GTA IV PC

Discussions, News, Questions

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby EggChen on 13 Feb 2009 20:45

OK mate, if you use all the GFWL and Social Club stuff well have to hook up for some co-op action!!

As for quad core, you don't need it, but it helps. When I benchmarked it, my quad was using 68%, RAM 40% (I have 8Gb).
User avatar
EggChen
Moderator
 
Posts: 1016
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 00:44
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby audioave10 on 14 Feb 2009 19:10

I've never played online before but that would seem to be a good way to try. The two of us could surely cause massive amounts of
total chaos and destruction... :toothy5: :laughing6: :tongue3:
"Let the Zone take me if I am"
User avatar
audioave10
Senior Resident
 
Posts: 1154
Joined: 14 Sep 2008 01:30
Location: USA

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby EggChen on 14 Feb 2009 19:22

I'm looking forward to getting back into this game....

Me and my brother would load up a "freeplay" server, and just see how much carnage we could cause, then see if we could shake the cops. The co-op missions are scripted, go here, kill them, just like the main game. The fun is in the free-for-all modes, you get some idiots, but many decent players as well. It is very random, and in one game an impromptu race in supercars around the middle island turned into a scene from the film Heat when one of us clipped a cop. Cars were handbraked and a huge assault rifle fight with the N.O.O.S.E guys ended us all one by one....

Its when the guy wearing a white suit and sporting an afro goes past pulling a wheelie on a moped, you just have to laugh.
User avatar
EggChen
Moderator
 
Posts: 1016
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 00:44
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 18 Mar 2009 00:58

If anyone is actually playing this game with decent framerates, can you post your CPU type and speed and the settings you are using in the game? Thanks.
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby EggChen on 18 Mar 2009 21:51

1440x900 eveything on very high, textures on medium, though some are set to high with a bit of modding (mainly clothes and weapons).

Draw distance, detail distance and car density at 50.

I get average FPS in mid 50's, and occasionally when a lot is going on I notice a small amout of stutter (at night, rain, loads of cars etc).

Quad 9550 2.83Ghz stock speeds
GTX 280 1024Mb stock
8Gb DDRII 800 stock speeds
Windows Vista 64 bit

I can run on high textures without any impact on framerate, but I get occasional "out of VGA memory" errors, so dropped to medium.

I read somewhere that even on medium with distances at 25 you are seeing better graphics than an Xbox 360. I think many people push the settings a bit too much, Rockstar stated that the highest settings are not really designed for current hardware.

One tip, turn off clip capture, I only enable it in multiplayer.

Also this game is optimised for Quad Core and 64 bit, my CPU has read over 70% usage accross all four cores.

Apart from high requirements, awful registration process and the raft of cheating fuckwits online, this is an awesome game, my game of 2008/2009 so far.

PS. If anyone remembers my letter about the registration process, it is published in the most recent PC Gamer UK B-)
User avatar
EggChen
Moderator
 
Posts: 1016
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 00:44
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 19 Mar 2009 05:22

Thanks EggChen. Any settings I try, I can't get much over 25fps. Some say it's my CPU (AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Dual-Core Black Edition @3.2GHZ), that Dual Core just ain't doing it. I'll try all your settings and see. I went to Black Vipers site and did all that stuff. I have AMD Fusion, AMD OverDrive and PriFinitty. It just plain sucks to play with low fps as we all can attest to. Fallout 3 with not doing any of this stuff runs at 70fps.
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby audioave10 on 19 Mar 2009 07:12

Rock...the problem is a constant-disk-checking Securom, GFWL and
the Rockstar Social Club. When I tried a non-legit version that
"fooled" those three morons into thinking I was hooked up to them,
the game ran "beautiful". I had less specs than you in every way
(only slightly less). I still deleted it and when I get a quad setup, I
"might" buy it when it's in the bargain bin.
I must say that when it's run right it's a special game with a "live"
city setting. Rockstar should be ashamed since they could have made millions on it if they let you shut off all the online crap when
playing singleplayer. They killed their own sales and this could have been the best game of late. :-\

It looked almost this good...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Zdnek3UaM
"Let the Zone take me if I am"
User avatar
audioave10
Senior Resident
 
Posts: 1154
Joined: 14 Sep 2008 01:30
Location: USA

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 19 Mar 2009 14:30

Oh. That crap. Thanks audioave. Not much to do for that for sure. :mozilla_frown:
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby Nightwatch on 19 Mar 2009 14:37

This continuous online checking that the game performs sounds awful. If I got it right right, does it mean that you need to be online even when you're playing single player? So that the game keeps on checking their those three stooges. I was thinking to get it soon, but I might opt for passing-by those as well then.
User avatar
Nightwatch
Site Admin
 
Posts: 2676
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 05:42
Location: London, United Kingdom

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 19 Mar 2009 14:40

Well, when I disable my internet connection, the game loads and I have to let it try to connect. When it fails to connect, it then lets me play (with warnings about blah, blah) and I see a little, very little, increase in performance. Mind you, this is with all that other crap I did above. I hate running my pc that way but this stupid game is so engrossing!
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby Nightwatch on 19 Mar 2009 14:47

Yes, I agree with views that they are damaging their own profitability by putting unfair and disproportionate pressure on people and on their PCs. They're forcing people to seek warez copies becuse people are getting scared of pleying the legitimate games now.

EggChen wrote:PS. If anyone remembers my letter about the registration process, it is published in the most recent PC Gamer UK


Great, congratulations, buddy. :-bd

Have you though of posting it here as an announcement as well, the whole letter?
User avatar
Nightwatch
Site Admin
 
Posts: 2676
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 05:42
Location: London, United Kingdom

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 19 Mar 2009 16:11

Excellent EggChen =D> We won't be able to read it on this side of the pond unless you post it for us.

Ok. The game. I just almost doubled my fps. Using EggChens settings but for texture low and the distances 25, I went into task manager and turned off some stuff, one especially was Social Club. That bitch must be calling out constantly even in off line mode. So now, with my pc sitting like a naked babe in the woods, the game plays, well, playable.
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby EggChen on 19 Mar 2009 22:06

Here you go guys, I don't have the full text anymore, below is the part I posted on page 1 of this thread, the only thing missing is the opening paragraph.

Now I have to say, this is one of the most engrossing games I have ever played, Fallout 3 is currently sitting half finished on my desktop... I tried GTA IV when I got it just to see how it played.... have not played anything else since (apart from 3 levels of FEAR 2). It looks absolutely stunning at times, and I am still finding things out. Did you know every character has a specific motorbike helmet just for the chance that you may give them a lift on a motorbike? The Jamaican rasta has the colours of the flag, gay guy has a pink one, etc, etc. Its also a simple thing, but the user compiled radio station is brilliant, the tracks already in the game are good enough anyway! The video editor is great, but takes some time to get skilled with. I admit the social apsect of the game is a good idea, with shared leaderboards and achievements (for example there is a "millionaire table" of all the players with that amount of cash online. Its a shame they made the log in process for this stuff compulsory rather than optional though.

The modding is not easy, I am still waiting for a mod that allows the radio to be played in cop cars, I need something cool playing when doing vigilante missions. I have done some basic texture stuff to suit some of the clothes to my taste, and made clothes and weapons use the "high" texture setting, with everything else on medium (kind of like the old Stalker hack that silverpower used).

Edit: Be warned the letter below is nothing like the polished and amusing article that Natvac would have sent :salute:

... We both exceed the required specs, both work in the IT industry, and so have no trouble getting the game to run. The problem specifically is that Rockstar Games have not validated my Social Club account, which as you pointed out in your review is required for Multiplayer.

I have sent two e-mails, and countless automated requests on their website, and still no validation! I rang their support line to be told that they did not deal with Social Club, as it was Take 2 that ran the helpline.

I'll be pursuing the matter further in an effort to get my money back, after all the product is not fit for purpose. To the real reason for writing, I strongly urge fellow readers not to buy this game.

The install is exceedingly lengthy, requiring both Games For Windows Live and Rockstar Social Club accounts to even get online. The game also uses SecureROM! To top it all, there is no decent joypad support, and I am having to try and borrow an XBOX 360 controller, do not buy this game if you don't have one yourself.

In fact, simply do not buy this game! I will never buy a Rockstar product again.
User avatar
EggChen
Moderator
 
Posts: 1016
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 00:44
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby audioave10 on 20 Mar 2009 08:07

It is a sad state of affairs when you love a game and yet have to post a complaint letter like that. Nicely done...EggChen.
"Let the Zone take me if I am"
User avatar
audioave10
Senior Resident
 
Posts: 1154
Joined: 14 Sep 2008 01:30
Location: USA

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby NatVac on 21 Mar 2009 10:14

Yes, it's sad that letter needed to be sent, and kudos to the PC Gamer UK publishers for printing it. And the morons playing game publishers foolishly blame pirates for their lower-than-expected revenues on these DRM'ed and/or connection-required and/or spyware-install-required games. Let the reviews and comments like your letter mention this, and I, along with a host of others, don't buy.

I had a horror story with HL2 I posted elsewhere here (I think) -- I had the ATI coupon, got the CDs in the mail, and then went through more pain with the required Steam connection even with the physical media. After the grief of "decrypting" (it's really authenticating and updating) on my Internet PC, I moved the game to the gaming PC, and found that their instructions to do this were wrong ](*,) -- I still had to attach a modem to the gaming PC and re-authenticate over dialup. X( It literally took me longer to install the game than to play it!

Also, I rarely send humorous letters to magazine editors, EggChen. They are usually short and to the point, very much like what you wrote. The brevity ensures they'll be read by the TL;DR crowd. But they are usually scathingly derisive of something, more than your letter.*

Interestingly, when I send observations or kudos, I often receive a personal reply. That's pretty cool. (I also received a nice personal reply from Ann Landers when I rebutted her comments on how to recognize a coke-head after a girlfriend shoved Ann's advice column in my face as she accused me of doing the drug -- but that's another story.)

__________
* This may be partly why they are not printed, to prevent the publisher from losing advertising revenue. (Another reason: Email doesn't carry the weight of written letters, in more ways than one. One magazine's email server didn't accept email from my IP address, for some reason. That's not good form; I let the subscription lapse and received three free issues while they attempted unsuccessfully to get me to renew.)
NatVac
Resident
 
Posts: 152
Joined: 16 Sep 2008 00:13
Location: Texas

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 24 Mar 2009 01:31

This is weird. During the Peligro mission when I get to the part of getting into the helicopter, Niko won't get in. He finally just falls off. Damn. I'm supposed to continuously hit the space bar but he just won't climb up into the damn heli. Aggravating as hell. I don't know what else to try. Must be some glitch or something.
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby EggChen on 24 Mar 2009 01:37

It is no glitch rock, you have to be fast on that space bar.... do you remember the old games like "Daley Thompson's Decathlon" * or "Track and Field"? Tap space repeatedly as quick as you possibly can. You'll be in the chopper in less than ten seconds if you do it right. Luckily there are only a couple of these stupid button bashing instances ](*,)

Oh and a tip for the rest of that mission....

Jura lbh trg vagb gur pubccre qba'g syl ybj, yvxr gur tnzr fnlf. Fgnl uvtu naq jvqr gb or fher uvf svefg guerr ECTf zvff, gura gur sbhegu vf fpevcgrq gb uvg lbh, gevttrevat n phgfprar.

* (An old Amstrad 64 game!!)
User avatar
EggChen
Moderator
 
Posts: 1016
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 00:44
Location: Birmingham, UK

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby rockingmtranch on 24 Mar 2009 03:10

Very cool EggChen. Thank you very much B-)
LINUX! Don't fight it. You will be assimilated!
----------------
Gulf War Vet--2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR, Fort Polk, LA
User avatar
rockingmtranch
Moderator
 
Posts: 1368
Joined: 13 Sep 2008 02:39
Location: White Hills, Arizona

Re: GTA IV PC

Postby audioave10 on 25 Mar 2009 04:28

New PATCH released for GTA4. Better check it out. Some say it runs
better on dual-cores now...lets hope their right!
"Let the Zone take me if I am"
User avatar
audioave10
Senior Resident
 
Posts: 1154
Joined: 14 Sep 2008 01:30
Location: USA

PreviousNext

Return to All PC Games

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 22 guests