Just thought I'd post some results here. I downloaded the game with no problem, but my new laptop (windows7, 8GB RAM, I5 quad Core) won't run it without extreme lag. I have my old (9 year old) Dell XPS with Windows XP, 1GB RAM, NVIDIA 6800, and a Pentium D running this game flawlessly. The reason the laptop can't run it is the whole integrated Intel video card issue, which is a pain. I know this is Intel's problem, not the game's fault, but I didn't hear about any issues with this until yesterday afternoon.... despite the largest selling group being Windows PCs, most of which have Intel chipsets. I'm still enjoying the product... just wish this would have come up sooner.
Moments like this make or break a group's reputation. Good, frequent communication can still save the day.
Here is what I would like to see:
1 A single announcement link, top of the forums, top of the home page, top of the support page, and emailed to all purchasers.
The link goes to a single, locked message that contains the following
A. List of all known game-stopping issues linked to suggested solutions. When one solution gets high enough acceptance, announce it, make it obvious.
B. Explanation of the testing the software, including the configuration of the test machines.
C. A clear statement of the refund policy and step by step instructions on how to get a refund.
2 a commitment to a solution that does not ask the community to go fix opengl. Your product, folks, and your dependency. Either say you support it or you don't, and don't sell it to folks that can't use it.
On a personal note, don't despair. A complaint is a gift. It means the person still trusts you enough to expect a solution.
Hear, hear!!! Well said. I do hope the devs listen to you!!! /J
You know, with so many computers out there using Intel chipsets (that's a gigantic share of the market, no?), one would assume that this problem would quickly have been discovered during the beta testing phase. So one would think it must have been anticipated... and as such, one would think then that they would have sought a Direct X solution prior to release!
It's all rather disconcerting... I'm sure we'll get through it somehow though, heh!
You actually want Beamdog to post on this forum the hardware specs of the machines they used to play test the games?
Yes. Yes, I do. Hardware and software.
There's an unfortunate trend of testing on perfect environments, that leads to exactly this kind of problem. Extensive beta testing in multiple environments helps catch similar issues, so you can warn folks before release. It's all about expectations. If folks with a commonly afflicted config were told that it would not work for them, and to expect a patch within N days, they would be a lot happier than they are right now.
Whew! Fortunately one of my older computers that I have hooked up to the big screen TV in the living room uses an ATI Radeon HD 4600 graphics card. The game runs like a champ on that one (despite the at least 5 year old Pentium Dual Core CPU). I could play the game on the 42" TV but I don't have a wheel mouse for it, and it's not really the right aesthetics for me to enjoy the game, either. Now I have to just move that PC to my office and get a switch to share the monitor, keyboard, and mouse between the two computers. So that's a relief for the short term.
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It's all rather disconcerting... I'm sure we'll get through it somehow though, heh!