Support NeoGAF

[brain_stew]

ah... okay neat. where is this config file?

Why in the hell have I not posted how to do this on GAF yet! :lol

Oops, major oversight.

Anyway, on Vista:

Go to: C:Users\[Your_user name]\AppData\Local\GHOSTBUSTERS (tm)\settings.ini

Open the file with notepad/wordpad or similar.

Edit the lines:


antiAliasMultipleX=1
antiAliasMultipleY=1

to:


antiAliasMultipleX=2
antiAliasMultipleY=2

It should be in the same place in 7 but will have a different directory in XP, if you've ever hunted down a config file before you should be able to find it in XP.

AppData may be hidden so make sure you let Windows show hidden and configuration files, if you can't find it.

You can try enabling SSAO through this method but I found it to be broken, giving sub 1FPS framerates (regardless of setup) and producing errors all over the place.

 

[Gully State]

The most expensive components, at this point, are the case and power supply really. I think it's worth it spending a few $$ more, and getting a decent case and PSU, since they can carry over to following builds.

Let's say a budget case with a good PSU (650W or 750W Corsair single 12V rail) will run you about $150. If you want a better case, like a CM690, then maybe $180 or so.

Case + PSU = $150
Motherboard = $80
CPU = $70
GPU = $100
HDD = $60
DVD Drive = $20
2-3GB Ram = $20-30 (maybe add an extra stick to get 3GB, though you wouldn't run it in dual channel)

Well that's about $500 right there, but that includes all the components (minus peripherals), and includes a half decent case + PSU option.

You could save $100 by going with a cheaper case and PSU and match the price of a $400 PS3, but I never like doing that.

Of course, the hard part is to restrain yourself and not go for something like an HD4890 for just $100 more!

Also, I'm not taking into account any mail in rebates here...I really hate MIRs.

At that pricepoint, a 500W PSU with the right specs would be more than adequate.

 

[brain_stew]

At that pricepoint, a 500W PSU with the right specs would be more than adequate.

Wut!? :lol :lol

Think you got the wrong thread, there!

 

[FirewalkR]

Just thought it'd put the silly bickering in the Ghostbuster's thread between console owners in a bit of perspective is all, well that and to show off the beautiful shots I took anyway.

I like you.

 

[TheExodu5]

At that pricepoint, a 500W PSU with the right specs would be more than adequate.

Well, sure, but a 550W Corsair is just $10 less than the 650W. 750W is another $10 off. Like I said, I'm a believer now in spending a little bit more on case and PSU so you can carry it over to future builds.

I went cheaper...got myself an Antec Sonata II (great case + PSU combo for the money though), but the 450W PSU just didn't cut it when I wanted to put a 4th HDD in there, along with my GTX 275. I had to sell them off and get a better PSU. I went ahead and splurged on an Enermax 625W Modular PSU (which actually delivers 625W, so it should be fine for any high-end SLI setup if I wanted to). It would have been better for me in the end to just get the better case and PSU from the get go.

If you're looking at saving more money now, of course you could go with some Rosewill case and $40 PSU, but you're not going to get any longevity out of those components.

Saving $50 on a PSU could cost you another $100 if ever you plan on putting some high-end gear in there. Plus, you're not going to get the power efficiency or reliability of a better PSU. We're probably talking about a 15% difference in efficiency. On a 300W system, that could mean $0.10 a day in power, easily. That adds up over time. In just over a year, the extra money towards a better power supply will pay for itself.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Needs Street Fighter IV images from the benchmark!

 

[Josh7289]

This is a good thread. It helps to show how pointless the technical graphics improvement quest is.

Certainly all these images look nice, but nothing is blowing my mind.

I know seeing these in motion would make a difference, but it's still interesting to see how we've basically reached the point where ever improving technical graphics are irrelevant.

 

[Druz]

We haven't reached that point yet sorry.

 

[zbarron]

You can try enabling SSAO through this method but I found it to be broken, giving sub 1FPS framerates (regardless of setup) and producing errors all over the place.

I tried 3x3 SSAA through Nhancer and was able to get it but I'm not able to get SSAA and SSAO lol) at the same time in HL2 Cinepack mod. I wanted the best graphics HL2 could provide.

 

[Chris Remo]

This is a good thread. It helps to show how pointless the technical graphics improvement quest is.

Certainly all these images look nice, but nothing is blowing my mind.

I know seeing these in motion would make a difference, but it's still interesting to see how we've basically reached the point where ever improving technical graphics are irrelevant.

I don't think we have. I don't think you need more extreme graphics to make a more enjoyable game at all, but I do think there's a massive amount of room to improve graphically. Part of it is simply scale--we're a long way away from being able to render equivalent detail at widely varying levels of scale without resorting to pop-in, mip-mapping, and what have you. We're also still relatively rudimentary overall when it comes to fidelity of animation, character modeling, and so on, and since we can see how much further ahead the prerendered world of CG is in those areas, there must be room for games to improve. Part of that obviously is that it's easier to make something convincing when you can hand-animate every frame rather than rely on a real-time dynamic system, but part of it is also a performance and fidelity issue.

 

[TheExodu5]

This is a good thread. It helps to show how pointless the technical graphics improvement quest is.

Certainly all these images look nice, but nothing is blowing my mind.

I know seeing these in motion would make a difference, but it's still interesting to see how we've basically reached the point where ever improving technical graphics are irrelevant.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

This thread is about making CURRENT GAMES look as best as they possibly can. We're not improving the tech at all, just exploiting the tech that is already there.

And if you tell me Mirror's Edge at 1080p and 4x AA doesn't look like a completely different game than Mirror's Edge at 720p with no AA, I'll call you crazy. I played it and enjoyed in on PS3, but with my new GTX 275, it's like a completely different game. It's unreal how relatively simple (yet costly, performance wise) have made the game much more immersive for me.

 

[nelsonroyale]

those blade runner screens are unbelievable...best anything Ive seen using cryengine...

Tropico 3 looks amazing as well...what is it..?

 

[xelios]

I can't remember what game this is?

And the Blade Runner screens look awesome.

 

[brain_stew]

I have no idea what you're talking about.

This thread is about making CURRENT GAMES look as best as they possibly can. We're not improving the tech at all, just exploiting the tech that is already there.

And if you tell me Mirror's Edge at 1080p and 4x AA doesn't look like a completely different game than Mirror's Edge at 720p with no AA, I'll call you crazy. I played it and enjoyed in on PS3, but with my new GTX 275, it's like a completely different game. It's unreal how relatively simple (yet costly, performance wise) have made the game much more immersive for me.

Don't discount the mouse control and 60fps, you can't show that in screenshots but in a game like Mirror's Edge it made a huge difference I found. PhysX effects were a nice little sweetener as well.

All things considered, yup, it really was like a totally different game, though the PC version does do quite a bit more than just up the IQ. The lightmaps, textures, shadow maps and textures all receive a serious resolution upgrade when running the highest settings which can go a long way. The true FP16 HDR lighting (as opposed to the lower precision "medium dynamic range" FP10 in the 360 version), can't be discounted either.

 

[Luthair]

I can't remember what game this is?

And the Blade Runner screens look awesome.

Anno 1404 or here in the states, 1404 A.D.

 

[xelios]

Thanks.

 

[Druz]

Anno 1404 or here in the states, 1404 A.D.

Here in the states it's Dawn of Discovery

 

[-SD-]

 

[brain_stew]

New Ghostbusters mega post:

 

[Fox the Sly]

brain_stew, has anyone told you how awesome you are lately? Thanks.

 

[MNC]

Ghostbusters looks good, but it's awesome and way better in motion imo.

 

[Gaogaogao]

hey brain stew, what motherboard and ram do you use?

 

[brain_stew]

hey brain stew, what motherboard and ram do you use?

An old Gigabyte P35-DS3 and 6GB of OCZ Gold PC6400. Nothing flashy, but enough to run my E5200 at 3.52ghz, so I'm happy.

Ghostbusters looks good, but it's awesome and way better in motion imo.

Agreed, the physics engine is insane at times. Can't properly capture that in screenshots.

Like in the last shot, every single one of those mirrors will break apart, fall from the walls and fly around the room realistically once things get crazy. Oh, and each one has a real time reflection as well. Its not smoke and mirrors like most games and really adds to the experience in game having all these dynamic effects.

Its so much fun making a mess of the place just like the Ghostbusters do in the movies. Really adds to the experience.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

brain_stew these shots are amazing man.

 

[VicViper]

Tropico 3 looks amazing as well...what is it..?

Sequel to a cult series known as the "dictator simulator".

You are ruling over a tropical island. Tropico 3 is basically a mixture of a political/economic simulation, a city builder and a real time strategy game.

Here's the overlooked NeoGAF thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=358645

More information and a teaser video can be found on the official website: http://www.tropico3.com/

I almost feel bad for propagating this game like crazy around here, but it really deserves and needs the attention.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

Sequel to a cult series known as the "dictator simulator".

You are ruling over a tropical island. Tropico 3 is basically a mixture of a political/economic simulation, a city builder and a real time strategy game.

Here's the overlooked NeoGAF thread: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=358645

More information and a teaser video can be found on the official website: http://www.tropico3.com/

I almost feel bad for propagating this game like crazy around here, but it really deserves and needs the attention.

Dont feel bad I would have never known about it. I just checked out the teaser and I am definitely picking it up this week. Thanks man.

 

[ACH1LL3US]

I'm sorry but looking through this thread at the pictures... I am failing to see that HUGE jump from the current consoles like I did back in 2000-2003 time frame where I was really into PC games over consoles. That jump made me move from consoles to the pc for years...

I notice improvements on the AA, AF and resolution, but its just not as huge as back in the early 2000's Most of these games now are using the console assets and I think that the consoles running at 720 right now it just makes the perceivable difference less versus the Xbox 1 and PS2's 480p vs the pc's resolutions of the same circa.

I know Brain stew and others will lash out at these statements and say its a far bigger difference.... but honestly... the difference between 480p(xbox, ps2) to 720p ( ps3 and 360) was a huge very perceivable difference , but the jump isn't as telling going up from 720p (especially on sub 40 inch screens)....

Let the hate commence.... :/

 

[plagiarize]

I'm sorry but looking through this thread at the pictures... I am failing to see that HUGE jump from the current consoles like I did back in 2000-2003 time frame where I was really into PC games over consoles. That jump made me move from consoles to the pc for years...

I notice improvements on the AA, AF and resolution, but its just not as huge as back in the early 2000's Most of these games now are using the console assets and I think that the consoles running at 720 right now it just makes the perceivable difference less versus the Xbox 1 and PS2's 480p vs the pc's resolutions of the same circa.

I know Brain stew and others will lash out at these statements and say its a far bigger difference.... but honestly... the difference between 480p(xbox, ps2) to 720p ( ps3 and 360) was a huge very perceivable difference , but the jump isn't as telling going up from 720p (especially on sub 40 inch screens)....

Let the hate commence.... :/

cue ghostbusters on PS3 screens.

 

[TheExodu5]

I'm sorry but looking through this thread at the pictures... I am failing to see that HUGE jump from the current consoles like I did back in 2000-2003 time frame where I was really into PC games over consoles. That jump made me move from consoles to the pc for years...

The difference wasn't as big as you think it was. I don't recall any PC games wowing me more than Final Fantasy X back in the early 2000's. Doom 3, Far Cry 2, and Half-Life 2 were the first games that were a huge leap over the console games.

 

[Tokubetsu]

Man brain_Stew, you are seriously tempting a brother with those Ghostbusters shots. Is there anyway to force SS on ATI cards?

 

[Gully State]

Well, sure, but a 550W Corsair is just $10 less than the 650W. 750W is another $10 off. Like I said, I'm a believer now in spending a little bit more on case and PSU so you can carry it over to future builds.

I went cheaper...got myself an Antec Sonata II (great case + PSU combo for the money though), but the 450W PSU just didn't cut it when I wanted to put a 4th HDD in there, along with my GTX 275. I had to sell them off and get a better PSU. I went ahead and splurged on an Enermax 625W Modular PSU (which actually delivers 625W, so it should be fine for any high-end SLI setup if I wanted to). It would have been better for me in the end to just get the better case and PSU from the get go.

If you're looking at saving more money now, of course you could go with some Rosewill case and $40 PSU, but you're not going to get any longevity out of those components.

Saving $50 on a PSU could cost you another $100 if ever you plan on putting some high-end gear in there. Plus, you're not going to get the power efficiency or reliability of a better PSU. We're probably talking about a 15% difference in efficiency. On a 300W system, that could mean $0.10 a day in power, easily. That adds up over time. In just over a year, the extra money towards a better power supply will pay for itself.

I'm sure $250-$399 wouldn't be the performance/price sweet spot but I'm more curious what kind of numbers you can get compared to consoles when the cost of the system is completely equalized. Anyways sorry to derail the thread, just piqued my interest when brainstew mentioned that his processor was $70.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

crysis is such a good looking game, its going to be interesting to see what they can do for the next one.

ghostbusters is looking good too.

 

[domlolz]

I'm surprised at how well Street Fighter IV runs even on my 9800gt, I had slight hiccups (45 instead of a solid 60) on the last group character test with 4xAA and everything else completely maxed out. I've not bought the game yet and PC seems like it's where it's at.

 

[ACH1LL3US]

The difference wasn't as big as you think it was. I don't recall any PC games wowing me more than Final Fantasy X back in the early 2000's. Doom 3, Far Cry 2, and Half-Life 2 were the first games that were a huge leap over the console games.

I am referring to the Half Life 2 era of pc gaming, to me that was far and away better then what the consoles were doing at the time IMO.

I think the difference then is far more obvious then it is now, alot of people can't tell the difference on a 50 inch tv from 768p and 1080p, even though twice the information is being given on the 1080p tv.

So imagine on a smaller screen like a 30 inch lcd ..... going from 720p to 1080p won't be as big a of difference as going from 480p to 720p...

 

[roMonster]

Two death screens from TF2 I really like. .PNG files were just too big.

 

[plagiarize]

Man brain_Stew, you are seriously tempting a brother with those Ghostbusters shots. Is there anyway to force SS on ATI cards?

you force it in an ini file for the game. forcing it with nHancer doesn't actually seem to work. i see no reason why it wouldn't work on an ATI card given that it's something in the game engine itself.

 

[brain_stew]

I am referring to the Half Life 2 era of pc gaming, to me that was far and away better then what the consoles were doing at the time IMO.

I think the difference then is far more obvious then it is now, alot of people can't tell the difference on a 50 inch tv from 768p and 1080p, even though twice the information is being given on the 1080p tv.

So imagine on a smaller screen like a 30 inch lcd ..... going from 720p to 1080p won't be as big a of difference as going from 480p to 720p...

Half Life 2 didn't launch until 4 years after the PS2 hit. The PS3 isn't even 3 years old yet. Your timeline is a little off, since we're not at the respective part in the time line of when the PC took over last generation.

you force it in an ini file for the game. forcing it with nHancer doesn't actually seem to work. i see no reason why it wouldn't work on an ATI card given that it's something in the game engine itself.

Yup its built right into the engine (though hidden ingame, for whatever reason), should work perfectly on any card. Well, so long as it has the horsepower to handle it, that is.

 

[brain_stew]

I'm sure $250-$399 wouldn't be the performance/price sweet spot but I'm more curious what kind of numbers you can get compared to consoles when the cost of the system is completely equalized. Anyways sorry to derail the thread, just piqued my interest when brainstew mentioned that his processor was $70.

The fact that the idea can even be contemplated is fascinating enough. We've never had that situation before as far as I'm aware, the gulf was always very real, but the lines are blurring every day now.

I was pretty much a console only gamer up until about 18 months or so ago, but the changing landscape of PC gaming really turned my head (that and I'm a tech whore as much as a gamer), I think its right that more people should be aware of the changes that have happened recently and the better range of options we now have as gamers. Such a unique point in gaming history should be recognised by more people than it is.

 

[plagiarize]

just a couple of Prototype shots. ignore the frame counter. forgot to disable all my HID before i loaded it and it kills your frame rate.

 

[Gully State]

The fact that the idea can even be contemplated is fascinating enough. We've never had that situation before as far as I'm aware, the gulf was always very real, but the lines are blurring every day now.

Well there's definitely been precedence.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=237787

I'm curious how his computer is holding up now.

 

[brain_stew]

What settings are you using to achieve that IQ?

 

[FirewalkR]

I have to say, i'm not exactly sure why, but those Tropico 3 screens were giving me a serious Dreamfall vibe.

And now I feel sad.

 

[plagiarize]

What settings are you using to achieve that IQ?

they're resized from 1080p by tinypic which obviously improves the IQ, but those were taken at 4 x MSAA and 8 x AF.

 

[Chris Remo]

This thread makes me want to get in on the act. I'll load something up and take some shots when I get home from work.

 

[brain_stew]

Does anyone know any image hosting sites that don't require signup and offer unlimited bandwidth like TinyPic but don't resize 1080p images?

Would be useful for this thread.

Oh, and TheExodu5 pointed out by PM that someone has ripped off this thread over at HardForum, word for word, and used all my Mirror's Edge shots as well. Its literally a carbon copy. :lol :lol

But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so its all cool, just seems like such a bizarre thing to do. For the record I don't mind you lot using these shots anywhere you please, just don't go so far as trying to impersonate me is all! :lol :lol

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1409377&highlight=awesome+super+high

 

[Fio]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/00266oi1gqyh1.jpg[/IMG]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/00051ooy5qaye.png[/IMG]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/00316y03nva3f.jpg[/IMG]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/00039xywxu93c.png[/IMG]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/00045mt6dhy0k.png[/IMG]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/18yyhsbj1.jpg[/IMG]

[]http://www.abload.de/img/00012m1mk7zdd.png[/IMG]

Holy shit, amazing pics.

 

[zbarron]

Does anyone know any image hosting sites that don't require signup and offer unlimited bandwidth like TinyPic but don't resize 1080p images?

Would be useful for this thread.

Oh, and TheExodu5 pointed out by PM that someone has ripped off this thread over at HardForum, word for word, and used all my Mirror's Edge shots as well. Its literally a carbon copy. :lol :lol

But hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so its all cool, just seems like such a bizarre thing to do. For the record I don't mind you lot using these shots anywhere you please, just don't go so far as trying to impersonate me is all! :lol :lol

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1409377&highlight=awesome+super+high

I use Vulomedia. It even automatically creates thumbnails.

 

[brain_stew]

I use Vulomedia. It even automatically creates thumbnails.

Many thanks.

 

[Doytch]

Some shots from the Anno 1404 demo. Just scrolling in and listening to the peasants talk about random stuff and walking about is awesome. Really hope there's a Steam version sans DRM.

Most of the settings maxed, some bumped down a level, 2AA/4AF. 30fps+, so it's definitely playable for what Anno is.

E6600 @ 3Ghz
2 GB RAM
8800 GTS 320 @ 600/900

 

[plagiarize]

took these pics to show ghostbuster's 2 x SSAA IQ without tinypic resizing it. ran the game at 1600 x 900 (which tinypic reduces anything above that res down to).

also, here's an unresized pic of Prototype. wouldn't run at my custom res of 1600 x 900, so 720p.

obviously the idea with these is to shoe the real world IQ, as scaling a screenshot down will artificially increase it's IQ.

edit: vulomedia pic! tah. full 1080p shot