Borderlands 2 (PC) questions

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I had some general questions about Borderlands 2 and hoped any players who've already made a start on it might shed some light on them. In paricular, I'm curious about the PC version of the game.

- Is it a good port, or are its consoles roots all too apparent, as in the first game? What is it like navigating the menu, the UI, controls, etc?
- How is enemy scaling handled? Are areas "zoned" and/or relative, or are monsters always relative to the player level? The first game handled it attrociously so I'm hoping it's been fixed.
- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?
- How is the multiplayer managed? Is it gamespy again? Its own thing? Steamworks?
- What's max player level this time round? How long is the campaign? About what lvl would one expect to be by the end of a first playthru? Is it fun SP?
- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?
- Lastly, what GFX card do you have and how is performance? What level settings are you using?

My purchase now or later will likely be decided by your answers to these, and possibly other questions which I have not yet thought of. Thanks in advance.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

- Is it a good port, or are its consoles roots all too apparent, as in the first game? What is it like navigating the menu, the UI, controls, etc?

Things won't change much between console and PC as far as Borderlands go. You have a lot more customization obviously on the PC side, but it's still a simple system. The menus out-of-game are pretty standard. In game they take a minute or two to learn, not as intuitive as I'd like. Just discovered a marking system for inventory, so that helps in one respect.

- How is enemy scaling handled? Are areas "zoned" and/or relative, or are monsters always relative to the player level? The first game handled it attrociously so I'm hoping it's been fixed.

Zones still regulate enemy levels. Adjacent zones seem to only differ a few levels at most, so nothing immediately stops your face right off the bat. It quickly trivializes older zones, but from a threat-reward perspective, not a bad place to farm ammo or level up Baddass ranks.

- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?

I'm drawing a blank on your abbreviations, are you talking about mini games or DLC?

- How is the multiplayer managed? Is it gamespy again? Its own thing? Steamworks?

I would image it's based on your purchase; mine is handled through Steam. Can't comment on others though.

- What's max player level this time round? How long is the campaign? About what lvl would one expect to be by the end of a first playthru? Is it fun SP?

Unknown, not trying to rush content the first time.

- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?

BS as far as I can tell.

- Lastly, what GFX card do you have and how is performance? What level settings are you using?

1Gb+, mostly max settings. Performance is very good. Game has only ever frozen once (still not sure why), never jugged at any point. The LOD's are obvious, but seem to keep things streamlined, so it's a trade off.

 

[hazabaza1]

- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?

I'm drawing a blank on your abbreviations, are you talking about mini games or DLC?

New game+. Importing your old save into a new save file with stronger enemies/better loot.
I would assume there is one as BL1 had it.

- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?

BS as far as I can tell.

The Mechromancer has yet to be finished and when she is done she'll be released to everyone who pre-ordered and will be available to purchase for everyone else.

 

[Jandau]

I had some general questions about Borderlands 2 and hoped any players who've already made a start on it might shed some light on them. In paricular, I'm curious about the PC version of the game.

- Is it a good port, or are its consoles roots all too apparent, as in the first game? What is it like navigating the menu, the UI, controls, etc?
- How is enemy scaling handled? Are areas "zoned" and/or relative, or are monsters always relative to the player level? The first game handled it attrociously so I'm hoping it's been fixed.
- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?
- How is the multiplayer managed? Is it gamespy again? Its own thing? Steamworks?
- What's max player level this time round? How long is the campaign? About what lvl would one expect to be by the end of a first playthru? Is it fun SP?
- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?
- Lastly, what GFX card do you have and how is performance? What level settings are you using?

My purchase now or later will likely be decided by your answers to these, and possibly other questions which I have not yet thought of. Thanks in advance.

It's a pretty good port. Tons of options, customizable controls, controls handle well, good performance. All in all, I don't really have any complaints. Menus seem to be the same as in the console but they work decently. Occasionally some minor functionality of a menu might seem a bit sluggish or cluttered, but as I said, nothing major.

Enemy levels are fixed to a zone and do not seem to scale with your own level.

Yes, there is a NG+.

Multiplayer is handled through Steam. It's mostly the same as in the first game.

Not sure about the levels or the time it takes to get through the SP campaign, though I'm guessing it's pretty long. However, I'm having much more fun than in the first game, mainly because they're playing the setting and the characters more. The main villain is especially hillarious and really adds to the game.

The 5th class isn't out yet. People who preordered the game get it free. Others can pay for it as DLC.

I'm running it on an GeForce 9200 on roughly Mid settings (with a few thing set to high) and it runs smooth. If my prehistoric PC (which was kinda crap even when it was new) can run it smoothly then any decent gaming rig shouldn't have any problems.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?

I'm drawing a blank on your abbreviations, are you talking about mini games or DLC?

New game+. Importing your old save into a new save file with stronger enemies/better loot.
I would assume there is one as BL1 had it.

Ah, yes. I got new skins, that was about it.

- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?

BS as far as I can tell.

The Mechromancer has yet to be finished and when she is done she'll be released to everyone who pre-ordered and will be available to purchase for everyone else.

Wow... can't believe I forgot about girlfriend mode. /sigh

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

I'm running max settings @ 1920x1080 with a 1GB HD 5850. Game runs perfect except for something with the water effects, which causes noticeable slowdown around lakes/oceans. Probably driver-related, since it runs so well otherwise.

I think I'm nearing the end of the game now, level 30 Siren. I've seen people beginning their NG+ at around L31-L33, so that seems about right.

 

[ThePuzzldPirate]

I had some general questions about Borderlands 2 and hoped any players who've already made a start on it might shed some light on them. In paricular, I'm curious about the PC version of the game.

- Is it a good port, or are its consoles roots all too apparent, as in the first game? What is it like navigating the menu, the UI, controls, etc?
- How is enemy scaling handled? Are areas "zoned" and/or relative, or are monsters always relative to the player level? The first game handled it attrociously so I'm hoping it's been fixed.
- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?
- How is the multiplayer managed? Is it gamespy again? Its own thing? Steamworks?
- What's max player level this time round? How long is the campaign? About what lvl would one expect to be by the end of a first playthru? Is it fun SP?
- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?
- Lastly, what GFX card do you have and how is performance? What level settings are you using?

My purchase now or later will likely be decided by your answers to these, and possibly other questions which I have not yet thought of. Thanks in advance.

-compared to the first one, yes, The menus are a little pinnicky with the mouse but work fine. The only time it bugs me is navigating from quipped items to inventory.

-Not sure what you mean atrociously in the first one? never had problems with the first or second, no quest will take you somewhere you can't handle if that is what you mean.

-yes there is new game plus like the first but have to get to it myself before I can say anything on it.

-Multiplayer is handled through steam though again launched with some problems, quite small compared to Borderlands 1 multiplayer problems but they are there. It is russian roulette at the moment in it works fantastic or doesn't work at all, seems to be Steam side however. Been playing SP for the most part, having a blast, story is a lot better so more reasons to play for other than just loot.

-maxed level is 50, not sure how long the campaign is, so far clocked in 12 hours through first run and doing all side quests and I'm at 23.

-Preorder was the fifth class(Gaige) that they are finishing for free when it released, everyone else has to pay. Can't say if you are missing out till they release it but I wouldn't worry about it.

-I'm running a single AMD 6870HD and sit around 70fps while idle in 1920x1080 maxed out(physX on low of course). usually drops and averages around 52 frames in combat.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

1Gb+, mostly max settings. Performance is very good. Game has only ever frozen once (still not sure why), never jugged at any point. The LOD's are obvious, but seem to keep things streamlined, so it's a trade off.

When talking about a GPU the VRAM tells you nothing about it.

Sadly it's the only thing I remember off the top of my head. I'm not starring at the box or the card to give you it's stats. And the VRAM tells you something about it.

 

[Inconspicuous Trenchcoat]

- Is it a good port, or are its consoles roots all too apparent, as in the first game? What is it like navigating the menu, the UI, controls, etc?
- Is it fun SP?
- Lastly, what GFX card do you have and how is performance? What level settings are you using?

It's a good port, especially compared to the first game. However, navigating the UI is still awkward as it was in the first. It's a bit better, but I've played 4 hours and I haven't become proficient at navigating the menus, comparing weapons and swapping weapons yet.

If you liked the first Borderlands single player and didn't burn out on it, you'll like BL2's single player. It feels very similar to the first, but just better overall.

I run the game at 1920x1080 with this system: Phenom II Quad Core @3.5GHz, 4GB DDR2 (old!) RAM, ATI 6950 2GB
General: Vsync off, unlimited frame rate
Anistrophic Filtering: 16x
Bullet Decals: High
Foliage Distance: Far
Texture Quality: High
Game Detail: High
Ambient Occlusion: On
Depth of Field: On
FXAA: Off (FXAA blurs the image to anti alias it, don't like it; plus I saw no need as the black outlines on everything seem to eliminate jaggies)
View Distance: High (Couldn't tell the difference between Ultra High and High, but High gave me 5 more FPS in super wide open areas)
Physx Effects: Low (I have a ATI/Radeon card, this is a Nvidia thing)

It ran significantly smoother than I had hoped. It runs great. Screen tearing is minimal for having the V-sync off.
Got about 45-70 FPS most of the time. Dips to 30s if I'm I can see really far off into the distance and am in a big fire fight, but it usually doesn't drop that low. Never dropped low enough to bother me. My GPU is one step above the game's recommended GPU for reference.

Hope that helps.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Thank you all for the brilliant answers, it's a very great help. From the sounds of it, everything is generally better or more polished than One, except for the scaling thing. I'm a bit concerned about how it works because the first one handled it so badly. DLCs were "locked" to whatever level the player was when first entering, up to a cap. Zones were levelled and it was far too easy to outlevel everything and remove any challenge (and progress) from the game.

The only way around that was to trigger the scaling mechanic from playthru 2.5, in playthru 2, by heavily modifying game save files. I think it'll run great and have no doubt the gameplay itself willl be as fun as the first. I will get it, but won't play it for a while I think; I'd likely enjoy it more discovering it with friends as and when they get it too.

How are you all finding your chosen class(es)? Are the new signature powers fun?

 

[piinyouri]

Gunzerking is like Bricks fists, but without the invincibility.
Like, all of the power, damage output wise, but you can die just as easily as everyone else.
I'm enjoying it though.

 

[Smooth Operator]

I'll answer it port part, this time you get a full roster of options one would expect on PC, framerate is good, mouse is smooth, generally plays nice.
I for some reason still get mouse lag(selection lag in menus and aim lag ingame), even tweaking the .ini files didn't fix that, but it is only a few milliseconds of difference and this game hasn't got that big of a precision demand.

Sadly they kept that irritating blend in texture thing they need on consoles because there is no RAM to use, so half the time you are looking at muddy textures and they aren't that high quality in the first place.
Menus were made by a monkey to be honest, and the vehicles of course only come in retard flavor (aim and steering are locked together).

 

[Triforceformer]

- Is it a good port, or are its consoles roots all too apparent, as in the first game? What is it like navigating the menu, the UI, controls, etc?
- How is enemy scaling handled? Are areas "zoned" and/or relative, or are monsters always relative to the player level? The first game handled it attrociously so I'm hoping it's been fixed.
- Is there a new game+? It's probably too soon to get info on that, but am curious how that is handled also. How is scaling in NG+?
- How is the multiplayer managed? Is it gamespy again? Its own thing? Steamworks?
- What's max player level this time round? How long is the campaign? About what lvl would one expect to be by the end of a first playthru? Is it fun SP?
- What's the deal with pre-orders and the fifth player class?
- Lastly, what GFX card do you have and how is performance? What level settings are you using?

My purchase now or later will likely be decided by your answers to these, and possibly other questions which I have not yet thought of. Thanks in advance.

-Very good port. Plenty of options. UI is a little finnicky with the inventory, but perfectly fine otherwise.

-Zoned from what I can tell, but they also account for you doing sidequests this time and so news areas will almost always challenge.

-There is NG+. My friend is fighting Level 48 enemies when he's level 44, so there's something iffy about it.

-You know you could have fucking googled that your own damn self? It's not that hard. Steamworks.

-Level 50, around 30 hours, Level 30-ish I think, and SP is better than BL1, but Co-Op is still preferable.

-Preordered the game? Get the new character for free. Didn't? Pay $10.

-GTX 560. Maxed out with no noticeable drops at all.

 

[omega 616]

Thank you all for the brilliant answers, it's a very great help. From the sounds of it, everything is generally better or more polished than One, except for the scaling thing. I'm a bit concerned about how it works because the first one handled it so badly. DLCs were "locked" to whatever level the player was when first entering, up to a cap. Zones were levelled and it was far too easy to outlevel everything and remove any challenge (and progress) from the game.

The only way around that was to trigger the scaling mechanic from playthru 2.5, in playthru 2, by heavily modifying game save files. I think it'll run great and have no doubt the gameplay itself willl be as fun as the first. I will get it, but won't play it for a while I think; I'd likely enjoy it more discovering it with friends as and when they get it too.

How are you all finding your chosen class(es)? Are the new signature powers fun?

You don't need to worry about scaling, even with doing all the side missions there is still a challenge.

The enemies are much more evasive than previous games, which helps with keeping it more difficult than the first.

I am level 23 and I am still dieing on solo. In the first I got to level 10 and only died when I got reckless.