w00t!! Unreal2 for my b-day!

[ragejg]

Warning: thread contains bits of gfx card *bla bla bla* in amongst the *game* content... I debated where to put this, believe me ;).

anyway...

...Great timing!!!

My broadband line was busted for a whole day... but I recieved good b-day presents from my dear old mommy... Included: Unreal 2!! So during my downtime I was able to hunker down on some *great* single player action!! I know this game's a little short, but as a hardware enthusiast more than a pure gamer, I know I'll enjoy it!!

Yeah! :D

I know, there's been a thread for this game already, but i just wanna state that though it does tax a system, it doesn't bog as much as I though it would... 12x10, no aa/2xaf @ application, 10x7, 2xaa/2xaf @ application is plenty smooth for me...

...and I'm runnin @ a "lowly" PC2100 ram speed, @ 133fsb to boot! Yeh my gfx card is @ 310/580, and that definitely helps:

before OC (default rez/iq @ "quality" ...3dm2k1):

nature game 4: 58.1fps
single tex: 811.6mtx
multiTex: 1887.4mtx
HiPoly(1light): 45.5mtg
HiPoly(8light): 10.4mtg

after OC (default rez/iq @ "quality" ...3dm2k1):

nature game 4: 73.8fps
single tex: 1035.3mtx
multiTex: 2330.4mtx
HiPoly(1light): 53.1mtg
HiPoly(8light): 12.7mtg

btw: i just ran nature, singletex & multitex @ application @ this speed, too:
nature: 44fps
singletex: 1033.6
multitex: 2321

nature (@ quality with stock speed): 34.8fps...

darn "application" setting!! kills the speed!! nice IQ tho...

I've observed the increase before, just never completely documented it...

Yes, that was a sidebar irrelevant to the "games" section, but at least that may give an indication of what speed one can run @ and still get nice frames in the unreal warfare engine...

This all tells me that my Radeon 8500 will have a good time in my htpc @ this game, prolly bein happy with either it's 15" monitor or the tv (Aopen wireless kbd/mouse on the way :D) @ 8x6, 2xaa/4xaf... It's good to know that the ol'r200 can handle the new engine.

So know I'm lookin @ this post sayin: what's it worth to anybody...

Well, given that the engine will become heavily used, and that my hardware config is becoming dated, this info may benifit those running midrange systems, and answer the question: "can my system keep up?" Judging by the feel of the engine (and that I've tested out ravenshield on a kt133a/duron/gf3) it seems that SDRAM mobo owners *might oughtta* think about gettin their $35 worth by trading up... it's becoming apparent... I'm really starting to notice it on 2 kt133a systems and a km133... good examples of what makes sdram chug: bf1942, sof2, the newest need for speed, ...and this new unreal engine...

I'm gonna have to scramble with my friends, all the while convincing them to ditch sdram...

I hate to see them go, as some sdram boards have been gr8!

...the luckystar kt133a survived an agp connector replacement for god's sake, and still *very* happily runs with it's duron1k and a 256 chip... it's been passed down to a new owner new to gaming... he has a gf2mx:( ... I'll help him soon)

...my old GA-7ZMMH km133 board still does daily divx file downloading on dial up in a small case with bad cooling... and a t-bird 1.33... yeh... hot... BUT STABLE AS HECK... (onboard creative pci128 is a VERY decent onboard sound solution!!) I sometimes ponder its plight and ask myself: "self, what would this board do with a 2600 in it... and a 9700pro?".... hmmm.... that's (in the end) up to my friend who ownz it, tho...

... time for them to go, though... time for a life as game servers/htpc's... I didn't think it'd come this soon... this sudden dropoff in gaming performance...

Hey, gotta roll with the times, though, right?

*me laughs @ self for purchasing ANOTHER kt266a board, KR7A-133RAID*

Synopsis:

1. I love the game I got for my b-day (jeez I'm 25 and I got a game? :D!!!)

2. I'm pleased with my system's handling of the engine in general both chipset and gfx card... (btw eax doesn't work with unreal 2 using the audigy2 driver iso obtained here @ nvnews)

3. I'm fearing the scramble to shift all current sdram boards in vicinity to ddr...

4. I want y'all to post some 3dm2k1 benchies along with some conveyance of how Unreal2 or it's offspring works on your system... esp. if it's not *teh ub3r n00-est*... and lemme know what you think about sdram and it's drawbacks in this engine, or others that tax its capabilities...

If we can focus this discussion enough (as if I did, HA!), we may benifit from a lotta useful info...

cheers...

[jAkUp]

i have my 3dmark 2k1 scores in my sig... and for me, unreal2 was smooth at 1600x1200 all options maxed... including all the extra shadow options.... ran 25-45fps with those settings... as soon as i switched on the aa though, like 2x... it didnt like that too much. the fps would bog down into the teens. i think it taxes the system far too much... u2k3 looks nearly identical and doesnt tax the system by far as much.

also, a game like unreal2 is a memory hog, so its best to have some nice ram:D

[ragejg]

Yeh, I ran fraps and get 24-40 fps @ 12x10, no aa/2xaf, and 10x7 , 2xaa/2xaf... without those extra shadow options, I guess...;)

[SavagePaladin]

Unreal 2 is a lot better after the patch. That's getting kinda scary. I wonder if I should bother playing games prepatch at all.

[ragejg]

I don't know of the patch... dang brain-fog... What/where/what does it do??

[SavagePaladin]

It improves performance quite a bit, and a lot of other things I didn't really care about. <g>

[ragejg]

AAA! It killed my no cd patch!! Oh well, glad I 0wnz it :)...

[ragejg]

Well, my Jaton 128mb 4200 @ 310/580 is bein passed on... and while I wait for my 5200Ultra, I'm usin a GF2ti...

Old card, I know... I've always loved "pure" gf2's though...

@ "performance' setting, it ran unreal2 fine w/4.345 @ 10x7, tex. sharpening, no af/aa, everything turned almost up all the way...

...not bad! They can still function *decently* on newer games!!

and that was at stock speed, in which it spit out:

fill rate: 336 single, 625 multi

then I oc'ed it to 300/500 (nice!) and got:

fill rate: 412 single, 785 multi

DECENT! 23 and 26 percent increases... I haven't tried unreal2 since I oc'ed it... but this was all done (switcharoo included) in like 20 minutes... sheesh...

I think I'll be ok till the 5200ultra arrives *by friday hopefully*...

:)

[stncttr908]

So have you beaten it yet? :p

[Kev1]

I have UT2003 and I like it, and was thinking of getting U2 if I could find it at good price online.

And don't worry about getting games for your BDay at age 25. I'm in my 40's and I get games for BDays and holidays. There is no age limit with this stuff.

Plus us older gamers still have our sweet Atari 2600 Consoles with the original games :) And they WORK :eek:

[ragejg]

I've figured it out lately... (btw i have not beaten unreal2 on the middle difficulty seeting)... I'm not a gamer persay... I'm a hardware enthusiast who games, a guy who more often than not whiles away all the time he *could* be gaming by doin stoopid stuff like lapping his hsf's and his friend's... and trying like heck to get any of my friend's pc's up to speed with at least GF3ti's... and frying cpu's, and crying about 1/5th dividers on kt266a's and bragging about replacing an agp slot on a tiawanese mobo... and visiting these forums EVERY DAY since I don't know when ;) Yeh I do dive into games for hours at a time maybe twice every three weeks, but the other 19 days contain sporadic gaming, much hardware work, and much forum discussion/learning...

... and wishing for a peltier...


crap, what were we talking about?:D

Oh yeah, me=not a true gamer (I watch better than I play... seems as if the game to me is proper use of effects/features and the art of maintaining stability in a system), but I like unreal2... it feels good from the start... Well done, intuitive interface, not too many options in the menus... Optional tutorial... a storyline actually worth listening to... All these things put together honestly make the game feel like halo to me, esp when it's on my tv, lookin sw33t @ 8x6, slight gamma adj., tex. sharpening, Quality setting, 2xAA (all a tv needs), 4xAF... uh, I miss my ti4200 already and it's only been gone a few hours...

*slaps GF2ti* "shaddup! Process 2d desktops for a couple days, and some pr0n, and you'll be outta my hair, impressing some noob who had a tnt or GF2mx..."

actually the 2ti's not that bad... feels like a stock mx440, which is definitely an ok emergency card... Wish I was like smokey though, I'd like to have a duron 600 for a backup cpu as well...

[vampireuk]

Oh when you get to the alien world with the odd buildings...stand back when you turn the head on:eek:

[LORD-eX-Bu]

what head?

[SavagePaladin]

Originally posted by [eNv]-LORD-eX-Bu
what head?
The head!

(that was almost freaky...yee)

[kiltz]

unreal2 is really a good game. i only played it in a pitchblack room for the full effect. :eek: :eek: man the first time you see those skar jump at you:eek: :eek: