-- [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ] Thats good having an older box actually. Sometimes I think one can fall into the trap of developing (testing) on a "nice" box - and not really know how it behaves on older boxes.
David Sassen wrote: >By any comparison, my computer's at the low end of the >spectrum. I run a 700 MHz P3 with Geforce 256 with a >near-full hard drive. However, I absolutely never have >problems with slowdowns in my games. I play Tribes 2 >at 1024x768 with settings all the way up and get >smooth 30-40 fps. > >The only reason I can do this is I have 640 MB of RAM >(PC100 RAM, even). Lots of memory, even relatively >slow memory, easily compensates for a somewhat >deficient processor. Most of the games written today >are expected to fill up the memory space and spill >over into virtual memory. As such, they have a lot of >overhead left over when you drop the hard drive access >times. > >In short, it's time to go up, not down. The 3% of >people on there who used less than 640x480 were most >likely mistaken or joking, and if they weren't, it's >hardly reasonable to design games specifically aimed >at those 3% to the detriment of everyone else. The >cheapness of memory is quickly driving Half-Life's >total system usage bill down. > >Backwards compatibility is admirable, but I have near >the slowest processor and definitely the slowest named >video card on that survey, and my computer runs fine. >The fact that the majority of people have over 128 MB >of memory is what should be telling. > >Persuter gettin his two bits in... :) > > >--- Kuja <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >>I was the first one to submit that survey :D >> >>-----Original Message----- >>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On >>Behalf Of Tim Holt >>Sent: Wednesday, April 24, 2002 4:07 PM >>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >>Subject: [hlcoders] Fun and games and amateur >>analysis of 1.1.0.9 update >>hardware survey results... >> >> >>-- >>[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ] >>Dunno of you all like to read the hardware survey >>results from the >>1.1.0.9 update, but I do. See >>http://valve.speakeasy.net/ >> >>Stuff I see that catches my eyes... >> >> * People with fast connections get the patch >>first (hence the huge >> skew towards high speed with only 14,000 >>responces :^) >> * A lot of ppl are still using what you'd call >>"crappy" video cards. >> Voodoo 3 + TNT2 accounts for 10.4%. of all >>responses >> * Most ppl have around 256 MB of RAM. You'd >>think it would be more >> like 512 because it's cheap. >> * Double peaked bell curve for processors. Lots >>in the 800-900 mhz >> camp, and another bunch in the over 1 ghz >>range >> * Most ppl run video at 1024x768, but there's a >>pretty surpising # >> at 800x600. And who are these morons running >>320x200? :D >> >>So what's that make me think? We (as game >>developers) need to be >>careful we don't unconciously make our games >>unplayable by what we >>consider the "fringe" of low end users - who are >>actually a pretty big >>percentage. Of course one can clearly decide >>"Minimum specs are Geforce >>2, 512 MB of RAM, 1 gig processor" and go from >>there. >> >>The other thing that comes to mind is this: don't >>waste time >>complaining about all those old vid card users, or >>ppl who don't upgrade >>their RAM, because that isn't going to make them >>upgrade (unless you're >>willing to pay). It's not about how you think it >>should be, it's about >>what it really is. >> >>I know with DoD we kinda have been pushing the >>"minimum configuration" >>limits, but not necessarily by planning. DoD's next >>release (2.1) is >>going to include a big revamp of all our maps with >>this in mind. We >>asked all the mappers to reduce their texture usage >>down to 5 meg or >>less. Testing shows us they run MUCH faster now on >>the "lower end" >>video systems. Made some mappers (ok, just one) >>really really mad, but >>I think it was worth it for the players. >> >>So anyone else have any >>observations/conclusions/etc. from the stats? >> >>-- >>I think...I think it's in my basement. Let me go >>upstairs and check. -M.C. >>Escher >> >> >>-- >> >>_______________________________________________ >>To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view >>the list archives, >>please visit: >> >http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders > >>_______________________________________________ >>To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view >>the list archives, please visit: >> >http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders > > > >===== >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >"Humanity I love you for when you're hard up you pawn your intelligence for a drink" >-e.e. cummings > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more >http://games.yahoo.com/ >_______________________________________________ >To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: >http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders > -- I think...I think it's in my basement. Let me go upstairs and check. -M.C. Escher -- _______________________________________________ To unsubscribe, edit your list preferences, or view the list archives, please visit: http://list.valvesoftware.com/mailman/listinfo/hlcoders
