Soldato
I bought BF3, put the settings on high, saw me getting a smooth 60FPS and left it there. I know I can't play with ultra so I just did not bother trying.
PC gamers spending more time modding then playing their games..
- Thread starter iv-tecman
- Start date
“PC gamers spend more time tweaking, modifying and looking to gain an extra few fps then actually playing their games. Also, PC gamers seem more concerned about screen resolution and how configurable the games graphics options are then actual gameplay”
A wide sweeping statement made by an ignorant console enthusiast? Compulsive modders are in the minority. Of course there are some games that lend themselves well to it, which is where they tend to congregate, but its hardly PC gamers in general. I only mod if a game is really screaming out for it, I prefer to play what I've spent my money on tbh... But I'd also rather have the option to mod and tinker than to have none at all. Consoles are just too restrictive for my tastes. And besides, modding and performance tweaking can almost be considered a game in its self. Meta gaming, if you like...
A wide sweeping statement made by an ignorant console enthusiast? Compulsive modders are in the minority. Of course there are some games that lend themselves well to it, which is where they tend to congregate, but its hardly PC gamers in general. I only mod if a game is really screaming out for it, I prefer to play what I've spent my money on tbh... But I'd also rather have the option to mod and tinker than to have none at all. Consoles are just too restrictive for my tastes. And besides, modding and performance tweaking can almost be considered a game in its self. Meta gaming, if you like...
Yep, this definitely sounds familiar. I almost certainly spent more time modding Silent Hunter3/5 than playing them. Similar with IL2:1946... The problem with mods is that its not installing them that takes time, but researching on what is available (like window shopping) and then researching on how to actually install them in right order and trying to avoid conflicts. Testing mods takes time too- especially so with AI mods...
I am quite happy that my current favourite games are not MOD friendly, so I can actually play games instead of modding for a change
I am quite happy that my current favourite games are not MOD friendly, so I can actually play games instead of modding for a change
It took me over 30 hours to get the massive amount of mods I had for Oblivion installed and working together properly. I still have the backup of the entire directory as there's no way I'm ever doing that again!
Soldato
I used to sometimes post on an american forum for skyrim. They had one official thread for the game and almost every single post was about some stupid mod. If I posted a question or general observation to do with *gosh* gameplay, I felt like an outcast. I played the game solidly for 3 months, vanilla, enjoyed every second and now am ready to move on to another game. I just don't really get people who are more obsessed by modding a game than playing it. Especially when there are so many more games to play these days. Don't you just want to play a game, complete it and move on to the next? Vanilla skyrim looked awesome straight out of the box. Mods might make it look slightly better, but lol, who cares, it's not like it visually sucked before.
Associate
It took me a week to get some of the weapon and companion mods to be compatible in New Vegas, but I must admit that I am a little of a mod freak who likes to play games heavily modded. Supreme Commander with 4th Dimension units and Total Veterancy mods are compulsory in my opinion.
That why we have a Skyrim thread and a Skyrim mods/tweaks thread. Sometimes the mod thread is more active but that can be for any reason.
Plus if you think about it, a post about playing the game with a mod active can go in either thread. The 4 mods I have active are SkyUI because the default interface is the usual pile of **** that Bethesda make, Pickpocket 98% to up the maximum, Cooking Recipe's because there are so few in game with so few effects that cooking is a waste of effort and Balanced Magic because magic is horribly underpowered in vanilla. Didn't exactly take long to do with the Nexus Mod Manager.
Associate
Myself - it depends on the game
Skyrim - I've actually ended up waiting a while before actually playing the game so i could mod it - mainly due to how rubbish the vanilla game looked and played
Oblivion was the same - Bethesda really have no idea how to balance a game
Civ 4 - played it vanilla and modded
Grid - played vanilla as it was perfectly playable to me in that state
Skyrim - I've actually ended up waiting a while before actually playing the game so i could mod it - mainly due to how rubbish the vanilla game looked and played
Oblivion was the same - Bethesda really have no idea how to balance a game
Civ 4 - played it vanilla and modded
Grid - played vanilla as it was perfectly playable to me in that state
Utter nonsense as far as I'm concerned.
Soldato
I agree as far as I'm concerned, but I think it's a personal thing that may or may not apply to an individual.
When I start a new game, I'll spend a few minutes trying to find a smooth frame rate, then I'll get stuck into the game. If later on I find it juddering a bit, I'll knock out some of AA to make it smooth again. I'm less worried about how it looks after that, I'd rather play than tweak.
Would it be fair to say that the people that are more interested in tweaking the ultimate FPS and IQ out of a game and their hardware rather than enjoying the experience are more PC enthusiasts than PC gamers?
I think there is an element of truth in this, I am fairly anal about optimising my games so for example I'll always make sure I've got the latest patches installed and configured all the settings before playing (e.g. adding the game to Alchemy if it uses EAX). Often I install / patch / mod / tweak / research a game one evening and then leave it before playing in earnest the next day. Older games in particular I put a lot of effort into in terms of trying to get it to support my monitor properly (1680x1050 @ 120hz) which for older engines isn't always straightforward needing .ini edits, hex editing, registry tweaks, modified dll files etc etc. Likewise I always check my framerate and adjust settings accordingly to try and maintain something up towards my refresh rate.
Oblivion is a good example, I spent a good 5hrs researching and downloading mods before playing it and then gave up in the first dungeon. I did however revisit it later on with a big overhaul mod a couple of years later and put around 70hrs or so in.
It can be worthwhile though I think, for example Freespace 2 I spent an age getting all the latest SCP plus addition mods setup, and it was a fantastic game to play through.
Oblivion is a good example, I spent a good 5hrs researching and downloading mods before playing it and then gave up in the first dungeon. I did however revisit it later on with a big overhaul mod a couple of years later and put around 70hrs or so in.
It can be worthwhile though I think, for example Freespace 2 I spent an age getting all the latest SCP plus addition mods setup, and it was a fantastic game to play through.
This, I used to mod a lot now not really bothered, not really bothered about getting the max out of all games.
Associate
with FSX i am as guilty as hell. however this is pretty much the only game that i have mods for and i only tweak for those extra few fps because its not that smooth with all these mpds (i define smooth as 30+fps).
BF3 i seem to keep swaying between high and low settings, basically because i like my games maxed, but the system cant handle it and the only real visual difference between high and low on bf3 is the fps drop...
BF3 i seem to keep swaying between high and low settings, basically because i like my games maxed, but the system cant handle it and the only real visual difference between high and low on bf3 is the fps drop...
Associate
Because we can?
I mod every game I have, in fact I actually buy a game due to its modding ability.
I want it to look the best it can, I want to add things that may make game-play better.
At the end of the day, because I can.
I have been overclocking PC's since the p166 days, I'm sure I don't speak for myself but modding games is an extension of of overclocking, a control thing. Making the best of what we can, wanting the best.
I don't think this is a bad thing, this is what drives the market, striving to be better.
If no one wanted more why release better CPU's or GPU's?
EDIT>> I do actually play games, but the modding side adds so much more to a personality that likes to take things to the max. Generally speaking a game that offers great mod potential is usually a game that is very well accepted by the community that suppiorrts it. (ala.. OB, FA3, FNV, SKYRIM. CRYSIS. HL., warband.. to name a few) And tell me, which game has ever gine under due to mods? In fact if there is a a mod scene there is a user base playing your game.
I mod every game I have, in fact I actually buy a game due to its modding ability.
I want it to look the best it can, I want to add things that may make game-play better.
At the end of the day, because I can.
I have been overclocking PC's since the p166 days, I'm sure I don't speak for myself but modding games is an extension of of overclocking, a control thing. Making the best of what we can, wanting the best.
I don't think this is a bad thing, this is what drives the market, striving to be better.
If no one wanted more why release better CPU's or GPU's?
EDIT>> I do actually play games, but the modding side adds so much more to a personality that likes to take things to the max. Generally speaking a game that offers great mod potential is usually a game that is very well accepted by the community that suppiorrts it. (ala.. OB, FA3, FNV, SKYRIM. CRYSIS. HL., warband.. to name a few) And tell me, which game has ever gine under due to mods? In fact if there is a a mod scene there is a user base playing your game.
Last edited:
I enjoy a good fiddle as much as anybody, but if I am spending more time fiddling than playing, something is up. That said, it's absolutely the individual's right, if you want to mess around for hours on end and you get a kick out of it, it's not a point of contention.
What's next, people with PC Computers spend more time overclocking and tweaking them than doing any computation?
What's next, people with PC Computers spend more time overclocking and tweaking them than doing any computation?
Soldato
I spend a lot of time messing around with mods, but I also spend a huge amount of time in the game itself.
Associate
Cause we can.
Associate
- Joined
- 20 Jan 2012
- Posts
- 698
I'm the exact opposite, I'm moving away from consoles because I want more of that freedom to play around with the games than is available to me. Not to mention some of the graphical jumps games take thanks to the modding communities these games have it's a great time to be a PC Gamer.
I'm looking forward to playing GTA IV and Skyrim all over again.
I'm looking forward to playing GTA IV and Skyrim all over again.
If you’re a little old school like myself, then yes I do tend to spend a little too much time adding mods, tweaking settings etc. Then admiring the results or not admiring the results depending on the outcome..
But that’s part of the enjoyment of pc gaming, isn’t it..
I still play the games I want, I would just like to see them look as good as they can look and run as well as they can run, which I know is hard for some games..
I look at Skyrim (don’t have it yet myself, but may do soon), many of the pics here and elsewhere and vids on youtube are like looking through an old sock, so blurred, I would want to see that really sharp, maybe its just the way it comes across, if not, I will be adding mods and tweaking etc..
.
But that’s part of the enjoyment of pc gaming, isn’t it..
I still play the games I want, I would just like to see them look as good as they can look and run as well as they can run, which I know is hard for some games..
I look at Skyrim (don’t have it yet myself, but may do soon), many of the pics here and elsewhere and vids on youtube are like looking through an old sock, so blurred, I would want to see that really sharp, maybe its just the way it comes across, if not, I will be adding mods and tweaking etc..
.