GTA 4 - simply stunning one year later...

[Drunk Russian 9]

Why are you guys being so naive? There's no argument that GTA IV is PLAGUED with bugs, and that many users experienced countless game-breaking bugs and issues. We should all agree that had the budget, time frame and priority of this release had been greater we would have received a beautiful game which wouldn't bring along thousands of bug-related threads monthly, with few being the user's fault.

[CharmingCharlie]

With all the feuding going on in here I think we have kinda lost sight of the fact this topic is about GTA 4 being stunning one year later. It is silly to deny that there are not problems with this game. This game most certainly is NOT optimised for the PC to even think that is purely insane. Just because the 360 has 3 cores at 3.2ghz does not mean it is better than a dual core processor at 2.0ghz. There are very real disadvantages with regard to the cpu's on a console (and I aint about to whittle on about them right now).

 

There are still annoying bugs and missing game assets in the game too, I would be over the moon if Rockstar fixed them because that would mean the PC version of the game would actually have a f*cking moon for me to "be over". Not to mention the fact liberty city seems to be full of car driving wizards that apparate (Harry Potter reference there) before my very eyes into their damn driving seats.

 

Now as you know TBoGT has just hit the xbox and I managed to get some time with it playing the DLC on my brothers xbox 360 (he paid). I had forgotten just how god damn awful the game is on the console. I hated playing the game again with the joypad, I hated the low res graphics and I am still not convinced that the console version uses medium textures, they sure as hell looked like the low textures to me. In short I couldn't wait to get back to the PC version, I am back to playing the PC version now the xbox and TBoGT is sitting on the table waiting for my brother to pick it up again.

 

This game is absolutely f*cking STUNNING on the PC, if you need proof of how this game has evolved over the past year then spend some time browsing through the screenshots thread. The screen shots at the start of the year were very "meh" but the latest ones by jalenliu and Eryk03 are f*cking jaw dropping.

 

I myself for the first time have started using mods on GTA 4 to make the game look the best it can be. Below you will find ten screenshots, the first five are screen shots of the PC version set at Xbox 360 settings (as detailed by Rockstar) :-

 

These next five screenshots are from my version of GTA 4 modded and at the settings I actually play the game at (30fps with the odd dip now and again to 20fps) for the purpose of this comparison I reduced my res from 1680 x 1050 to 1280 x 720 :-

 

 

 

Despite all it's problems, it's failings and it's short comings I know which version I would rather be playing the stunning PC version. If anything I think Rockstar secretly prefer the PC version too the latest DLC on the xbox has abandoned the Vaseline blur and has a motion blur to give impression of speed not unlike a certain Ultimate Graphics Tweak that can be found in the PC section of the forum

[flameweilder]

With all the feuding going on in here I think we have kinda lost sight of the fact this topic is about GTA 4 being stunning one year later. It is silly to deny that there are not problems with this game. This game most certainly is NOT optimised for the PC to even think that is purely insane. Just because the 360 has 3 cores at 3.2ghz does not mean it is better than a dual core processor at 2.0ghz. There are very real disadvantages with regard to the cpu's on a console (and I aint about to whittle on about them right now).

 

There are still annoying bugs and missing game assets in the game too, I would be over the moon if Rockstar fixed them because that would mean the PC version of the game would actually have a f*cking moon for me to "be over". Not to mention the fact liberty city seems to be full of car driving wizards that apparate (Harry Potter reference there) before my very eyes into their damn driving seats.

 

Now as you know TBoGT has just hit the xbox and I managed to get some time with it playing the DLC on my brothers xbox 360 (he paid). I had forgotten just how god damn awful the game is on the console. I hated playing the game again with the joypad, I hated the low res graphics and I am still not convinced that the console version uses medium textures, they sure as hell looked like the low textures to me. In short I couldn't wait to get back to the PC version, I am back to playing the PC version now the xbox and TBoGT is sitting on the table waiting for my brother to pick it up again.

 

This game is absolutely f*cking STUNNING on the PC, if you need proof of how this game has evolved over the past year then spend some time browsing through the screenshots thread. The screen shots at the start of the year were very "meh" but the latest ones by jalenliu and Eryk03 are f*cking jaw dropping.

 

I myself for the first time have started using mods on GTA 4 to make the game look the best it can be. Below you will find ten screenshots, the first five are screen shots of the PC version set at Xbox 360 settings (as detailed by Rockstar) :-

 

These next five screenshots are from my version of GTA 4 modded and at the settings I actually play the game at (30fps with the odd dip now and again to 20fps) for the purpose of this comparison I reduced my res from 1680 x 1050 to 1280 x 720 :-

 

 

 

Despite all it's problems, it's failings and it's short comings I know which version I would rather be playing the stunning PC version. If anything I think Rockstar secretly prefer the PC version too the latest DLC on the xbox has abandoned the Vaseline blur and has a motion blur to give impression of speed not unlike a certain Ultimate Graphics Tweak that can be found in the PC section of the forum

I've looked through the various graphical modifications on this forum, and I even tried installing some of them (didn't work, but I didn't try hard enough at the time). Could you tell me exactly what mods you used to make your game look/run better? I would greatly appreciate it!

 

 

 

As for everything else you said - I strongly agree. I think Rockstar should just give us the DLC for free after stealing our mods, making us wait for so long, and initially releasing crap and ineffective patches.

 

One more thing: I was saying that the game is stuck at 25 FPS for me earlier today - that's actually not quite true. Having gotten extremely frustrated with the look of GTA IV on my PC when I got home today, I cranked up the settings to MAXIMUM. My framerate seemed to immediately switch to a constant 30 FPS (after I restarted the game to apply textures). The only problem is that my CPU seemed to just say "**** it" and stop loading buildings quickly enough, so buildings and even certain small objects around me would not load for a couple of seconds. Maybe that explains the FPS boost, maybe it's just another symptom of Rockstar's strange porting technique. Either way, I brought down the view distance and textures somewhat (but kept everything else at maximum), and retained my ~30 FPS.

 

Another thing I noticed but don't want to start a useless topic over is that the game only seems to lag on the edge of my screen. For example, Niko seems to run fine, and cars drive smoothly and gracefully, yet the buildings/trees/scenery on the outside edges of my monitor seem to stutter. I don't really know what this means or if it's simply an eye-trick, but I thought I should mention it. As I said, it did less of this on my near-maximum settings, although still noticeable to the scrutinizing eye.

[mkey82]

flame, look here

 

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=397854

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=386262

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=425532

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=417918

Edited November 7, 2009 by mkey82

[CharmingCharlie]

I was just about to post meself curse you mkey82 but yeah I only use the EnvMod 4.0. At first I was quite resistant to it but after seeing some of the screen shots I thought "f*ck it lets give it a go". Now I won't play GTA 4 without it. I see they have released a new version which I am grabbing now and it is fairly easy to install and uninstall if the need arrives.

 

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=397854

[mkey82]

Hehe, you are getting old, matey. The world belongs to the young.

[luceberg]

Has it occured to you lot why the moon is not there?

 

Rockstar forgot it? I dont think so. There is more to it than just sticking a disc or crescent in the sky. The moon casts a shadow. Think how that would complicate the street lighting? Next to impossible. I dont know how they did it on the xbox/playstation, probably just a disc in the sky without shadows.

 

My take is that getting the game to run well is part of the puzzle of the game. Rockstar sold us, cheaply I might add, the code to achieve a stunning game which is potentially a lot more valuable.

[CharmingCharlie]

luceberg the moon isn't there because Rockstar forgot about it. I had a pm from them when it was discovered asking me to check whether I have a moon or not. If you look at the game the EFFECTS of the moon are in the pc version, you can even see the moons reflection in the water the only thing that is missing is the actually moon in the sky.

 

I love GTA 4 and I have been one of it's strongest defenders but come on here making excuses for missing assets like this is ridiculous. As for Rockstar selling us the game cheaply ? I paid the same price for GTA 4 that I normally pay for PC games. The reason why the PC version is cheaper than the console version is down to the fact Rockstar doesn't have to pay a royalty fee to Microsoft for making a PC version.

[flameweilder]

Thanks, guys!

 

I guess my major gripe with the way this game looks (and one we've all heard a thousand times too many on this forum) is the lack of anti-aliasing. I don't really care much for the edges of the vehicles/buildings, but when twenty cars are slowly driving towards me and all have an obnoxious grille that flickers worse than the shadows....well it just really kills the immersion for me.

 

Does the ENBSeries AA simulator help at all? Is there a frame drop that I would notice at my 25-30 FPS?

 

I'm definitely trying out the Environment Mod 5.0 by the way.

[supermortalhuman]

The ENB runs it at 4x resolution and scales it down, so yes, it does. But if you can't run it at a resolution that makes you forget god awful anti aliasing, it won't really help and only slow you down anyway.

 

Instead of that, though, you should turn up your resoltion. You won't miss AA at 1680x1050, it might as well BE an AA picture at that point

[mkey82]

 

I had a pm from them when it was discovered asking me to check whether I have a moon or not.

You must be f*cking kidding me? I can't believe this sh*t. lol what were they thinking?

 

 

You won't miss AA at 1680x1050, it might as well BE an AA picture at that point

mmm... no, you'll definitively miss it.

[supermortalhuman]

I definitely do not miss antialiased, garbled, 1024 or 1280 resolution when I have clear and smooth 1600x1200 or 1680x1050, and I know for a fact 1920, when I get a monitor that supports it, will totally leave AA in the past for me. I only anti alias pictures that alias. Sure, IV aliases at that resolution, but not in any meaningful way. It's so far away by the time it does, it doesn't matter.

[BKwegoharder]

I'm forcing 1080p on a 20 inch monitor and I still wish we could do atleast 2xaa

[mkey82]

I'm forcing 1080p on a 20 inch monitor and I still wish we could do atleast 2xaa

Of course. There are just to many jagged edges all over the place not to notice them.

[flameweilder]

Anyway, I tried the Environment Mod 5.0 and, let's just say, I am in pure love with the game now. As soon as installed the mod and adjusted the settings properly, I nearly cried in amazement at the improvement. Thanks to the commandline inputs that the mod's creator recommended, the game runs better now, too. It only stutters, which I can fix by buying more RAM (2 GB isn't quite enough with Vista and a 512MB graphics card installed).

 

THIS is the way the game should have looked from the start. It looks as good, if not better than, it did in the first trailer for the game, and it brings back and even heightens the magic that the consoles have been hogging for all this time.

 

Rockstar needs to hire some of the people on this forum...

[mkey82]

Rockstar needs to hire some of the people on this forum...

This is why the PC version will always be better.

[CharmingCharlie]

 

Hehe, you are getting old, matey. The world belongs to the young.

Ah us oldies can still teach you young whipper snappers a thing or two ....... like the time I wore a baby's bonnet and nappy just to get off the Titanic as it sank

 

Glad you like the mod flameweilder and I get the feeling this is just the start for the modding community. I reckon a year from now no one will recognise vanilla GTA. You just have to look at the ENB series for GTA SA and see how that radically changed the look.

 

Despite all it's faults and problems GTA 4 is a stunning game on the PC. Naturally it could have been a hell of a lot better if the powers at be had given Rockstar Toronto more resources and time (I primarily don't blame Rockstar Toronto for this, it is the guys at the top in charge of the money that caused this). One way or another if Rockstar don't get GTA 4 how it should be then the modding community will have a pretty damn good crack at it and succeed

[luceberg]

 

luceberg the moon isn't there because Rockstar forgot about it.  I had a pm from them when it was discovered asking me to check whether I have a moon or not.  If you look at the game the EFFECTS of the moon are in the pc version, you can even see the moons reflection in the water the only thing that is missing is the actually moon in the sky.

 

I love GTA 4 and I have been one of it's strongest defenders but come on here making excuses for missing assets like this is ridiculous.  As for Rockstar selling us the game cheaply ?  I paid the same price for GTA 4 that I normally pay for PC games.  The reason why the PC version is cheaper than the console version is down to the fact Rockstar doesn't have to pay a royalty fee to Microsoft for making a PC version.

You are right. I stand corrected. Rockstar should get their fingers out and give us our moon back ASAP.

 

I dont think I expressed my point about the game being cheap though. Personally, I find that GTA 4 is the only game that interests me, having tried others and not finding them of much interest. I particularly like the driving and have tried Grid, but it just doesnt match the physics or atmosphere of GTA. Online racing, barring the showers of giant tug boats occasionally, can be brilliant. What I am saying is that this game has given me and continues to give me hundreds of hours of fun and even including the cost of upgrades to my pc, the per hour cost is minimal.

[MontyDKogege]

And once again a clearly defined thread was allowed to go off the topic...

[Murcchachosa]

ENB is so damn useless unleas you like kamikaze FPS drob.

But f*ck, even if the AA is enabled in the PC version, you still will get FPS drob.

 

However, the Env mod 5 is the best so far.

I got a little FPS increase when driving on streets.

And the Alpha Blending stipple.wtd did the magic.

Got rid of the holes in trees and grids.

 

But too stupid if tpeople needs to improve the game.

Most people mods their GTA's with cars/bikes.

But for this game, you need graphic mods.

And Im not talking about ENB.

 

The moon is missing?

R* needs to teach their lesson.

 

And ow, all the patches f*cked my game up.

Its so strange.

But the patch1 is the best for me.

 

I hope there will be DLC since the big matser gold patch.

Big master gold maybe means a big patch to add DLC's.

They easily needed a month or less to make another patch.

But for this patch they needs much time, like testing the game or porting the DLC's

to PC.

All we cand do is hope.

[turnipoid]

I definitely do not miss antialiased, garbled, 1024 or 1280 resolution when I have clear and smooth 1600x1200 or 1680x1050, and I know for a fact 1920, when I get a monitor that supports it, will totally leave AA in the past for me. I only anti alias pictures that alias. Sure, IV aliases at that resolution, but not in any meaningful way. It's so far away by the time it does, it doesn't matter.

At 2560X1600 I still get some nasty jaggies sometimes.

[archey]

this means every other gta game will be xbox exclusive because the release of gta iv on pc? not just the dlc like gay tony and lost & damned?

[nixxio]

I definitely do not miss antialiased, garbled, 1024 or 1280 resolution when I have clear and smooth 1600x1200 or 1680x1050, and I know for a fact 1920, when I get  a monitor that supports it, will totally leave AA in the past for me. I only anti alias pictures that alias. Sure, IV aliases at that resolution, but not in any meaningful way. It's so far away by the time it does, it doesn't matter.

At 2560X1600 I still get some nasty jaggies sometimes.

Well, thank god I'm 'near sighted' I guess, just stay a little farther from the monitor maybe? I mean you run the game at such a huge resolution.

 

But AA isn't so bad, ENB + playable fps, much better than playing at my monitors native res(1280x1024):

Edited November 10, 2009 by rdbx1234

[archey]

this means every other gta game will be xbox exclusive because the release of gta iv on pc? not just the dlc like gay tony and lost & damned?

anyone?

[mkey82]

this means every other gta game will be xbox exclusive because the release of gta iv on pc? not just the dlc like gay tony and lost & damned?

anyone?

I don't understand the nature of your comment, nor do I do I understand what does it relate do.

[archey]

this means every other gta game will be xbox exclusive because the release of gta iv on pc? not just the dlc like gay tony and lost & damned?

anyone?

I don't understand the nature of your comment, nor do I do I understand what does it relate do.

a quote from the first post..

 

 

Today I´m really sorry about the PC / GTA 4 situation with R* having switched to consoles, and a lot of us being really angry at them at the time of release

[archey]

anyone got a reply?

[flameweilder]

anyone got a reply?

I highly doubt that future GTA releases (GTA V) will be console exclusives. Considering that the DLC is coming to the PC, that the PC is a large source of Rockstar's income, that GTA was born on the PC, and that everyone at Rockstar will be mysteriously assassinated if PC gamers don't get a PC GTA V release - I'm guessing that we can be 100% sure that we'll get what we want.

 

Being afraid of no future GTA PC releases is like being afraid of beans - it's irrational and completely uncalled for

[GTAMonkey2012_]

I got this on release day and its just got better over time.

 

Mods, ENBA (AA) plus the blur mod fix and some other visual things I can now play it smoother and looking just like it does on the box

 

My rig hasn't changed in all that time, but patch/mods/driver updates and now I can run very smooth indeed.

 

As a celebration of nearly 1 year on PC I have got back into the editor to make a pure Machinima 6 min video, which I don't think anyone has created in terms of audio editing/fx and style. I will upload probably by the weekend.

 

Anyway, I cant fault GTAIV now .. if the expansions come for PC I will get those also.

[Chris1508]

Game runs perfect all settings high just the draw distance at 39 i get about 40 fps the only people that have ever whined are the f*ckers with sh*t pc's and are pissed they didn't realise what a big game it was going to be. They can probably barely run San Andreas, Pricks!