Final Fantasy XI PC Requirements Announced

PKFC writes "Square has begun taking applications for the Final Fantasy XI PC Beta test which starts on June 18 in Japan. The minimum specs are: Win 98, PIII 800 MHz, 128 MB RAM, a GeForce card and 4.5 GB of hard drive space, while the recommended specs include a 64 MB video card and a Pentium 4. The 4.5 GB is used for game data, the PlayOnline software and the ever popular, Tetramaster. The PC version will be fully compatible with the PlayStation2 version allowing people on either system to play together. Be warned that the links go to Japanese web sites."

Comments

I sure hope this is better than Everquest

[Tim_F]

I got bored of that a while ago. If this has anything like the translation stuff of PSO, it'll be cool.

Re:I sure hope this is better than Everquest

[Anonymous Coward]

Fuck you fucking anonymous cowards I hate you all! Get a taste of your own medicine bitches!!

Re:I sure hope this is better than Everquest

[Anonymous Coward]

...said the Anonymous Coward.

I want to beta test!

[Traxton1]

Dammit! I knew I should have learned Japanese.

Re:I want to beta test!

[Goldberg's Pants]

Can't believe those system specs. YIKES! I mean Morrowind's are bad enough, but that! YEESH! Be cheaper for me to buy a PS2 than to upgrade...

I still want...

[Suicide]

I still want FF IX and FF X on the PC.

I just can't bring myself to shell out the money to buy a console after spending so much money on my PC gaming machine. Of course, it probably doesn't help that my monitor is as big as my television.

Re:I still want...

[Anonymous Coward]

http://pcsx2.ngemu.com/index.php

Re:I still want...

[Rob Simpson]

FFIX runs fine with epsxe on a good machine, but FFX will probably take a little while longer to emulate. ;-)

Re:I still want...

[lingqi]

go out right now and get a console -- really -- it's worth it; i played FF7 on PC only, FF8 on PS1 and then tried it on the PC, and i just could not bring myself to it -- the graphics looked so awful!

FF9,10 all on the console

and besides, the controls are easier to use -- you can play while on a sofa, instead of using a keyboard -- and lastly the vibration function are something you don't know you are missing till you've tried it.

besides -- PS2 can be used for other games -- and if you don't like ANY other game -- spend a tiny bit more and you can have a linux box to play with.

Re:I still want...

[Anonymous Coward]

Just like the home game market killed arcades, I predict that proprietary consoles will die off within 5-10 years.

As more and more people own more powerful computers, it will make sense to program for the computer rather than a smaller market where the console you're programming for is literally "flavour of the month".

Re:I still want...

[Graspee_Leemoor]

"I still want FF IX and FF X on the PC."

Unfortunately they made such a mess of the conversion of 7, and particularly 8 that PC sales were poor, therefore they stopped bothering.

Go buy a PS2 and play the games the way they were meant to be played! (I think FF9 works on the PS2).

graspee

Re:I still want...

[TRACK-YOUR-POSITION]

They sure as hell did make a mess of 8 (it wouldn't even work on a GeForce without looking like crap!) I thought 7 worked out pretty well, but i dunno.

FF9 does indeed work on PS2, that's where I'm playing it now. Same with Chrono Cross. I played 7 and 8 PC-only. I gotta say, though, the low resolution of the 3d sprites of FF9 on PS is really horrible, relative to 8 on the PC. Thought the animation and background look better than 8, because everything is at such low resolution, you can hardly tell who anyone is. I would certainly have bought a PC version of 9, assuming it didn't have the incompatibility problems of 8.

And 10 on the PC would totally kick ass. The whole problem of the PS1 conversions was the abundance of lowres prerendered graphics. But 10 didn't haveanything prerendered outside of movies--it would have looked so awesome at 1024x768, and more importantly ANTI-ALIASED. Oh my God, poor FFX needs to be anti-aliased so horribly bad.

But both despite being on the wrong platform, both games are way better than the horrible FF8...

Re:I still want...

[joshsisk]

Except that the console games market is bigger than the PC games market, and growing rapidly, while PC sales are leveling off.

consoles ARE cheaper

[ejaw5]

Win 98, PIII 800 MHz, 128 MB RAM, a GeForce card and 4.5 GB of hard drive space, while the recommended specs include a 64 MB video card and a Pentium 4.

well, this end the arguement on whether PCs or consoles are more practical for gaming. A $299 Playstation 2 sounds quite better if you're just in it for gaming.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Invictus2.0]

It's even cheaper now, as both the XBarn and PS2 have dropped down to just $200 (less than a modern 3D card). Hell, I bought an open box GameCube for just $110.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Imperial Tacohead]

Yeah, but don't forget that FFX for the PS2 requires that you buy added peripherals, including an external hard drive. Altogether, the game will cost up to $150, ignoring monthly costs. The PC gamer can ignore that added cost.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Anonymous Coward]

That is not true - FFX does not require extra peripherals.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[TheQuantumShift]

Final Fantasy 11 was the topic of the conversation. FFX requires no extras besides the mem card that you already have, and beats the crap out of any D&D based "Dungeon Crawl". Story=Good Thing. Click Click Click...=Diablo-like bullshit for "Dungeon Masters". Online "Games" are nothing more than chat rooms for obsessed Losers. Get a life. Get a PS2, and stop bitching about HD space standard Linux install is a couple a gigs or so. If my OS takes that much, than a game taking 4.5 is no big deal.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[frovingslosh]

well, this end the arguement on whether PCs or consoles are more practical for gaming. A $299 Playstation 2 sounds quite better if you're just in it for gaming.

Different things suit different people. I'm not going to list all of the reasons, but a PC suits me much better than a game console. But one thing that you missed and that does favor your belief is that the PS2 came down in price about a month ago, it's now $199 US (as is the X-box. And the PS-one is $49, with the cube at $149)

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll have to agree to you but only for PS2 and FFXI because the PS2 will still require you to buy a hard drive AND broadband adapter. The Xbox has all of these integrated but they don't have Square to back them up, so M$, neener neener :)

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Greyjack]

Story == good thing, yes. However, interrupting the extremely linear gameplay every three minutes to show Yet Another Badly Voice Acted CGI Video Clip was, for me, annoying.

On the whole, FFX was fun, but there was more than once when I got sick of the damn movies interrupting the actual gameplay.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Lurgen]

What do you mean, buy added peripherals? I have FFX (almost finished, woohoo!), and they don't even SELL the hard drives here in Australia. The game has full funcationality, in fact from what I read online we actually ended up with a stack more cool things than the US version had (Dark Aeons, Ribbon, etc).

PS2, while an inferior platform, is far cheaper than a PC version.

Incidently, having owned FF8 on both PC and PS1, I would rather play these particular games on Playstation - the PC version sucked.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Imperial Tacohead]

Sorry, I meant FFXI, that being the topic of the conversation. One little typo really changes everything, doesn't it?

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[byran lei]

>Yeah, but don't forget that FFX for the PS2 requires that you buy
>added peripherals, including an external hard drive. Altogether, the
>game will cost up to $150, ignoring monthly costs. The PC gamer can
>ignore that added cost.
>
>If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit; there's no
>point in making a damn fool of yourself.

>
>
Bullshit. As typical for PC Games,most people will have to buy a brand new machine as they don't have the hardware. So what if you may have to buy a harddrive for the PS2? It's a *ONE TIME PURCHASE* loser,unlike in the PC Gaming world where you need 2 or more HD's or replace the current one due to the bloat of PC Games.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Wyzard]

Keep in mind that if you're playing on a PS2, you're seeing graphics in 720x480 resolution (NTSC) at a measly 30 effective frames per second, or 720x645 at 25 frames per second (PAL). On a PC with a good 3D accelerator, you can play in any resolution your monitor supports - say, 1280x1024 at up to 75 frames per second. Naturally the hardware is more expensive, but it's worth it.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[erpbridge]

Your sig says it all:

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit; there's no point in making a damn fool of yourself"

Yup... you just made a damn fool of yourself. Final Fantasy 10 (which I own and completed a few months ago) does NOT require the hard drive kit or any added peripherals (except maybe having a rumble controller and PS2 Save card), and definitely does not require any monthly costs. The game cost me about $55 when it was released, not $150.

And besides, the hard drives that they will be selling will go inside the PS2, not external. If you look at the back, there's a removable panel which reveals an empty bay just the right size for a hard drive.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Queer Boy]

Keep in mind that if you're playing on a PS2, you're seeing graphics in 720x480 resolution (NTSC) at a measly 30 effective frames per second

Keep in mind that if you're watching a movie you're seeing it in 720x480 resolution at a measly 24 fps. Someone should do a study to find out the highest discernible frame rate the eye can accurately process. I have a theory that it can't discern much over 60 fps.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Anonymous Coward]

You are kidding of course. PS2 can't touch a PC in ANY area, including graphics. A PIII800 is a very SLOW computer, and 128mb of ram is par for the course these days. For real gamers, a 64mb card is also par for the course. All in all, this is actually a rather low end computer.

Remember, all linux geeks aside, most people who game are using decent and modern computers... the national processor speed average for 'gamers' is 1.33GHZ, Ram is 256MB, HD is 30GB, and Video card is GeForce 3 64MB or equiv. I personally have alot better than that in all areas on all three of my computers, but that is just me... I don't have to worry about hardware incompatiblities with my OS of choice like you linux users... :p

4.5GB of HD space is very high though... very weird in fact.

Re:consoles ARE cheaper

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a theory that it can't discern much over 60 fps.

Thanks for telling us about your "theory". Let us know when you have some "facts" to back it up.

4.5GB on disk???

[Tokerat]

I know disk space is a dime-a-gig these days, but...WHY in the hell is this so high?

I'll have to erase some of my pirated MP3s... ;-)

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[rmarll]

Content, content, content... If square is known for nothing else, it's producing assloads of content.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[jerkychew]

But 4.5 gigs of content? Does that mean that this will be distributed on DVD only?

4.5 gigs translates to roughly 6 and a half CDs, and that's not counting the installer files that likely will only live on the install media. If this holds true, are we looking at a game made up of at least 7 CDs?

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Anonymous Coward]

Just burn them onto CD. 4.5 GB isn't that bad, especially when you have 100GB+.

I just wonder if it is going to be DVD only.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[alibash]

The reason it's so big is because PS2s can read DVD-rom, but square doesn't require that their beta testers can. So they give you a bunch o' cds and load them to your hard drive.
I'm pretty sure in the Final release will allow reading content off dvd.

The thing that makes me sad is that I think they say you have to be in Japan to beta test =(

Things like this make me care enough to make me stop lurking, get an account, and finally post =)

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[rigelstar]

You should have partitioned that 60 gig'er.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Joe Tie.]

What surprised me was the processor requirements. With the ps2 running at only around 300mhz, while I'd expected higher PC requirements I didn't expect that much extra. Phantasy Star Online required a 400mhz processor for the PC port, which I thought was still somewhat high but still reasonable. I know you really can't directly compare the different systems so directly, but I can't help but wonder a little at anything much larger than a doubling of the requirements.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Paladin128]

With the ps2 running at only around 300mhz, while I'd expected higher PC requirements I didn't expect that much extra.

Well, on the PS2, there is no large OS (like Windows) to deal with. Everything is designed specifically to do 3D accelleration and media streamin. The PS2's "emotion engine" is actually a 3 processor system: the CPU, VU0, and VU1. VU0 and VU1 (the "vector units") are specialized processors that are designed to do really fast matrix math. VU0 is connected on the same bus as the CPU, while VU1 is semi-coupled with the "Graphics Synthisizer" (GPU). VU0 is often used to do skinning, physics, and audio processing, while VU1 is often used to implement various procedural shaders and other programs similar to DX8 vertex and pixel shaders.

A PC, however, has only one CPU, a bunch of different busses, and games are traditionally run at higher resolutions. On a TV, every game is run at either 30FPS or 60FPS on an interlaced screen. Having a sharper, high-res, progressive display, a much higher fillrate is required for good viewing. So you need a higher pixel clock, higher filrate, more memory, more memory bandwidth, lower latencies, and more raw power. Throw a large OS on top of that (Windows 2000 or XP) and you're a tad short on CPU power, memory bandwidth, etc. compared to a simple, streamlined gaming machine.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[zeno_2]

Well, the game probably is packed in cab files on the disk, and they get unpacked during install, to uncompressed data files, movie files, etc. This probably saves a bit of space..

So, id say you could probably fit in on 4 or 5.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Ilgaz]

Mhz... PS/2=128bit with special commands just for games , Pentium=32bit.
When will this Mhz thing will end?

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Aceticon]

Things like this make me care enough to make me stop lurking, get an account, and finally post

Since you're admitedly a newbie poster, i have to warn you about something:
- Contrary to popular belief, having 50 Karma on Slashdot is NOT a chick magnet!!!

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Fweeky]

Not to mention that writing for the PS2 is somewhat low-level, so you're likely to be making much more optimized and highly targeted code for it; on a PC you've got DirectX/OpenGL to sit behind, much higher resolutions to deal with, and a much greater diversity of hardware to support.

Plus, a beta is going to be full of debug code, and isn't going to be well optimized.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[Anonymous Coward]

Look at other games that take up a lot of space Baldurs Gate all the Bioware games are huge because they put so much into it. NWN's is going to be a community beyond EverCrack. Just wait and see.

Re:4.5GB on disk???

[zeno_2]

Im not saying anything about the amount of work put into anything. The original poster said that, by having a 4.5gig game, you would need 7 cds to actually hold that information on the installation discs.

I stated that, the 4.5gig listing for the requirement was for when the game was installed. Most games pack all the data files for the game into .cab files or some other type of compression. This usually would make those files smaller. So, you wouldn't need 7 cds to hold 4500mb, because you could compress 4500mb into lets say.. 3000mb. You could then store that 3000mb of info on 5 cds and the files would be decompressed during installation.

English Translation Here...

[MoThugz]

Since google doesn't support Japanese yet, then I think this link might be useful...

AltaVista's Translation.

Re:English Translation Here...

[Anonymous Coward]

www.google.co.jp

if u search for google on www.av.com
ull be surprised to see that Google supports
a plethora of languages

Re:English Translation Here...

[Anonymous Coward]

I hope that fish can translate the whole game too...

Too Soon?

[or_smth]

I'm not to sure as to what to think about FFXI being online. On one hand, I'm happy to see a major company with a well known-name backing up the Genre, but on the other (and much more acurate) hand I know that it is way too soon in the genre for a major series to get converted over.

At least if anything, we should be learning from past mistakes and problems and put games into a sort of D&D-style MUD type of play with lots of PVP combat. Instead what we are getting is a half-assed game about beating monsters for hours on end while talking with others.

Re:Too Soon?

[Queer Boy]

Instead what we are getting is a half-assed game about beating monsters for hours on end while talking with others.

You'd be surprised at how addictive Phantasy Star Online made this. There's also the collection and trading of items (see Pokémon for that addiction factor) and the fact that you need multiple players to attain some items. It's more fun than it sounds.

only 128 ram?

[packeteer]

i would not advise running the game on a 128 meg ram box because with that little ram there is now way you would not thrash through some swap space when the rest of the program requires such power...

Re:only 128 ram?

[xenocide2]

Actually, 128 megs of ram might be plenty. PS2 developers complained early on that there wasn't enough RAM for things like textures. Presumably you'll be moving a lot of data through the RAM in a similar manner to the ps2.

Re:only 128 ram?

[packeteer]

the ps2 has 32 megs of rdram which is a majpor problem because there is lots of bandwidth but not much actual storage space... this leads to problems because textures must be switched in and out constantly... this ends up not slowing it down because it is able to swap out and effectivly double the space that is usable... the problem is that this creates a lot of code overhead and when coders are too busy working on their texture swapping to work on gameplay we get horrible gameplay...

Specs aren't surprising

[Dark Paladin]

Look at what you needed to run the PC versions of Final Fantasy VII and VIII - and those were *crappy* ports, but damn, they needed a lot of horsepower, even if they were acting as a PSOne emulator.

Re:Specs aren't surprising

[Cecil]

Did you even play FF7 on the PC? I mean, apart from the slightly subpar "windows integration" (the FF7 window being captioned "DEFAULT" for example) it blew me away.

Sure, it's wasn't freaking Quake 3 graphics, but considering what they were given, it was pretty impressive and slick. The videos could've used a better compressor (True Motion 2.0 sucks and is heavily proprietary) and optimally they would've been higher-res, but that's really just nitpicking. I wouldn't even have noticed if I hadn't extracted the videos to MPEG4 for a certain project of mine.

The text was nicely antialiased, and the game retained *SO* much of it's original "feel". something that no other console->PC port that I know of has ever been able to touch.

There were nice videos in FF8/PC, which only existed because Squaresoft did the port themselves, and were presumably more accomodating to themselves rendering higher res videos than they were to Eidos. Other than that, FF7/PC was much nicer. :P

... My not-so-humble opinion.

Re:Specs aren't surprising

[Tofuhead]

Don't forget the kick-ass XG MIDI soundtrack and the free Yamaha S-YXG70 softsynth for w9x. Anybody who ever considered actually buying one of Yamaha's softsynths back then was better off buying FF7PC for $10-$20 instead.

< tofuhead >

Re:Specs aren't surprising

[forged]

What blew me away in FF7 on the PC, was the beauty of the animations when you "cast spells", you know, the invocation thing.

I was playing on a modest PC (200Mhz processor, 3Dfx Voodoo2 card) and frankly I an still in awe when I see the artwork which was put in these sequences.

I wish they would release each of these spells into a separate .exe file which one could launch at will, without having to be in the game, very much like what direct-3D demos show nowadays.

Re:Specs aren't surprising

[SuiteSisterMary]

Final Fantasy VII for the PC kicked ass because there were no textures. Actually, there was one that I can think of, and that was Barett's tattoo. The polys were all gourard shaded, I believe, which means that when the rez was bumped up, the shading bumped itself up along with, and all was good. When VIII came out, it used textures. And when they ported it to PC, they didn't think, or didn't want, to resample all of the textures. So they simply get blown up, and look like crap.

Re:Specs aren't surprising

[Jaycatt]

Yeah, that Yamaha softsynth thing is great... I kept my FF7 CDs around just for it; I put it on a few PCs that are old, but I use for MIDI recording purposes. Saves having to buy an expensive sound card when you're just putting it into an old P100.

Mandate a GeForce card for a game?

[Anonymous Coward]

This is a dangerous trend.
Can you say "No Competition" in the graphics market?
Can you say "Monopoly"?

Re:Mandate a GeForce card for a game?

[LordLucless]

Not for a game - for a beta test.

Presumably as the game gets further along, they'll support more video cards, but at this stage they want to deal with more important details, not get bogged down supporting beta testers with obscure cards.

Re:Mandate a GeForce card for a game?

[kesuki]

Not everyone is john carmak okay? Even though the only really important card vendors out there are ATI and Nvidia, for a _beta_ test they usually try to focus on one popular graphic card. I'm suprized that it doesn't have to be a Specific Nvidia card like the 4600Ti based cards. The unified driver must make it easier to not mandate that all beta testers use the exact same card. That or the in-house development was far enough along that they wanted a mix of Nvidia cards. Perhaps they worked on the nvidia support harder, and it's better than the ati support right now. Perhaps they have slightly optimized the engine for Nvidia, and it runs really slow on ATI cards until they can improve the driver. Or maybe they figure that they can do all the ATI support testing in-house, but need beta-testers to get all these third party Nvidia cards to all work properly. When a game ships retail without ATI support then you can be afraid.

And thus...

[keyne]

...Square tests teh PLayOnline servers by being posted on SlashDot :o

Re:And thus...

[Mortanius]

The PlayOnline servers died horribly when FFXI was released for PS2 in Japan, twice I believe (I think there was a story linked here a while back about that happening.) Hopefully they have different backbones for the web server cluster and the actual FFFXI cluster, otherwise they're just asking for trouble. :-P

Re:New! SlashMates.Com

[Anonymous Coward]

MOD PARENT UP +5 Informative

Be warned

[jsse]

Be warned that the links go to Japanese web sites.

/. it equals to declare war on Japan. So becareful gentlemen.

Revolutionary

[URoRRuRRR]

The PC version will be fully compatible with the PlayStation2 version allowing people on either system to play together.

Wow. This is sure to bring a new level of respect between consoles and PCs. Offically few to none of the computer game makers have accepted consoles like they should, only porting their games to the systems. Now they're taking them and letting consoles and PCs play together. How long before we can Lan PS2s with out machines to play games like Unreal Tournament 2? I know the PS2 has firewire, maybe we can use that for hardware and push manufacturers to bring us cross-compatable games. Together, we can make it happen.

Re:Revolutionary

[Anonymous Coward]

Together, we can make it happen.

All together now:

We are the world!
We are the children,
We are the ones who can make a brigther day
So let's start giving!

How are we gonna make it happen?
By whining on Slashdot?

Re:Revolutionary

[URoRRuRRR]

In a word: Sorta.

"Whining" on /. let's other people hear and think that they would like this feature too. Then we let the companies know we want it. Email them, fill out feedback forms on websites.

If there is a demand for it, and gaming companies want more money, they'll do it.

Re:Revolutionary

[Archfeld]

LAN ur PS2 to my PC for UT2...LOL u'd get smoked 3 times till tuesday unless they've done some wonders for console controllers since last time I looked.

Re:Revolutionary

[GrandCow]

How long before we can Lan PS2s with out machines to play games like Unreal Tournament 2?

Um... the XBOX has been able to do that since the first person pulled one out of a box.

Re:Revolutionary

[billscarwasher]

Or not...

Quake 3 Dreamcast?

id released the maps for the PC versions so they could play against Dreamcast games.

Re:Revolutionary

[Troed]

Name a game that is cross-platform Xbox-PC that can do what is described above.

Re:Revolutionary

[Kris_J]

Does anyone know a URL that explains how to get this running amongst friends. I've got some PC friends with a spare phone line such that they could theoreticaly setup some sort of dial-up Quake III server that I could connect to with my Dreamcast -- if I can get some software to setup their phone number as the place to dial. But I havent' been able to find a good resource to explain my options...

Re:Revolutionary

[Aceticon]

Actually, since the second person pulled one out of a box ...

Re:Revolutionary

[joshsisk]

You can't do that, to my knowledge. But you can get online, then connect to their server and play with them (if they are running the DC-compatible maps).

It's potentially cheaper than upgrading your PS2

[Invictus2.0]

Well, I'm glad to know that a) I won't have to throw down a bucket of cash just to upgrade my PS2 to be able to play the game (hard drive and ethernet) and that b) I have a computer capable of running this, but overall, I'm still not terribly excited about FFXI.

I think Square is trying to do too much too soon and as a result will marr the series and stands to loose a considerable amount of money when all thid PlayOnline bullshit goes belly up. Here's hoping FFXII, in the hands of Square's most under-appreciated designer Akihiko Yoshida, will redeem the series which I have not fully enjoyed since FFVII.

Better Babelfish Translation

[mynads]

I managed to grab a slightly better translation from here. Cheers.

Online. grrrr

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm worried about the direction that Final Fantasy is taking. I'm not looking for another everquest ripoff. Final Fantasy 7 and 9 were both greatness. VIII and X were .... ok...

I think the true Final Fantasy fans will demand a separate series. Make one Final Fantasy Online and make the other Final Fantasy XII or whatever.

Stick to what WE like, A great story, a good villian, twists and turns, a cute chick, and a few tears for those we loose.

Communication in console MMORPG's?

[dmwst30]

Games like Everquest have been around for several years, and boast the advantage of a keyboard to make in-game conversations simple and efficient (if not gramatically correct). However, the PS2 doesn't come with a keyboard. It IS compatible with a USB-keyboard, from what I have read. Anyone planning on NOT using a keyboard if they play this game? Without the ease of communication it would allow, sounds like the game would be alot harder.

Re:Communication in console MMORPG's?

[Brackney]

Keyboard support on the PS2 is no big deal. It works just fine with the Linux kit, and as I recall, Half Life for the PS2 supported USB keyboard and mouse. There are probably other PS2 titles that support it as well...

Re:Communication in console MMORPG's?

[zeno_2]

Unreal Tournament does as well..

Tony Hawk 3 supported usb modems, they had about 5 or 6 listed in the manual but they all were pretty much basic usb modems.

Re:Communication in console MMORPG's?

[Segod]

I remember playing Phantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast without a keyboard. Everything was fine for a bit because it had some of the more common phrases in easy to navigate menus, but after awhile the need to communicate for the sake of organizing, trading and such became too great and i got tired of spending 3 minutes writing a sentence that i finally just broke down and got a keyboard. While I'm sure playing this sans keyboard is perfectly possible, it kind of defeats the whole purpose of it being an online game.

Oh, now this will be interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

Anyone notice that FF11 and Star Wars Galaxies are going into beta at about the same time?

This seems to imply they'll be released at about the same time.

If so, we are in for an *INTERESTING* next year, and this is a GOOD time to be an rpg fan.. (unless you are an rpg fan who likes having money) (or, unless you are me, and have only a mac, and no playstation2.. ARRGH! looks like i'll be spending a lot of time this year at my girlfriend's place.)

Beowulfed SGI hardware

[Nonillion]

Boy, back when I got Diablo I thought it's system requirements were excessive. Before you know it we'll have to buy beowulfed SGI hardware just to play the new games :p

Re:Beowulfed SGI hardware

[XavierXeon]

Sony is planning something along these lines for PlayStation 3

4.x gigs? forget it.

[intermodal]

i'll just go with the console, thanx...the last thing i need to do is take up more hard drive space than the rest of my stuff combined for a single game.

well i hope...

[r00tarded]

well i hope they hurry up and tell me when i need to tell my girfriend that I will be disappearing for about a year or so.

Re:Philisophical question..

[Anonymous Coward]

If you played the game you'd know.

Each one is the final one for the group of people involved.

It is a quest to save the world. And each one in the series is on a different world.

Therefore it is a do or die quest. Therefore the "Final Fantasy"

FF 9

[Bonker]

After playing FF 9 for about eleven hours straight yesterday, I would like to beleive that I could invest some serious time in a Final Fantasy MMRPG.

Still, I don't know how fun it would be if you had to play for even a month to get as far as you can get on the single player games in a week.

I dunno. Being surrounded by cute Square-style anime girls might just make it worth it.

Re:FF 9

[Nykkel]

Being surrounded by cute Square-style anime girls might just make it worth it.

Even if you know that 95% of them are likely to be ugly, smelly guys in real life?

But yeah, I know what you mean. ^_^;;

Re:FF 9

[linzeal]

The contemporary fantasy allowed to people should be used to spur efforts into making body transplants possible, who wouldn't want this? I mean look at the range of transformations that could take place.

Lonely 50 year old male geek becomes nubile 36-24-36 naturually blue haired asian, and you know how to tell if it is fake ;)

Lonely 20 year old geek becomes older matron like woman with full hips and an appetitite for young boys.

Now that is moral progress if I've ever heard of it.

Re:FF 9

[Yosho]

Even if you know that 95% of them are likely to be ugly, smelly guys in real life?

Aw! I'm really not that smelly. And I've been told I'm not ugly. :-(

Sweet!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sweet! Finally a good reason to buy a PS2 and throw my obsolete computer out the friggin' window.

-Thanks

screenshots

[Anonymous Coward]

anyone have screenshots?

Any early reports on Japanese server performance?

[Brackney]

Any good reports anywhere on how the initial rollout on the PS2 in Japan has gone? I'm intensely curious about things like: uptime, hacking/cheating, lag, etc. There were a slew of reports about the initial release, and then - nothing. I know the initial software release was fairly small, and a second batch is trickling out now, but surely there's SOMETHING to report...

Available media

[dlur]

I hope the PC version of this comes available on DVD-ROM. I'd sure hate to swap through 4.5GB worth of CD-ROMs to install it.

7+ CDs is a lot of swapping.

Re:Available media

[searleb]

7+ CDs is a lot of swapping.

wtf are you talking about? Remember when Kings Quest I was 14 5.25 inch floppies? I have an old Microsoft Office install for the Mac that was well over 30 3.5 inch floppies.

Re:Available media

[dlur]

Sure floppy swapping was prevelant in the time of floppies, but today with the types of media available there should be little or no reason to ever have to swap CDs or DVDs.

For example, Baldur's Gate came out on I think 6 or 7 CDs (been a while and too lazy to dig my old games out). In that game you had to switch CDs rather often. After I'd finished the game I find, to my dismay, that the game was released later on on DVD. The time I would have saved, not to mention the enormous annoyance factor that could have been prevented if it were available on DVD from the get-go would have been astounding.

Basically I've noticed that most games are released on CD...multiple CDs in most cases. Why do game publishers still do this when the majority of newer PCs come standard with DVD-ROM drives (and if they don't they're less than $50 in most cases). When a game contains 4.5GB of game data wouldn't it just be easier to put it all on one DVD? Besides recordable DVD drives are still semi-expensive so not everyone has one yet. What better way to slow down game piracy than put it out on a media that not everyone can copy....yet.

Re:Available media

[Guitarzan]

That is extremely easy to answer...because I (and many gamers like me) don't have a DVD-ROM drive in my computer. Will my next computer? Perhaps, but who knows?

Re:Available media

[Anonymous Coward]

"Why do game publishers still do this when the majority of newer PCs come standard with DVD-ROM drives"

The reason is simple enough: the majority of people who buy games don't have newer PCs.
It's the same reason most games don't fully take advantage of the latest and greatest video cards.

Re:Available media

[LordLucless]

Just for the record - BG came on 5 CDs.

I didnt mind that so much - but the earliest release shipped em in a cruddy cardboard folder, and the later one in a nice compact 5-CD case as per FFVIII/PC

Re:Available media

[garcia]

most people don't have "newer" computers w/DVD-ROM drives. In fact, I don't plan on having one anytime in the forseeable future.

On top of that, I find that requiring a certain video card and requiring 64mb of video RAM sort of annoying.

I am glad that this particular game is PS2 compatible. They need to do this more often :)

Re:Available media

[larien]

Yup, and you could also load all the data onto hard drive if you had one big enough. I did this with BG2 when it came out, as I've now got a 40GB drive (10GB NTFS for XP, 10GB FAT shared and 20GB linux) and space wasn't a problem.

Re: Available media

[Omniscient Ferret]

Do you have the hard drive space to keep the CD images on it? If you do, Daemon Tools lets Windows look at them as CDs - essentially, it lets you mount them. It's free as in beer.
I used this to identify some unknown bin/cue files without wasting a CDR.

Re:Available media

[linzeal]

A 10x dvd-rom drive is 40 bucks. I see no reason not to have one. I mean formats change, and it is no longer anywhere close to bleeding edge anymore.

Re:Available media

[X_Caffeine]

No kidding? most people don't have PS2s either. I don't plan on having one anytime in the forseeable future.

On top of that, I find requiring a $200 console for one crappy gave sort of annoying.

I am glad that this particular game is PC compatible. They need to do this more often :)

Re: Available media

[Anonymous Coward]

Every mention of the amazing Daemon Tools should be modded up to 6! (My amp goes up to 11...) It's not just for IP-non-respecters!

Re:Available media

[SmittyTheBold]

The reason is simple enough: the majority of people who buy games don't have newer PCs.

Think for a moment about the other requirements for the FF game. Now re-consider your statement. If you're getting a game that needs a 800MHz+ computer and a GeForce+ video card, then pretty much any machine that fits that description will have a DVD drive as well.

Re:Available media

[SmittyTheBold]

When a game contains 4.5GB of game data wouldn't it just be easier to put it all on one DVD?

The one major reason I can think of in this case is Square's need to be able to update the game easily and transparently during the beta. It may be easier for them to update and patch files on the hard drive than to create a system that reads off the DVD, but only if the desired data isn't superceded by new "patch" files on the hard drive. Perhaps that mechanism is not worked out yet, and they want to get the beta out ASAP.

Re:Available media

[Anonymous Coward]

The answer is very simple, DVD's cost more. Despite what you may think, it is cheaper to ship multiple CDs than 1 DVD.

If you're just gonna say that cds cost $0.25 and dvds cost $1.50 because that's what it costs Joe PC owner, take some time to ask someone in the industry for what the mastering costs actually are. It's significant when you multiply it by the number of copies you are gonna ship.

Couple bucks saved per copy can equate to several hundred thousand saved.

Re:Available media

[garcia]

I don't have $40 to spend on a drive that I will use only for gaming. That's why I don't see the need to have one.

Re:Available media

[linzeal]

this is the reason I bought one

Yggdrasil was my first distro and I had to support the first product they released since like 97 ;)

Re:Available media

[Jonathan_S]

Actually Balders Gate was great. While it did come on 5 cds, there was a ini file in the game directory that told it the path to each of the cds seperatly.

since at the time I didn't have enough hard disk space to hold the whole game, but I did have several friends who owned it, we set up a semi-perminant lan party, mapped each others cd rom drive and modified the ini file accordingly. 5 cds, 5 computer, no switching. Worked great.

Re:Available media

[zerocool^]

I am trying to find a reference, but I seem to remember that when I bought baldur's gate, it had a little slip of paper in it that said, in essence,

If you want a DVD for this game, send $10 and all 5 CD's to our address, and we'll send you the DVD.

This sticks out in my mind because i seem to remember the slip of paper saying that they would accept the CD's scratched, in pieces, as long as they were all there.

~Will

Re:Available media

[joshsisk]

My machine is 1 Ghz + GeForce w 64mb of ram + 512 mb of ram. No DVD-Rom.

Re:Available media

[Rakarra]

I don't think so. "Gaming" machines haven't needed DVD-ROMs in the past. My Windows machine is used for pretty much just for games and video capture, and I hadn't needed to get a dvd drive, though it would come in handy.

Re:Available media

[kesuki]

And this isn't 1994 anymore either. The difference in mastering cost DVD vs CD has dropped to the point where you're talking fractions of a cent per copy. As for the pressed disk cost, while Joe consumer may pay $0.25 and $1.25 respectively, CD-r cost 0.02 cents to produce, and Pressed CD cost about the same, and while i don't have the actual cost on a Pressed DVD I'd have to imagine that it's already dropped to near CD pressing prices. We're talking technology that is ten years old already, I'm sure that to sony who has a line to press DVDs it's likely cheaper to press one DVD than 7 CD rom.
I'm sure though that the people who own the production lines for DVDs are charging as much of a premium as they can get away with though. Just like DVD-r media retailers are charging almost $3 for 2x certified DVD-r media. There is no way that that 2x media cost double the cost of a 1x media, yet they can get away with charging double, as long as people are willing to pay it.
As for the argument about people not having DVD-roms goes, well, it's a chicken-egg scenario. You can't have chickens without the eggs, but who's going to lay that egg to make the chicken? If noone makes games on DVD no serious gamer is going to buy a DVD-rom drive. Why not do something low-risk then, bundle a lot of old games on one DVD and sell it cheap? given that DVD-roms are available cheaply you can make sure there is an installed base of DVD-roms, without having to worry about a new game having it's sales weakened.

Re:Revolutionary - NOT!

[Tyler Eaves]

4x4 Evolution was Dreamcast/PC/Mac interoperable like....2 years ago. This is NOT anything new.

maybe this is redundant but..

[q-soe]

Does anyone else find the irony in the fact that most stories on here discuss open source product etc but this is a Beta test that you need Windows to participate in ? not to put too fine a point on it but it does make me smile a little...

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[martissimo]

Does anyone else find the irony in the fact that most stories on here discuss open source product etc but this is a Beta test that you need Windows to participate in ?

no offense intended here, but how often do you see releases for the "latest and greatest" games that dont require Windows?

Even Neverwinter Nights which was supposedly gonna include linux "out of the box" wont be doing so with the gold release, and to top that off will require a windows install as a dual boot to even let it work once it does.

even a linux junkie will generally acknowledge that windows has a place for PC Gamers, sure there are some people who deserve big credit for trying to bring gaming to linux, but it's far from a large market

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[BJH]

Neverwinter Nights ... will require a windows install as a dual boot to even let it work once it does.

Where did you hear that? Last I heard, you needed the NN Windows CD for the data files it contains, but installing and running the game can be done from a purely Linux environment.

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[ink]

Does anyone else find the irony in the fact that most stories on here discuss open source product etc but this is a Beta test that you need Windows to participate in ? not to put too fine a point on it but it does make me smile a little...

Microsoft has a monopoly on consumer software products and services, and this is one symptom of that monopoly. Why does this make you "smile a little"? Do you honestly enjoy being locked into a single product; smug in the assurance that since there are no other choices you are able to surround yourself with other "successful" software users and laugh at people who are trying to change the situation? I'm sorry, but why do you even bother reading slashdot?

Ahh yes, I answered my own question...

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sorry, but why do you even bother reading slashdot?

Yes, because we know that the only people allowed on Slashdot are Linux losers. You fucking dolt. This isn't "News for blind open-source followers", there are other things that Slashdot talks about besides Linux. Live with it you pansy-assed clownshoe.

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[dinivin]

Hey moderators, can someone mod this guy down?

There is no indication that you'll need a windows installation to register NWN or download other components of the game.

Their press release about going gold simply states that you will need the Windows CD.

Insightful? Yeah right...

Dinivin

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[martissimo]

there is certainly speculation about what will be required since bioware hasnt clarified the issue yet.

but considering that linux was supposed to be supported "out of the box" at first, and that now seems certain not to happen... who knows?

all we know is that you will certainly need the windows CD at this point for registration, and critical data updates... you can assume that they will support said data updates in a linux environment if you like, but it surely isnt certain since nobody will know how the linux support works until a month or so after release for windows (which is far from what they said they would do long ago)

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[dinivin]

If you're not so sure what the situation is, why did you say, with such surety:

"and to top that off will require a windows install as a dual boot to even let it work once it does."

Please, just admit you were talking out your ass and that Bioware has never given you any indication that this is the case.

Dinivin

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[q-soe]

I'm sorry, but why do you even bother reading slashdot?

I wonder myself... I make a comment on something and immdiately join the ranks of the group of people who obviously dont know anything else... completely missing a link to a LINUX site in my sig, a site i post articles on Linux on.....

Maybe im in the wrong place - i recall when this site stood for intelligent comment and discussion - now it seems it stands for other things..

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[martissimo]

hey they stated the game would ship linux ready out of the box, is that gonna happen... NO

they hyped the cool features of the toolset to create your own worlds, is it gonna work in linux...NO

they go gold and state that you will need the windows binaries to register and download updates... if you think you are gonna be able to do that in a linux environment i guess you are a glass half full type guy... me, well i guess you can figure out how empty my glass is ;)

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[dinivin]

Again, just admit that you're talking our your ass when you said: and to top that off will require a windows install as a dual boot to even let it work once it does.

Please note that you didn't say it may require. You said it will require. Yet you have no proof of that. All you have is your own speculation.

Dinivin

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[Anonymous Coward]

no offense intended here, but how often do you see releases for the "latest and greatest" games that dont require Windows?

Anything and everything from id. Which amounts to the majority of first person shooter games out there. Sorry to answer your rhetorical question :-P

Quake, Quake 2, Quake 3. Half life. Return to castle wolfenstein. Etc.

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe im in the wrong place - i recall when this site stood for intelligent comment and discussion - now it seems it stands for other things..

Well, perhaps if you posted intelligent comments then you wouldn't get flamed. You're the one who started this silly off-topic thread after all. Let's take a look at your comment in full:

Does anyone else find the irony in the fact that most stories on here discuss open source product etc but this is a Beta test that you need Windows to participate in ? not to put too fine a point on it but it does make me smile a little...

How, exactly, is this intelligent discussion? It's nothing short of flamebait, which is what you got in turn.

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[joshsisk]

Well, your comment was rather pointless, since games which require Windows to run constantly get mentioned on here... Blizzard games for example. Not like it's a new thing.

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[Anonymous Coward]

SOmething else the poster for got to mentin - the bravery of anonymous cowards hurling abuse at people - astounding how slashdot has turned into an abuse fest and troll pit thse days...

(I dont have access to my account or i would have posted under it)

Re:maybe this is redundant but..

[q-soe]

Anything and everything from id. Which amounts to the majority of first person shooter games out there. Sorry to answer your rhetorical question :-P

I do hope someone has told raven and the other companies in this market - the fact is RTCW was a flop compared to previous efforts and compared to the success of Max Payne - and the other games mentioned were not supported out of the box (ID didnt write them for linux natively and from memory the ports of 1 and 2 were done by outsiders and not by ID and on release day 1 and 2 and RTCW did not run natively on linux - extra work and playing was required to get them to run and nothing was advertised about the linux ability - thus it's irrelevant

ID games are one company and have not had a massive amount of success in the last 2 years - Even quake 2 was a flop in sales respects - so calling them the majroity of the FPS games out there (have you been to a games store in the last 2 years ? - is incorrect - you cannot forget the failure of Loki - this indicates to me that either linux is not a mature platform for games (considering the fun in getting OpenGl running under some distro's not to mention gaming...) or is not something people see as viable for games (maybe cause free software seems to be an issue - to judge from the sort of comments attached to the loki failure threads commenting on people not willing to pay money for anything...)

This is the issue I see - FPS and such games cost money and time to develop - companies are not going to give them away free and the issue is that open source product or product in a binary format is too open to piracy (dont claim it never happens...) or 'reverse engineerig' for those who claim a high ground. Thus a company knows that for all the work required to port to linux they might sell a few thousand copies and run the risk their work may turn up in some other companies products uncredited (or paid) tends to put them off...

Pity cause i actually like linux for gaming - but then again i actually bought Loki games instead of copying them like my friends did.....

What to Choose?

[xSterbenx]

Well, its seems I have quite the dilemna. Should I buy FFXI on PS2 or PC? My PC more than meets the requirements listed (64 Geforce2 GTS Pro, 1.2 Ghz t-bird, etc). However, my home entertainment system (surround sound, 36' WEGA TV) makes PS2 games look and sound really good, much better in fact than PC games. I've played EQ on PC before for a bit; was fun, but sitting in an armchair in front of a computer for long periods of time can get pretty stale, especially after doing it all day at work, while with the PS2 version I can sit on my couch, in my living room. Of course, then I would have to somehow fit the keyboard in somewhere so that I can use it comfortably.

Its a hard choice to make, and I'm interested in what opinions people have as to which would be a better buy, the PC or the PS2 version, given these attributes? This isn't something I've ever had to thought about before in terms of an MMORPG, since there havn't really been any cross-platform games until now (or at least none that I've been interested in).

Re:What to Choose?

[Anonymous Coward]

where did you get a 36 foot wega tv? I want one.

Re:What to Choose?

[Chasing Amy]

> with the PS2 version I can sit on my couch, in my living room.

Nothing says you can't do that with PC games. I have a video card with TV-Out and have my PC situated in the same room as the TV, so... Add in a wireless keyboard, and you're set.

Re:What to Choose?

[Fross]

TVs, as nice and big as they are, suck once you're used to good image quality.

Go play GTA3 on a PC in 1280x1024, then go back and try to play it on a console hooked up to a TV. no comparison!

I'd say invest in a way to play PC games more comfortably. Either be able to hook it up to your TV/Audio system and get a good surface to control it on from the couch, or get a better chair (and audio) setup for your PC.

Re:What to Choose?

[Perimus]

Well, its seems I have quite the dilemna. Should I buy FFXI on PS2 or PC?

Sitting in front of the computer feels too much like being at work... it will be nice to be able to play a MMORPG on the couch in the living room! That was the best part of Phantasy Star Online... Well the living room part and being able to design your own weird happy-faces...

Re:What to Choose?

[Nakago4]

Yeah you are right. Its much better playing in front of the tv. The graphical improments are nice, but they aren't so much better that it makes it worth playing it with a keyboard and mouse. It's just so much easier to play with a dual shock. So I'd agree with you on the second part, if my monitor was anywhere near as big as my tv then it would be worth having it out in front of the couch, but until then I'll just stick to the PS2 version :)

Re:What to Choose?

[Fross]

graphics card with a TV-out would solve that one. though of course you wouldn't get the image quality from a monitor.

got lucky and picked up a 22" flatscreen that does 1600x1200 nicely for $140 after an office clearance, w00t. :>

Fross

Re:Any early reports on Japanese server performanc

[Jrono]

Well, there were quite a few problems with the initial rollout. Here is an account of some troubles on the first day. Square's old friend/nemesis has had something to say about it too.
More recently, more problems have surfaced, and Square has upgraded the PlayOnline servers and released a patch (creating the need for players to recreate their characters).
With so many problems, I think I will stick to Ragnarok Online for now. If only I could get it to work in WINE...

Re:4.x gigs? forget it.

[Anonymous Coward]

It's all cut scenes. Hours and hours
of movies you can't skip through.
Cut scene after cut scene.

Re:Philisophical question..

[Anonymous Coward]

If final fantasy was indeed the final fantasy, why are there so many sequels?

This is explained nicely here

At the time Square made Final Fantasy #1 , they had just released a couple of unsuccessful semi-RPG-ish games, were nearly out of money, and honestly expected that when the game that became Final Fantasy was complete, they would have to go out of business.

That Final Fantasy #1 became a massive success, and they subsequently had the resources to create more RPGs, was a complete surprise to them, however pleasant..

high specs

[racerx509]

I think the specs are so high, because they want to generate the FMV in real time

Re:high specs

[jedrek]

Oh yeah... and that's also the reason it's going to take up 4.5GB.

Re:!!!GO USA!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

USA until infinity! Germany is going down!!

And I must commend you for your FP topic; Much more appreciated than a hidden goatse.

Ooh... it burns

[BlackTriangle]

I love seeing the US tourists when travelling in asaia - and the candians with there "i am NOT an american" t shirt

You're from Australia? Better stop with the low shots. Solidarity, brother. Solidarity.

It's just a game...

[Anonymous Coward]

Another game for Darwin to work his magic

I wonder if disclaimers will appear on this one?

uhhh ok

[DippoNazdor]

very large system requirements! sorry, couldn't resist posting. i'm not a huge FF fan, but i am exposed to it every day. my friends created a freakin' paramilitary and named it choco. everything they do is choco this and choco that. but chocobos don't matter in this post unless they will be in this new FF. if i decide to purchase this addition to the FF series, i would barely be able to play it. 64 MB video card? my GeForce 2 MX 200 came with.... oh, nevermind, i thought it was only 16 MB for some reason. sorry. ok! ya, that was pointless. but if they are gonna make the system requirements so high, i think everyone should get really really pissed if it sucks really really bad. and it better not suck. that is all i have to say. thank you.

It's all relative

[frobozz3.141]

wtf are you talking about? Remember when Kings Quest I was 14 5.25 inch floppies?

I'll assume that you're talking about either the updated VGA version of KQ1 or KQ6, which was about 9 3.5' disks. Office's 30 disks is nothing--OS/2 was _sixtysomething_.

But I digress.

Anyone who remembers the early days of CD-ROM games can't really complain about 4 or 5 disc swapping. Remember Sierra's Phantasmagoria? Seven bloody CDs (for a game that was short as hell)! Its sequel wasn't much better--it took up a "mere" six. Wing Commander 4 was also six, as was Gabriel Knight 2.

Yeah, so anyway, my point is that all those games required in-game swapping, whereas this 4.5gb swap bitchfest is merely dealing with installation. My advice to those who deem it necessary to whine:

Suck it up, buttercup-- God didn't give you 80gig drives to sit half-filled with two-year-old MP3s and cheap pr0n couresy of Gnutella.

-Frobozz

minimum specs

[gyratedotorg]

The minimum specs are: Win 98, PIII 800 MHz, 128 MB RAM, a GeForce card and 4.5 GB of hard drive space

so what they're saying is that the tiny video game machine i bought for $200 is more powerful than the desktop pc i bought for about $1000 just a few years ago?

Re:minimum specs

[edwdig]

Graphics power wise, a current console will blow away a few year old PC easily. Plus, remember, everyone with a particular console has an identical system, so it's possible to get 100% of the performance out of the hardware without having to worry about how many people can use it. Also, consoles have damn nice memory bandwidth, which helps a lot for the graphics work. In short, if you design a machine to do one thing, and do it really well, it'll easily out perform a general purpose machine.

And of course, Windows puts in a nice chunk of overhead.

Re:minimum specs

[Emexies]

On the other hand, a one-year-old decent PC blows away all consoles. I mean, compare Morrowind on a pretty good PC (1.8 GHz, 256 MB RAM, GeForce3 etc) PC and XBox. you get the same graphics, but higher FPS on the PC. And you get to run it in resolutions higher than 640x480, without having to sacrifice FPS.
Another example: The PS2 hit 'GTA3' was just released on PC, and games that were released a year ago on the PC shows better graphics in general.

Re:minimum specs

[Blastrogath]

Your'e compairing a port of a PS2 game running on a PC to other games running on a PC. Maybe it's a crappy port? One thing to think about is that a PS2 game that looks very good on a TV would look like crap on a PC monitor, I'm not sure why but that's the way it is. If you want to make a fair comparison between PS2 and PC games, look at both of them on their home turf.

Re:minimum specs

[Emexies]

Well, in the case of Morrowind, the game was being simultaneously developed on both the XBox and PC. Admittedly, it demanded quite a bit from your PC, but on the other hand it didn't run all that smoothly on an XBox.
Regarding GTA3. Yes, I'm compairing a port. And GTA3 _is_ a bad port. It uses a game engine that works on both platforms (Tony Hawk 3 for PS2, GameCube and PC uses the same graphics engine). Perhaps you have a point in not comparing the two on their respective platforms, but why not? I mean, most of the ports (aspecially when using the same engine) looks quite good both on different consoles and the PC.
My point was, that games that can run on a PIII 500 MHz system flawlessly has about the same amount of polygons and textures on screen as a PS2 game. And this was my point, that while a console might blow away a PC with a few years behind it, it doesn't compare very well to a pretty decent system.

4.5GB...why?

[KalvinB]

I have a question:

Why do I need 4.5GB of disk space to play a game that runs off a disc in an HDless system?

If it can load in a decent amount of time on a PS2 I don't think it's worth 4.5GB to potentially load faster on a PC with a faster disc drive than the PS2.

I would assume it's on DVD.

Ben

Re:4.5GB...why?

[Colol]

Because that's not how the PS2 version works. It runs discless in a HD-equipped system.

You install from the PS2 DVD, and then you pretty much throw the disc away. It lives on the HD without further disc intervention unless you need to reinstall.

Re:4.5GB...why?

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually you do have a hard drive in the ps2 once you buy the net-kit. It ships with and ethernet card and a 40 gig hard drive.

Ad absurdum?

[josh crawley]

Seems like every time a good idea is made, there's 20 others later willing to pump money into that left-over market. For a while, it was bad sitcoms. Then came the Jerry Springer trash. Now, it's reality TV. Seems this trend is happening in the game world with MMORPG's. After the first few, who cares?

Since Square focused on the "idiot" player, the games are boring. Still ,I get chucles from the tombstone in FF1:

Here lies Erdrick

Hint: Erdrick was the descendant from Dragon Quest.

those darn network time servers

[mashy]

I had a feeling today was April 1!


But seriously, those requirements make Windows look like GNU utilities. What kind of market do they expect to be able to attract?

Re:those darn network time servers

[Anonymous Coward]

No. It's probably that they are the first ones being honest about them.

Funny Stuff

[SomeOtherGuy]

Hmmm..Sounds like they should be getting kickbacks from Maxtor, Nvidia, and Micron for making sure you have to have a screaming PC to play the same game that can be played on a PS2. (I know that the PS2 is pretty fast as far as consoles go...But having to have a 64 meg Vid card, 4.5 Gigs of HD space, 128 Megs of memory, and a fast CPU -- makes me wonder why they can't optimize a bit on the PC side).

BTW -- I am having oodles of fun playing Warcraft II and Red Alert on my Pentium 200MMX laptop with 1.5 megs of Video Ram and 64 Megs of memory -- Sad that game companies nowdays think that resource rape will make up for clever design and gameplay. I will clap loudly for any company that can publish a 2002 game that does not require the latest 3D card and oodles of CPU and memory to be fun.

Re:Funny Stuff

[ProfMoriarty]

I will clap loudly for any company that can publish a 2002 game that does not require the latest 3D card and oodles of CPU and memory to be fun.

Sorry, there is no "pong" slated for release in 2002.

Re:Funny Stuff

[NeMon'ess]

Increasing game demands drive hardware sales which let us all encode DIVX movies faster and render our star wars fan-film CG. You're asking for the speed of progress to decrease? Ask the medical community how many lives have been saved because progress in computer fields allowed the costs of medical devices to drop. Computers are facilitating unraveling the mysteries of DNA. If you can't handle the speed of progress that's your fault. Buy a new computer every five years instead of three. Spend the first three years with the hottest games around. Spend the last two with bargain bin titles from last year you overlooked. Or get hooked on MMORPGs. Those only get complete overhauls every two to four years.

Re:Funny Stuff

[Frac]

I am having oodles of fun playing Warcraft II and Red Alert on my Pentium 200MMX laptop with 1.5 megs of Video Ram and 64 Megs of memory

damn you pampered little kids... you actually need all that processor power to have fun? my Compaq 386DX still works fine with Scorched Earth loaded up, and you think you're some humble luddite with your pentium 200MMX laptop?

I will clap loudly for any company that can publish a 2002 game that does not require the latest 3D card and oodles of CPU and memory to be fun.

I will clap loudly for you if you can find any large software company that consistently publishes PC games for old, outdated hardware in ANY given year. You talk as if it's a new trend for 2002, and in the days of yore people would publish Pong XI for your Pentium MMX laptop.

Re:Funny Stuff

[linzeal]

Scorched earth !!! Anyone know of a windows port, I hate booting into freedos because I just play master of magic and master of orion. Especially if it has tcp/ip support, yummy.

Re:Funny Stuff

[Graspee_Leemoor]

You are the damned whippersnapper! I am still having fun playing SpaceWar on my PDP!

Let's turn on the winds of space!

graspee

Re:Funny Stuff

[Junks Jerzey]

BTW -- I am having oodles of fun playing Warcraft II and Red Alert on my Pentium 200MMX laptop with 1.5 megs of Video Ram and 64 Megs of memory -- Sad that game companies nowdays think that resource rape will make up for clever design and gameplay.

In this case it's just that the game is being designed for the PS2 hardware. It's a PS2 game first, and a PC port second. On the PS2 you can do a lot of specific trickery that takes advantage of its architecture. On the PC, you need a system that lets you get the same visual results but by using a *generic* graphics API. So where there might be some low level fiddling that will let you do certain things on the PS2, you have to do it the so-called "correct" way on the PC, and that may be much more expensive.

Still, there are some advantages of PC hardware over the PS2, like 8:1 texture compression and multitexturing.

And, of course, you're comparing games displaying a few dozen 2D sprites per frame with a game that's drawing 20,000+ texture-mapped, shaded, and filtered triangles per frame. That's maybe too obvious to point out, but you seem to have missed it.

Re:Funny Stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

I will clap loudly for any company that can publish a 2002 game that does not require the latest 3D card and oodles of CPU and memory to be fun.

Nethack. =)

Re:Funny Stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

That's a 1985 game, not 2002. Geez.

Re:Funny Stuff

[Anonymous Coward]

Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 is going to be out this year, try and beat that fun factor. It's using the same engine as the first one and you only needed a 90Mhz processor to run that. I wish Chris Sawyer would try something different, if his first game is any indication he could be the next Will Wright.

Re:Funny Stuff

[buck_wild]

If I understood you correctly, you were looking for the Windows version. I think this is what you're looking for. 692k of goodness...

http://download.com.com/3000-2095-912955.html?ta g= lst-0-1

Re:Revolutionary - NOT! - NOT 4x4 EVO

[Anonymous Coward]

What about Quake Tournament? I think that may have been released BEFORE 4x4 EVO with Dreamcast/PC compatibility.

Too bad that broadband adapter i bought only worked with 2 games.

WEGA or VEGA?

[green pizza]

Isn't the TV named after the bright star, Vega?

I think it's just a stylized double "V"

Maybe I'm wrong...

Re:WEGA or VEGA?

[JebusIsLord]

Indeed, its VVega, and pronounced that way. I worked at the Sony Store for a time and we got a memo from HQ regarding just that.

Re:WEGA or VEGA?

[Anonymous Coward]

In one of my weaker moments though, I had to call Sony support while setting up a home theater system with a VV/W-ega TV and the person onthe phone referred to it as a Wega.

But then again they were tech support... I'll stop there before I get hammered.

Re:WEGA or VEGA?

[joshsisk]

Sony's website spells it WEGA.

Re:4.x gigs? forget it.

[Archfeld]

no kidding its the game that plays itself...Every now and then you get to push some buttons, then back to "story"

Steep Reqs? No problem!

[davew2040]

A few things.

Based on past experience, more than 50% of the posts in response to this story will be along the lines of "I'm perfectly happy with my system; I've had it for seven years and it recompiles Linux kernels just fine!" Frankly, I'm glad that at least a few developers are willing to push the envelope, or 1) computer hardware in general would be several years behind where it currently is, and 2) we wouldn't be enjoying rather stunning graphics in the products being released nowdays (admit it, some of the newer stuff is really looking pretty great!).

For those who wonder how such a title can be released simultaneously on a PS2, just assume that the texture and geometry detail will more than likely be kicked down a few notches. After all, consoles hook up to TV's, and TV's do all of 450 lines by 350 lines, at best. That's just typically the way of things

Furthermore, while I'm not too familiar with the specifics of FFXI, I'm fairly sure it's not coming out for awhile. Perhaps these requirements will seem more reasonable once the game comes out.

And on that note, I'll put concede that it might just be another sloppy console port, slow and ugly simply because the programmers slapped in some kludgy emulation code for the PC version. In which case all previous points are moot.

Re:Steep Reqs? No problem!

[Lurgen]

I don't see these hardware requirements as being excessive - A P3/800? A third of the top-of-the-line speed isn't a big ask. A decent video card? All they really ask for is a basic GeForce level card. And 128meg is nothing, given the price of RAM these days.

The rest of the extra requirements are beta requirements obviously - they've probably only had time to test on nVidia cards (since they'd be the most common out there anyway). The hard disk requirements is due to them shipping the beta on CD, not DVD (probably for cost reasons).

If you want to play latest and greatest games, be grateful they aren't asking for latest and greatest hardware. If you cry out at these specs, imagine being asked for a P4/2200, 1gig RAM, GeForce 4 video card, etc. (at least then you'd all have a point)

pass...

[Anonymous Coward]

call me old fashion by IMHO I prefer MUD to get my 'MMORPG' needs. You might want to try WOT-Mud, its a nice MUD based on Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. Its free and does'nt require 4.5GB of HD space :)

Also, maybe Square is changing their theme, but FF is an epic saga which has a beginning and an end with a fantastic storyline, I feel that FFXI does'nt have that so I'll wait for FFXII for the PS2 (or Gamecube).

Re:pass...

[Anonymous Coward]

Great mud! I've been playing forsaken lands(forsakenlands.net) for the last few months.... I was looking for something a little bigger.

Thanks again!
Cheers

Replayability

[Anonymous Coward]

Can you play this 10 years later like FF6?

Re:Replayability

[Anonymous Coward]

FF6 was a classic!

These new ones suck. Too many FMV scenes. That's why there's always 4 discs. Squaresoft should go back to basics. Apparently they ported all the old ones to Wonderswan in Japan. Hope they make GBA versions too.

An incredibly rough translation

[laydown]

Presently, proper form service the ftf@fCfifftf@f"f^fW[ cXi (the play online) Windows edition beta monitor which is in the midst of executing is collected. The play online, ftf@fCfifftf@f"f^fW[ cXi, for Windows edition beta test execution of tetra- master, you participate, the beta monitor is collected. The one which is elected in the beta monitor, during beta test period, after connecting to the play online server, does the test of the game and various contents. When obstacle and trouble occur, you communicate to " the beta monitor sight " for obstacle report. In regard to verification, thriving detailed contents with " collection important points, " please be sure to apply!

Re:An incredibly rough translation

[ShadowDrgn]

Yeah that's really rough, especially since the kana you marked as (the play online) actually says "Final Fantasy XI." It's a list of items, not an apositive. Tetra-master is the (collectable) card game from FF9, which you'll be able to play on PlayOnline.

Re:An incredibly rough translation

[Graspee_Leemoor]

The card game in FF9 sucked donkey's balls compared to the one in FF8. The card game in FF8 was the best sub-game ever! IMO it was the extra complication they added to the rules for the FF9 card game that made it not as fun- it just became too difficult to grok the problem space, whereas in the FF8 one you could just about do it...

graspee

Re:An incredibly rough translation

[Genom]

Have to agree here -- the one from FF9 made very little sense. The extra rules took a game that was mildly amusing (the card game from FF8) and made it confusing as all hell. I can't count the number of times I said "Huh? How the hell can he take *that* card with *that* one?". The one from FF8 made sense, and was rather consistant once you figured out how it worked.

Of course, I think a rulebook would have made both games more enjoyable - especially the one from FF9.

Requirements Not Bad.

[Anonymous Coward]

The requirements don't seem that bad to me.

Considering EQ2 is going to be sporting requirements like 1GHz+ processor, 512M ram, Geforce 3 (maybe 4) minimum.

Give them some credit for actually trying to include people who don't buy new equiptment every week.

Yeah, the HD requirement is a bit large, but I'm sure you'll be able to stream off a DVD if you have one. Plus, actually copying on the the HD is a bonus if they don't require the disk in the drive. I might actually be able to play on my laptop with a wireless connection. (Many of the ultra-thin laptops don't have built-in CD/DVD)

one more requirement

[lingqi]

i hope this is not redundant: but i believe you have to already own a copy of PS2 version of the game to be eligiable for the beta; erm -- that would be a legally registered version ;)

besides, knowing japanese probabbly helps. so we will just all sit here and drool, i guess, except the few, the lucky, etc etc.

Other minor requirements & stuff

[anocow]

Other than that list of hardware requirements, you also need to be:

1) living in japan (duh)
2) have a real email, not a "free" (not quite sure what that means) nor a keitai email.
3) Have IE5 or above browser so you can report bugs to the "Beta Site".

among other things, altho both PC and PS2 log-on to the same server, the game "world" will be different. the PC beta testers won't be able to play with PS2 owners. same applies to the Tetra-master game. there's also an mention to a game that's not available to the PC beta testers. i suspect it's mahjong...

*sigh* i would've applied for this (or when the PS2 beta testing was going on) except i can only get a 24k modem connection at where i live... oh well, i guess it's back to working on Xenosaga ;)

Re:Any early reports on Japanese server performanc

[Brackney]

Interesting. I wonder if the third link you provided is in any way related to Linux PS2 tech support request number 50. (That one's worth a read if you're still noodling about picking up a Linux kit and you have a recent-make PS2.)

Back on topic though, sounds like the early days of the PSO launch. Hopefully they'll work out the kinks before it gets rolled across the pond.

What, I can't use my XT?

[mrselfdestrukt]

Damn! And I just upgraded my 8086 to a 20Mb drive and CGA instead of Herculus Monochrome. Can't wait to upgrade my Ram from 512k to 640k. I heard that's more than enough for anyone...
Hmm, I wonder if the next FF and DOOM 5 will require a Cray?

What's so Final about this?

[Yousef]

Version XI?!?! Doesn't sound too final to me. Should be renamed to "Infinite Fantasy"! :-)

Each game is self contained

[Perianwyr Stormcrow]

The only connection all of the Final Fantasy games have is that they are similar sorts of games, with the same sort of interface, and possibly some names of things and people ported over.

Nothing else is the same, thus every game is Final.

Re:!!!GO USA!!!

[ihave the slaslhdot,]

GO USA!!! TOO!!! I am can the slasdot First Post! Im have the fun yes!!!!! :):):)

Re:too bad

[ihave the slaslhdot,]

Im have the Linux. it sayes min reqiurements is the Win98s. I have excelled them, so I can play also. :):):)

So what will it really cost you?

[Screaming Lunatic]

Looking up this info at my friendly neighbourhood computer store. NB. Prices are in CDN$

Win98: $150

Celeron 1GHz: $110

128MB RAM: $35

Geforce2MX:$70

Maxtor 20GB: $100

FFXI: $70 (probably)

Total: $535 CDN (about $300US)

It's hard to find P3s and Geforces anymore. And most of the stuff people will probably already have from before. And it assumes you already have a mobo, monitor, etc, etc.

Well, what's the point of the above calculation. Procrastination mostly, I have a final exam tomorrow. Secondly, I have everything except for the video card. Being a poor ass student, I want to know what it will actually cost me to play FFXI.

So I'm thinking, do I want to upgrade now or upgrade when Doom3 comes out (which won't be out for another year at least). In a perfect world, I would upgrade now and in a year (Not to mention a few times in between).

Goes to show that the major reason to upgrade is usually when that new game comes out. And for some people, when the next version of Windoze is released. Personally, I'm still dual booting with Win98 and only boot out of Linux to play games. So logically the next question is: Any word on native Linux support or (blech) Winex support?

Re:So what will it really cost you?

[victorchall]

You can be gauranteed the PS2 will probably always play the game better in terms of performance and polish.

Personally I'd rather play it on a PC. High res, my normal mouse and keyboard, my desk chair...

GO ENG-GER-LAND

[Yousef]

Shame that no one in the US know's what Football is. They confuse a game where they carry the "ball" in their HANDS as Football?!?!
That they don't know that their team is through to the Quarter Finals of the FIFA World Cup - the worlds biggest Sports Tournament after the Summer Olympics.
And most Americans don't even know where South Korea or Japan are!
:-)
Go England!

Re:GO ENG-GER-LAND

[ihave the slaslhdot,]

I know! the Americas halve the footballs and evreyelse has the succers! and the japan and the korea has over the west of the pasific! America has the finals inthe one quarters. YES AMERICA!! GO :):):) (im like america too)

hey..

[Anonymous Coward]

anyone considering making a REAL 3d computer game?

Class Tension

[BoBaBrain]

Would playing on a PS2 be a secret you would try to keep from your online, PC-user, "Toff" friends?

PL1: "I say, fancy a spot of canasta?"
PL2: "O X L1 R2 O"
PL1: "Quite."

PC Games are irrelevant

[foonf]

This story, for some reason, seems to epitomize perfectly what I have been feeling about PC video games for the past couple of years:

First, its a port of a console game. Any successful PC game these days, except for a few extremely successful franchises, either is ported from a console, or is ported to a console immediately. Except for those few extremely successful games, the financial requirements almost require that it be available on as many platforms as possible. The kind of diversity and originality that used to characterize computer games, since their origin in text-based strategy and adventure games in fact, can no longer be supported by the adolescent and console-driven market of today.

Second, the hardware requirements are completely out of touch with most computers actually in use. A lot of people who don't play video games probably have computers less than half as fast as the recommended system, and are quite content with them. Aside from people with new machines, and people building systems specifically for playing video games, it is out of reach of a surprisingly large number of computer users.

And the people who have the hardware to run this...a strong majority of them are probably sufficiently involved with video games that they own a Playstation 2 anyway. Considering this I wouldn't be surprised if video games on the PC disappear altogether shortly, especially as special-purpose toy systems like video game consoles increase in power. This could be a potentially postitive development in two ways, not only removing a major impediment to the proliferation of Free operating systems on desktop PCs, but also removing a large subset of users from the Wintel orbit entirely (after all, whats the only PC operating system you can run on a Playstation 2...yeah, thats right, [GNU/]Linux).

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Fross]

Uh, circular arguments here...

Any successful PC game these days, except for a few extremely successful franchises, either is ported from a console, or is ported to a console immediately.

So your argument is, that any game either starts on PC and goes to consoles, or starts on consoles and goes to PC. Well, umm, duh. That's the entire subset of ports, a to b or b to a!

Not to mention you're actually wrong. Let me know when consoles have even half of the top PC games of the last year - CS, RtCW, Tribes2, SoF2, the Sim/Civ games, MoH:AA, Dungeon Siege... and all the RTS type games. Heard any news of Warcraft 3 or Neverwinter Nights or Morrowind making it to console? No. they just don't work there.

Sure, there are some ports (GTA, Soul reaver, and stuff) but they don't do nearly as well on PC. Some games suit different environments (and more specifically, different control mechanisms) better than others.

the financial requirements almost require that it be available on as many platforms as possible.

Well, yes. If you have a game on platform A that is obviously popular and suits platform B's usual demographic, why not port it? exclusivity is not a good thing. As M$ will probably find out. hehe.

The kind of diversity and originality that used to characterize computer games, since their origin in text-based strategy and adventure games in fact, can no longer be supported by the adolescent and console-driven market of today.

Wrong again. There are different types of platform, as you said yourself, and there are different types of games. And different audiences.
In so far as this not being as good as "the good old days", _every_ computer back then had the same game, or clones of the same game, be it hunt the wumpus, double dragon, summer games or whatever. Whether you had a spectrum, C64, Amstrad CPC464 or whatever, your selection was pretty much the same.

Second, the hardware requirements are completely out of touch with most computers actually in use. A lot of people who don't play video games probably have computers less than half as fast as the recommended system, and are quite content with them.

I disagree strongly. The hardware requirements for FFXI (to stay on topic) are components over 2 years old (P3-800, any geforce), which is well within the life-cycle of a usual upgrade. And this is for a game that isn't even nearly out yet! There are processors almost 3 times as fast, and graphics cards with twice the _recommended_ (not minimum) memory that have been available for months!
have a look at computers on sale these days, you can't even BUY anything with less than a 1Ghz processor anymore, even at entry level. I'm sure you don't need it to run your text adventures, but then again FFXI and other games are not targeted to that audience. "People who don't play video games" probably don't care either way anyway, so it's a moot point.

And the people who have the hardware to run this...a strong majority of them are probably sufficiently involved with video games that they own a Playstation 2 anyway.

This makes no sense. "People who have invested a lot of money to get a kickass PC gaming system probably bought a different system so they can play games on that instead." Wtf?

PCs still remain the most powerful gaming platform. Hell, the Xbox has just had its arse kicked by the Geforce4 and it's only been out a few months. There are niches to every side of gaming, from Gamecube to PS2 and Xbox to PC. And of course you playing your text adventures.

Each to their own, I guess, but please, don't dismiss something just because you don't understand it.

Fross

(and FWIW, as you should have seen on this forum many times, Free operating systems are just as available for consoles as they are PCs!) :)

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Hadlock]

Heard any news of Warcraft 3 or Neverwinter Nights or Morrowind making it to console? No. they just don't work there.

funny - i remember playing morrowind on my friend's xbox last saturday morning (~3am). controls sucked compared to what's on the PC, but it was very playable.

i think morrowind came out for the Xbox less than a week ago, so that might explain your confusion. the xbox is a great machine, it's a pity all the games for it are shit (minus morrowind). maybe if they get decent games, it'll do better. regardless, i'm not getting one.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[The_Shadows]

> Any successful PC game these days, except for a few extremely successful franchises, either is ported from a console, or is ported to a console immediately.

A point of order: very, very few successful PC games are ported from console. If companies could understand the concept of making good ports it would be much different. Most ports from console suck. The games that tend to be successful on multiple platforms are usually designed from the ground with each platform in mind.

Also, there aren't a huge number of ports from PC to console. Sure, there are a few. But the best games (Baldur's Gate II, Counter Strike, Warcraft III, NWN, etc.) are unique to the PC or the console (Halo, Smash Brothers, etc.). Not only that, forget the multiplay styles. PC: Online multiplay only, console: Sit in the same room.

Maybe what you're talking about could happen. Could. Won't. A high end PC will always kick a console's tail. A console, OTOH, will likely always be much cheaper. They are two seperate worlds. They're happy together and neither is going anywhere.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Nameles]

Funny, I sell new D800's at work in built systems. Hell, I was building one yesterday!

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Chazmyrr]

Go to any of the major OEM or chain store web sites. Let us know if you can actually find anything under 1Ghz. Further, visit pricewatch.com and check the CPU prices. I find it hard to believe that many people are so desperate to save six dollars on a major purchase that they go with the 800 instead of the 1Ghz.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Fross]

point. morrowind's only just out over here (UK) anyway, grumble.

however as you point out, it's not suited to the console as well as to PC. i guess it's like dreamcast quake3 players being rocked by PC players who can use mouse/keyboard combination!

Fross

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Anonymous Coward]

Point out that my motherboard can handle 800 MHz but not the new 1GHz, it's about 4 years old. Buying 1Ghz would require a new motherboard.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Anonymous Cow herd]

Not to mention you're actually wrong. Let me know when consoles have even half of the top PC games of the last year - CS, RtCW, Tribes2, SoF2, the Sim/Civ games, MoH:AA, Dungeon Siege... and all the RTS type games. Heard any news of Warcraft 3 or Neverwinter Nights or Morrowind making it to console? No. they just don't work there.

Uhh... Counter-Strike and RtCW are both headed to Xbox, RtCW is also hitting PS2 and possibly gamecube... Morrowind: The Elder Scrolls is already out for Xbox, and is ranked number one by traffic on Gamespot, MoH:AA is appearing on PS2 as Medal of Honor: Frontline (and it's hella fun) The original SoF is already out for PS2, (as SoF Gold) and has been out for a while... I've seen RTS's for several consoles as well, such as Commandos 2, and SimCity2k was also available for the regular PlayStation. Saying that consoles do X and PC's do Y is rapidly becoming an invalid argument. While PC's still do some things better than consoles, and vice verca, I think that this line is going to become increasingly blurry as time goes on.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Anonymous Coward]

Considering this I wouldn't be surprised if video games on the PC disappear altogether shortly

One Word: Solitaire.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Sentry21]

(after all, whats the only PC operating system you can run on a Playstation 2...yeah, thats right, [GNU/]Linux)

How is Linux a PC operating system any more than an embedded operating system or a mainframe operating system? For that matter, how can you say it's a PC operating system that runs on a game console? Isn't that contradictory?

I'm sure NetBSD will run on the PS2 soon enough. It runs on the Dreamcast, and on everything else, so why not? And MS has an OS running on the X-Box, does that mean anything? Nope.

'The PS2 will kill windows because you can run Linux on it' makes no sense whatsoever. Please, think before you post.

--Dan

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Nameles]

Fuck major OEM chains. And yes, they do, on laptops. Unrelated but you didn't say desktop only.

I was building at 800 because I was designing a music system, and it didn't need much more. It's in a decent motherboard that can go to an Athlon 2200 and above, so they have the choice to go up that high.

Re:PC Games are irrelevant

[Fross]

the main point of CS/RtCW/tribes2/MoH:AA on PC is the multiplayer aspect. the singleplayer game is almost irrelevant. as such the consoles cannot capture the spirit of those games, at the moment.

I'm okay with everything but....

[EzInKy]

the Win98 thingee. It's hard to believe that the creators were intelligent enough to write code for a certain amount of memory and a certain amount of processor speed, but they couldn't figure out how to find Allegro or the SDL on the net.

Japaneasy

[CanadaDave]

They can make a game that takes up 4.5 Gigs of precious magnetic storage, but they can't make an English version of the website. Or should I say Engrish.

Re:Japaneasy

[DeathB]

Bah, even when they do create an English website, so often the Japanese has much more info. Check out Nikon or Yamaha for example, even if you can't read Japanese, the sites are much much more useful.

Re:!!!GO USA!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Sour grapes cause the upstart colonists are beating the snot out of you? The only debt we owe is to the UN, but since that does little to help the other countries your point is meaningless. We give much more in foreign aid each year, than we owe to the UN. Not all if it is used for food, medicine, and infastructure building, but some of it certianly is.

Microsoft is for Children

[linzeal]

Billymon, where a digital monster attempts to eat children and lure them into dark corners, with our favorite hero Tux the molestor eradicator.

Can someone explain

[Have Blue]

...what the hell is the appeal of the Final Fantasy series?

As far as I can tell, the games consists entirely of:

• Watching a very long cutscene that tells essentially the same story as last time (even though the game are described as having nothing to do with each other)
• Wandering around the land until a monster attacks (randomly and unforeseeably).
• Fighting the monster in a way that involves a lot of trips to the inventory screen.
• Lather, rinse, repeat.

Someone please tell me what I'm missing or I'll have to lump it in with all the other elements of Japanese culture whose only point of attraction seems to be how incredibly addictive they are.

(For the record, I do consider myself an otaku, it's just FF that has me confused...)

Re:Can someone explain

[Anonymous Coward]

There is no appeal. There used to be with the old ones but once they crossed over to PlayStation they lost their way. The stupid full motion videos and inventory screens used to be less involved. Now it takes 2 minutes to execute a freaking guardina force/esper/summon or whatever they're calling it now.

I went back to Nintendo for good. No more Squaresoft crap for me.

Re:Can someone explain

[Anonymous Coward]

You're a fucking idiot. OMG Playstation sucks NINTENDO ALLT HE WAY!#!11

Re:Can someone explain

[Anonymous Coward]

-1, troll.

Re:Can someone explain

[fat_mike]

I agree. I got so tired of the tediousnous of FF7 that I quit after about 4 hours and have never played it or another FF again. Go up the stairs go talk to somebody, go down the stairs, fight somebody, go back up the stairs, talk to somebody. On and on and on.

Re:Can someone explain

[Anonymous Coward]

"OMG Playstation sucks"

Uh, yeahuh, that's what he said dumbass.

Go AMD get more bang

[linzeal]

K7s5a 50 bucks (built in sound, network, other goodies)
1800+ 80 bucks
Radeon 7500 60 bucks
256 meg 2400 ddr 40 bucks
60 gig ata 133 60-80 bucks

Same price as your setup You are looking at something far outclassing an intel/nvidia setup. The 7500 is vivid, the mx is so dated its not even funny. If you tried playing gta3, or morrowind on the setup you describe you would get a max of 20 fps at 1280x1024 with the 7500 and a 1800+ you are looking at least at 40fps for virtually the same price.

Re:Go AMD get more bang

[Screaming Lunatic]

The above was all hypothetical. I was just putting together the cheapest crap I possibly could. Personally, I already have a Athlon1.3GHz. And I'll think about getting a Radeon when ATI thinks about making drivers for Linux. (Yes there are open source drivers and yes they do suck ass. ATI is following nVidia and heading towards a unified driver architecture. That should hopefully improve Linux drivers) And I'd probably get a Geforce3 since they're prices are dropping like a mofo.

But I digress. My point was, "Playing games is expensive". And as a result, as a poster mentioned, there is the dilema of: a)get FFXI for PC or b)get PS2 AND FFXI for PS2. With the recent price drops of consoles, the PS2 & FFXI combo is looking attractive.

Re:Go AMD get more bang

[linzeal]

ATI's fire opengl 8800 drivers work with radeon 8500's in linux flawlessly imho. I can't justify a console that is pretty much useless in 2 years when I spend 300-500 bucks every 2 years and can use the computers for something when they get old. What the hell am I going to do with a playstation?

Don't waste your time on this...

[vandenh]

Reading users experiences, this game is a a piece of sh*t. Don't waste your time on this... these guys have no experience making this kind of game (no experience making *real* RPGS IMHO) so they start where EQ, AC and UO were 3 years ago. Better wait for the real next generation games coming out soon. AC2 goes into beta this summer and I am sure it will be a 1000x better. Of course you can wait for FF XXX Online : Finally done right

Re:Don't waste your time on this...

[Anonymous Coward]

FF6 was the last good FF. New ones bite!!!!

Re:Don't waste your time on this...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmmm FF XXX. I'd LIKE to see that!

HD Requirements.

[Night0wl]

It's a good thing they told me the 4.5 GB Install had to deal with a lot of data.

I might have been worried they where installing 3.5 GB of Pornography on my computer...

Re:HD Requirements.

[Joel Ironstone]

Especially with a name like final fantasy! One good game, one great amount of pornography.

Re:!!!GO USA!!!

[Goldberg's Pants]

In your fucking dreams mate...

The real reason...

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the specs are high cause they want to server the freaking game to other from your machine. At least they learned from their crashing incident a little while ago. Go P2P!!!

Completely Wrong.

[Chasing Amy]

> well, this end the arguement on whether PCs or consoles are more practical for gaming.
> A $299 Playstation 2 sounds quite better if you're just in it for gaming.

Add to that the cost of a PSX (not all PS games play perfectly on PS2), a Gamecube and N64, an Xbox, thousands of arcade machines, etc. because the PC is a unified gaming platform and the rest aren't. I can play almost any PC game from 1996 on my PC today, yet the same isn't true about playing every Nintendo game from 1996 (N64 era) on a Gamecube today--can't be done.

In addition, the generalized hardware of the PC allows for all consoles to eventually be emulated as PC processing power increases; every console prior to the N64 and PSX is emulated with near-100% accuracy, so that all of those consoles' games can be played on a PC with ease. Not to mention the over 1600 arcade games emulated at the moment by MAME, upping the ante significantly. Oh, and add to that all of the classic 68k Mac games, which can be played on a PC perfectly using Basilisk ][.

In other words, maintaining a PC gaming platform allows access to literally tens of thousands more games than a PS2 or a Gamcube will ever be able to play. It also offers near-complete backwards compatability, great future compatability due to easy and inexpensive (if nothing radical is done except every couple years) upgrade paths, and compatability with most of the console systems through their eventual emulation.

In addition, the hardware specs you listed for FFXI on the PC aren't very grat--I have a system superior to the requirements in every way, and I built it a year and a half ago.

Re:Completely Wrong.

[Anonymous Coward]

In addition, the generalized hardware of the PC allows for all consoles to eventually be emulated as PC processing power increases; every console prior to the N64 and PSX is emulated with near-100% accuracy, so that all of those consoles' games can be played on a PC with ease. Not to mention the over 1600 arcade games emulated at the moment by MAME, upping the ante significantly. Oh, and add to that all of the classic 68k Mac games, which can be played on a PC perfectly using Basilisk ][.

Ironically, it's far easier to play old console and arcade games on my PC than to play old PC games on my PC--or at least just as hard. I haven't seen any pre-windows 95 game work on my w2k box natively--maybe I should look for an emulator.

Still, economically speaking, there's no contest--all of the many consoles I've ever bought would be lucky to add up to the cost of any single computer I've ever bought.

Outrageous PC specs

[forged]

There is something in the equation which I fail to understand.

FF7, FF8, FF9, etc were all games originally for the PS2, later ported to the PC. The original ports to the PC ran fine on a modest setup; in my case I had a Pentium 200 and a 3Dfx Voodoo2 card at the time, and FF7 ran beautifully.

So, my point is, why do the PC specs inflate so much, whereas the games run on the same original hardware for years (a PS2 from 3 years ago is still basically the same PS2 today, right ?)

Re:Outrageous PC specs

[DrEldarion]

Wow, you're really out of the console loop, aren't you?

FF7, 8, 9 were for the original playstation. A PS2 from 3 years ago can't be the same as a PS2 from today since PS2s weren't out three years ago.

Also, go check out the specs for the original playstation and compare it to the computer you ran on. I believe the PSx was something like 33mhz. The PS2 is 300mhz with an extremely efficient (albeit hard to program for) architecture. Quite a difference.

-- Dr. Eldarion --

Re:Outrageous PC specs

[forged]

Yes I have to admit, I am somewhat out of the consoles loop :)

I didn't know that all final Fantasy previous to FFX were only released on the original PS. I suppose that this largely explains the beefed-up PC specs then !

Anyone can comment on my last point ? (if there a chance to be able to extract the real-time animations for spells in fights)...

Re:Outrageous PC specs

[funkmastermike]

well now, besides those being ps1 games, ff9 was never released for the PC.

the ps1 is a 33.8688mhz machine with 1 meg of video ram and 2 megs main memory..
now you had a pentium 200 (the rare one? =)) and thats 6x more megahertz power (not going into the fact that the ps1 had a risc cpu..) but you had maybe 32 or 64 megs of ram and a 12 meg vid card, so does that mean you should have a system 6 times better than the console (cept maybe the xbox with its pc like structure) to play a port of it nicely in SOME cases??? maybe so.. my point being, I dunno, maybe something along the lines of the fact that consoles have no overhead to get rid of, have to attain a lower frame rate at a lower resolution,etcetcetcetc

on a final note.. Why does the ps2 have a memory card thats larger than its vram?? they should use one as a RAM UPGRADE! ala nintendo64. ;-)

US of fucking A

[Anonymous Coward]

Top of the food chain! Go figure, a lousey football post brings out all the whackos. Remember, no matter what country you live in and no matter what you call football, you're still sitting on your fat ass watching it. May your bunghole seal up and cause you to explode.

Oh yeah, mad propz to my homies on Fresh Pond chillin with the CLIT.

Console system quickly become irrelevant

[Albinoman]

Not to bash you in any way, but you make a number of completely self contradictory statements.

First off, youre saying that they are not catering to those who "don't play video games". Later on you say that that the system requirements for this video game are "out of reach" for those very same people who dont play anyway!

I have a pretty good system (dual 1.2 Athlon, GeForce 3, 512 MB DDR, 60GB X 4 HD, WinXP/Linux), and I dont own a single console. Why? Cause they all die way too quickly. And to make matters worse you would need a veritable mountain of console to keep playing all of your old favorites, but not with a PC, granted you might need a dual boot for old DOS games. Master of Orion 2 is still one of my favorites but I dont need to own a crap computer to play it.

Another reason is that for some reason console developers seem to think that since they suddenly have all that new power to play with they have to use it all to make flashy action games. I gave consoles partly due to the fact that they lack good strategy games.

And now youre saying at the end that people will finally be able to unlocked from their Wintel so they can be locked into Linux on a PS2? Gimme a break!

And on a final note, you can play ANY first person shooter better with a mouse, no exceptions.

keyboards

[Graspee_Leemoor]

In the UK the PS2 came with a BASIC interpreter on the demo disk and you could just plug any usb kb into it- I used the one of my iMac. I thought it was really cool of Sony to include this, as it kind of brought back warm memories of getting a new 8 bit micro and checking out its BASIC for the first time. ;)

graspee

Re:!!!GO USA!!! - GO AWAY MAYBE

[Anonymous Coward]

PS you only got thru to the second round of the world cup - you aint won yet - lets see you take on brazil

let alone Germany. Belgium is the closest thing to a real team they've played, and yeah - they played well, but Germany will beat the shit out of them.

A mate said today "with every game the usa win, the cheaper the world cup gets" - i'd have to agree.

Ummm, no...

[NeuroManson]

FF7, FF8, and FF9 were released for the PS1, FFX and FF Online were designed for the PS2... Hence why they were released so quickly for the PC (less optimizing for the emotion engine of the PS2, the systems were largely set up for PC emulation, hence why they seemed to run slower than the original PS1 games would run on Bleem! and other PS1 emulators)...

Another PC demise prediction

[Sits]

People have been predicting the demise of the PC as a gaming platform since goodness knows when but it is still with us.

There could be many reasons for this. Perhaps it is because within a year high end PCs are always able to outperform the most recent consoles. Perhaps it's because certain styles of game (e.g. Civilisation or the best selling (PC) game of all time the Sims) just works better with a default PC setup. Perhaps it's because PCs have a bigger installation base.

Don't get me wrong, for the most part I prefer console games (actually the only console I own is a GBA and very good it is too) but it's too easy to fall into the trap and write off PC games. Most of the popular online games are still PC based and the fact that Square has chosen to release FFIX for the PC (rather than the Xbox) shows that it still considers to be a viable platform. Also note that the requirements state that it needs Windows (not Linux). Just because Linux runs on the PS2 doesn't make it any more viable as a gaming platform.

Re:!!!GO USA!!!

[farfolen]

as a consumer society we do have debts, but their not obvious "you owe me this much" debts. we have big trade deficits with a couple other countries (japan is the major one. everyone wants a Clie.) that is technically considered debt.

Wrong

[Gekko]

I have a two athlon systems a 1GHz and an XP1800 both of which don't have DVD drives. I also know plenty of people in the same boat.

Re:Wrong

[SmittyTheBold]

Woudl you consider them "average" user, though? Consider for the moment that most people do not build their own machines. They take whatever Dell or Gateway gives them bundled with their machine, which for the last year has been a DVD-ROM (or, a DVD/CD-R) drive.

In addition, you gave me your processor specs...btu you didn't call my comment about the video card. Something tells me you fit the description of a coder/software hacker more than a gamer. It's a rather different culture, and the choice of hardware accessories shows that fact.

Re:Wrong

[Gekko]

If you're getting a game that needs a 800MHz+ computer and a GeForce+ video card, then pretty much any machine that fits that description will have a DVD drive as well.

You did not say "average" first of all. Second of all one machine has a GeForce 3 500 Ti the other machine has GeForce 4 4400. I am both a gamer and a software hacker. What you think those two worlds dont intersect often? Avoid broad generalzations in the future.

Re:Wrong

[SmittyTheBold]

Okay, let me amend my statement by adding a single word:

If you're getting a game that needs a 800MHz+ computer and a GeForce+ video card, then pretty much any pre-built machine that fits that description will have a DVD drive as well.

Re:!!!GO USA!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

As it is true the USA is going to be pounded in the next round, even I as a american living in Europe know that. I am quite pleased with our performance, but if you think England is going to beat Brazil your out of your f**kin mind.

Re:I want to beta test! System Specs! AAAAAUGGGGH!

[Zzootnik]

Crikey- I know the feeling...

I base my system upgrades on the minimum spec for playing the games I like to play....SO--When My Fastest computer falls below the Minimum specs Recommended (not required!) I find myself upgrading...Fortunately, I haven't fallen below yet, and I can hedge a bit with a DUAL 800 pIII...

Damn them! I knew they'd find a use for all those extra cpu cycles....

Don't think FFXI will be too popular..

[Junta]

The fans of the Final Fantasy franchise for the most part will probably not be that interested in XI. People get Final Fantasy games because they want to play through a story at their own pace and reach a conclusive finish. A story that is complete in and of itself, not an ongoing MMORPG. That is a different type of game altogether. With a MMORPG, in order to have any cohesiveness among characters, your schedule is tied in with other people's. The story does not reach an end, but just continues on and on and on, *if* there is any sort of story at all.

I know a lot of Final Fantasy fans who plan to skip any online-only installments. I heard that in Japan sales were below expectations. I'm sorry, but Final Fantasy appeals more to fans of standalone game, and a different set of people go for things like Everquest and those people don't get excited over the name "Final Fantasy". First the movie, now this, it's cool to see Square experiment, but perhaps they should get XII out faster :)

Re:Don't think FFXI will be too popular..

[Kupek]

I love the Final Fantasy series (I've yet to play FFX because that will cost me $275 - $200 for a PS2, $50 for the game and $25 for a memory card), and I have no intention of playing FFXI for the exact reasons you mentioned.

Re:Don't think FFXI will be too popular..

[Anonymous Coward]

Right, it undersold expectations... That's why every hardware-bundled copy sold out within a couple hours on the day of release.

Re:Don't think FFXI will be too popular..

[Sentry21]

People get Final Fantasy games because they want to play through a story at their own pace and reach a conclusive finish.

I get Final Fantasy games because I like the gameplay and the writing. I've dreamed about having a well-done RPG that I could continue playing indefinitely, where the whole world would change and grow as time went on, and depending on what you did.

For example: a world, at the start, with a government/monarchy/whatever, and rebels who want to usurp them. Players can bop around in the world, or join one side or the other. Depending on the outcome of in-game events, the world changes. Rebels get crushed, or take over the government. Throw in some intrigue, evil bad guys, quests, and so on. A dynamic FF world, maintained and extended as time goes on. Sounds like fun to me. No more unlikely 'happily ever after', just a continuing gameplay with real-person interaction.

Besides, I've always wanted to take on someone in an FF-style battle. I'd love pitting my character against others'.

--Dan

How will an on-line game be linear?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm -

I'm just wondering how they'll make an online multiplayer RPG so linear like their other titles? I mean FF is a great series and all - but they are totally story driven (with stories that aren't that great - more convoluted plots I've not seen yet - but are better than the usual CRPG) - I just don't see that translating well to an online experience.

I also wonder if you'll be able to see encounters before they happen... You know as you're walking along how you just zoom into combat mode? If you can't see NPCs and the other PCs that should make things pretty easy for them! ;)

Hey AC

[jawtheshark]

(In reply for the AC) While what you say might *sound* interesting, I fear you have it the wrong way around. Most games on PC require some knowledge of the system to get it running. Good drivers installed, knowing which OpenGL/DirectX mode to select. Keeping up with drivers. This however is a complex thing for Joe Blow with his P-IV. Remember he wants to pop in the CD/DVD and play his game. He might get to run it on his brand new PC today, but the next game around (in one year) won't even run on his badly maintained Windows XP machine (ever seen a badly maintained Windows machine? You'll recognise one when you see one!) Put "price of a console" vs. "price of a new computer" into the equation and the console becomes a clear winner.

You might think I'm talking junk...I'm not. Remember Unreal? I run it on a Pentium Pro with a Voodoo2 card perfectly, however to be able to run it on my Pentium III with NVidia Geforce2 MX I had to download a patch of about 20Meg. Hardly Joe Blow's stuff to do, and these are just old games.

For the normal consumer it's convenience that counts and that is what you get with a console... that along with a much longer lifetime of the product. How long was the PS1 around? 5 years (lost count)? The PS2 will be around for quite a while... before it becomes obsolete. However the above mentioned P-III PC just has become obsoleted by Final Fantasy XI...I just barely own it 1.5 years. (And I'm *not* going to replace it...thank you)

More and more geeks and nerds revert to console gaming and I have thought myself of buying a console (haven't done that yet). Don't think I'm a console fanatic: I've been into PC games since there were text-adventures and CGA games. (Anyone remember Alley-Cat? Sweet game!) No, I don't play much nowadays...getting older you know.

In related news...

[Anonymous Coward]

In related news, the requirements for OpenBSD-3.1 are out as well. You can find them here:
http://www.openbsd.org/i386.html

Re: Any Plans to Port FFIX and X?

[tigris]

Since we're speaking of FF ports...does anyone know if there are plans to port 9 and 10 to the PC?

I'd love to get a chance to play them, but if I buy a PS2 I will never emerge from my apartment again....

tig

Re: Any Plans to Port FFIX and X?

[Nameles]

No on 9, I hope so on 10.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Be warned...

[warrior]

Be warned that the links go to Japanese web sites

Yeah, wouldn't want anyone to catch you looking at Japanese text at work!

Ill Pass..

[Anonymous Coward]

The fact that you cant choose your server when you first join the game is something that doesnt make me want to play.

Sure, you CAN switch to your a server of your choice later, but not until you reach the appropriate level.

Can you image trying to hook up with 10 different friends? What a PIA.

You are not gamers... you are code whackers...

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmmm... who here really believes a measly 800Mhz machine with 128mb of ram is a fast system. The only people I can think of who would think that are linux users! Gamers on the other hand (not casual, I do it when I think about it or I am bored types) rarely have a system that is far off the latest.

By that I mean most gamers have a vid card that is within 2 generations (12months) of release. That makes the 64mb very reasonable, especially since 256mb video cards are now being announced and 128mb is the norm for performance gaming solutions. The current processor line is at 2GHZ... a 800mhz processor costs like 25 dollars these days and is below the halfway mark... most gamers are averaging around 1.3 to 1.7GHZ (which is still less than 100 bucks to get). 128mb of Ram is low... most gamer rigs have twice to three times that (I don't own a computer with less than a gig of ram in it these days and I have three).

The 4.5GB space is because they are loading the entire DVD via CDs to the HD. If you have a system with 256mb of ram running XP and NO swap file, this game should scream when it comes to anything not graphics related.

And remember, a PS2 has three key processors, not one (or two if you count the video card GPU) like a PC, nor does it have the overhead of an OS with a GUI and all that goes along with it. It may be only 300mhz, but it has 10% of the overhead a PC has (especially if your PC has alot of firewire or USB devices and other addins) and a more spread out processor load... that makes it useless for anything not gamig related, but faster by a factor of 3 when compared to a PIII800. As I recal, PS2 doesn't even have a seperate bus, using instead a unified bus and memory setup... faster still. Then again, try loading the linux on there with a USB keyboard and firewire to net connection and surf... it sucks at that... badly.

Please don't try to use this kind of "logic"

[Yam-Koo]

You can reduce every game to the point that it sounds stupid. :) It's especially bad if you're going to be condescending in doing so. :)

Maybe you could mention a few of your entertainment interests and someone could enlighten you as to how simple and rediculous they are. ;)

It's not cheaper...

[festers]

...if you already own a decent PC. My PC is a sunk cost. Why spend several hundred dollars just to play 1 game when it's coming out for a platform you already own?

Need broadband

[Myxyplik]

There is one requirement the article doesn't mention: broadband! Even if FFXI let's you play on a dial-up modem, forget about it! You need broadband to play any kind of online game to be competitive. I've just stopped playing online games on my modem because I was getting too stressed out. It's all ping.

Also, doesn't it strike anyone how vague the GeForce requirement is? So, given I could take the article at face value, I would probably assume from reading the article that I could use a GeForce 256 card with this game:P Logically, though, I have to think you'd need a GeForce 3 or higher.

Optimization has totally left the game market

[sketch7]

It's a shame there are such high requirements for PC games. Back in the days of DOS games developers actually had to take memory management into consideration because we were running on 640k ram.

Re:Optimization has totally left the game market

[TheAwfulTruth]

How do you optimize 4 gig of already compressed video/audio/texture files? Make everything out of one texture, one sound?

Games are getting to be more realistic and more immursive through increased use of the available hardware. Larger worlds, more complex models, larger more detailed textures and sounds.

Though I too have nostalgia for some of the old DOS games, having been a hard core gamer since long before even then. I can honestly say that not one of them can stand up to the audio/visual excitement or gameplay of todays high requirement games.

If money is an opbject, todays consoles are still pretty cheap and have equally good graphics (though lower res) and gameplay as the best PCs... So spend 2 grand on a new computer or 200 on a new console. Either way, gaming has never been more exciting than now.

Morrowind...

[Steveftoth]

was actually supposed to be a X-Box launch title. But Bethsoft of course caused the ship date to slip.

Regardless of where the game started, it almost always sells better on the console, unless the console is missing a feature that the game needs. Hell I had simcity for the SNES.

Motion blur

[yerricde]

Keep in mind that if you're watching a movie you're seeing it in 720x480 resolution at a measly 24 fps

When I see a movie in theaters, I see the jitter in the 24 fps presentation. (I don't see the flicker at 72 Hz, caused by flashing each frame 3 times, but I do see the jitter in a smooth pan.) But 24 fps in a movie looks better than 24 fps on a video game primarily because the movie camera adds some natural motion blur, which your eyes pick up as a visual cue. PCs don't do motion blur very well; they need to render multiple frames into an accumulation buffer, but by then, you might as well just display the frames (unless you're displaying on a tv at 640x480x60Hz).

Console games don't need Windows

[yerricde]

how often do you see releases for the "latest and greatest" games that dont require Windows?

Board games don't need Microsoft Windows. Card games don't need Microsoft Windows. Athletic games (basketball, dodgeball, etc.) don't need Microsoft Windows.

Restricting "games" to mean "video games" produces the following: None of the games released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, or Palm OS uses a Microsoft operating system. (Xbox OS is a slimmed-down Win2k, and some Dreamcast games run Windows CE.)

Restricting "games" to mean "video games designed for computing devices not sold explicitly for playing games" seems to exclude most current x86 PCs.

Re:Console games don't need Windows

[Anonymous Coward]

Christ, I hate nitpickers. You know goddamn well what he meant, asswipe.

Solution to everyones problem about the DVD

[Anonymous Coward]

Offer if on BOTH cd and dvd. That way the people who have DVD-ROMs can use them, and those that only have CD-ROMs can you those.

God why didnt I think of that, oh wait I did.

By the way, I hate stupid people.

Re:Solution to everyones problem about the DVD

[Anonymous Coward]

We all did too.

Fuckin' trolls.

(OT) Sony \X/EGA

[yerricde]

I think it's just a stylized double "V"

<sarcasm>Actually, it's a backslash, a capital X, and a forward slash: \X/EGA<sarcasm>

Sony's electronics site spells it WEGA. But it's apparently pronounced as "WEGA" would be pronounced in German: "Vay-gah".

Buy a USB joypad

[yerricde]

[PC graphics] aren't so much better that it makes it worth playing it with a keyboard and mouse. It's just so much easier to play with a dual shock.

Then buy a USB controller that feels like a PlayStation pad, or build one of those adapters that connects a PlayStation pad to a PC's parallel port.

Good Trollage

[Anonymous Coward]

You almost made me click. Good job!

Player vs. player menu-kombat

[yerricde]

Besides, I've always wanted to take on someone in an FF-style battle.

By "FF-style battle" I assume you mean the Menu Kombat of most console role-playing games. Well, if you want player-vs-player menu kombat, you should check out Nintendo's cockfighting RPG.

Your opinion has been noted....coward

[q-soe]

Well, perhaps if you posted intelligent comments then you wouldn't get flamed.

Hmmm irony seems lost on some people... Ok let me put this clearly. On a normal subject a post about a WINDOWS only software product on here is flamed into non existance as monopolist etc... yet a post about a GAME is fine - my point was the hyporcrisy of some people is intriguing. I thought that it was not an especially off topic post in light of the fact that linux and open source gaming companies lilke Loki have all failed to survive a market where people are of course reluctant to pay for anything they should have access to for free.

Of course instead im attacked as some sort of troll - which is understandable as people intenstly dislike others saying things they don't agree with......

I am left to wonder if you would be so brave if you were not able to hide behind the term Anonymous Coward.. (Never has the word 'coward' been so truthfully applied) If you cannot debate my point with an actual account (thus risking karma like real people) then your opinion (whatever it is) is invalid.

This site used to be a tech site - now its an abuse site and pointing out that one of the moderators rated me flamebait in light of their incredible consistency in rating anything they personally dislike or non fawning down im not surprised - indeed i would have been surprised if it was NOT rated that way..

note - an edit to the above post

[q-soe]

'Even quake 2 was a flop in sales respects '

that of course SHOULD read Quake 3 as we all know Quake 2 was a huge success.

Sorry for any confusion

Re:!!!GO USA!!! - GO AWAY MAYBE

[buck_wild]

Bastard. I relate your comment to the general anti-windows bias on /. "Microsoft is bad, so everything they do sucks." relates to "The USA is bad, so everything they do sucks."

I don't understand how you can have that attitude. Just because we won a couple of games, somehow we've made the world cup less desirable?

I'm certainly not saying that we're the best, or the worst. But don't discount the rest of the teams just because the US has wons a few games.

Re: Any Plans to Port FFIX and X?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep Square has plan for FFIX PC CHECK HERE

Vector Engines' Math

[Snover]

[T]he "vector units" are specialized processors that are designed to do really fast matrix math.

Really fast INCORRECT matrix math. If you divide anything by one you get a DIFFERENT number. (Nice programming, Sony!)

Re: Any Plans to Port FFIX and X?

[Zephy]

Yep. isn't it a bit late to still be posting april fools jokes?

Broadband too

[Johnathan James]

Anyone think Final Fantasy XI will be playable with a 56k connection?