• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Gears of War Ultimate Edition "A Disaster" in DX12!

Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64
Microsoft's putting as much quality in their games as they put in their OS.

Honestly, I wish that was true. The OS for all the flack it gets hasn't been that bad for some time. Do they have annoying features? Yes. But frequent BSODs are a thing of the past...
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,783 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
Microsoft's putting as much quality in their games as they put in their OS.

I think their OS is fine. But the moment they try to monetize things inside it, it always goes wrong. UWP is a great example, even before launching it's already a massive POS.

MS should stick to the basics, that's all.
 
Joined
Nov 9, 2010
Messages
5,652 (1.16/day)
System Name Space Station
Processor Intel 13700K
Motherboard ASRock Z790 PG Riptide
Cooling Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
Memory Corsair Vengeance 6400 2x16GB @ CL34
Video Card(s) PNY RTX 4080
Storage SSDs - Nextorage 4TB, Samsung EVO 970 500GB, Plextor M5Pro 128GB, HDDs - WD Black 6TB, 2x 1TB
Display(s) LG C3 OLED 42"
Case Corsair 7000D Airflow
Audio Device(s) Yamaha RX-V371
Power Supply SeaSonic Vertex 1200w Gold
Mouse Razer Basilisk V3
Keyboard Bloody B840-LK
Software Windows 11 Pro 23H2
They just added more glare and some sort of blur filter over everything.

I'm curious if anyone playing it has tried disabling that god awful blur filter? It's still a UE engine game after all, and all UE engine games are pretty easy to file edit.

I really don't get why so many devs are so enamored with blur. Even Crysis 1 had blur on distant mountains that could be turned off by disabling texture streaming via editing one of the commands, and it didn't drop FPS a bit.

Anyway, it's been a while since I played GoW, and this has me wanting to fire it up again. Just a question of whether I'll be doing it via the original, or this messed up work in progress makeover.

Anyone here know if the Ultimate Edition has acceptable performance on a 7970?
 
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Messages
13,791 (1.94/day)
I wonder what's even the file structure if it's using this retarded Win10 app structure/framework... I mean, sure it's Unreal, but is it still as tweakable or is it all locked down in some weird format?
 

crazyeyesreaper

Not a Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
9,753 (1.78/day)
Location
04578
System Name Old reliable
Processor Intel 8700K @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32 GB Crucial Ballistix 3666 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X
Storage 3x SSDs 2x HDDs
Display(s) Dell U2412M + Samsung TA350
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Samson Meteor Mic / Generic 2.1 / KRK KNS 6400 headset
Power Supply Zalman EBT-1000
Mouse Mionix NAOS 7000
Keyboard Mionix
engine ini is editable. However it overwrites it when the game launches. as such any chances you make do not stick. So with its a what you see is what you get. A Turd is a Turd.

We can all wish in one hand and shit in the other to see what fills up first. and its the hand you shit in. Microsoft cannot really fix this.

Gameworks is fundamentally broken in this title, DX12 was shoe horned in using the old ORIGINAL Unreal Engine source code for the original Gears of War.

GoW Ultimate is basically a 100% re release of the original with forced DX12, fucked up gameworks addons and a shitty store front. With locked engine binaries so you cant even modify to fix it.

Basically its just as broken as Arkham Knight was.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64

crazyeyesreaper

Not a Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
9,753 (1.78/day)
Location
04578
System Name Old reliable
Processor Intel 8700K @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32 GB Crucial Ballistix 3666 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X
Storage 3x SSDs 2x HDDs
Display(s) Dell U2412M + Samsung TA350
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Samson Meteor Mic / Generic 2.1 / KRK KNS 6400 headset
Power Supply Zalman EBT-1000
Mouse Mionix NAOS 7000
Keyboard Mionix
Lets see.

No multi GPU, - no fix (supposedly developers are working on it but without full screen it would need to be DX12 multi gpu. SLI and Xfire unlikely to work)

No ability to disable or edit PhysX - no fix (forced on so Nvidia gpus = okay AMD = CPU hammered overall doesnt seem to be working properly ala gameworks) Game is built with it in mind so little can be done.

No V sync options - no fix minor issue unlikely to see any change.

Ambient Occlusion doesn't work on 25% of markets GPUs, is labeled as Ambient Occlusion when its in fact HBAO+ which is Nvidia specific- possible fix (utilize generic aka SSAO etc. requires game patch)

Its using DX9 source code from the original game with half baked DX12 support aka Remember Batman Arkham City? Same here but DX12 - no fix would require engine update they refused to do that in order to make sure it "felt the same as the original"

Limited to Windows Store only. -no fix (microsoft title so yeah WS exclusivity)

Cannot fully edit the Unreal Engine binaries because the game overwrites them when launched. possible fix (would require patches and exceptions in the UWP which is probably doubtful to happen)

Game stutters on AMD hardware and on occassion stutters on Nvidia as well. possible fix (updated drivers)
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64
Lets see.

No multi GPU, - no fix (supposedly developers are working on it but without full screen it would need to be DX12 multi gpu. SLI and Xfire unlikely to work)

No ability to disable or edit PhysX - no fix (forced on so Nvidia gpus = okay AMD = CPU hammered overall doesnt seem to be working properly ala gameworks) Game is built with it in mind so little can be done.

No V sync options - no fix minor issue unlikely to see any change.

Ambient Occlusion doesn't work on 25% of markets GPUs, is labeled as Ambient Occlusion when its in fact HBAO+ which is Nvidia specific- possible fix (utilize generic aka SSAO etc. requires game patch)

Its using DX9 source code from the original game with half baked DX12 support aka Remember Batman Arkham City? Same here but DX12 - no fix would require engine update they refused to do that in order to make sure it "felt the same as the original"

Limited to Windows Store only. -no fix (microsoft title so yeah WS exclusivity)

Cannot fully edit the Unreal Engine binaries because the game overwrites them when launched. possible fix (would require patches and exceptions in the UWP which is probably doubtful to happen)

Game stutters on AMD hardware and on occassion stutters on Nvidia as well. possible fix (updated drivers)

You missed the part where Arkham Knight was unplayable on any hardware with a decent framerate. ANY.
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
13,909 (2.43/day)
Location
Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!
System Name Bayou Phantom
Processor Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory 2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage 1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
Actually, GoW was DX10, at least my copy is.

I think if we are comparing it to Arkham Knight, then this piece of dung might actually play well with high end hardware. AK played well on higher end systems. I play it fine, and was promoted to try it after RCoon played it fine too.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64
Actually, GoW was DX10, at least my copy is.

I think if we are comparing it to Arkham Knight, then this piece of dung might actually play well with high end hardware. AK played well on higher end systems. I play it fine, and was promoted to try it after RCoon played it fine too.

Ah. My understanding was it was unplayable on virtually everything. I withdraw that statement then.
 

crazyeyesreaper

Not a Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
9,753 (1.78/day)
Location
04578
System Name Old reliable
Processor Intel 8700K @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32 GB Crucial Ballistix 3666 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X
Storage 3x SSDs 2x HDDs
Display(s) Dell U2412M + Samsung TA350
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Samson Meteor Mic / Generic 2.1 / KRK KNS 6400 headset
Power Supply Zalman EBT-1000
Mouse Mionix NAOS 7000
Keyboard Mionix
Regardless game is a steaming pile, even even EPIC games is speaking out against U W P (universal Windows platform) lol Microsoft has no clue what they are doing and it shows.
 

MxPhenom 216

ASIC Engineer
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
12,944 (2.61/day)
Location
Loveland, CO
System Name Ryzen Reflection
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master
Cooling 2x EK PE360 | TechN AM4 AMD Block Black | EK Quantum Vector Trinity GPU Nickel + Plexi
Memory Teamgroup T-Force Xtreem 2x16GB B-Die 3600 @ 14-14-14-28-42-288-2T 1.45v
Video Card(s) Zotac AMP HoloBlack RTX 3080Ti 12G | 950mV 1950Mhz
Storage WD SN850 500GB (OS) | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Games_1) | Samsung 970 Evo 1TB (Games_2)
Display(s) Asus XG27AQM 240Hz G-Sync Fast-IPS | Gigabyte M27Q-P 165Hz 1440P IPS | Asus 24" IPS (portrait mode)
Case Lian Li PC-011D XL | Custom cables by Cablemodz
Audio Device(s) FiiO K7 | Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic FOX Mic
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 850
Mouse Razer Viper v2 Pro
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
Nothing wrong with the stock game, it's just that this graphics overhaul is too hyped.

I think it looks damn good on Xbox One, and runs a hell of a lot smoother than I remember it did on 360.
 

crazyeyesreaper

Not a Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
9,753 (1.78/day)
Location
04578
System Name Old reliable
Processor Intel 8700K @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32 GB Crucial Ballistix 3666 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X
Storage 3x SSDs 2x HDDs
Display(s) Dell U2412M + Samsung TA350
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Samson Meteor Mic / Generic 2.1 / KRK KNS 6400 headset
Power Supply Zalman EBT-1000
Mouse Mionix NAOS 7000
Keyboard Mionix
which makes sense since the game on PC succumbed to Gameworks but console version has to work well or it wont sell. Thus Nvidia's little special optimizations kept to a minimum lol. You ever notice the more Nvidia plays with a games source code the worse it runs? lol never ceases to amaze me
 

MxPhenom 216

ASIC Engineer
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
12,944 (2.61/day)
Location
Loveland, CO
System Name Ryzen Reflection
Processor AMD Ryzen 9 5900x
Motherboard Gigabyte X570S Aorus Master
Cooling 2x EK PE360 | TechN AM4 AMD Block Black | EK Quantum Vector Trinity GPU Nickel + Plexi
Memory Teamgroup T-Force Xtreem 2x16GB B-Die 3600 @ 14-14-14-28-42-288-2T 1.45v
Video Card(s) Zotac AMP HoloBlack RTX 3080Ti 12G | 950mV 1950Mhz
Storage WD SN850 500GB (OS) | Samsung 980 Pro 1TB (Games_1) | Samsung 970 Evo 1TB (Games_2)
Display(s) Asus XG27AQM 240Hz G-Sync Fast-IPS | Gigabyte M27Q-P 165Hz 1440P IPS | Asus 24" IPS (portrait mode)
Case Lian Li PC-011D XL | Custom cables by Cablemodz
Audio Device(s) FiiO K7 | Sennheiser HD650 + Beyerdynamic FOX Mic
Power Supply Seasonic Prime Ultra Platinum 850
Mouse Razer Viper v2 Pro
Keyboard Razer Huntsman Tournament Edition
Software Windows 11 Pro 64-Bit
which makes sense since the game on PC succumbed to Gameworks but console version has to work well or it wont sell. Thus Nvidia's little special optimizations kept to a minimum lol. You ever notice the more Nvidia plays with a games source code the worse it runs? lol never ceases to amaze me

Because they all don't know what the hell they are doing.
 

crazyeyesreaper

Not a Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2009
Messages
9,753 (1.78/day)
Location
04578
System Name Old reliable
Processor Intel 8700K @ 4.8 GHz
Motherboard MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC
Cooling Custom Water
Memory 32 GB Crucial Ballistix 3666 MHz
Video Card(s) MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X
Storage 3x SSDs 2x HDDs
Display(s) Dell U2412M + Samsung TA350
Case Thermaltake Core P3 TG
Audio Device(s) Samson Meteor Mic / Generic 2.1 / KRK KNS 6400 headset
Power Supply Zalman EBT-1000
Mouse Mionix NAOS 7000
Keyboard Mionix
^ pretty much. Look at Ashes of Singularity Stardock is developing and publishing it. They have a track record of lack luster games but they also tend to fix shit. They also tend to make games that run fairly well. hmmm. Developer without big money gets DX12 right. Microsoft / AMD / Nvidia / Intel... cant get it even close while working with EA / Rocksteady / Warner Brothers / etc just seems plain crazy.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64
Regardless game is a steaming pile, even even EPIC games is speaking out against U W P (universal Windows platform) lol Microsoft has no clue what they are doing and it shows.

Oh I don't think any of us disagree with that. My main argument was only that the base original game prior to U W P. was at least decent.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64
They have a track record of lack luster games

1/4 of the games they developed over the last 10 years has been lackluster (Elemental). The rest have largely been given praise, and 2 of them have won best TBS strategy of the year titles. Not sure I'd call that a "track record of lack luster games."

Unless there are games I am unaware of. I am thinking of:

Galciv2 (a classic)
Elemental (horrible)
Fallen Enchantress (despite the legacy, an excellent game)
Galciv3 (Generally well reviewed and also an award winner)
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
13,909 (2.43/day)
Location
Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!
System Name Bayou Phantom
Processor Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory 2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage 1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
Galciv2
Elemental
Fallen Enchantress
Galciv3

Sins of a Solar Empire is theirs too, right? Very highly regarded game.
 
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
20,715 (3.41/day)
System Name Pioneer
Processor Ryzen R9 7950X
Motherboard GIGABYTE Aorus Elite X670 AX
Cooling Noctua NH-D15 + A whole lotta Sunon and Corsair Maglev blower fans...
Memory 64GB (4x 16GB) G.Skill Flare X5 @ DDR5-6000 CL30
Video Card(s) XFX RX 7900 XTX Speedster Merc 310
Storage 2x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSDs
Display(s) 55" LG 55" B9 OLED 4K Display
Case Thermaltake Core X31
Audio Device(s) TOSLINK->Schiit Modi MB->Asgard 2 DAC Amp->AKG Pro K712 Headphones or HDMI->B9 OLED
Power Supply FSP Hydro Ti Pro 850W
Mouse Logitech G305 Lightspeed Wireless
Keyboard WASD Code v3 with Cherry Green keyswitches
Software Windows 11 Enterprise (legit), Gentoo Linux x64
Sins of a Solar Empire is theirs too, right? Very highly regarded game.

They published it. They publish a lot though. They did not actually develop it. I think IronClad games was the dev for that.

Offtopic comment: I'm still kinda mad they never did a story for Sins, I mean the first intro cinimatic begs for it...
 
Joined
Sep 17, 2014
Messages
20,783 (5.97/day)
Location
The Washing Machine
Processor i7 8700k 4.6Ghz @ 1.24V
Motherboard AsRock Fatal1ty K6 Z370
Cooling beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 3
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200/C16
Video Card(s) ASRock RX7900XT Phantom Gaming
Storage Samsung 850 EVO 1TB + Samsung 830 256GB + Crucial BX100 250GB + Toshiba 1TB HDD
Display(s) Gigabyte G34QWC (3440x1440)
Case Fractal Design Define R5
Audio Device(s) Harman Kardon AVR137 + 2.1
Power Supply EVGA Supernova G2 750W
Mouse XTRFY M42
Keyboard Lenovo Thinkpad Trackpoint II
Software W10 x64
1/4 of the games they developed over the last 10 years has been lackluster (Elemental). The rest have largely been given praise, and 2 of them have won best TBS strategy of the year titles. Not sure I'd call that a "track record of lack luster games."

Unless there are games I am unaware of. I am thinking of:

Galciv2 (a classic)
Elemental (horrible)
Fallen Enchantress (despite the legacy, an excellent game)
Galciv3 (Generally well reviewed and also an award winner)

Gal Civ 3 is a mere shadow of its former self, and is an obvious 'sell you DLC that was base content' cash grab. You should have seen it on release, it looked like you were going back 10 years, including simple string errors in text and all sorts of graphical glitches. If thát is Stardock release quality, I'd run away fast. And even still, GalCiv 3 is surpassed by virtually every other good space 4X that is currently out there, even the largely unfinished ones. It's bland, it's boring, it has no soul and most mechanics seem to work until you dive deeper into them. The positivity here and in reviews regarding this game stems from that good ol' nostalgic feeling of GalCiv 2 and the hope that someday the sequel may get to its level. Trust me it won't. I'm honestly having more fun with Civ:BE and that says a lot because that is another 4X that is a shadow of its former self.

Fallen Enchantress sure wasn't that bad. But overall, Stardock isn't a great developer, they are a great publisher - Ironclad is the real hero here because they developed Sins, which is a really solid RTS. If anything, Stardock is good at long term support and finishing what they started.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jul 9, 2015
Messages
3,413 (1.07/day)
System Name M3401 notebook
Processor 5600H
Motherboard NA
Memory 16GB
Video Card(s) 3050
Storage 500GB SSD
Display(s) 14" OLED screen of the laptop
Software Windows 10
Benchmark Scores 3050 scores good 15-20% lower than average, despite ASUS's claims that it has uber cooling.
Last edited:
Joined
Dec 26, 2012
Messages
1,039 (0.25/day)
Location
Babylon 5
System Name DaBeast! DaBeast2!
Processor AMD AM4 Ryzen 9 5900X 12C24T/AMD AM4 RYZEN 9 3900X 12C/24T
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme/Gigabyte X570S Aorus Elite AX
Cooling Thermaltake Water 3.0 360/Thermalright PA 120 SE
Memory 2x 16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB RT DDR4 3600C16/2x 16GB Patriot Elite II DDR4 4000MHz
Video Card(s) XFX MERC 310 RX 7900 XTX 24GB/Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6900 XT 16GB
Storage 500GB Crucial P3 Plus NVMe PCIe 4x4 + 4TB Lexar NM790 NVMe PCIe 4x4 + TG Cardea Zero Z NVMe PCIe 4x4
Display(s) Samsung LC49HG90DMEX 32:9 144Hz Freesync 2/Acer XR341CK 75Hz 21:9 Freesync
Case CoolerMaster H500M/SOLDAM XR-1
Audio Device(s) iFi Micro iDSD BL + Philips Fidelio B97/FostexHP-A4 + LG SP8YA
Power Supply Corsair HX1000 Platinum/Enermax MAXREVO 1500
Mouse Logitech G703/Logitech G603 WL
Keyboard Logitech G613/Keychron K2
Software Win11 Pro/Win11 Pro
I've always been very suspicious of how insidious Gameworks was/is, the way the developer use HBAO+ (an NVidia feature) labelling it as just HBAO is just wrong. Admittedly, I'm somewhat of a conspiracy theory kinda guy, betcha some greens changed hands between NV and the developer. Either that, or the developer were somehow bamboozled into using GW which gimped AMD cards badly......I mean BADLY. Why wasn't there an option to select between HBAO (effectively HBAO+ in GoW UE) or SSAO or even HDAO? Why was there an attempt to hide HBAO+ with the generic HBAO? I was really looking forward to this game (and Quantum Break) but will NEVER purchase either from M$ simply because both robbed us PC gamers (NOT just AMD, NOT just NVidia, Not just Intel even) of the right to simply have a great gaming experience.

BTW, Quantum Break is another smoldering pile of doggy doo, imagine NOT having 4K ingame cut scenes integral to the game installed in your HDD, instead, you need to have it streamed online.....what about those poor smucks (like me) with slow net connection? Or those who have a bandwidth limit? Or those who have limited broadband usage....additional usage results in additional cost. Heck, some have speculated that this is some sort of anti-piracy measure. Bah, I will never buy any game from M$.....IF Steam has the game, they'd get my money. I'd avoid any AAA title offered by M$, heck, wouldn't touch it with the proverbial 10 foot pole!
 

the54thvoid

Intoxicated Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
12,378 (2.37/day)
Location
Glasgow - home of formal profanity
Processor Ryzen 7800X3D
Motherboard MSI MAG Mortar B650 (wifi)
Cooling be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
Memory 32GB Kingston Fury
Video Card(s) Gainward RTX4070ti
Storage Seagate FireCuda 530 M.2 1TB / Samsumg 960 Pro M.2 512Gb
Display(s) LG 32" 165Hz 1440p GSYNC
Case Asus Prime AP201
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply be quiet! Pure POwer M12 850w Gold (ATX3.0)
Software W10
This is all on MS. I've yet to play a game where vendor specific options can't be disabled, whether it's hairworks, physx, tressfx, hbao+ etc.
To make it statutory is a new one.
 

rtwjunkie

PC Gaming Enthusiast
Supporter
Joined
Jul 25, 2008
Messages
13,909 (2.43/day)
Location
Louisiana -Laissez les bons temps rouler!
System Name Bayou Phantom
Processor Core i7-8700k 4.4Ghz @ 1.18v
Motherboard ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming 6
Cooling All air: 2x140mm Fractal exhaust; 3x 140mm Cougar Intake; Enermax T40F Black CPU cooler
Memory 2x 16GB Mushkin Redline DDR-4 3200
Video Card(s) EVGA RTX 2080 Ti Xc
Storage 1x 500 MX500 SSD; 2x 6TB WD Black; 1x 4TB WD Black; 1x400GB VelRptr; 1x 4TB WD Blue storage (eSATA)
Display(s) HP 27q 27" IPS @ 2560 x 1440
Case Fractal Design Define R4 Black w/Titanium front -windowed
Audio Device(s) Soundblaster Z
Power Supply Seasonic X-850
Mouse Coolermaster Sentinel III (large palm grip!)
Keyboard Logitech G610 Orion mechanical (Cherry Brown switches)
Software Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (Start10 & Fences 3.0 installed)
This is all on MS. I've yet to play a game where vendor specific options can't be disabled, whether it's hairworks, physx, tressfx, hbao+ etc.
To make it statutory is a new one.

I've got to agree with you. MS botched this with their silly and stifling requirements, as well as trying to make a 10 year old game DirectX 12.

GamerGuy asserts that Nvidia is responsible too. How then is it only their highest end cards that can play this sonewhat (and I mean only "somewhat") well? If BV was behind this, only AMD would be borjed.
 
Joined
Dec 26, 2012
Messages
1,039 (0.25/day)
Location
Babylon 5
System Name DaBeast! DaBeast2!
Processor AMD AM4 Ryzen 9 5900X 12C24T/AMD AM4 RYZEN 9 3900X 12C/24T
Motherboard Gigabyte X570 Aorus Xtreme/Gigabyte X570S Aorus Elite AX
Cooling Thermaltake Water 3.0 360/Thermalright PA 120 SE
Memory 2x 16GB Corsair Vengeance RGB RT DDR4 3600C16/2x 16GB Patriot Elite II DDR4 4000MHz
Video Card(s) XFX MERC 310 RX 7900 XTX 24GB/Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6900 XT 16GB
Storage 500GB Crucial P3 Plus NVMe PCIe 4x4 + 4TB Lexar NM790 NVMe PCIe 4x4 + TG Cardea Zero Z NVMe PCIe 4x4
Display(s) Samsung LC49HG90DMEX 32:9 144Hz Freesync 2/Acer XR341CK 75Hz 21:9 Freesync
Case CoolerMaster H500M/SOLDAM XR-1
Audio Device(s) iFi Micro iDSD BL + Philips Fidelio B97/FostexHP-A4 + LG SP8YA
Power Supply Corsair HX1000 Platinum/Enermax MAXREVO 1500
Mouse Logitech G703/Logitech G603 WL
Keyboard Logitech G613/Keychron K2
Software Win11 Pro/Win11 Pro
GamerGuy asserts that Nvidia is responsible too. How then is it only their highest end cards that can play this sonewhat (and I mean only "somewhat") well? If BV was behind this, only AMD would be borjed.
I've been some threads here and there, while NVidia cards do have some hiccups, the game is quite playable. Those using AMD cards have reported corrupted image, and stutter fest......and please bear in mind that I'd pointed it out or theorized (since, well, I'm a conspiracy theory guy as I'd said), I don't think I'd asserted it. Whatever the case, you have to admit that something, some would call shenanigan, is going on behind the scene. The only time I'd asserted anything is with regards to M$, ain't gonna touch any DX12 game released by them.
 
Top