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It's for laptop users

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It's for laptop users

Why did we put so much effort for low end systems?

from JoeUser Forums

Some of my friends who work in the game industry (you know who you are) have been teasing me about why we put so much effort into low end hardware support.  That is, GalCiv II supports kind of ridiculously low end hardware. 

I mean after all, who has an 800Mhz computer?  What gamer has a really low end graphics card?  Those people don't play games. They won't buy games. So why support them?

Our view is that it's not low end desktop users that we're targeting. Sure, they benefit from the work but it's LAPTOP users who play it. Our company's IP attorney, who is in his mid 50s, plays strategy games on his laptop when he travels (which he does considerably).  His home machine is plenty powerful but his laptop isn't quite as powerful.  And we think there are a lot of people out there who do this kind of thing.

Tell us what you think? Does laptop playability matter to you?

95,187 views 88 replies
Reply #27 from Stardock Forums Top
laptop user here, i enjoy being able to play games where ever
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Reply #28 from Stardock Forums Top
You better believe I care. The only PC I have is my laptop. I almost didnt by Civ 4 because of its requirements. You can be assured that your extra work was worth at least my 45 dollars.
Reply #29 from Stardock Forums Top
I'm very happy the game will run on laptops. Like many here, I have a powerful desktop machine, but I take my laptop with me everywhere. Being able to run GalCiv2 on that will be so nice! I can't stand to play Civ4 on it, even though its a bit above the system requirements, since it runs soooo slowly. Hopefully GalCiv2 will run nice and smooth (even if I have to turn detail settings down!).
Reply #30 from Stardock Forums Top
All I have is a laptop, so yes And being able to run on 800Mhz laptops is great even if you have a better one: Battery life. GalCiv2 is one of the few games I can play on my laptop without being plugged in (unlike, oh, I don't know... Civ4)
Reply #31 from Stardock Forums Top
Well, I don't have a laptop at the moment, but I will be getting one shortly for college stuff, at which point it will be my main PC... So yes, it is very important to me!

Thanks for that,

Aratur
Reply #32 from JoeUser Forums Top
It works out well since my parents want to play this game and they have a 4 yr old PC with a crap video card... so the low specs make the game available to them as well.
Reply #33 from Stardock Forums Top
Civ 4 only works on my three year old 1.8 GHz desktop. My personal two year old 2.6 GHz Dell laptop has video issues even after patching the game and updating the driver.

As a result, I'm haven't touched it in the past month since I don't like being "trapped" in the study. I prefer to play games while watching television elsewhere in the house or travelling.
Reply #34 from Stardock Forums Top
I always take GalCiv 1 with me on my labtop on business trips.

And I will (hopefully) do the same with GalCiv 2 - Civ 4 doesn't run because of some video issues (and getting new video drivers for a 2 year old notebook is nearly impossible).
Reply #35 from Stardock Forums Top
I always take GalCiv 1 with me on my labtop on business trips.

And I will (hopefully) do the same with GalCiv 2 - Civ 4 doesn't run because of some video issues (and getting new video drivers for a 2 year old notebook is nearly impossible).
Reply #36 from Stardock Forums Top
I only have a laptop, and it's a company machine. I only play when I commute or travel since my wife hates it when I "waste" my time gaming. My wife would never let me blow $1000+ on a gaming PC.

I am thankful that Stardock has made a conscious effort to include us road warriors. I would think that we tend to have more disposable income and be less likely to pirate, so we form a compelling market as well. Does Stardock or anyone else have any numbers on this?
Reply #37 from Stardock Forums Top
I have a really powerful desktop and a fairly new laptop that is pretty decent. It frustrates me however, when I can't play games on it as it has a dumb-ed down graphics card. I'm really glad I will have the opportunity to play Gal Civ II on it. I'm not always home and having games while on travel is nice.
Reply #38 from Stardock Forums Top
Sounds like your game industry friends only know hardcore gamers, Brad
I know more people with "crappy" computers than laptop users. Most people over 30
don't really upgrade, unless they have kids demanding the latest and greatest.
In which case they get the kids their own computers.

I helped cobble together a computer for a neighbour, and we scrounged up something
from the P2/P3 transition era. He plays games like HOMM3 and GalCiv, so he's a
potential buyer of GalCiv II. His current system doesn't meet the official minimum
specs for it, but we can always find some cheap, "old" hardware. He doesn't want to
spend as much on computers as a modern FPS/MMO gamer, but that doesn't make him a
second-rate customer.

(Note: This isn't America, so we don't get CPUs and graphics cards free with
HappyMeals )
Reply #39 from Stardock Forums Top
Brad, I know you use a tabletPC and the UI will work landscape or portrait . .. but can it change on the fly if I change the orientation?

Thanks for the lower-end support you provide. I've got an early generation tablet and I have struggles with some modern apps.
Reply #40 from Stardock Forums Top
I too have a laptop, It is a Dell XPS (Gen 1) 3.4Ghz HT, 1GB RAM, Radeon 9800 256Mb, so it's actually a desktop in a laptop case.

But, I'm very happy that Laptops are supported by GalCiv II.
Reply #42 from Stardock Forums Top
2 Laptops here. I really like it when the system requirements are down. I think sometimes the game industry is a little bit mad going for higher and higher requirements. Right now I think 97% of the high end computers you need only to play games all the other stuff runs well on my low end laptops.
Reply #43 from Stardock Forums Top
2 Laptops here. I really like it when the system requirements are down. I think sometimes the game industry is a little bit mad going for higher and higher requirements. Right now I think 97% of the high end computers you need only to play games all the other stuff runs well on my low end laptops.
Reply #44 from Stardock Forums Top
As an individual writing from his laptop (which is fastest computer), it does matter. Very much. Very very much. Thanks, you guys.
Reply #45 from Stardock Forums Top
I love gaming on my laptop. Ever since I got my desktop replacement system, I've barely touched my tower even though it is about the same speed. I just use the tower for long term downloads now.
Reply #46 from Stardock Forums Top
My only computer is a laptop. It's a 2 1/2 year old Presario. Fast machine: 2.66 Ghz with 768 (512 + 256) memory, but the graphics card is crap. So i'm glad it'll work for me. I couldn't buy it any other way.

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Reply #47 from Stardock Forums Top
I've never really liked laptops. I don't like the constriction, relative lack of power, difficulty of upgrading, or the cost. I've been programming and gaming for 20+ years. I prefer a natural keyboard, wireless optical mouse, and huge 22" CRT. The tiny keyboards with whacked layouts, mouse substitutes, and tiny displays of laptops make me cringe. Granted, you can plug in other devices or dock your laptop - but IMO, if you're going to go thru all that hassle then why have the laptop in the first place!?

Next - I think anyone who's serious about gaming should have a decent computer running Windows XP. XP is exceptionally stable and works great for gaming (with 1g of RAM). You should also have a decent graphics card. Anything less, and sorry, you're not very serious about gaming. Get a job, get a 2nd job, get a credit card - sell your soul in some way and get a decent computer!

So, IMO, games should be developed for XP and desktop PCs and if they happen to work on lesser machines (or other OSes) used by the minority then that's a bonus.
Reply #48 from Stardock Forums Top
im sorry i lost the topic which is actualy devoted to this but will my laptop play this ok its current cpu and gpu are rather pathetic. they are as follows:
2.19 ghz processor (intel celeron not sure of the exact model)
448mb ddr ram
(and my main query) intel extreme graphics card (which is ancient i must say, older than the old ge force 2 lol)

i dont mind turning features down but i dont want to miss out on this game...ive bin waiting for so long i just have to have it
Reply #49 from Stardock Forums Top
My main computer is a laptop. Granted, I bought a gaming laptop so it has the power to handle anything I throw at it, but it's still a laptop. I'm never going back to a desktop, I just love the convenience of gaming wherever I want in the house with a wireless connection. I also really like using a touchpad.

I appreciate any and all efforts to support laptop gaming!
Reply #50 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well, out of all the immensely interesting stuff, I've read on these forums, this post got me out of lurk-mode. Yes, laptop playability matters to me!

I might not be "serious about gaming", but even though I have a desktop pc, I find myself doing most of the gameplaying that I have time for (too seldom nowadays, sadly) using my laptop in my cozy chair. Until I get a plasma screen hooked up with my main PC , that is probably going to be the way I play most of my games in the near future, I think. So thanks a lot for giving me that opportunity with what seems to be a fantastic game. Looking forward to playing it!