Low end computers...My rant.

[Plawranc]

No probs here The new update might Hit me a bit but i will just drop the quality a bit an BAM back up to 75 Frames.

I got a badass Raedon and a Pentium 4 with High Speed modem broadband Besides on the start up lag i have 75 Frames constant.

[G0ALY]

I’m not a programmer, or business major either for that matter. But it would seem to me that in order to make the game available (and appealing) to the most PAYING customers… It should be able to be played on the AVERAGE home computer.

[BaldEagl]

Talon, you might have the worst sytem in the community now but until last April I had you beat.  I was playing on:

Dell Dimension XPS T600
600 Mhz PIII
512 Mb SRAM
32 Mb AGP 2x/4x GeForce MX-440SE
Soundblaster Live! Value
2x120 Gb Hard Drives
Win98SE

I was also running frame rates in the 15-30 range running 512 textures, minimum object detail and 3 miles vis range which seemed fine to me as I had no other point of reference. 

What always got to me was people on the BBs whining about turning graphic detail down in GV's being a "cheat".  I wasn't trying to be gamey.  It was the only way my machine could handle the game and I did voice my opinion that it was to help older machines run, not to cheat as accused by those more fortunate.  Whenever a graphic update was coming I didn't whine but knew it might be the end of AH for me, at least for a while.

Of course, the only way you get a machine this old to run well is to keep it clean of adware, spyware, background processes, etc. and to do regular maintenence (i.e. disc clean-up, defrag, etc.).

I couldn't really afford a new computer either but finally bit the bullet as I knew I was hopelessly out of date.  I had bought my old Dell in '99 for about $2000.  Prior to that I had spent about $2000 on an IBM in '96.  This time I built myself, again for about $2000 and this sytem is complete AH overkill (but I love it ).  As a side note those systems at those prices all included things like monitors, mice, keyboards, speakers and even a printer and scanner with the first one.

If you can re-use your monitor, mouse, keyboard and speakers and build it yourself (build only the box) you can get a system that will slay what you are playing on now for under $400 (before shipping, taxes, etc.).  If you can re-use your operating system, hard drives and optical drives you can do it for under $250 (before shipping, taxes, etc.).  Now we aren't talking top of the line here but you should be able to run just about full graphic settings at strong frame rates.

If you'd like to upgrade and want me to assist you feel free to send me a PM.

BTW, I'm still using that old Dell as my word processing/e-mail/office machine.

[Animl]

I have been hearing about low end systems for 3 years now....... I have a hard time believing that you guys cant get some money together in 3 years to upgrade your computers.

2 dollars aday and you can build a brand new top end system...far less if your computer is upgradable....

Do we really have to listen to why HTC cant do this to "me" and cant do that to "me" because you wont upgrade your computer.

You are willing to complain about your situation for 3 freaking years  that i know of but not willing to do a dang thing about it...

EVery time some kid gets one here and says he does not have the money for a subscribstion they get blasted about mowing yards or washing windows.....




<S>

Send someone $2 a week and maybe that will help.

Of course if they are that broke the most important tools take priority, a home, car, bills,.. and that stuffff called food, with some it's kids. Seems to me, people with slower computers may be that way because they have RL priorities in place. And they are rewarded by having a game to play on a cheaper system. <shrug>

Besides, the Flight Sim Gods will strike you with eternal HOs and hardware issues if you talk down people below you.  Voodoo!

But that's just me. <washes hands after touching thread>

Animl

[MjTalon]

Send someone $2 a week and maybe that will help.

Of course if they are that broke the most important tools take priority, a home, car, bills,.. and that stuffff called food, with some it's kids. Seems to me, people with slower computers may be that way because they have RL priorities in place. And they are rewarded by having a game to play on a cheaper system. <shrug>

Besides, the Flight Sim Gods will strike you with eternal HOs and hardware issues if you talk down people below you.  Voodoo!

But that's just me. <washes hands after touching thread>

Animl

   Right on the money. Similar to my situation.

[MrMeanie]

CPU    Intel Core 2 Duo Wolfdale E8400 3.0GHz FSB 1333, 6MB, 45nm CPU
Over Clocking    Overclocked to: Core 2 Duo 3.7GHz*
CPU Cooling    OCZ Vanquisher CPU Cooler -Socket 775,754,939,AM2
Memory    4GB DDR II 800 Memory 240 Pin (Kingston)
Motherboard    ASUS P5KPL-CM Motherboard
Hard Drive 1    Western Digital 320GB 7200RPM 16MB Cache Serial ATA II
Optical Drive    LG 22X DVD RW + Dual Layer SATA w/ Lightscribe Technology
Video    nVidia GeForce 9600GT 512MB DDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI HDTV
Audio    5.1 channel, Realtek ALC861 Audio
Network Card    Onboard 10/100 Network Card
Ports    6 USB 2.0 Ports, 1 Parallel, 1 Serial
Neon Light    2 Sunbeam Cold Cathod Neon Light (Blue)
Case    Raidmax Sagitta 2 Gaming Case (black / silver)
Power Supply    520 Watt Rhinoceros Heavy Duty Power Supply


thats my pc

[bj229r]

If your pc can play this game tolerably, but your satisfaction of this game is based upon eye candy, you're missing the bigger picture

[Crash Orange]

I’m not a programmer, or business major either for that matter. But it would seem to me that in order to make the game available (and appealing) to the most PAYING customers… It should be able to be played on the AVERAGE home computer.

To maximize customers, you'd want to bias it toward the low end, because you'll lose the business of every potential customer whose machine can't run the game, while you'll only lose some of the potential customers whose machines could handle more.

How much you'd want to bias it would depend on the percentage of the latter group who'll bail, which in turn depends on what the alternatives are and what their other advantages and disadvantages are relative to AH2. Beyond that it gets into all that statistics stuff I slept through as an undergrad.

[Helm]

I’m not a programmer, or business major either for that matter. But it would seem to me that in order to make the game available (and appealing) to the most PAYING customers… It should be able to be played on the AVERAGE home computer.

   The problem is; .... would an "average" looking game inspire a new customer to play the game?  If it looks out of date,  then the new customer may never get to the "fun" part.  "Average" does not inspire people to do things.  Nobody is saying that Aces must look as sharp as cutting edge, but it should look 80% as good, or many new customers will pass it right by.


  With out new customers this game can and will close.  HTC CAN NOT count on the current player base to sustain it for ever.  Peoples lives and interests change.  I have been flying online since Air warrior in june of 1997, during this time I have seen at least 100+  "hardcore" "daily" players stop playing.   These folks played every day.  The old guard in any online game eventually get bored/tired of the game and leave.  I've seen it happen over and over.  If we wish for this game to continue,  new players are life blood of our future.   A good looking game will inspire people to play.   Why everyone insists on fighting improvements is beyond me.

   HTC has made many great features that make the game look better. Sadly the player base does not allow them to be used.  Clouds and sunsets are a fine example of nice features that the player base has complained out of existance.  It's really sad how most of the new players have never seen the beautiful sunset ...or how about the "cold front" that used to be on some maps? ...that looked amazing at sunset.  I showed ACES to friend and his comment was;..."where are the clouds"?  I had to explain to him that they had been complained out of existance.  He looked less then impressed.


Helm ...out

  

  

  

  

[Scotch]

If your pc can play this game tolerably, but your satisfaction of this game is based upon eye candy, you're missing the bigger picture

[Crash Orange]

Why everyone insists on fighting improvements is beyond me.

It's quite simple: because I refuse to be a victim of the computer industry's manufactured "need" for me to continue shelling out cash for new product than isn't a meaningful improvement and replacing equipment and software that is still perfectly useful and serviceable.

I don't spend much money on the latest fashions, either. If my shirt still fits and isn't even close to worn out, I'm not going to throw it away just because some ***hole on TV tells me it it's no longer cool. Nor do I buy a shiny new car as soon as the old one gets a little dirty - and if the auto industry changed the type of fuel usable in its vehicles every three years and used its market clout to make sure fuel for the "old" cars stopped being sold, you can bet I'd get used to riding bikes and buses.

As I said a few pages up in this thread, if so many people hadn't blown through imaginary home equity and gotten up to their eyeballs in debt in this ridiculous chase after the newestlatestfastestbestest gadget, fashion, or whatever, our economy wouldn't be in the horrible shape it's in now. 

People looking for the next technological "wow" are going to move on to something else in six months anyway. If somebody wants to serve the niche market of us old farts who value good gameplay and good company over flashy, state-of-the-art graphics, why should that bother the people who prefer the latter? Trust me, there are PLENTY of games and companies catering to that market.

[AKDogg]

I not sure why everyone is getting so uptight about this.  I would have to believe that HTC will have video adjustments along with automatic protocols for a specific video cards capability.  Example would be a Nvidia 5700 card can only use directx 8 capability and can on do certain types of drawing.  Therefore the game will only use certain things that the card can produce and not overwhelm the card.  Now if a person has a Nvidia 9800GTX card, the game then will say, ok, he can do directx 10 (even though the game uses dx 9) so the game will then turn on all features that this card can use.  I can go alot more into detail on what cards can't and can do put I just trying to put it in simplest terms.  I don't think anyone really has anything to worry about except for those who are extremely borderline alrdy (10-20fps).  If u have 35+ fps right now, U may not see any difference or a small decrease in FPS.  Alot will depend on how HTC codes the new graphics and hopefully he has it where it uses a .ini file that says "nvidia 5700 uses limited feature flags" or a "Nvidia 9800GTX uses all feature flags enabled".  This btw is not what a actual .ini file will say but is what it means.

[Animl]

I not sure why everyone is getting so uptight about this.  I would have to believe that HTC will have video adjustments along with automatic protocols for a specific video cards capability.  Example would be a Nvidia 5700 card can only use directx 8 capability and can on do certain types of drawing.  Therefore the game will only use certain things that the card can produce and not overwhelm the card.  Now if a person has a Nvidia 9800GTX card, the game then will say, ok, he can do directx 10 (even though the game uses dx 9) so the game will then turn on all features that this card can use.  I can go alot more into detail on what cards can't and can do put I just trying to put it in simplest terms.  I don't think anyone really has anything to worry about except for those who are extremely borderline alrdy (10-20fps).  If u have 35+ fps right now, U may not see any difference or a small decrease in FPS.  Alot will depend on how HTC codes the new graphics and hopefully he has it where it uses a .ini file that says "nvidia 5700 uses limited feature flags" or a "Nvidia 9800GTX uses all feature flags enabled".  This btw is not what a actual .ini file will say but is what it means.

<nods> and then there's that too. I'm not sure this is what that's all about,... but it's truth. Right now I am using a stand-by video card a nivida 420 MX 64mb bottom of the barrel card,.... ok,.. it's plays the game juuuuust fine.

My bigger issue is trying to steady my x52 to actually hit what I am looking at. Still working on finding the honey spot in it, but minute adjustments in aiming are ALLL over the place. Bounce bounce bounce <ugh!>. My biggest problem has nothing at all to do with graphics.

As far as the game playing on many PC levels,... they are doing a killer job of that. You do NOT need a monster machine to run AH. You just need a decent machine tweaked right. I blow by some hot rod machines... on a P4 duel core 3ghz, 1gb mem.


BTW, there's a services guide on my website,... since Black Viper's is down.

[Hap]

I not sure why everyone is getting so uptight about this. 

Baffles me too.  A businessman won't bugger his product knowingly.  They make it easy for folks to buy and use what they sell.

[kotrenin]

If money is so tight maybe one shouldn't be spending $15 a month for a game and instead be putting it in a savings account (or under your mattress, whichever you feel is safer.)  Also if your computer is having that much trouble running this game at top quality it is probably older then 3 years, mine is 2 and a half years old and it could still handle much better graphics. And I think there are some tax right-offs for those of you that use your computer for work.