Topic: .:: Ftp Networking Xbox And Pc ::. (Read 328 times)

Xombe · « **Reply #30 on:** September 22, 2004, 09:01:00 PM »

As for poor framerates in XBOX games, that's entirely up to the game and the devs. For example, Halo never drops a single frame, even duing complete madness. On the other hand, Deus Ex: Invisible War (which was basically a shitty port from the PC) has a framerate damn near intolerable (to me). Same thing with Theif: Dark Shaodows (not nearly as bad, but obviously more effort was put into the PC version, although the box version did have some optimization).

From what I hear, and have seen, D3 will be real decent. As for the reaching it's limit: just wait for Halo 2 and you'll see that those dev houses who know what they're doing and put the effort into it make killer-smooth games.

Just like the PSone, the PS2, the GCN, etc... It ain't the hardware, it's up to those who make the games

newuser · « **Reply #31 on:** September 24, 2004, 06:46:00 PM »

The add reply button doesn't seem to be working. I get an error message. I had to quote myself in order to post something in this thread. Anyway...

The question is can you aim as good as a PC player can on 3D shooters with a mouse? I don't think that the Xbox controller can ever reach the intuitiveness of a mouse especially in first person shooter games.

The Xbox uses a TV for displaying the games and a TV runs on 24fps if I'm right. 24fps are total crap on a monitor but on the TV they look impeccable. So what do you mean by intolerable? Deus Ex is unplayable on Xbox because of poor performance?

The only 3D shooters I have played so far are Full Spectrum Warrior which I played once in Circuit City and Dead to Rights which I possess. Full Spectrum Warrior's aiming system seemed to be OK but Dead to Rights wasn't really an aim-and-shoot game. In order to aim at the enemy you have to hold the right trigger and when the crosshair automatically locks on the target you press "A" and *BANG!* - the enemy's dead. That takes all the pleasure from the good old PC style aiming. Are all other FPSs like that or they require real skill and fast reflexes? In a preview of Doom 3 I read that the game's aiming system will be smart, meaning that when one enters a confined space like a room for example, the crosshair sensitivity becomes higher, allowing one to kill multiple enemies at close distance and when one has to aim at a distant enemy the sensitivity becomes lower, allowing for better precision and target locking.

By the way I have received the package with the stuff necessary for modding my Xbox. I just need to buy a soldering iron now but that will have to wait for some time because I have other matters to take care of in the meantime.

Xombe · « **Reply #32 on:** September 25, 2004, 06:41:00 AM »

Console games will never be as accurate (in aiming) as a mouse/keyboard setup. And FSW can't be compared, as it's not a shooter (either 3rd or 1st person); it's a tactiall strategy sim. And Dead to Rights is not a First Person Shooter, either, so aiming can't be compared, really.

You haven't played a FPS on a console it seems. Go rent Halo, Riddick, XIII, or Rainbow Six 3 for a real experience. BTW, D2R sucks in my opinion.

And you're mistaking framerate issuse. NTSC tvs draw scan lines at a rate of 29.97 FRAMES per second, in two sets of alternate fields. GAME framerates are entirely independant from tv scanline drawing rates.

What I mean by Deus Ex is that in IN-GAME framerate is very slow, meaning it stutters, like if you turn sharply to the right it only draws like 10 frames in the two seconds it takes to "physically" turn. A decent game like Halo will draw 30 FPS no matter how many enemies are on screen or how fast you turn. Games with better framerates, like, say, racing games, draw (in-game, in software) 60 frames per second resulting in ultra-smooth game speeds.

The way TV (NTSC or PAL) draws scanlines with its cathode ray gun has nothing to do with how well a game runs (is displayed). A PC and a TV console cannot be compared, in any way.

newuser · « **Reply #33 on:** September 29, 2004, 03:33:00 AM »

Xombe · « **Reply #34 on:** September 29, 2004, 05:13:00 AM »

First off, welcome home!

I'm sure you're box is fine, I've sent three overseas from the U.S. to Japan by both air freight (UPS) and as checked luggage on a plane.

Next, don't get the impression that Halo runs "worse" than other games. It's just that you can't compare certain types of games. Halo is a great shooter with a framerate locked at 30FPS, meaning it doesn't apear as "fluid" and smooth as a game running at 60FPS. But it never drops frames (re: skipping, stuttering, get choppy) not matter how heavy the action gets.

If they TRIED to make it run at 60FPS from the start, it would look good most of the time, but would start dropping frames when the action heats up. So in Halo's case, it was a technical decision made by Bungie to lock the FPS at 30.

Now a good racing game (get Burnout 3, it rules!) will usually run at a smooth 60FPS, which makes motion appear more smooth and fluid, but doesn't actually affect game play (like, make the car handle better or whatever). It just looks prettier. And it can draw at 60FPS because there's much less polygons in used in a racer (usually).

BUT, a bad racer, meaning coded poorly, might drop frames and stutter when many cars are on screen,

In the same way, a bad shooter like Mace Griffen just runs poorly to begin with, and has a constantly changing framerate. Smooth when you're alone, choppy when you're fighting bad guys. THAT makes for a shitty gaming experience. You can't aim well at all when you need to most!!

So, to sum up, a good, stable framerate makes for a good play at any framerate around 30FPS or above. A (stable) 60FPS game of any kind looks smoother than a 30FPS game, but stability is the key. Playability doesn't really change.

But a game with a variable framerate (like Deus Ex) that drops frames (gets choppy) when things get busy, will be hard/no fun to play.

Stable = fun. 60fps (stable) = smoother (in appearance) than 30fps (stable). Unstable framerate = shitty game.

Is that clear? I hope your mod goes well. I'll be here.

newuser · « **Reply #35 on:** October 01, 2004, 02:10:00 AM »

.

I've noticed Project Gotham Racing drop frames a bit when there are many cars on the screen. During most of the time however the game runs smoothly and one can't notice low performance during the game.

For PCs it is crucial for the gaming experience and aiming that the framerate is as high as possible. That's why I'm used to measure playability with framerate.

I will do the modding when I find the soldering iron I need and the power converter. Right now I have some university matters to take care of but as soon as I get done with them I'll start modding my Xbox.

@gNOMEintheRedHat: the network switch is unaccessable for me. I don't intend to buy a second NIC because I can easily reconfigure the Internet properties when I need Internet access. Moreover I don't plan to install a new game every day. If my modding goes well I'll install Halo or Doom III first. I've already bought the cable besides. Thanks for the advice anyway

.

Xombe · « **Reply #36 on:** October 01, 2004, 02:45:00 AM »

And yeah, PGR is a bit choppy at times: Let me repeat myself: Burnout 3, man! I can't stop playing the shit!
.
..
... Although I still find time to hang around here

Note: Don't forget what I said about the soldering pencil (I know you really didn't mean iron

): Don't believe the hype about trace damage. Get at least a 23 watt iron, or a 30w if you can. Read this!

newuser · « **Reply #37 on:** October 02, 2004, 03:57:00 PM »

. I will try to find the one with the finest and thinnest tip on market.

Today a friend of mine came at my place and I showed him the Xbox. He was curious about it and asked me some questions. Then he raised the question about how I intended to use the Xbox on our 220V electrical networks. I answered that I would buy a power converter but then he told me that our electricity is 50Hz and in the USA it is 60Hz. Do I have any reason for concern about this or the standard power converters are fully capable of changing the voltage frequency?

Xombe · « **Reply #38 on:** October 02, 2004, 05:03:00 PM »

newuser · « **Reply #39 on:** October 05, 2004, 09:06:00 AM »

I did some research on this matter. I called another friend of mine and asked him about the issue at hand. He said that the difference between 50Hz and 60Hz is negligent and too insignificant to be taken into account. Since he's an electician by education, I asked him about grounding and soldering and he explained me how things are done and even pointed me to a store that sells soldering pencils and all kinds of electrical gadgets.

Unfortunately I'm still using a crappy Internet connection. I'll have my cable connection back in a couple of days so I'll see the videos then. But thanks anyway! I'll go to bed because tomorrow will be a long day for me. Take care of yourself and have a nice day!

Best regards, newuser

Xombe · « **Reply #40 on:** October 05, 2004, 03:56:00 PM »

newuser · « **Reply #41 on:** October 06, 2004, 06:02:00 AM »

Xombe · « **Reply #42 on:** October 06, 2004, 07:11:00 AM »

newuser · « **Reply #43 on:** October 09, 2004, 02:54:00 PM »

Xombe · « **Reply #44 on:** October 11, 2004, 04:05:00 AM »

Author Topic: .:: Ftp Networking Xbox And Pc ::. (Read 328 times)