "Batman" here, because I rented "Arkham Origins' on 360 and the game was completely unplayable (it had some bizarre error where it kept claiming it needed an update, but even if I updated it I would get the same message), and I eventually just gave up on it. Then I bought the game during a Steam sale and guess what? Almost no issues whatsoever, played through the whole game.

I do sympathize with you: I have bought a game or 2 that wound up not working at all on my rig, but it was basically always because I didn't pay attention when I did. It's also worth noting that now there's a website where you can pick any game and it'll run a diagnostic and not only tell you if you can run the game, but how well you can run it (I'm sure there's more than one, but this is what I used to make sure I could run Witcher 3), http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri

 

[Alfador_VII]

Arkham Knight will be fixed on PC sooner or later, and when it is, it will be better than any console version.

But yes, if you want a version you can just slot in on Day 1 and have work, then console versions sometimes do. Even then a lot are a mess, and need patches, often never being properly fixed.

I may not get to play Batman first, but when I do, it'll be much cheaper, even with all the DLC

 

[CrystalShadow]

You know, 10-15 years ago I would understand this perspective, but in my experience, modern consoles are doing their utmost best to be just as awkward as PC's...

Massive updates on a regular basis. Games that are broken on launch and need a patch to work...
Weird bugs...

On PC the unpredictability of people's hardware is sort of an excuse for this.
But a broken console game!? It's a fixed platform! You should know if it'll work or not! There's only one thing to test for!

 

[DoPo]

It's also worth noting that now there's a website where you can pick any game and it'll run a diagnostic and not only tell you if you can run the game, but how well you can run it (I'm sure there's more than one, but this is what I used to make sure I could run Witcher 3), http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri

I would really, really like if things like this would stop. No, System Requirements Lab does not do magic. It does not run some fancy diagnistic. It doesn't even tell you if you're going to be able to run the game.

I think it's very important to understand what this site does which, pretty much any person I've seen recommending it doesn't seem to: it is, quite literally, doing what anybody can do - namely it takes the minimal and recommended requirements for a game and then compares these to your PC's specs. This is very different from "a diagnostic" - it is a straight comparison. Yeah, it then plots these as some sort of performance measure but it is NOT any sort of in-depth analysis.

The thing with the minimal/recommended specs is that they have been historically notoriously inaccurate at times. As such, they should be used as more of a guideline than a definite hard measure. That's why the SRL "performance measure" is not actually that and it's actually potentially quite bogus. It is also not helped by the fact that system specs would not actually produce a single dimensional oerformance measure, even if the stated requirements were fairly reliable. Sure, that's what should happen in theory - beefier computer gets more points into performance, but in practice, you may get different performance spikes (up or down) depending on specific hardware components. In the current case with Batman: Arkham Knight, for example, it was reported that ATI users have had performance issues. Moreover, it's not only hardware that could be the problem - the game itself could have certain things that kill the performance, too - another recent example is Witcher 3, which had Hairworks technology, yet if you switched it on, it would hit any system quite hard, including ones that are supposed to be able to handle it. And there is any other software that might interfere, too, like malware, for example.

These are just some of the factors I can think off the top of my head which prevent System Requirements Lab from giving an accurate "you will be able to play the game THIS well" measure. And indeed, they do not - SRL does not take any of these under consideration. It directly answers "does my PC cover the advertised specs?" and little more.

 

[MercurySteam]

I'm a PC tech, I build my own computers too. I even tweak Windows as well, disabling a bunch of services and programs, doing some registry edits, etc. I really use no other Microsoft software other than Windows itself like I don't use Windows Media Player, Firewall, Defender, even automatics updates are disabled. I don't even have an anti-virus install as there's no point because on the extreme rarity that I get one, restoring an image is faster than running the anti-virus. I game on a console primarily (I do play some PC games) not because it's pre-built but because it allows me to spend more time gaming instead of trying to fix shit.

That's an impressive list of skills there mate but you seem to be missing the point of PC gaming. Yes, sometimes you need to find workarounds, PC ports are nearly always broken, drivers have their issues, etc, but most PC gamers accept this all as par for the course. PCs have their disadvantages same as consoles but to me it sounds like you don't want to deal with the inherent issues of PC gaming so maybe just stick to consoles.