Re: Do ATI cards really stink?

From: Matt Pfingsten (jeditoren_at_spamiscrap.gotwookieedotcom.spamiscrap)
Date: 01/16/05 

Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2005 02:29:23 -0600

In regards to the OP:
I'm currently using an ATI Radeon 9800 SE. This is my first ATI card and it
will probably be my last, and that has less to do with their Linux drivers
and more to do with their shitty customer service. My card included the
full version of Hitman 2, a 2 CD game. Unfortunately they only gave me one
CD and when I attempted to install it asked for the second disc which was
not included. The card also supports duel monitors which I plan to enable
for some graphics and video work, and possibly gaming, but you need a
DVI-to-VGA adapter to use the second port. Again, such an adapter was
supposed to be included, but they forgot to put it in the box.
Of all of the included documentation the only support information was a
website URI. No phone numbers were included. If I pay several hundred
dollars for a piece of hardware getting phone support out of the box is a
reasonable expection, especially since accessing a website is difficult if
the video card is non-functional. If I can get free phone support for my
hard drives, cheap-ass Belkin router, DVD drive and DVD burner,
motherboard, etc. all of which are cheaper than my video card, I should be
able to talk to a human being if my video card isn't working.

Under Linux I am able to play Linux native games almost trouble free, the
only problem I have is with UT2004. If the textures are set to a high
resolution, the game freaks out and it looks as if all polygons in the
entire map are being sucked into a vortex. In Windows, I have the same
problem, except large sections of the map flicker in and out of existence
instead of the polygon vortex.
I play many games under wine/cedega and most games that are supposed to work
using those apps work under my ATI card, the only exceptions are
Battlefield: Vietnam and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

In regards to PC games vs. console games:
Games are like movies, books, or any other media. Everyone has their own
tastes. I've been playing PC games for about ten years. The last console I
owned was a Super Nintendo (I still own it and my brother and I play
through Super Metroid about once a year, decreasing our game completion
time by a few minutes every time). I find that console games are too simple
and easy to beat, good for a some unwinding and brainless entertainment but
rarely for an exciting game with a compelling story (Final Fantasy VIII and
Oni are exceptions). But to each his/her own.

To be a PC gamer you have to part with a good sized chunk of change to play
the latest games, but the trade off is that we get the best graphics and
the latest and greatest technology, like the advanced physics simulation
found in Half-Life 2. While I feel that the importance of graphics is
almost always overrated by the press and less experienced gamers, great
graphics is always a plus.

As another poster noted, we have great mods to play. Half-Life came out in
1998 and up until the release of HL2 it is still easy to find it on the
shelves.

As for some really good PC games:

FreeSpace 2
Duke Nukem 3D (including the Plutonium Pak/Atomic Edition)
Half-Life
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Blue Shift (short but good, at least G-Man didn't ruin your
escape)
Half-Life 2
Unreal Tournament
Unreal Tournament 2004
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield Vietnam
Dark Forces
Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
X-Wing Alliance
StarCraft
BattleZone
Battlezone II: Combat Commander
Homeworld
Serious Sam
Serious Same: The Second Encounter
Aliens vs Predator
Aliens vs Predator 2
Deus Ex
Unreal
WarWind
Worms World Party
System Shock 2
Shogo
Shadow Warrior
Giants: Citizen Kobuto
Necrodome
Thief: The Dark Project
Thief II
Thief 3: Deadly Shadows
Carmageddon
Carmageddon 2: Carpocalypse Now

Great mods:
Platoon for Duke Nukem 3D
UT2004 Troopers: Dawn of Destiny for UT2004
Matrix Moves and Lazy Matrix mutators for UT
Experience WWII for BF1942
Desert Combat for BF1942
Star Wars: Galactic Conquest for BF1942
Team Fortress Classic for Half-Life
That Vampire mod for Half-Life 

-- 
Matt "JediToren" Pfingsten
GotWookiee? http://www.gotwookiee.com
The Rebel Legion: http://www.rebellegion.com