SF4 PC Version in stores early?

DeLaTroY

Hey gamers, just wondering if anyone has seen SF4 for sale yet? A GGPO friend last night told me that its selling in Germany already - perhaps its the same in Ireland?? Otherwise it should be here on Friday (July 3rd).

L31mr0d

I see it's already been leaked for PC also When is Steam starting it's pre-orders?

EDIT: lol, my bad http://store.steampowered.com/app/21660/

cherryghost

hope i can get it before this weekends lan :P

was in a few shops today, apparently GAME in Liffey Valley and Gamestop in Longford both have the game down as TBC and they dont have a clue if they're getting it or not

DeLaTroY

wtf.. that's ****ty arsed. Its supposed to be out in the EU on the 3rd and the US on the 7th so why arn't GAME and steam stocking it?

Can download from capcom here: http://shop.capcom.com/store/capcomus/en_US/DisplayProductDetailsPage/productID.127053300 but only after the 7th!! *****! As usual, Europe fails to get proper localisation!"£!"!"£!"£!"£! Maybe HMV will have it tomorrow.

If you buy it retail can you still use it on steam or restricted to Windows Live only?

Azza

I'd still imagine game and gamestop will have it tomorrow. Its not uncommon for them to be unsure of release dates even right before the release date.

wayne040576

Seems to be a bit of confusion over the release date or some other problem with stores.

I preordered a copy at Amazon for my brother a few weeks ago and got this mail this morning:

We regret to inform you that your order will take longer to fulfill than originally estimated. Our supplier has notified us that there is a delay obtaining stock for the following items you ordered on June 17 2009.

"Street Fighter IV (PC)"

We are awaiting a revised estimate from our supplier, and will email you as soon as we receive this information.

It says it's in stock on their site but that must have just changed status when when it reached the 3rd July.

DeLaTroY

That's gay! Cancel the order. I'm going to get it on steam on the 7th.

Azza

Picked it up in Game this morning. €39.99

Installing now....ohh can you feel the pycho power!

earlyapex

i got it shipped yesterday from sendit.com for 21.49 euro,
game are rip off!

Azza

Yeah but I needed it first thing. Anyway €39.99 its the recommended retail price set by Capcom.

cherryghost

gamestop in longford didnt have it this morning!! :mad:

Azza

Gamestop is poor for PC games. I noticed more and more recently that they don't get alot of PC games on the day of there release unless the box says World of Warcraft or the Sims 2 Hair Style Party. Game in Athlone had it. Did not check Gamestop.

cherryghost

cheers ill get my friend to pick it up for me. im raging i am!

DeLaTroY

Can you register the retail box on steam Azza?

Cunny-Funt

Azza wrote: »

Picked it up in Game this morning. €39.99

Installing now....ohh can you feel the pycho power!

let us know what its like man, I wont be getting it just yet as I'm broke as hell, and don't feel like buying a game I already got when I've this little cash. But at the same time I'm really looking forward to having the PC version

Azza

No Delatroy you can't. Infact its very rare you can do that, only a handful of retail games allow this.

Playing around with the PC version and its fine.

It uses the Xbox 360 replay system as opposed to the PS3 version. Seems to allow you to save as many of the top replays as you want. Still can't save your own but you could always use fraps for that now that we are on PC.
Its deffo the best looking version of the game.
Game loads faster than console versions. Runs smooth as silk with alt tabbing perfectly supported. Yeah!!
Everything else seems identical to console versions.
Online is much nicer to chat to people with a keyboard! even though you still have to go through GFWL. Still better than PSN.
Network performance seems the same but the performance bars seem to change much more.
Championship mode is included by default and they even added it into the manual.
Needless to say the leader boards are almost empty at the moment.

One unfortante snag. I have only tired one or two quick games online and it ran slow. Seems the PC crowd or at least the ones not use to fighting games don't realise that 30-45 frames isn't good enough its 60 or bust. If one person has a lower frame rate the game speed drops for both players to allow for the poor performance. Hope the word spreeds quickly and people lower there settings.

Currently doing the rounds of unlocking characters...trying to unlock akuma but I keep end up fighting Gouken ...asshole.

L31mr0d

Azza wrote: »

Currently doing the rounds of unlocking characters...trying to unlock akuma but I keep end up fighting Gouken ...asshole.

lol, you're to good for your own good. You'll have to lower your number of Ultra and Perfect finishes. I think for Akuma you need 2 perfect finishes and 1 Ultra finish (with 1 round, 99 secs)

Kirby

ultra and perfect away....just lose on purpose to seth for 1 continue. problem solved

Cunny-Funt

Azza wrote: »

It uses the Xbox 360 replay system as opposed to the PS3 version. Seems to allow you to save as many of the top replays as you want. Still can't save your own but you could always use fraps for that now that we are on PC.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

WTF is their problem? I want all my matches to have the ability to be replays if I want them. Its then that I'd use fraps, recording the replay! Fair enough if others can't view them , I should be able to view my own though! The whole point is, you never know when your gonna have that ultra replay worthy match where some crazy **** goes down and its epic...

I'm not gonna set up fraps and record every match in the hope that I get one of these matchs, aaaaaaaaaargh why capcom WHY? its just a basic thing WHY??????

Azza wrote: »

Online is much nicer to chat to people with a keyboard! even though you still have to go through GFWL. Still better than PSN.

Hmmm, so what your saying is, I still have to go to some menu thing and basically send the guy something similar to a private message? In 2DF I can just press T on my keyboard, brings up an area to enter text on the bottom of the screen just like in a BILLION other PC games, I type what I want, and that appears on his screen, while we're in game fighting...

Yet again such a basic thing. WTF capcom!

Wonder if the modding community can help here...

Bah!

Azza

Games for Windows Live is identical to Xbox Live in terms of functionality. So bascially its a console match making service we are getting on PC. Sucks yes but this wasn't exactly unexpected as they said the online functionality would be the same as the consoles. I could hardly imagine them going to the expense of creating a mutiplayer chat lobby and browser list for what is an unknown proposition (fighting games on PC).

However I found it much snapper and responsive over using PSN messaging system. HAd the game lock solid on me there a few minutes ago. Same issue as I had in PSN you don't want to go in an out of live during a load screen too often. Found the same thing on the PSN. Game locks up or takes age to recover from it.

For replays just fraps man.

Hurry up an buy so I can play you online.

Cunny-Funt

Azza wrote: »

. I could hardly imagine them going to the expense of creating a mutiplayer chat lobby and browser list for what is an unknown proposition (fighting games on PC).

Well I'm not surprised about the lobby, but I thought we'd at least get in-game chat. God damn consoles ARRGH. But if some random programmers can do it for games that were made for the arcade, I can't see how adding an in game chat option woulda been that hard.

Also there was a fighting game on the PC called Kwonho, it had an in game lobby and in game chat and spectator mode. There was a small window at the bottom of the screen during the fights too and all the people in the room could chat and comment on the fight etc.



Joining a room : http://images.mmosite.com/feature/news/2006_12_05/big/kwonho3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/Raiyne/loadgame.jpg?t=1246646576


During a fight : http://jordanmafia.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/289-0.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/kwonho/zapoqx/Games/KwonHo-NICEHIT.jpg?o=7

Azza wrote: »

For replays just fraps man.

Ah common you must understand my disappointment here no? I'm a big fan of replays in games, I loved BF2's battle recorder, I loved how you could save replays in MAME and I love how 2df automatically makes a replay of every game you play. So then when the epic game occurs, its recorded. Its just a few KB's recording of inputs that would then run in the engine.

Using fraps which'll slow my pc, and eat up my HD space for every match I play in the hope I catch a really good fight worth keeping is not a very realistic thing to do. Its disappointing Plus its really annoying that they actually HAVE the feature there , just not implement it in a good way.

Dreddybajs

Yeah the replay system is **** and I dunno why you'd make excuses for it - using FRAPS every time you play in case you have a good match is a horrible alternative.

Cunny-Funt

Indeed. Azzas just an optimist and wants to the think positively about his new purchase which I totally understand, and in the end it the PC version will still be the best one , just a few small little things that shoulda been there , that really can make a difference sometimes. Its just another PC release thats been released to us PC users all consolized.

But this is why, if they for example release 3s on PSN etc, I'd probably still play it more on 2df lol.

But yeah at least the game runs great etc, that is the important thing.

Azza

I'm not an optimist, I'm a realist.

Its been known for several months that capcom where not adding anything additional to the PC version in terms of online play or the replay system.

Games for Windows Live is the exact same as Xbox Live, once they announced it was a Live game I knew it was going to be identical.

Yes its a console interface from mutliplayer but at least the game is a very good port in every other area.

I do also wish there was a better replay feature.

Its pretty much par for the course that most developers a minimalist approach to PC conversions of games at the moment. Spend the least amount of effort because I don't think games companys believe they will get much reward in terms of sales. At least Capcom have stopped off loading there IP's to crappy external developers and are actually showing good support for the PC platfrom when many developers are going the opposite way.

Creature

Nevermind early, it was barely released anywhere today! I tried Gamestop in Clare Hall and Henry St., GAME in the Ilac centre, Smyths on Jervis St., HMV on Henry and Grafton St. and none of them had it. Only HMV had a release date which was supposed to be today but for some reason they just didn't get it in. The rest just gave me a blank stare and didn't have any record of the game existing.
I finally managed to get it in GAME on Dawson St. They had two copies in but if you're gonna try Dublin city centre for the game, for heaven's sake ring around first, I wish I had done that!

L31mr0d

had a few rounds of this on the PC last night. Already I'm liking it, I can't put my finger on it but inputs just feel... faster. I know it's odd, but I'm pulling off combos a lot more regularly now, maybe it's the refresh rate on my monitor compared to the PS3 (my plasma runs at 30hz I think) or it could be that I'm a lot closer to my PC screen.

The game just looks a lot cleaner also at 1920x1200 and runs fine with everything maxed out. Had to snore my way through unlocking Akuma again, as for the colours and everything else, I think I'll wait till a free trainer is released as the save files out seem to mess up GFWL

K.O.Kiki

Azza wrote:

One unfortante snag. I have only tired one or two quick games online and it ran slow. Seems the PC crowd or at least the ones not use to fighting games don't realise that 30-45 frames isn't good enough its 60 or bust. If one person has a lower frame rate the game speed drops for both players to allow for the poor performance. Hope the word spreeds quickly and people lower there settings.

The MAIN reason why 2D fighting games will always be superior -- no need to worry about your graphics card's performance!
But that right there, that's a deal-breaker Azza.

My want to shift over to BB just intensified!

Azza

This issue of variable frame rate has been compounded by the lack of online chat lobby. If he had a chat lobby we would simply be able to spam the chat lobby with messages telling people to get there FPS to a constant 60 or we won't play them. We could quickly ask them before playing them what there FPS is.

Playing with people you know its not an issue, as they know or you can tell them. Play with randomers is horrible at the moment.

This is the price of being burdened with a console multiplayer interface. Capcom did a great job with the performance side of the port, but GFWL is just not what most PC gamers want or need when they have had vastly superior offerings for years.

L31mr0d

Azza wrote: »

We could quickly ask them before playing them what there FPS is.

The issue here also is people playing on plasma screens. It seems to be a trend amongst people I know to have a smaller screen for their desktop then have a plasma as the second monitor for games as you can get a larger screen for cheaper, but lose out on the refresh rate and resolution.

Problem is a lot of plasmas, particularly the older ones from 1 or 2 years back, are rated at 30 fps (even though the display might say 60hz refresh rate, it might only be able to display at a rate of 30fps). With vsync on the players FPS is always going to be capped at 30 fps. Most players notice a lot of tearing with vsync off so they will usually leave it on.

So if you are playing against people on PC connected to HDTV's their FPS is always going to lower (unless they have 1 of the newer brands)

There is also the issue of HDTV lag:

http://forums.shoryuken.com/showthread.php?t=174085

EDIT: Actually, reading that srk link again myself I realise now why combos feel easier on the PC. My HT setup processes the video stream twice, it gets up converted first via my Amps video processor and then my TV up converts the image again via it's own video processor. I have no way to disable this, and frankly I hadn't even taken the lag caused by this into consideration with other games. Also my plasma has low response time which could also be a problem.

Cunny-Funt

Azza wrote: »

This issue of variable frame rate has been compounded by the lack of online chat lobby. If he had a chat lobby we would simply be able to spam the chat lobby with messages telling people to get there FPS to a constant 60 or we won't play them. We could quickly ask them before playing them what there FPS is.

Playing with people you know its not an issue, as they know or you can tell them. Play with randomers is horrible at the moment.

This is the price of being burdened with a console multiplayer interface. Capcom did a great job with the performance side of the port, but GFWL is just not what most PC gamers want or need when they have had vastly superior offerings for years.

Sigh, this is why I knew it was bad news when I heard it was going to be games for windows live. **** live.

I should be able to instantly chat to the person I'm playing in a game. Not send them a ****ing mail.

As a PC gamer I can ****ing chat to my mates who arnt even playing the same game as me faster (x-fire, steam etc) then chat to the same guy in game with this consolised dumbed down crap.

Argh I get so pissed off at this crap I really do. :mad:

Azza

Yeah but no developer not least primarily a console developer is currently interested in doing more than the bare minimum to get a PC version to gold status because its harder to make money on most PC games.

Not saying PC games sales figures are failing, they are probably still growing but a much smaller rate than console, while each year the cost of game development sky rockets.

Games for Windows Live is an inferior system to what we have had by default for years though no doubt about it. What works okay on an Xbox 360 does not mean it will work okay on PC. Even community developed progams like GGPO and 2DF offer superior online functionality.