Sigh…
Ive been waiting for this game for over a year now, finally got it today. Its not for sale until tomorrow here in Australia, but the guys in the shop i went to said they had it in stock, so i managed to get it a day before the release date. So far so good… But wait…
It took me nearly 3 painstaking hours to install. I found a nice explanation of what its like to install the game. This is EXACTLY what its been like for me, and thousands of others.
Step 1: “Tut” loudly as you are forced to agree to be part of the Rockstar Social Club; a Gamespy type program that must be installed before you can install the game.
Step 2. Install the game. It comes on 2 DVDs, taking up 16GB’s of space.
Step 3: Growl loudly when asked to make a Microsoft Live account. If you haven’t done so, be prepared for an arduous task in itself. Begin to cry.
Step 4: Wipe tears of frustration from eyes. Unclench jaw. Finish installing the game.
Step 5: Start crying again when you realise you must now make a Rockstar Social Club account. Do so while chanting a mantra of harsh words (language choice is optional).
Step 6: Go to email account to find validation code. See no email. Break something within arms reach.
Step 7: Ask website to resubmit code. Eventually find it in the junk folder. Consider offering Satan your soul to end the pain. Click validation link.
Step 8: Choose whether to assign your Xbox, Play Station or PC Microsoft Live account to the Rockstar Social Club. Plot assassination of Microsoft Live creator. Choose account.
Step 9: Attempt to sign into account as requested. Check watch: it’s dinner time… but didn’t you just eat breakfast?
Step 10: Finally finish creating Rockstar Social Club account. Sigh with wary relief. Start Social Club program.
Step 11: Speak in tongues as the program updates. Make a pot plant spontaneously combust.
Step 12: Rejoice as a big splash page with the word “Play!” appears. Click it with tired optimism.
Step 13: Bash head against keyboard repeatedly after seeing message stating “Please install the new Windows Live Update”. Feel the beginnings of an ulcer forming.
Step 14: 22MB later, install update. Rock back in forth in your chair while attempting the “Play” button again.
Step 15: It works! Hooray! …right? WRONG. Activate the game again by entering the code on your manual. Wait for it to su****iously validate you. Feel slightly violated when it finally gives you the OK and starts the game.
Step 16: Begin to worry when black screen lasts 5 minutes. Alt + tab a few times. Remove fingernails from fingers due to over ambitious biting.
Step 17: Menu words! At last! Proceed to graphics options.
Step 18: Consider hiring Chuck Norris to roundhouse kick Rockstar when they tell you “You can not set the graphics higher as your system lacks resources” when you not only have enough resources, the benchmark test runs crystal smooth.
Step 19: Sigh, write it off as a bug. Begin game. Hooray! GTA IV at last!
Step 20: Game crashes to desktop.
This is all due mostly to the anti-piracy crap layered into the game, and the terrible engineering and cross platforming on Rockstars side.
The game crashing to the desktop is the biggest issue, because of the infamous Fatal error MMA10 error, which crashes the game whenever your logged into windows live or the social club (both are required to play the game btw, especially multiplayer)
Sooooo… this is fixed by not logging into windows live or the social club. So yay! The game works! But again, wait… You need to be logged into windows live and connected to the internet to be able to actually save the game. takes a deep breath
Now aside from that, the game runs very very poorly (graphics-wise). Keep in mind my laptop is brand new, and can play crysis on mid-high graphics. GTA4 automatically runs on the lowest settings. So i figured id crank the graphics up a little, to see how much i can get out of it, and guess what? The graphics settings are restricted by the performance of your computer. You actually cannot change the graphics settings up higher, at all.
Gah… So im a little frustrated at the moment, it is a very nice game once you get into it, thats for sure. But it needs a lot of work… Im waiting for patches fingers crossed
Kinda feel sorry for the developers, they put all this hard work into a game, and then when its released like this it just takes it all away from them. There getting a lot of crap atm on the GTA forums… A lot of very unhappy people…
So has anyone else gone out and got their PC version of GTA…?