Okay, no Mac vs PC stuff.

I have a new 500MHz DV SE iMac.
Should I get UT?
Is my system up to it?
Best settings for speed?
Can I get online and play competetively against others (Mac/PC), or do I need to find a Mac only site.
Now remember, none of this 'Mac don't play games' stuff (unless of course it can't).

Cheers (Love this forum)

Newbee

Yes! UT is a great game; many more levels and weapons than Q3, better levels and weapons than Q3, and better overall design than Q3 or for the record any other FPS on the market today.

Your 500mhz DVSE is definitely up to the task of running this game, the only upgrade I could suggest is another 128 or so megs of RAM, this will speed everything up another notch still.

For speed on your machine, very little should have to be turned off or disabled. Many people use 32 bit colour, but I find that the gain is almost completely unnoticeable for about a 10-12 fps framerate drop, but that's just my preference. You should be able to run everything on high at 640x480 at 16 bit colour and be getting framerates in the 30's or high 20's.

The game has a built-in online "searcher" which means you don't have to go out and find games on your own, it will automatically seek out games that are going on and list them for you. If you want to play against PC's, as far as I know, that's completely A-OK.

The only area that Q3 wins over Unreal Tournament as far as I'm concerned though is in connection speed. You can play Quake 3 over a good 56k connection, and be rather pleased with what you're getting. For UT though, I would recommend a cable or DSL connection if you're really going to be serious about being in control in an online game.

These are my only words of wisdom, get the game, you won't be disappointed.



Trevor Haldenby www.vividimagination.com

Thanks for the input TP. Sounds great.
Another daft question, what is the best control method - joypad or stick or mouse type combo?

Cheers again

(very) Newbee

[denim]

I find I can use the touchpad/keyboard combo on my Wallstreet II for UT. Mouse/keyboard combo is recommended. Joystick won't do it, from what I hear.

Prez's advice above is good, IMO.

[This message has been edited by denim (edited 08-31-2000).]

[Ca$h68]

Mouse. Period. No arguing. If you want to get good at FPS, you use a mouse. Preferably a multibutton mouse, not that crap apple packages with their computers.

Ca$h

[joe]

Originally posted by newbee:
Okay, no Mac vs PC stuff.

I have a new 500MHz DV SE iMac.
Should I get UT?
Is my system up to it?
Best settings for speed?
Can I get online and play competetively against others (Mac/PC), or do I need to find a Mac only site.
Now remember, none of this 'Mac don't play games' stuff (unless of course it can't).

Cheers (Love this forum)

Newbee

Yes, I own the same iMac (500Mhz DV SE) and it's definitely up to the task! UT Demo plays great. Also, despite the negative post against Q3A, it kicks butt on the new iMac DV SE. Hell, the combination of 500MHz G3 and Rage 128 Pro graphics make for one seriously kick ass gaming machine! Do yourself a favor and download all the freely available demos you can and test them out yourself. BTW, Virtual Game Station never looked so good as it does on our new iMacs! Enjoy

A few suggestions:
-get PowerLogix G3/4 Cache Profiler and test your iMac at 250MHz (default is 200MHz L2 cache). I leave mine at 250MHz at all times.
-If you're still at 128MB of ram buy another 128MB at a minimum!!!
-Oddly, I find that leaving Virtual Memory on gives faster results. Strange but true! I've benchmarked too many times to count and the 500MHz iMac really is faster with VM on. Test it yourself and see.
Good luck.....joe

PS I traded out the Apple rated 322 PC100 128MB DIMM for a faster 222 DIMM. My 2nd DIMM is also the faster 222 type. My only complaint about this new iMacDV SE is that Apple should not have installed the slower DIMM for the high end iMac. Otherwise, it's perfect!

[This message has been edited by joe (edited 08-31-2000).]

[seanyepez]

Unfortunately, Apple uses the slower RAM on all their computers. It's really not that much more expensive to buy the faster kind. Potentially, Macs should be able to get a 5% speed gain memory-wise if not offset by the slower DIMM.

I don't really notice the difference between the modules. There isn't a major difference.

[Cipher13]

It seems I am the only one who got their comp shipped with a 222...
I got 2 64 dimms, each is 222, from Apple Australia...
Anyway, UT rocks. Get it. I find it has more replay value that Q3A...

Cipher13

[This message has been edited by Cipher13 (edited 09-05-2000).]

[druber]

i'm playing the demo at work on a b&w/300 w/ 64ram and most of the time it's very very smooth. mostly hops at the opening of a game. also i never see my shot hit when i get the last frag to win a game. i still win, i can't complain too much.

i go all keyboard. have done that ever since i started playing marathon back in the day. use that keypad for directional movement,strafing, changing weapons, left hand to fire etc. again, complaining would not be reasonable.

will the demo let you play network games to your heart's content? for just having the demo, i've sure enjoyed it.

Got the game. Got the 128MB upgrade, and got the intelimouse with 15 buttons, or thereabouts. UT really is the dog's (that's good).
I find my connection to be a bit slow sometimes with internet games, but the experience is so much more rewarding when playing against others over the net. Fast connections are VERY pricey in UK so I'll wait awhile...
Deus Ex is next on the list. I'm not sure it's been released in the UK yet but I'm looking out for it. Then it's gonna be HALO, then MORE RAM...

Cheers

Newbee

[roders]

If you want to get all the latest Mac games (Incl Dues Ex) at good prices & with free delivery in the UK check out http://www.macgold.co.uk/mac/
& http://www.macgames.co.uk
are ok as well

Cheers Roders!!