When will graphics get better?

[PrinceJaykay]

After gaming from tv games of 2 white rectangles & a white square to the first consoles Atari Intellivision, to ZX Spectrum, to more consoles, to pc's, when the heck are games going to become more realistic??
I have a £3k system & for some reason after waiting decades I expect by now for games to be practically real, or at least to the same as tv shows on Sky Military, can hardly be bothered to play anymore with graphics hardly seeming to move forward, CoD yes they have good graphics compared to the rest but tiny maps, no vehicles etc & still not realistic.
What power pc would you need for these high detail graphics I yearn for, when is it going to happen, when are game designers going to max out on graphics instead of creating games that could be played on a 386sx just in case someone hasn't upgraded in eons.

COME ON!

[russchilds]

I think Crysis on the highest settings at a high resolution is amazing!! I don't think there's a game that is good graphically and that was released in November 2007. Some modern gaming PCs still struggle with it. Just think if that's nearly 2 years old how good they will be in another 2 years!!

[pad13]

The reason is that, quite simply, you are in a minority. The vast amount of PC gamers own mid to low-range PCs compared to yours. I know only a few people who own serious gaming rigs. In terms of economics; why make a game that only a select few gamers can play? It's a no-brainer for developers to make games suited to the vast majority of gamers' specifications (e.g Valve's hardware survey).
For instance, ever wondered why Crysis has crashed in price since release? People realised that their computers simply couldn't handle it, therefore they either avoided buying entirely or returned it when they realised.
There is little room for elitism in a market as large as PC games.

[PrinceJaykay]

I guess that is why they have different settings so no matter what your system is, within reason, you can play all the games.
I'm looking more for something like we see on tv when they have computer generated graphics that are to die for, I've been gaming for 30 years so granted it's gone from a white square being knocked about by 2 rectangles on a black screen to what we see today, but hell is it a long drawn out process.

[red fox]

I have been gaming for about the same time as you, JayKay, I broke my teeth on a Vic20.

Anyway, half the problem, in my humble opionion, is that very many people now own consoles which at best are using quite old video technology (in terms of what is available to a PC enthusiast), probably beacause most of the time the consoles video is only rendering to lesser resolution TV screens.

On top of that, most developers are pushing for cross platform games to increase sales (sigh), so quite a few titles are instantly nerfed (and subsequently ruined) to accommodate consoles.

Console gaming has a lot to answer for and the PC enthusiast with a high end gaming rig has to look hard for decent titles (COD is definitely not one of them).

That said, the graphics card industry (at least the one powered by PC gamers) is still fast and furious and very competitive. Perhaps one day, the software industry will even recognise that 64 bit processing and multiple cores is the norm!!! As it stands, most gaming software companies are still pumping out 32 bit stuff that is not utilising current hardware.

Anyway, I see a chance to shamelessly advocate my favourite game (I have been playing it for months now, nay it runs to years) and graphically it at least can start to challenge CGI sci-fi stuff, if you like that kind of thing). Consoles, I hope will never get their hands on it, due to its complexity.

If you do like it, and being ages with myself I would guess you would (unless you just like fps stuff) , these clips are an indication of great graphics. The gameplay itself is a steep learning curve, you will love this game or hate it. If you love it (I suspect you may, their forums are brilliant and the devs and modders have frequent input), buy it.

Just remember, the game is very, very hefty on memory.

Happy gaming whatever you play.

YouTube - X3TC 04 Fight trailer

YouTube - X3: Terran Conflict 2.0 Trailer

[pad13]

I was a massive fan of Freelancer when it came out - one of the best games I have ever played. Does X3 bear any resemblance to it? I'm assuming the open-world aspect certainly does, not to mention the vast amount of choices you can make. How complex would you say the game was?
I am seriously considering buying this game.

[red fox]

I have played freelancer myself briefly, mostly online.

X3TC is the last and most refined of the series and now has almost all bugs ruled out along with free expansions and bonus packs (not to mention more mods than you can shake a stick at, if thats your thing).

If you liked Freelancer, you will definitely like X3TC. It does all Freelancer did and more (though it does not support on-line play).

X3TC is a sandbox game, and its not over until you are killed or decide you have had enough. There are plots to do if you want, but you decide if and when you play them.

It is quite complex when you first start out-don't let that put you off though- and it will take you a long time to get to the sort of position where you can buy capital ships/establish a huge empire, but it is well worth it. The manual is a bit crap, but you will get any answers you need from an amazing community. Not to mention myself if you PM me Basically, you learn as you progress and you will be playing for a long time if you like it...Best value for money I have ever had out of a game.

One word of warning, its really intensive on both cpu and memory (not so much graphically). You will need a system with a reasonably high clock frequency (no multicore support) and I would suggest 4GB ram if you have a 64 bit system.

If you visit egosofts website their is a free benchmarking demo that will give you an idea on what fps you can expect to get. If you are unsure about what performance you would actually get in game, just post up a thread-someone will help you out.

[pad13]

Thanks for the advice, very much appreciated. I may well invest in this