ConQueso

I suggest trying ACT 1.5. I've had much better luck with it than by modifying compatibility mode via the shortcut. For more info, check out my FAQ. I don't have F-15, but I got Jane's WWII Fighters to run using ACT 1.5, albeit with some graphical anomolies near the horizon. Also, make sure to try out the latest patch for the game, if there is one.

Agreed. Most of the people don't get the top of the line GPU, be it laptop or desktop systems. However, I do know people who are now only becoming interested in laptops because of the fact that they can contend, graphically, with desktop systems. Not because that's all they care about, but because they figure if they're going to spend that kind of money, they should at least be able to enjoy some gaming.

Quote: Yes but not many of the 14-18 year old gae group is gonna be able to afford one, which i believ is the only group who has the time for it. Of course. Like a person older than 18 could possibly have any use for a GeForce4 440 Go. How silly of me. How silly of nVIDIA to put out a product with no potential customers. How silly of Dell to offer the GPU in its top of the line laptop.

I'd go with the Ti4200 128MB. more info

Quote: ...Who is gonna use a GF4 on a notebook anyway... Serious LAN gamers, that's whom. Desktops are only recently becoming viable gaming platforms, explaining why people don't associate them for gaming. All that laptop using FPS LAN gamers need is their laptop, power cord, mouse and headphones which is much more portable then desktop systems and monitors. Many others out there don't have laptops themselves because they didn't want to spend so much money on a computer that couldn't play their favorite games. Thing is, now they can play their favorite games on a laptop, and many will give laptop purchases more thought.

Looks like the new drivers allow D3D games framerates to run above the DirectDraw rate. Interesting. So far, all games that I've run in D3D peek out at the DirectDraw rate, while other APIs (like OpenGL) allow framerates above the DD rate. D3D might get a popularity boost it seems.

Had worse luck with that game on XP than on 2K.

Quote: Notice how in between these 2 FAQs that there is a transition from "the game won't even run" to "the game runs but the joystick is screwed". Notice, how later on down the FAQ there is "I have a question not listed in or solved by the information above. What do I do?" Should I add this to the FAQ?: Q: I've read the first half of the FAQ, and couldn't find a relevant Q/A. What do I do? A: Read the second half of the FAQ.

Quote: Also, why is everyone assuming it is the video component that is causing the problem... It's not so much that I'm assuming it is the sole problem, it's more that I know it is just going to cause compatibility problems more and more as more new games get released. I had the same card, and finally caved in and got a new mobo and an nvidia card. Now the V3 2000 is in a friends Win95 P2 266MHz system, and pushing UT and other (pre-DirectX 8) games quite well. I've advised him not to bother with any DX8 games (and why would he, he's only running a 266).

I've already listed Star Control 2 in a previous post, but there's good news... The creators of SC2 are remaking it to run in windows! (original ran in DOS) And it's going to be free! A classic for free. (gamespot news link - ignore all the SC3 stuff: GS doesn't have an SC2 section and apparently didn't to make one for a news article. SC3 wasn't made by the same people, so don't make any assumptions about SC2 based on what you see listed for SC3)

Three percent isn't an accurate average figure for the difference. Performance differences between the 4200 and 4600 vary depending on many factors. However, there is a solid fact: The 4200 packs much more performance per dollar than the 4600. For more detailed info on the difference in performance of the 4200 and 4600, try reading this and notice the differences stats for different games (keep in mind the red bars are overclocked stats). Also, take a peek here for info on how the 4200 compares with other sub $200 cards, with graphs showing performances on a variety of CPU speeds.

Quote: ...I will say that the Dual is a lot faster and I do recommend that one over M$. Faster? IIRC, the dual optical only samples at 2000 images per second. As each sensor can only compare it's own images to detect movement, I doubt the claims of it being "twice as fast". Even if it were, though, 4,000 ips is still slower than 6,000.

I don't know what exactly the bug fixes are, but here's the patch.

Try reading my FAQ, which I've just updated.

Q: Have any good first-person shooter game pointers? A: Drop graphical options in favor of framerate if need be, especially in multiplayer games. Disable all forms of mouse acceleration (Start>Settings>Control Panel>Mouse) under the pointer properties tab in mouse properties (sometimes accessed with the advanced button). This includes "Enhanced Pointer Precision". Uncheck it. Mouse acceleration gets in the way of FPS aiming accuracy, as it doesn't allow for a consistant distance equaling a consistant rotation. If you've got a 3 wide by 2 high insert/home/pageup/delete/end/pagedown key layout and use your left hand on the keyboard, bind home to move forward, delete to move (not turn) left, end to move backward, and page down to move right. Bind insert to lean left and page up to lean right (if applicable) This allows your thumb easy access to 5 keys (left, down, right, 0 and .) without having to reach over other keys. No other keyboard config allows this. Bind the rest to whatever works best for the game. This key configuration should only be used in full screen games, where delete won't accidentally delete anyting.

I'm no stranger to FPS games. I challenge anyone using a ball mouse to use one of the Microsoft 6,000 ips mice models (see my above post) for as long as the retailer's return policy allows--not that this matters much, as most will keep 'em!

Anyone know if/when a company might make a toaster sized computer based on the nforce chipset? Something that would look like this on the outside, but have nforce on the inside? If not, anyone know of really small case available that'll fit a micro ATX motherboard and 300W power supply? I'm looking to build a small computer that's very portable for LAN gaming.

Did you read the entire FAQ? One of the suggestions in it is to search the forums to see if someone else has had the same problem.

Have the latest video and sound drivers?

Under the mixer, do you have the REC set to "What you hear" or "Line In"? (or whatever the equivalent is for Audigy, I'm using Live!)

Ooo! Rumor has it that Shuttle might make an nforce2 barebones system like this one: Imagine a computer this small with dual channel 333/400MHz DDR memory, integrated LAN / 5.1 Dolby Digital / GeForce4 MX IGP all powered by an Athlon, with an 8x AGP slot for upgradability... Only question is, why didn't make an nforce1 box? Well, that, and when will this new box be available?

Check this out. Also, maybe consider getting a new graphics card if you want to play new games... 3dfx is no more, and neither is any (official) driver support.

Ah, if only Asus would make a Terminator nforce. One AGP port, and one PCI port. At under 12x8x11, it'd be the perfect affordable (even upgradable AGP-wise) solution for LAN gaming.

Buy.com has Midtown Madness 2 and Motocross Madness 2 (Racing Madness 2) for $17, with free shipping (while it lasts).

Games like Unreal ][, UT 2003, Deus Ex 2, Rainbow Six: Raven Shield, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, Mobile Forces, The Y-Project, Lineage ][, and America's Army (US Army made game to be released for free--no kidding) are looking pretty good so far. Take a peek at this image from America's Army. Note the volumetric shadow from the soldier to the left, which casts a realistic shadow on the floor and on the soldier in front of him, from the light out of frame. There is so much cool stuff in these webpages, I could go on and on, but instead, I'll just put up the links so you can find out for yourself. The new Unreal Engine is looking more and more impressive. 8) (note: the Deus Ex 2 site is at www . deus ex 2 . com (without the spaces))