Title: Beyond Protocol MMO
Publisher: Dark Sky Entertainment
Product Authors: They ain't sayin'
Product Type: Real-Time MMO
Product Format: 525MB Client Software Download
Publishers Website: http://www.beyondprotocol.com/
Product Rating: 1
Product Blurb: The Rules of Engagement Have Evolved


I hate when Game Companies lie to me. They said this puppy would run on an XP, but it doesn't run on my XP.

I can best summarize this review with my post on their forums... They didn't have a Bug resolution Fora, instead, they put up some kind of bug tracking chart like I cared what they would do with my bug report.

Dear Staff of Dark Sky Entertainment:
Where's your game bug report forum?

Downloaded the 500Mb+ files. Installed game. Game crashed at the first stage of the tutorial.

I'm running Windows Home Edition XP machine with Service pack 3 on a Dell Dimension DE051 which uses a 2.66 Ghz Celeron Processor with 512Mb of RAM. This is an average home system only three years old.

Video is being handled by an Intel 82865G Graphics Controller chipset that has no trouble running DirectX 9 and OpenGSL enabled games. This machine hosts a Dev platform for Netbeans 6.1, a full Python IDE suite featuring python 2.5 and Python for Windows. This machine runs the GTK toolkit, GTK, Microsoft XNA Gamestudio including C++ for Visual Studio 2008, and Blender amongst other things.

INTEL(R) EXTREME GRAPHICS 2 REPORT --
Report Date: 12/02/2008
Report Time[hr:mm:ss]: 21:04:06
Driver Version: 6.14.10.4396
Operating System: Windows XP* Home Edition, Service Pack 3 (5.1.2600) Default Language: English
DirectX* Version: 9.0
Physical Memory: 509 MB
Minimum Graphics Memory: 1 MB
Maximum Graphics Memory: 96 MB Graphics
Memory in Use: 6 MB
Processor: x86
Processor Speed: 2661 MHZ
Vendor ID: 8086
Device ID: 2572
Device Revision: 02

* Accelerator Information *
Accelerator in Use: Intel(R) 82865G Graphics Controller
Video BIOS: 2972
Current Graphics Mode: 1024 by 768 True Color (60 Hz) *

Devices Connected to the Graphics Accelerator *
Active Monitors: 1

Here's a screenshot of what I'm currently getting when I run Beyond Protocol.

Any Recommendations? Also an update for you on your Husdawg LLC Can you run it? Tool... Doesn't work with the new Google Chrome browser... and after finally running the tool I get this:



and this...



Congratulations, a total of maybe a million systems in the US can currently run your game, there are 30 times that many PCs out there with gamers that could afford a ten spot a month to play your game. They should have been your market demographic.

Reference:
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18038

When will game design companies learn? I can design a game that runs on my system, on your systems, and on X-box 360s to boot.

Are you seriously ranting that your antiquated and under powered machine can't run a modern game?  Cuz you sir are the one with EPIC FAIL.

Quote from: kryyst;270983Are you seriously ranting that your antiquated and under powered machine can't run a modern game?  Cuz you sir are the one with EPIC FAIL.

512 system memory with shared video memory... ouch.

If your card doesn't support either shader model v1, then you really don't have much room to complain. The 865 chipset came out in 2003 and 5 years is quite a gap in technology, specially in Gaming & Graphics.

QuoteMicrosoft XNA Gamestudio including C++ for Visual Studio 2008, and Blender amongst other things.

Funny you mention XNA and later on the xbox360, considering the official requirements requirements on XNA (pushed by the xbox360 not the PC)

"To run XNA Framework games on Windows, you need a graphics card that supports Shader Model 1.1 or greater and DirectX 9.0c. We recommend that you use a graphics card that supports Shader Model 2.0 because some samples and starter kits may require it."
So basically the same as that game, minimum is v1, they recommend v2.

QuoteCongratulations, a total of maybe a million systems in the US can currently run your game, there are 30 times that many PCs out there with gamers that could afford a ten spot a month to play your game. They should have been your market demographic.

Come on... this is pure BS.

I recommend that instead of pulling numbers out of nowhere ("maybe a million"), you check the sales charts for PC AAA titles to get a better idea of the amount of 3D capable PC gamers.

Your argument that requiring a crappy machine will give them a wider reach is perhaps true but not necessarily smart. A compromise for mid-low range of PC might be better since you want to target people that care enough to pay at regular intervals to play (mmo), and those usually have at least semi decent hardware (as in 3 years old or better). In contrast, the option of dropping the graphics level enough to support ultra old hardware might loose you more than you gain.

Basically the market for games is mature technologically speaking to move to decent 3d and v2 shaders (what this game seems to be asking of your computer). Even more as most Operating Systems are transitioning to provide fancy desktop experiences.

No, he has a point.  One of the reasons behind World of Warcraft's success is its low system requirements; only with the release of Wrath of the Lich King have they approached anything published for PCs about three or so years ago in such terms.

Saying a PC game fails because it doesn't work on an older computer is still kind of tacky.  That is the one big pitfall of PC gaming.  If you can't afford to keep your rig upgraded then there's always consoles.  Hell the 360 has the single best game library of any video game option out there.

Quote from: Idinsinuation;271223Saying a PC game fails because it doesn't work on an older computer is still kind of tacky.  That is the one big pitfall of PC gaming.  If you can't afford to keep your rig upgraded then there's always consoles.  Hell the 360 has the single best game library of any video game option out there.

It may be tacky, but it a factor in popular success.  WOW didn't get to its current high of 11 million by being elitist about its technical requirements.

Quote from: Bradford C. Walker;271228It may be tacky, but it a factor in popular success.  WOW didn't get to its current high of 11 million by being elitist about its technical requirements.

I get what you're saying and agree with you.  WoW truly might be the greatest game ever created when you consider it's wide appeal, simple yet addictive gameplay, and perfect balance of timesinks and fun.  However this game is hardly being "elitest" about it's technical requirements.

WoW is a success because it's a good game and has been out for what 5 years now.  If WoW had come out today, it wouldn't have worked on this guys system either - evidence of that is Wrath of the Lich King.  

This particular MMO is still low on the requirements by today's standards and the OP needs to suck it up.

There comes a time when you design a game for the current gen simple as that.

I imagine that once the technology advances far enough and becomes different enough, developing for older hardware would likely become an extra expense that most game developement companies can't afford.

Quote from: Bradford C. Walker;271210No, he has a point.  One of the reasons behind World of Warcraft's success is its low system requirements; only with the release of Wrath of the Lich King have they approached anything published for PCs about three or so years ago in such terms.

Speaking from personal experience, I can tell you that WoW wouldn't run on that piece of shit either.  

Get a real video card.  Intel IGP chips are shit, always have been, still are even when you've got one that isn't as heinously out of date as that one.

Quote from: Bradford C. Walker;271228It may be tacky, but it a factor in popular success.  WOW didn't get to its current high of 11 million by being elitist about its technical requirements.

I am not sure if WoW would even run on the OP's computer.

Quote from: Bradford C. Walker;271210No, he has a point.  One of the reasons behind World of Warcraft's success is its low system requirements; only with the release of Wrath of the Lich King have they approached anything published for PCs about three or so years ago in such terms.

Yes of course low system req is important, so you can grab the most gamers you can. As in, "if someone bought a 3d card lets make sure the game runs for him" instead of just aiming the very high end.
However this is not the case, the OP's card is more of a 2d card and its logical it fails to run a 3d game.