Id have to say i found it fairly average - performance wasnt spectacular on my system (9800 pro, 2500 @ 2000mhz) but it was playable. The little girl wasnt scary in the slightest, overall i found the demo boring, and 'wtf its over?' fast.
Blatent max payne bullet time and 'nightmare' scenes rip off.
Well I thought it was creepy as hell. I felt the hair s rise on my arms and my neck a few times.
However... performance... oh dear... running on my signature rig, I have to use 800x600 with lowest everything, and no shadows to approach playable fps.
Is this the shape of things to come? Where's Rotosequence telling me I don't need a high end upgrade in THIS thread? :)
Originally Posted by Pookeyhead Well I thought it was creepy as hell. I felt the hair s rise on my arms and my neck a few times.
However... performance... oh dear... running on my signature rig, I have to use 800x600 with lowest everything, and no shadows to approach playable fps.
Is this the shape of things to come? Where's Rotosequence telling me I don't need a high end upgrade in THIS thread? :)
^_^ I feel proud that i ended up buying a 6600GT instead of a 9800 way back when. ~Currently running on High CPU and medium graphics at 1024x768 without shadows~
Edit: I'm also only running a gig of Standard Corsair XMS and a A64 3000+...you can only run it on lowest settings with your system? O.o you sure there isnt a problem?
Once I got down those 3 ladders, and as I walked toward that cone shaped light, FPS dipped way too low. I had at least 30ms lag between left mouse click to actually seeing the firearm fire.
Originally Posted by DivineSin ^_^ I feel proud that i ended up buying a 6600GT instead of a 9800 way back when. ~Currently running on High CPU and medium graphics at 1024x768 without shadows~
Edit: I'm also only running a gig of Standard Corsair XMS and a A64 3000+...you can only run it on lowest settings with your system? O.o you sure there isnt a problem?
None that I know about. FarCry is fine... can play that with pretty much everything on, but with particle count down to medium (i get a big performance hit with that on high) and at 1024x788. FRAPS records around 30fps.. that's with 4xaa and 4 af.
Just FEAR... runs like a pig. To get it playable, I need it to be 800x600, almost everything on minimum, and no shadows. SHadows are the killer.... but the volumetric lighting hits me hard too.
There are links to my benchmarks on ORB in my sig.. the system is sound......The 9800 just doesn't cut it with this game I'm afraid.
It's 7800GT time me thinks.. Oh, hang on... it's not an AGP card... make that 7800GT and Mobo time... oh bugger... my CPU is 754.. make that 7800GT, Mobo and CPU time.... oh, nads!... my PSU is not ATX 2.0, so can't have DFI board.... make that.....
only way i could get decent play was to turn everything off. but i was actually surprised i could run it with my alienware laptop, 2.8 P4, 5600go128, 1gb 2700, etc. soon to be upgraded!!!
only got a few min into it and died. pretty much awesome game, scaryiest game since RE4.
so those of you with 7800s are you getting good FPS? i read the few that posted, but i want to hear more! i am getting one soon hopefully, along with a new desktop lol. laptops suck for gaming.
i might only have 10 posts, but im not new.
id like to change that 'whats a dremel' as i have the full dremel kit, with the flex head?? lol
Originally Posted by coolmiester though one thing that looked great at first, started to get on my wick a bit was the shadow feature........
........i found myself backed up against a wall with a light behind me and six guys shooting the sh t out of me which i couldn't see because my shadow was cast across them making the impossible to see. I didn't manage to get that screen grab obviously as i was to busy shooting in the dark but i captured a similar one below.
That's totally realistic though. Turn on one lamp in a dark room and stand in front of it. You see your shadow is proportionaly larger the closer you are to the light. It's not a bug in this case, it's just an effect of the very realistic simulation so you can't really fault them for that.
I am however going to have to call BS on your saying this was a problem during a fight. The game (or at least the demo) is rather cleverly designed so that only transitional areas where the spooky scripted events occur are poorly lit. Each of the five areas in the demo where you engage enemies are well lit by comparison, and each has an overhead light, such that a shadow such as you describe is not possible.
I'm thinking that you noticed this particular effect in one of the transitional areas and thought it would be clever to mentally apply it to one of the fight areas and criticize the game for it. That's ok we all do a little internet BSing now and then, but in this case your fabrication is transparent.
If you do present a screenshot showing said situation then I apologize in advance and admit my mistake, but until that time....
Originally Posted by Stevedroid That's totally realistic though. Turn on one lamp in a dark room and stand in front of it. You see your shadow is proportionaly larger the closer you are to the light. It's not a bug in this case, it's just an effect of the very realistic simulation so you can't really fault them for that.
If you do present a screenshot showing said situation then I apologize in advance and admit my mistake, but until that time....
he did: http://www.coolercases.co.uk/images/FEAR/3_s.jpg
and its not the same, that effect makes your shadow longer but it still appears on the floor, for him it appears to float in mid air in front of you
it does seem 7800's dont do the shadows quite right in this demo, probalby be fixed for full release :)
I've played the demo a few times now pausing to apply different settings and i must admit i got sort of used to the shadows and they do look OK ish sometimes but in others seem more annoying.
This is what I want to see in every FPS from now on. Valve have no excuse anymore, gorden freeman has just as much right as the next guy to own a pair of legs and a torso.
Loving the creepyness, I don't get scared by scifi easily (i'm a very cynical person) but this definately made me jump once or twice.
If you do present a screenshot showing said situation then I apologize in advance and admit my mistake, but until that time....
i really think it would be more appropriate to apoplogise now, as imo that accusation was pretty unjustified
what possible reason would an upstanding member of the community such as coolmiester have to fabricate something just for the sake of critisizing the game?
the shadow in the screenshot, to me, looks unrealistic. I know the effect of a body casting a larger shadow is real, but the ambient light from the surrounding area would light up the dark area more than that, as opposed to the shadow being completely black
Quote:
Originally Posted by will. I have legs!!
one thing i was thinking actually, as opposed to being a floating head :D
although in riddick its even better imo, the legs/movement etc
Yeah, cool effect, innit? I took over 100 screenshots for that article, but it was decided that much of it went too far beyond First Impressions. We'll revisit the different detail settings and shadow options in the review of the full game.
Well, to be honest, this demo scared the beejesus out of me. There were parts where I could hear something behind me, but flat out refused to turn around. I know, chicken!!! But crap, this is gonna be one hell of a game. And for all you folks talking about 9800's not taking it, it worked fine on the rig in my sig, I just let it auto adjust the settings, and it played fine. Didn't look like it was using soft shadows, or any anti-aliasing, but it played smooth and still looked damn good.
Originally Posted by Hamish he did: http://www.coolercases.co.uk/images/FEAR/3_s.jpg
and its not the same, that effect makes your shadow longer but it still appears on the floor, for him it appears to float in mid air in front of you
it does seem 7800's dont do the shadows quite right in this demo, probalby be fixed for full release :)
No that screenshot is in one of the afore mentioned transitional areas. Second that is not a bug, it appears that way on my X800Xt. The reason that shadow looks as it does is because the particular light source in that shot is at the character's head level. It is mathematically accurate. Ifyou don't believe me I welcome you to duplicate it in real life.
Originally Posted by Mister_tad i really think it would be more appropriate to apoplogise now, as imo that accusation was pretty unjustified
I believe it was justified by my own careful observations of each area in the demo. Let be known that I made no personal attacks, I merely believe that the particular scenario described is impossible and felt that such should be pointed out.
Quote:
what possible reason would an upstanding member of the community such as coolmiester have to fabricate something just for the sake of critisizing the game?
Because FEAR is an unapproven, but highly hyped title from a somewhat niche developer, people, even those who should know better, seem pre-disposed to be overly critical of the game. Meanwhile every review of Half-Life 2 or Doom 3 I've ever rather dubiously seem to gloss over any flaws in the game. Point being that people are biased by dozens of different factors that impare objective judgement. It is an unfortunate matter of psychology, I do not blame people for it, but that doesn't mean I will simply ignore it. Also I don't proclaim to be immune to said phenomenom myself. While I consider myself a reasonably intelligent and honest person, I will freely admit that I have fabricated or emblished the flaws of games in the past because I was predisposed to dislike them; Halo for example :)
Quote:
the shadow in the screenshot, to me, looks unrealistic. I know the effect of a body casting a larger shadow is real, but the ambient light from the surrounding area would light up the dark area more than that, as opposed to the shadow being completely black
What ambient light? It's underground and there are no other light sources in that particular area. A shadow from one focused light source will appear pitch black - ever play with shadow puppets as a child? Again if you distrust the accuracy of that shadow please stand in a dark room and hold up a lamp close behind your head and observe the real life results.
----edit----
So we can all get some perspective on this shadow issue beyond a static screenshots I recorded a short video. You may need DivX to see it.
Comments 51 to 75 of 86
Blatent max payne bullet time and 'nightmare' scenes rip off.
However... performance... oh dear... running on my signature rig, I have to use 800x600 with lowest everything, and no shadows to approach playable fps.
Is this the shape of things to come? Where's Rotosequence telling me I don't need a high end upgrade in THIS thread? :)
^_^ I feel proud that i ended up buying a 6600GT instead of a 9800 way back when. ~Currently running on High CPU and medium graphics at 1024x768 without shadows~
Edit: I'm also only running a gig of Standard Corsair XMS and a A64 3000+...you can only run it on lowest settings with your system? O.o you sure there isnt a problem?
Amd Athlon xp 1800+
512mb whatever ddr400
Pny GeForce FX5500 128mb
Once I got down those 3 ladders, and as I walked toward that cone shaped light, FPS dipped way too low. I had at least 30ms lag between left mouse click to actually seeing the firearm fire.
Sigh, time to step up to A64 + 6600GT.
None that I know about. FarCry is fine... can play that with pretty much everything on, but with particle count down to medium (i get a big performance hit with that on high) and at 1024x788. FRAPS records around 30fps.. that's with 4xaa and 4 af.
Just FEAR... runs like a pig. To get it playable, I need it to be 800x600, almost everything on minimum, and no shadows. SHadows are the killer.... but the volumetric lighting hits me hard too.
There are links to my benchmarks on ORB in my sig.. the system is sound......The 9800 just doesn't cut it with this game I'm afraid.
It's 7800GT time me thinks.. Oh, hang on... it's not an AGP card... make that 7800GT and Mobo time... oh bugger... my CPU is 754.. make that 7800GT, Mobo and CPU time.... oh, nads!... my PSU is not ATX 2.0, so can't have DFI board.... make that.....
Bollox!!! I need a new PC!!
+1
only way i could get decent play was to turn everything off. but i was actually surprised i could run it with my alienware laptop, 2.8 P4, 5600go128, 1gb 2700, etc. soon to be upgraded!!!
only got a few min into it and died. pretty much awesome game, scaryiest game since RE4.
so those of you with 7800s are you getting good FPS? i read the few that posted, but i want to hear more! i am getting one soon hopefully, along with a new desktop lol. laptops suck for gaming.
i might only have 10 posts, but im not new.
id like to change that 'whats a dremel' as i have the full dremel kit, with the flex head?? lol
I am however going to have to call BS on your saying this was a problem during a fight. The game (or at least the demo) is rather cleverly designed so that only transitional areas where the spooky scripted events occur are poorly lit. Each of the five areas in the demo where you engage enemies are well lit by comparison, and each has an overhead light, such that a shadow such as you describe is not possible.
I'm thinking that you noticed this particular effect in one of the transitional areas and thought it would be clever to mentally apply it to one of the fight areas and criticize the game for it. That's ok we all do a little internet BSing now and then, but in this case your fabrication is transparent.
If you do present a screenshot showing said situation then I apologize in advance and admit my mistake, but until that time....
and its not the same, that effect makes your shadow longer but it still appears on the floor, for him it appears to float in mid air in front of you
it does seem 7800's dont do the shadows quite right in this demo, probalby be fixed for full release :)
I speak as i find Stevedroid...
This is what I want to see in every FPS from now on. Valve have no excuse anymore, gorden freeman has just as much right as the next guy to own a pair of legs and a torso.
Loving the creepyness, I don't get scared by scifi easily (i'm a very cynical person) but this definately made me jump once or twice.
i really think it would be more appropriate to apoplogise now, as imo that accusation was pretty unjustified
what possible reason would an upstanding member of the community such as coolmiester have to fabricate something just for the sake of critisizing the game?
the shadow in the screenshot, to me, looks unrealistic. I know the effect of a body casting a larger shadow is real, but the ambient light from the surrounding area would light up the dark area more than that, as opposed to the shadow being completely black
although in riddick its even better imo, the legs/movement etc
this is what it looks like if you stand right infront of the car headlights, on an x800xl anyway :p
http://www.inkbunny.com/stuff/Vmuchfear.jpg
----edit----
So we can all get some perspective on this shadow issue beyond a static screenshots I recorded a short video. You may need DivX to see it.
http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=shadow7099
Hopefully you'll recognize that as I move up to and around the light, the shadow looks quite reaslitic and behaves as you would expect in real life.
by ambient light, i mean light reflected off the surrounding surfaces
Just for reference this happens on a:
AMD 64 3500+
ASUS A8v Deluxe
Gainward 6800 GT Golden Sample (running at 6800 ultra speeds) AGP 8x
1 GB Corsair Xtreme Low Latency (2x512mb matching pair) 2-2-2-5
:(