The recent release of
Crysis has sparked another cry of Nerd outrage based on the system requirements specifications that has been provided by EA in addition to comments before its release indicating that
"A single 7800GTX will run the game quite well on fairly high settings according to Crysis Art Director, Michael Khaimzon"
To a degree I can understand why. EA had essentially 'promised' a title of the highest caliber at almost a fraction of the requirements needed. Much like Jon Howard's promise on keeping interest rates at a constant low while in Government, EA too were basking under the same sun of delusion which had spread to the many eager PC gamers (Myself included). It seems that History keeps on repeating yet we are as blind to the belief of "This time it will be different!", the same sense of ignorance as those pathetic words of a battered woman defending her drunken boyfriend/Husband....before she cuts his penis off with a pair of rusty scissors. Oh you don't remember?
- Farcry
- Oblivion
- Everquest (to a degree)
One has to ask, what is it about these particular titles that cause mass hysteria over insane system specifications, causing the beefiest of systems to render it about as quick as a disabled three toed sloth......Answer;
TREES.
Forget radically complex polygons of giant Anacondas, what your PC should be fearing is bark.
What the hell is it with Trees and these kind of environments and my PC squirming in pain like it's been stabbed by some hobo with an infected needle?
Oblivion designers will tell you one thing... but I just can't believe how much research, resources and effort goes into making TREES REALISTIC.
Essentially it's not just simply rendering them via thousands of complex polygons, you have to add the right textures, lighting, transparencies, volumetric and complex shaders and the tree has to MOVE right.
This is why your behemoth PC suffers. Beware, those of wooden brethren trounce all in its path. (How in the world did they do it in Lord Of The Rings?)