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[XLNC]

Does anybody know if GTA4 really installs to the hard drive, I haven't found an option for it and was wondering if it's at all possible to get the best performance.

[pingrr]

The game does not install to the hard drive.  Where did you even get this idea from?

[Mafste]

Which is a shame because the loading times suck.

Wish M$ released the old core system with an HD back in the old days sigh.
The devs would've had space to put textures in.
Instead of texture loading from the dvd everywhere (seen it on ALOT of games on the xbox360 , mass effect being the most noticeable one before GTA4).

This post has been edited by Mafste: Apr 25 2008, 07:44 PM

[Thundercleese]

Yeah I think this really sucks also. I didnt think I was buying a 120gb hdd for nothin, turns out i did. Surely they could put the option to install in? I mean if oblivion goty can have expansion stuff installed to hdd why not other games.

Before gta IV came out i assumed it would at least use the hdd for cache while playing, but i have read that it just runs off the dvd regardless. BUT while I only notice very minor pop in, my mate who doesnt have a hdd complains to me about the road disappearing alot and "lots" of pop in. Maybe hes just picky though, i dont know.

For me the road only ever flickers off in one spot between the first and second island ( over bridge towards second island where it curves right before toll booth). So it may well use the hdd after all. I have no problems with load times whatsoever, theyve all been pretty short for me.

Why oh why didnt ms go with hdd as standard, its ridiculous. It'd be great if R* came out with a patch with hdd partial install and some sort of pop in reducing and blur switch. Still a great game though, i still thought a next gen gta would look a little better or at least have no pop in whatsoever.

[jimjom]

it was an option in beta, ive read about it in several early bird reviews. it was removed for retail, shame.

[deadpool66]

I also read of the 360 have an option to install for faster loading apparently they scrapped it at the last minute.

[47_M450N_47]

From what I've seen on my friend's PS3 they don't have the texture loading problems like us 360 guys, at least his didn't.  Mine is most noticeable when I first step out of my safehouse in Bohan the stairs always take a while to load, then when I step outside the people on the street sortof "pop in" out of nowhere.  It usually isn't a big deal after that unless I'm driving one of the fast cars in the game or when I go in/out of a building.

[the soul poet]

Do any of you get any objects/grass appearing as you drive?

[TheRealPeppers]

Dose anybody have a theory as to why they removed thee HDD catching from this game? that seems pretty bone headed.

[jimjom]

my guess is microsoft's retardedness to support their own hardware.

i.e. not allowing required hard drive use in games, not support the wireless controller adapter in vista 64, etc.

[leo5150]

well if the article is to be believed there will be support for caching to hard drive for games so maybe their will be a patch  

[twistedsymphony]

QUOTE(TheRealPeppers @ May 13 2008, 05:37 PM)

Dose anybody have a theory as to why they removed thee HDD catching from this game? that seems pretty bone headed.

it DOES do HDD caching... what it doesn't do is install to the hard drive...

and the reason it doesn't is because MS don't allow games developers to do that.. the only exception being FFXI which has a few other exceptions (such as keyboard support) because it's Final Fantasy...

I'm sure if Rockstar pushed the issue MS would have allowed it.

There is also rumor that the next update will add the ability to install games to the HDD.... this might also be a reason they didn't allow Rockstar to do it.. If MS is developing a generic solution that will work for all games then it might have conflicted with Rockstar's built in solution.