GTA IV

[JRD]

I tried GTA IV to see how my new rig would perform running a game that drains so much resources from a PC.

It seem to run smooth regarding graphics... I have almost all set to max and yet the frame rate is great (35+ FPS). I do have a stuttering problem though, which I can't figure out how to solve. If I drive or walk on a straight line the game goes smooth but if I turn it gets the stuttering  :D ... gonna have to w@&k over the settings and benchmark tests to see what's wrong... maybe a re-install can solve that issue  :-( :-(

The thing now is that I'm absolutely hooked on Assassin's Creed 2 and can't think of any other game to play but this one. I still have Just Cause 2 installed and running smooth with all settings maxed out too but this one I just did a few initial missions before turning back to XV century Italy   8)

Rest assured that GTA IV will be finished - eventually - and I'll post my impressions on that game here. I play the series since GTA Vice City and can't let this one down  >:D

[Art Blade]

regarding that stutter, try forcing "V-SYNC OFF"

[JRD]

I have Vsync off and AA set to minimum = 2x

That's got to be something else I didn't check yet. GTA IV has a great benchmark tool that run tests in about a minute or so and you can set your graphics accordingly... I just need to sit and spend some time tweaking as well as browsing a few forums (including this one  ;) )

[Binnatics]

Did you check thge latest upgrades for the game through rackstar social club? They completely fixed a lot of issues and since you tell that it happens when you turn, that's when the PC or GPU needs calculating. It's maybe the same in a crowded street? I have the game never maxed out allthough the graphic upgrade screen shows me that the memory of my card isn't even half-in-use.
But try the fixes at social club. They really did a great deal on loowering all sorts of trouble with the game. Especally shadows. They look stupid and consume loads of processing space. But since they changed that, it's all working a lot better ;)

[Binnatics]

I predict that this topic is going to grow fast ;)

By the way, shouldn't this topic be more on its place in "war and combat section"?

[JRD]

War and Combat boards hosts games that are more military oriented or combat heavy. Since GTA stands for Gran Theft Auto it get a place at Race and Flight... it`s originally a driving game after all!  ;)

It could`ve been place elsewhere but it`s a hybrid game, meaning it won`t fit perfectly in any board, and Art had to choose where to place it so he chose this board!

[Binnatics]

Hmmm, Okay I get the picture  :-D
Well, there is indeed a lot of racing involved

[Art Blade]

I'm really enjoying the game, no problems on my rig. I stole more than 50 cars so far and enjoy the driving :)

[JRD]

@Art... you have a HD partition with W7 and another with XP 32, right? (at least you profile says so  ;D )

Which one has GTA installed?

I was checking the game system specs and found out it has no support for W7 although you can actually install it - as I did unaware of that detail. I also read some forums reporting tweak to have it running on W7, which I found a bit odd as the installation process was smooth on my rig, so I was pretty sure W7 could not be an issue, but if I rule everything out, that`s the only explanation for me not running GTA  ????

[Binnatics]

Hmmm, that's weird JRD. I run it on vista64 so don't know about the win7 issues, but Art got a brandnew copy through steam, which mostly porvides everyone with the newest fixes and patches automatically. That might have solved the issue? Did you check for patches and so?

[deadman1]

@Art... you have a HD partition with W7 and another with XP 32, right? (at least you profile says so  ;D )

Which one has GTA installed?

I was checking the game system specs and found out it has no support for W7 although you can actually install it - as I did unaware of that detail. I also read some forums reporting tweak to have it running on W7, which I found a bit odd as the installation process was smooth on my rig, so I was pretty sure W7 could not be an issue, but if I rule everything out, that`s the only explanation for me not running GTA  ????

Have you tried running it in compatibility mode for Win XP? And you might also need admin rights on your computer to run it.

[Art Blade]

I am running it on W7. No problems.

[JRD]

I am running it on W7. No problems.

Dang it  :D ... I almost bought GTA IV on STEAM just to have the latest patches and all but in the end I got a few other titles (Wings of Prey and Batman: Arkhan Asylum)

As a last resource I`ll try to re install the game, patch it and download the latest nVidia drivers... when I feel like playing GTA, which might take a while given so many games in hand and so many more to come in the near future!

[Binnatics]

I know what you feel JRD, it happened to me too quite some times things just didn't run on my system without a proper explanation for that. It's awful. I hope the patches will fix your problem.
I'm also quite curious what you think of Batman Arham Asilum. I've been tinking more then twice to buy it, but the fast that it doesn't appear to me as a good game for me kept me from it until now.
I think it's too much 'playing a movie' if you get me. Please post some first impressions; maybe it will convince me finally to purchase it  ;)

[JRD]

When I saw spaceboy`s posts and impressions I got hooked by the game... "playing a movie" as you said is something I can enjoy, depending on the movie and the play bit, of course. In this case, Batman AA is quite like the comic book  (which I have in my book shelf, by the way  ;D)  in many aspects - the Joker is just like it`s been depicted in the comics and voiced by Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hammil  :-X

I purchased Batman AA last week during the STEAM summer sales for US$ 7,49 - a real bargain, and I plan to play it as a warm up to Batman Arkhan City, this one an open world, sandbox game due October  >:D

[Binnatics]

sounds great. I also saw that summersale action, too bad it's over allready  :-(
But I'll find a way to get it cheap somewhere. It droped quite a bit in the regular retailshops, so I might check that out first :)

[Art Blade]

I think I found spaceboy's car. (if you know how he drives, you'll understand)

Spoiler

And I thought, "how does he do it?" So I closed my eyes, hit the pedal to the metal, made occasional erratic movements and voilà, there we go..  >:D

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[Binnatics]

I just met an old buddy of mine at GTA racing. He was an okay pilot back then, and allways admired my flying. He asked me a dosen times to come back playing GTA.
Now I was racing with a heli again, and a new name pops up and beats me in any race, allmost. It was him :)))
Cool to be playing GTA again, I still think this is the greatest game ever made  ;)

[JRD]

Hey, Art... how's GTA IV for you? Like it?

I haven't seen posts with pics, tactics and screenshots flooding this thread so I assume it's not quite your cup of tea? Am I wrong?  ????

I believe you haven't played any GTA game before... if you like the movie Scarface with Al Pacino, then you'd have loved GTA Vice City... still a game I'd play again just for the fun of old memories  ;) ...GTA is like that: either you get sucked into it or you just hate it! I'm quite disappointed with not being able to play it to the end.

On my deceased PC I was at the big heist, after the robbering and trying to escape shooting SWAT uniforms and trying to get make that Irish SOB (is he Irish or something alse? I can't remember  ???? ) out of there alive.  8)

[Art Blade]

It is on the contrary, JRD. I've been playing so much GTA IV all day long I was too exhausted to even post much here.  :-() I can't wait to go "back in" again.

A long time ago when there already existed racing games and flight sims and a couple of shooters I thought to myself if I were able to create a game it would include all of the above, plus being able to walk, swim, enter buildings and so on. In other words, virtual reality. A virtual world very much like what you see every day with the exception that you can do stuff you couldn't or wouldn't in real life.

That.. is GTA IV.

So yes, it is a great game :) :-X

[JRD]

Imagine that Rockstar kind of stepped back in GTA IV... in GTA San Andreas the game world was even bigger with three big cities, shore, high mountains, country side, small hill-billies-infested towns, deserts..... and you could do more stuff like flying planes... I mean big @ss planes  ???

There was a mission where you were supposed to assault an underground army base, get into it and steal a secret weapon... turns out it was a jet pack  8) ... by getting to it you could open a hatch at the ceiling leading outside and escape the compound flying that thing. The jet pack then would be stored in one of your hideouts in the desert!!!

That`s one of my favorite games of all time  8)

[Art Blade]

I had a discussion about the series with Binnatics already, he too said that game was great. I won't get it though, I think, because it would be a step back even further (for me, game release date). I think there will be another GTA, a sequel, at some time, so I'll be better off with a new one rather than an older one. :)

Here is what I do in GTA IV when I'm not doing missions: Drive very exclusive vehicles, high class people by my side, wear best clothes and enjoy the nature.

Spoiler

Maybe I was too drunk and my mind was playing tricks on me when my cousin and I escaped from that cheap Russian bar with a vehicle I had parked nearby. It is exclusive, though -- nicked it at the airport some time ago :-()

[smg id=3532 type=link align=center width=500 caption="GTA IV 003"]

[JRD]

As far as variety of vehicles goes, GTA manages to go as far as a game can go... whatever it is, if it moves and can be handled by a human being, you can drive it  >:D ... I once found a train and decided to check what it would be at the locomotive... Imagine my surprise when I entered the train as driver and pushed a button to start missions and received a mission to take my train from A to B in X time without derailing... I actually did a few missions before testing how fast a train can go before flying off the tracks  >:D  8).

GTA SA would be a let down to you due to graphics and lack of a few moves Nico can do... CJ (GTASA) doesn`t have any cover moves or can shoot from behind obstacles... but the story... wow a great plot and a huge game...

Oh, and Samuel Jackson voiced a corrupt cop that is always after CJ...  :-X

[Binnatics]

I completely agree with you about GTASA JRD. The game is GTA heaven, it's so damn well thought out, and so big, and so various, I believe I've never put so many hours in a game as San Andreas.
But what you say about the graphics is true. I remember everybody whining about the graphics even back then. I allways considered it stupid to complain about the graphics since the game was just so brilliant in all it's details. I installed it again though a few moths ago and then I found out how annoying these graphics are if you know better.
About the movements CJ (Carl Johnson) lacks, I don't totally agree. I mean the cover-option Nico Belic has isn't really my thing, I barely use it. I prefer to dive into the situation and blast my way through.
On the other hand, the lack of mouse-view in-car is something I miss in SA when I play it now. It makes the driving, and specially the drive-by-shooting far more realistic and intense.

About a sequel: I know there will be a sequel. Rumours are going round allready on the net about a GTA V, and there are numerous forums where they discuss (like allways) which city will be model for the new playground. Lots of ppl think it will be an outer US city. Well, that could be true. I remember how Midnightclub 2 moved out of LA and dropped you into the streets of Paris, filled with tiny Smart-like cars who did an amazing job playing for rugbyball waiting for you to smack them to whereever you'd like them to bounce into  >:D
On the other hand it might as well be another US city. The game is so intensely interwoven with the US. Many people think it will be Miami again, standing model for the next version. Who knows... all I know is that they will be surprising us again :)

Sometimes I wonder about a possible sequel... what about an international GTA! I mean, hey, we allready flew boeings ;)
Imagine stealing a boeing on what you think is the final mission, and fly over to Amsterdam! Or London. How great would that be. Fighting or taking over an international crime sindicate with breeds in international media, presidential mansions and who knows what more. GTA doesn't only stand for Grand Theft Auto, it also stands for Endless Possibilities. I wouldn't be surprised if they took us to the moon  ;)

[Art Blade]

 :)

I just found a really exclusive car, behind an old villa, top left of the map. A Twin Turbo 3.5 Sultan RX with carbon fibre hood. Wow. That is about the fastest car I've driven so far (feels faster than a Tourismo) and when you release the gas, it has this tuner-like wheezing sound. Crazy :) Oh, and it respawns there.  :-D

Any ideas where I might find more of those special cars?

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