Battlefield Not recession proof....

**Alundil** · 02-23-11, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by flame

crashes while loading n to a server. Game will launch select server and hit join screen goes black then desktop with no errors. Tried every fix I could find on various forums. Reinstalled everything but my OS. runs fine on my win7 laptop...

That's strange. No issues for me on either PC.

**WileECyte** · 02-23-11, 04:05 PM

Official 'support' for XP ended 2 years ago. It's on 'extended' support now which means only security issues are being fixed, unless you pony up serious bucks to get them to fix something non-security related. That support ends in April of 2014.

OEM copies of Win7 are only $100 from Newegg. Only difference from OEM vs Retail is you get a couple hours of free technical support. The common misconception is that Win7 requires massive amounts of resources. It runs fine on my kids' PCs, which aren't the greatest. Sempron processors, onboard video & audio, 2 gigs of RAM. They're definitely not anywhere close to high end.

Will a lot of people need to upgrade? Sure. The Battlefield series has never been a 'casual' gamers game. It's always been pushing the limits of hardware. Most folks had to upgrade when BF2 came out, and again when 2142 came out. Sure, you can run both on budget-level systems now, but at the time of their release they definitely taxed your system. I remember folks not being able to play on 64-player servers for both BF2 and 2142 due to having older systems. Same thing happened with BC2. Folks had systems that ran BF2/2142 fine maxxed out but couldn't even play BC2 on low settings. It's the nature of the beast. PC Gamers are a different breed. The vast majority time their upgrades around the releases of games they play. This will be no different.

**Potemkine** · 02-23-11, 04:05 PM

Originally Posted by BuddyLee.

Steam Hardware & Software Survey

24.5% still using XP 32&64

BL

Less than 25% and shrinking. Small and getting smaller.

**Alundil** · 02-23-11, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by Bunni

im sure valve has stats available which include gamer os' representation gathered via steam hardware survey.

According to Steam's hardware survey....
Steam Hardware & Software Survey

OS Versions	Percentage	Change
Windows 7 64 Bit	35.36%	+1.05%
Windows XP 32 bit	23.66%	-1.27%
Windows Vista 32 Bit	13.33%	-.22%
Windows 7	10.99%	-.21%
Windows Vista 64 Bit	10.18%	+.47%

MAC OS (all of them) and Windows XP 64 Bit + all others equates to less than 10%

**Alundil** · 02-23-11, 04:15 PM

Hehe - hot topic today

**CivilWars** · 02-23-11, 04:29 PM

I have Vista 64, and I can play every game TPG hosts plus CoH, WoT, and EVE with no issues whatsoever. Step 1, turn off UAC and throw it in the trash, solves most problems.

**Bunni** · 02-23-11, 04:31 PM

upgrade to w7, hugggggge difference from vista.... even though its ironically the same thing...

**CivilWars** · 02-23-11, 04:37 PM

Vista = Free and works fine.
7 = Costs money.

I am planning a new build in the next month or so, and then this machine will be given to my kids. The new build will have 7.

**AetheLove** · 02-23-11, 05:17 PM

Originally Posted by Alundil

However, if people are playing games on their PCs (and not simple puzzle-ish or PopCap stuff) then they are still likely using some flavor of Windows. That is a fairly straight forward fact. Publishing houses (and subsequently developing houses) don't want to develop on small platforms. This is why there are far more games on console than there are on PCs. And additionally far more games on PCs than there are on Macs, than there are on Linux etc... Those are small(er) platforms.

Yes, though I was pretty happy when Valve added MacOS support to Source. It didn't matter to me personally, but my brother and some of my friends now have access to Portal, and CS:S, and TF2, etc.

Civil was saying "Vista = Free; 7 = Money". It's not a lot of money, but it's enough to delay him for a while. That's the friction. He had to turn off UAC just to play games, that's friction. If I was doing all my work and play on Windows, I'd put up with the time spent installing/twiddling/sys-admining etc., etc.; but I already admin my day-to-day system.

So while I don't feel particularly inclined to give MS $140 (or $100, or whatever it would be) just so I can play BF3, I am absolutely dreading all the associated BS of installing and endlessly fucking with another goddamned Windows.

That's where the friction is for me.

Cheers,

AetheLove

**WileECyte** · 02-23-11, 05:20 PM

I've not turned off UAC and have no problems running any of the Battlefield games in Win7. My machine is fairly stock as far as settings go... I've not bothered tinkering with it. As long as my stuff works, I don't tinker.