Advil

Let's explain it this way. Unfortunately, your card (Viper II) is in game terms very old now, and is probably not going to be supported by the SC (unless he says so, which his previous post pretty much answers) so you have to assume that the final product may run the same way as demo2 will for you. In other words, don't blame us if you preorder it and it doesn't work. Though you probably already know this, here is the page for your latest drivers: http://www.diamondmm.com/default.asp?menu=...u=Legacy_Graphi cs&item=drivers&product=Viper_II and the latest BIOS for that card: http://www.diamondmm.com/default.asp?menu=...egacy_Graphics& item=bios&product=Viper_II Both havn't been updated for a long time. Even if the card "supports" DX8, it may not support it well. Bottom line: It's a trial and error situation for you. If you can, it's time to consider a video card upgrade. Something with an NVidia MX400 chipset minimum, or maybe a Geforce2 Pro or Geforce2 TI? UPDATE: You mentioned earlier that you were confused by the NVidia product line. Yep, there's a lot of cards. Let me break them down roughly by performance. I am omitting some cards that just aren't around anymore: TNT2 M64 GF2 MX 200 GF2 MX GF2 MX 400 GF2 GTS GF2 Pro GF2 Ultra GF2 TI GF3 TI 200 GF3 GF3 TI 500 For cost/performance I like the GF2 Pro 64MB (or the new GF2 TI). Good luck. [ 10-23-2001: Message edited by: Advil ]

Let's explain it this way. Unfortunately, your card (Viper II) is in game terms very old now, and is probably not going to be supported by the SC (unless he says so, which his previous post pretty much answers) so you have to assume that the final product may run the same way as demo2 will for you. In other words, don't blame us if you preorder it and it doesn't work. Though you probably already know this, here is the page for your latest drivers: http://www.diamondmm.com/default.asp?menu=...u=Legacy_Graphi cs&item=drivers&product=Viper_II and the latest BIOS for that card: http://www.diamondmm.com/default.asp?menu=...egacy_Graphics& item=bios&product=Viper_II Both havn't been updated for a long time. Even if the card "supports" DX8, it may not support it well. Bottom line: It's a trial and error situation for you. If you can, it's time to consider a video card upgrade. Something with an NVidia MX400 chipset minimum, or maybe a Geforce2 Pro or Geforce2 TI? UPDATE: You mentioned earlier that you were confused by the NVidia product line. Yep, there's a lot of cards. Let me break them down roughly by performance. I am omitting some cards that just aren't around anymore: TNT2 M64 GF2 MX 200 GF2 MX GF2 MX 400 GF2 GTS GF2 Pro GF2 Ultra GF2 TI GF3 TI 200 GF3 GF3 TI 500 For cost/performance I like the GF2 Pro 64MB (or the new GF2 TI). Good luck. [ 10-23-2001: Message edited by: Advil ]

Heh, the looks on their faces when that stormcarrier strike fleet arrives with plenty of backup! LordDavid, is it safe to assume we are all in the Diplomat fleet until there are enough to have a Defense fleet? sig test follows: [ 10-22-2001: Message edited by: Advil ] [ 10-22-2001: Message edited by: Advil ]

Wolfenstein Multiplayer Test... it's free. Subspace... It's free. go to www.station.com and try some of Sony's free games like Infantry... It's free. If you have Half-Life, get Counter Strike. It's free too. And if all else fails, ANGBAND! Specifically ZAngband with graphics. www.zangband.org Good luck!

If everyone is so paranoid about having concealed weapons on aircraft, I have a solution. I would be willing to PAY to take additional courses, and have to PROVE my ability on the range, and to know what ammo and weapon to carry on board an aircraft. All this training that I would pay for myself, would grant me a card, approving me to carry on board. A permit that I must go back to the range scool and renew by demonstration of skill in shooting and knowledge every 4 years. To be allowed to carry on board, I must hand this permit to the ticket counter along with my ID (just like everyone has to show ID) at the ticket counter. This gives them plenty of time to object, or verify my credentials before boarding. Sound reasonable?

I remember that game. There was no way in hell anyone was going to figure out that you needed "Tea" in one hand and "No Tea" in the other without a hint book and several pints of the pub's best. And the whole thing with the babel fish flying around the room and into your ear was a source of hours of ROTFLMAO.

What Papi said. I didn't play much with demo2...

In Star Wars, I believe the reference to the "Star Destroyer" class was more in reference to the fear it causes due to it's size. Referring to it more as a "Destroyer of Stars" rather than the class "Destroyer". No destroyer I've ever heard of has a hangar on board for several squadrons. But aren't you glad they called them Star Destroyers and not Star Carriers? It wouldn't have struck any fear in anyone.

Your video card and memory will sort of work for the time being, hopefully. Expect graphic artifacts in BCM, and likely not smooth gameplay because of the small amount of RAM you have. You want to upgrade on the cheap around January? Grab one of the Nvidia Nforce chipset motherboards that should be out by then. Put an AMD duron on it. That should all cost under $300 even if you need a new case and memory. That will give you a much faster system, and upgrade your video, sound, and NIC all at the same time. In the meantime... you could grab a 128MB stick of memory for under $15 to help hold you over. Don't buy any more though, as you will probably be buying DDR memory for your next rig, and memory alone isn't going to help your current system that much.

eric - It's not that 98 can't USE large amounts of memory, its about how efficienly it uses it. Here, it has to do with cache and memory handling. If you REALLY want to know, read this: http://www.aumha.org/a/memmgmtz.htm [ 10-17-2001: Message edited by: Advil ]

Honestly, you might as well. I don't know if that much RAM is going to make too much difference to the game, but for petes sake 256MB is under $25. Just do it. It can't hurt. You may also want to start saving up to upgrade your CPU soon. While 500mhz is ok for now, it won't be long now until it's the minimum requirement for most new games.

Not to drift too far astray from topic, but I was also a devout Voodoo fan. Not because their tech was superior, but because their cards were the defacto standard, and worked with the least fuss on every game. The day I heard they closed their doors, I sold my card to one of the people scrambling to get a card before they were gone. This was a good move in the long run, as I knew that major driver updates were now never going to happen. Alternatives: I loved 3dfx, but they are totally dead. It's time to start shopping for a new card. The GF3 TI 200 will be out any time now. I'd grab one of those if cost is an issue. They should debut in the $200 range. If cost is a major issue, get a GF2 Pro 64MB. They are getting near the $100 mark. Cheap, fast.

"Uninspiring Graphics..." How much IS there to look at when hurtling through the vastness of space? That's why it's called "space" and not "stuff" I say make the graphics as good as possible given the widely available and easy tools, then focus on the rest of the game. Which is exactly what SC did. Upgrades of the graphics later would be nice, but I'd take more features like multiplay or GCO before that. As they say, "It's the gameplay stupid!" This is why people like Counter Strike. I'm addicted to it, and the graphics frankly suck compared to any other modern shooter. Yes, BCM could have had rotating 3D models of the ships in Perscan, and cremembers as little glowing dots moving around, and bump mapped ships, planets, etc... but the budget would have had to be sky high, and the game delayed another year. the bottom line is NO ONE other than the SC was going to make this type of game at all. It never would have made it through the concept phase at any of the other major developers. They are all too focused on the cookie-cutter mega hit formula. (Diablo2, Max Payne, C&C) This one will stand on its own merits, and hopefully will remind the industry of its roots. Innovation in gameplay.

Don't get me started on unions. Havn't seen a damn good thing come of unions in the 10 years I've been in the workforce, other than a lot of wages garnished without the permission or the desire of the worker.

I believe you meant pricewatch. Priceline is for airline tickets. http://www.pricewatch.com

Am I the only one who thinks that since GCO is going to have all these vast planets, that it would be damn cool to have something like this available in GCO? Sorry SC, I know it just wouldn't be possible especially from a geometry throughput standpoint... Just ignore me while I daydream! Hehe, boy it sounds good though. Custom buildings, cities, offices. Meetings in game... and blowing up the complex of a guy you don't like from orbit.

I agree on Total Annihilation. While the graphics are somwhat dated, on a modern machine, you out to be able to get 400-500 units a side and have some REAL large scale battles. Speaking of that game... I know why that game was so popular. It did 2 things that everyone wants but no one ever gets in RTS games. 1) VARIETY. What ever happened to variety? You get TONS of official units with TA. Nothing's better than having so many units at your disposal, that you can attack your enemy in a nearly endless variety of way. Granted, certain units were better than others most of the time, but sometimes some really weird combo would work wonders. 2) SCALE OF COMBAT. I have not seen a game before or since that allowed so many units to clash at once. We used to have LAN partys and turn the unit limit up to the game maximum (200-250 a side with 5-6 players). The frame rate would drop below 1fps sometimes on our old celeron 333 systems, but it was FUN! Cavedog didn't put us in a box and tell us NO MORE THAN 50 units so it runs on a P100 flawlessly... no they gave us the choice to turn it up until the systems begged for mercy. It was FUN! Ahh... good memories. To put a BCM theme on this post, I'm hoping that BCM and GCO don't skimp on the system requirements, and give us the option to lay in as much AI and as many untis as our systms/servers/connections can handle.

Is anyone still roaming around AW? What would be helpful would be a full list here of all major BC locations so we can look for you guys.

The argument that the gun's sole purpose is to kill doesn't hold water. In this country (USA) we have certain rights, including the one to bear arms. The statement made earler "Hate guns, they scare the crap outa me." That's the problem. Anyone who makes that statement should logically be even more afraid of cars, since you are hundreds of times more likely to be killed by or in one. This is NOT a bad comparison, it is an excellent one. What these people are really saying is "Hate violence, it scares the crap outa me." they just don't realize that they are giving their fear a physical outlet by assigning it to an object (a gun) that is typically viewed as a tool of those who are violent. The end result is the opinion that if you remove the tool of violence you are actually removing the violence.

...[20:41] <@PyroRaven> If some one trys to steal you tank lum ask them to teach you how to drive it... Replace the word "tank" with BCM Supercarrier it becomes a much more amusing mental picture. "How DO you drive this thing?"

That's a pretty low number Andergum, I think I'd try to get it back. It probably got hacked because it's a low one any they wanted it. Did you know some of the really low numbers have sold for money?

Also which version of the demo are you running? SC warned that the 160MB high quality version needed at least a 32MB video card or the frame rate may take a big hit. - Advil

I have a solution to Thanatos's problem with the install. That is the exact problem I had when downloading the first versions of the demo that were released early at voodooextreme.com. It doesn't surprise me that there are still a few of those floating around. It is DEFINATELY a corrupt install. Get the demo from another site. www.demonews.com or www.fileplanet.com - Advil ------------------------------------- Posted Earlier by Thanatos: "...Installation Problems - Internal Error 2355 Downloaded the demo three different times from three different sites over the past four days from DSL Internet connection at work; downloaded to a Zip 100 disk and then installed on PC at home from the disk. Always the same problem: once the Windows Installer gets about 20% into "Copying new files,.." I receive the fatal message "BATTLECRUISER MILLENIUM Demo Installer Information" indicating "Internal Error 2355". Installation stops, and when I click "OK" on the error box, what installation has occurred is undone..." I have tried to install on Low, Medium and High Skybox settings, with no success. Download on the Zip disk indicates download size/properties of "91.7MB, (96,245,273 bytes), 96,245,760 bytes used". POS System: Micron Milleniun PII 450 Win 98 OS 64MB RAM DirectX 8.0 VooDoo 3 PCI; drivers v1.07 Desktop set to HighColor - 16bit 800MB free diskspace Norton AntiVirus disabled (my other PC is a Porsche) If I am guilty of not reading the FAQs properly, or if this problem has been asked and answered, I will run, not walk, to the nearest airlock and self-impose a read only exile. Thanks for any light that can be shared in my installer-challenged dark cave. Maybe I need that new TetraHertz PC with 2gig videocard, huh? Sleepless and sad in South Bend, Doc Hoover [This message has been edited by thanatos (edited 03-20-2001).]

Jag, Pioneer, Merfglerf, etc... Right there with you. (Too lazy to write up anything profound right now)

Works for me. This definately seems to qualify for "after release things to consider." I'd definately rather see the game at 100% before tackling the aesthetics.