Jade Empire PC

[Stormwaltz]

For those who asked so many moons ago.

[Sky]

Thanks! That made my day. My girlfriend was bummed when I quit playing the xbox version because I couldn't take the lowres graphics anymore, despite enjoying the game. I didn't realize I was /that/ much of a graphics whore!

One question: widescreen support? 1280x720, plz :)

[Yoru]

I  you so much. I hope it's coming out for the summer drought instead of trying to elbow aside 1,000 other titles during the Holidays.

Not that I ever have time to play games during the summers any more anyway. 

[stray]

Thanks! That made my day. My girlfriend was bummed when I quit playing the xbox version because I couldn't take the lowres graphics anymore, despite enjoying the game. I didn't realize I was /that/ much of a graphics whore!

One question: widescreen support? 1280x720, plz :)

Haha

I just noticed your grief title too (it's about time someone did something ;)).

[Yegolev]

I didn't realize I was /that/ much of a graphics whore!

Dude, you set the bar for graphics whores everywhere.  From your couch.

[Sky]

I didn't realize I was /that/ much of a graphics whore!

Dude, you set the bar for graphics whores everywhere.  From your couch.

Yeah...on my 720p display with a 9800pro? Maybe if I had the new LED DLP 1080p with a 7800GTX or whatever the new hotness is.

[Yegolev]

You aren't really defending yourself when you talk like that.  You are cash-bound, IIRC.

[Velorath]

On the one hand this is good news.  On the other hand I'm hoping to hear announcements from Bioware that are more exciting than the PC getting a port of an X-box game that came out a year ago.

[Strazos]

God, why must you taunt me so?

[NiX]

Stormwaltz is one of those moles that's not too subtle.

[Tebonas]

Thank you oh so very much.

[Strazos]

But but but...I already pwned Jade Empire. I need you next game, now!

I need my fix.

[eldaec]

I enjoyed how the announcement carefully says....

Increased graphics resolutions

... rather than better textures or anything.

Do people still fall for that? Can you even run a PC with resolutions as low as an Xbox these days?


Also...

support for keyboard/mouse.

...seriously, the bioware PR bunnies need new batteries.

[Sky]

Increased resolution is important to some. The textures and effects weren't bad, just the low res + aliasing. You're reaching, eldaec....this is great news.

You aren't really defending yourself when you talk like that.  You are cash-bound, IIRC.

Ok, I'll give ya that one. *puts out the tin cup*

[schild]

This is great news? Why? The combat makes no sense with a keyboard and mouse. Of all the games I'd like to see ported to PC properly, Jade Empire was at the bottom of the list. Not to knock Bioware, but it really should have stayed in the back library of the xbox.

[Tebonas]

How many other games did Bioware make for the Xbox that I missed? Or do you suggest they port games from other companies?

And the controls can be changed, thats not THAT difficult.

[Sky]

This is great news? Why? The combat makes no sense with a keyboard and mouse. Of all the games I'd like to see ported to PC properly, Jade Empire was at the bottom of the list. Not to knock Bioware, but it really should have stayed in the back library of the xbox.

Wireless gamepad controller. They have to include mouse+keyboard because the system demands it. All the pc gamers I know have a controller of some sort, for stuff like this, NFS, GTA, BG&E, etc, etc.

[sinij]

Lets hope it will be better port than KoTOR.

[sinij]

This is great news? Why? The combat makes no sense with a keyboard and mouse. Of all the games I'd like to see ported to PC properly, Jade Empire was at the bottom of the list. Not to knock Bioware, but it really should have stayed in the back library of the xbox.

I tend to agree. KoTOR stopped short of a great game because it was so greatly limited by Xbox. Console controls limited combat; console level design limited interactivity and story...  Just imagine KoTOR with JKA combat and some XvT flying.

Porting a console game to PC is like trying to make a race car out of Civic - while it is possible with enough effort most just slap on oversized muffler and spoiler. Adding mouse and keyboard support is just not enough to port.
.

[stray]

[edit] Nevermind

[Strazos]

Porting a console game to PC is like trying to make a race car out of Civic - while it is possible with enough effort most just slap on oversized muffler and spoiler. Adding mouse and keyboard support is just not enough to port.

Heh.

[Sky]

Just imagine KoTOR with JKA combat and some XvT flying.

Now you're talking shit. It's KotOR on the pc, not an entirely new game.

The ability to play it on the pc AS IS gameplay-wise, is just fine enough for plenty of people, given the 720p I'll be running it at.

[Trippy]

Do people still fall for that? Can you even run a PC with resolutions as low as an Xbox these days?

640 x 480 is the computer square pixel equivalent of NTSC TV/video (NTSC is 704 x 480 but it uses non-square pixels). While running newer versions of Windows can be a bit of challenge at 640 x 480 (e.g. Windows XP is designed to run at at least 800 x 600) I haven't seen any modern 3D game for the PC that does not support 640 x 480.

[eldaec]

Just imagine KoTOR with JKA combat and some XvT flying.

Now you're talking shit. It's KotOR on the pc, not an entirely new game.

The ability to play it on the pc AS IS gameplay-wise, is just fine enough for plenty of people, given the 720p I'll be running it at.

I have no problems with the d20 combat but Kotor did stop short of great because of its nature as an xbox port.

Specifically because of the need to have a load zone line every 12 inches, the really small 'dungeons', the shoddy textures throughout, the incidental npcs who generally look and sound identical, oh, and the fact that no one could arsed to port it properly so it crashes every 15 minutes until the second or third patch is out.

[HaemishM]

This is great news? Why? The combat makes no sense with a keyboard and mouse. Of all the games I'd like to see ported to PC properly, Jade Empire was at the bottom of the list. Not to knock Bioware, but it really should have stayed in the back library of the xbox.

I tend to agree. KoTOR stopped short of a great game because it was so greatly limited by Xbox. Console controls limited combat; console level design limited interactivity and story...  Just imagine KoTOR with JKA combat and some XvT flying.

You mean other than the fact that it was based on the Neverwinter Nights engine (A PC game) and had all the same limitations as the NWN engine, as in small level designs (to reduce memory consumption in the NWN Toolset), lower-res textures, real-timey D&D style combat, etc.?

I mean sure, your hatred of consoles is well known and all, but don't be a fucktard. KOTOR's design was all about being adapted from the NWN engine, which was designed for a mouse, keyboard and PC's.

[stray]

It was essentially a turn based rpg. Or rather, just an rpg, period. It wasn't intended to be a bit like XvT. Controls are the last thing worth bringing up.

[eldaec]

You mean other than the fact that it was based on the Neverwinter Nights engine (A PC game) and had all the same limitations as the NWN engine, as in small level designs (to reduce memory consumption in the NWN Toolset), lower-res textures, real-timey D&D style combat, etc.?

The XvT/JKA comparison is silly, and d20 combat was a a genre choice not a limitation, but it's also pretty crazy to suggest that if kotor had been designed from the ground up for PC, that load zones woud be that small and textures would be that low res.

[HaemishM]

You mean other than the fact that it was based on the Neverwinter Nights engine (A PC game) and had all the same limitations as the NWN engine, as in small level designs (to reduce memory consumption in the NWN Toolset), lower-res textures, real-timey D&D style combat, etc.?

The XvT/JKA comparison is silly, and d20 combat was a a genre choice not a limitation, but it's also pretty crazy to suggest that if kotor had been designed from the ground up for PC, that load zones woud be that small and textures would be that low res.

Have you PLAYED NWN?

[eldaec]

I've fiddled with it - but not seriously, though my point wasn't that NWN doesn't have limitations, my point was that with a proper commercial budget and with a target platform that wasn't an Xbox there is no good reason that they couldn't have been broken through. If Bioware/Lucasarts had been trying to build a PC product they would have found a way to include more than 3 npc-human face models. They would have found a way to optimise so that a smallish town square doesn't have to be split into two load zones.

Of course they then wouldn't have had the same market to sell to, so this may well have been altogether the right thing to do, but that's a whole other thread.

[HaemishM]

They made a game without creating a new engine, so they could sell the game on the X-Box. What I'm saying is that the limitation wasn't because it was built for the X-Box, the limitation was because of the source of the game engine, i.e. NWN. I'm sure using the NWN engine was a budgetary choice, to save money and maximize profit.

[eldaec]

I guess we are into chicken and egg then. I would think the decision to build kotor for xboxes and do a lazy port to PC was the budgetary choice.

I suspect the thought process went...

1) Lets make an Xbox game.
2) k.
3) Oh look, we can slap it together in NWN 'cause the limitations of the NWN high level editor are broadly the same as an Xbox.
4) k.
5) Profit!

[Sky]

I could be more angsty about it if KotOR wasn't such a great game. Ditto JE.

[Strazos]

I could be more angsty about it if KotOR wasn't such a great game. Ditto JE.

QFT

[Nevermore]

For those who asked so many moons ago.

I just saw this post.  You've made my day.