What should I do about San Andreas

i thought you're getting a new pc. wait until then. the game's pretty good. lots and lots of missions. i've had it for a while, and i haven't even finished it, but mostly because i got tired of it after a while.fireandcloud

Yeah I am. But I'm not really sure when to bite the bullet and go out there and get it!

Restarting your computer? What are your PC specs? It's a great game, just tough it out. The first levels always seem tedious but it's better than just being pushed right in. Have you patched the game? I really recommend you play through it, I'm sorry it's having issues on your PC, it's really stable on both of my PC's, the one listed below and an older Pentium III system.Marfoo

Specs:

1.2GHZ.

576 RAM

Windows 2K .

GeforceFX 5700.

Mouse and Water cooler in another room.

Yep..thats the ol' girl. Its the patched version of the game I bought v.2.0.

I really don't see what the fuss is about with the game though, its length I'll grant you that!!

Well, like I said, the first missions aren't too appealing, but as you get further into the game it's amazing.Marfoo

Do you mean like when you get to the second and third map? I've been playing the game for a while now even though I'm still on the first island...

It's one big island really, you're in the first city, Los Santos, or LA basically. Later you can go to San Fierro (San Francisco) and also Las Venturas (Las Vegas). The fact that there are 3 cities in the game is amazing, tons of wilderness in between. Missions range from going on hits, driving, running from cops, flying RC planes with machine guns. You also work for a different number of people. In the beginning it's all about Grove Street, but then it starts shifting towards you working to help yourself. After a while you begin to feel like a high roller, like your actually doing some big things, not just a small time in Grove Street anymore.

I'd give it a chance. It may feel dated now given the game came out some number of years ago, but it's fun nontheless. Plus you can't tell me the game doesn't have some good humor in it. I like it because the game is so violent but the comedic relief just balances it out in that demented kind of way. lol.

Um. The game play is exactly the problem. The combat is terribly awkward and bland. The AI is atrocious if non-existent. The story is disjointed and uneven (even if it is funny). The graphics are UGLY: bland textures, character models, houses that look like they're made out of paper. Its artificially difficult: You can't save it during a mission: stuff up and you have to redo the entire mission including driving there!! One of the missions I played if you even tapped the trunk of the car in the slightest then you had to get it repaired! It was terrible! There's not a lot of sound, so not much atmosphere in the city. The weapon sounds are minimal (though good voice acting). Geez, I could go on.

I'm not saying its a fun game but there's a heck of a lot of things that could have been improved.

Hmmm. Maybe i've just been spoilt by the polish of games like Thief, Half-Life and COD.

While I think you should play it, there's just no percentage in playing a game you don't enjoy.

If you aren't enjoying it, and you force yourself to play it, you'll enjoy it even less.

If the restarting issue (which by the way I've never heard of with SA) is the main problem, wait for your new PC and try again.

But if you don't want to play it, don't.

While I think you should play it, there's just no percentage in playing a game you don't enjoy.

If you aren't enjoying it, and you force yourself to play it, you'll enjoy it even less.

If the restarting issue (which by the way I've never heard of with SA) is the main problem, wait for your new PC and try again.

But if you don't want to play it, don't.

mfsa

Yeah. I think I'll wait on it. I'm a competitor so that makes it mildly enjoyable ha. Its not the worst game at all, there's a lot to like about it. But hey at least that Neo guy will think twice before telling me whats wrong with the game and insulting the ol' girl. (the computer lol)

You also have to keep in mind that this game and its engine were all developed around the Playstation2. Now PS2 didn't exactly have the best hardware to get everything in there, and believe me, the PS2 version looks much worse compared to the PC version with all the settings on low, plus it ran much much slower. Yeah the AI is kind of bland, the graphics aren't that good, but the game was pretty groundbreaking at the time because it combined all of these elements in a freeroam lively environment and you can do almost anything you want.

I'd say, play it for some time more, if by sometime in the second city you're still not having fun, it may just not be suited to your taste. I know the game isn't as fun on my old PC (Pentium III 1.0GHz, 512MB RAM, ATI X1300pro) as it is on my new one, when this game runs smooth and you can take off the frame limiter it's a major step up. The game looses some of it's essence in choppy vision.

You also have to keep in mind that this game and its engine were all developed around the Playstation2. Now PS2 didn't exactly have the best hardware to get everything in there, and believe me, the PS2 version looks much worse compared to the PC version with all the settings on low, plus it ran much much slower. Yeah the AI is kind of bland, the graphics aren't that good, but the game was pretty groundbreaking at the time because it combined all of these elements in a freeroam lively environment and you can do almost anything you want.

I'd say, play it for some time more, if by sometime in the second city you're still not having fun, it may just not be suited to your taste. I know the game isn't as fun on my old PC (Pentium III 1.0GHz, 512MB RAM, ATI X1300pro) as it is on my new one, when this game runs smooth and you can take off the frame limiter it's a major step up. The game looses some of it's essence in choppy vision.

Marfoo

What did you make of the combat though? I really don't think it compares to say Max Payne. Its either overly simple, just clicking away till they die, or awkward since you're trying to hold down both mouse buttons, move the mouse to get a head shot. And the weapons lack punch except for the AK-47 - that worked well since you could mow them down quickly.

[QUOTE="Marfoo"]

You also have to keep in mind that this game and its engine were all developed around the Playstation2. Now PS2 didn't exactly have the best hardware to get everything in there, and believe me, the PS2 version looks much worse compared to the PC version with all the settings on low, plus it ran much much slower. Yeah the AI is kind of bland, the graphics aren't that good, but the game was pretty groundbreaking at the time because it combined all of these elements in a freeroam lively environment and you can do almost anything you want.

I'd say, play it for some time more, if by sometime in the second city you're still not having fun, it may just not be suited to your taste. I know the game isn't as fun on my old PC (Pentium III 1.0GHz, 512MB RAM, ATI X1300pro) as it is on my new one, when this game runs smooth and you can take off the frame limiter it's a major step up. The game looses some of it's essence in choppy vision.

biggest_loser

What did you make of the combat though? I really don't think it compares to say Max Payne. Its either overly simple, just clicking away till they die, or awkward since you're trying to hold down both mouse buttons, move the mouse to get a head shot. And the weapons lack punch except for the AK-47 - that worked well since you could mow them down quickly.

Did you not think to change the controls? I set it up so delete pulls up my reticle (I use arrow keys), so aiming was smooth and easy.

Personally, I enjoy GTA's combat - but it's also only one part of the game. GTA's strength is how big the world is, how much there is, and how great it feels. The game also takes off once you get past the turf war bits, it becomes far more open as you start buying buildings and then undertaking missions as you choose, where you choose.

Uh, GTA SA is not over rated, but yeah it does have its share of flaws. The combat is pretty meh, but thats true with GTA3 and VC too, so thats nothing new. AI is also poor, but again the combat was designed for the PS2 so...

The story is pretty good actually, although if you are still in Los Santos you haven't met the good characters like the truth or toreno and the plot will make more sense later on. The first Los Santos is the weakest part of the game, it gets quite a bit better from there.

As others have said, if you really aren't having fun don't keep playing it, but it really is a good game if you give it some time.

No doubt there's a few problems with San Andreas. However please don't let those problems determine the game as 'overrated'. Underneath the little annoyances is an incredible game that I still play on a regular basis 3 years after it's release. I'm guessing that you have already tweaked all the settings to see if it stops the crashing issues. One fix I read about(but never had to try it) was changing the compatibility mode. Right click the icon on your desktop and go to properties. Go to the compatibility tab and change it to run in Windows 98 / Windows Me. I've read from a few people that this fixes some stability issues in the game.Vudu_Line

I'm running the game on W2K. My opinion on the game is my own thank you very much. You have yours too which is cool.

GTA is the worst game series ever and most overrated. and yes they are bad games. bad graphics, bad fun factor aka boring, bad they gay and bad role model for teh world. rockstar games prides themselves on making games with horrible graphics, worse gameplay, and even worse storyline and quite immoral.
mxpenguin

Heheheheheh.....ehehhehehe.... ahem......no see here! I wouldn't say they're bad games....in its awfulness lol SA is strangely addictive. I really don't know why. The combat system is fairly awkward and the graphics are terrible. And yet it remains playable...I think its already been announced as a new form of torture at Guantanamo Bay!

I know you're getting upgrades soon, but if you can tough it out, go ahead, cuz it's a fun single player campaign, and worth a playthrough, and hey, remember that San Andreas is very moddable, so if there's a mod that changes something you don't like, get it.

I've seen videos of people who modded the living crap out of that game, it's awesome! Wish I got it for PC but I got it on PS2, it's probably really cheap now though.

Heheheheheh.....ehehhehehe.... ahem......no see here! I wouldn't say they're bad games....in its awfulness lol SA is strangely addictive. I really don't know why. The combat system is fairly awkward and the graphics are terrible. And yet it remains playable...I think its already been announced as a new form of torture at Guantanamo Bay!

biggest_loser

Actually, you mistook that for Splinter Cell Double Agent for PC, they just put in the game, and they say "ok, you're free to play it".

Yet, the game is so buggy, that they won't get very far, and even when they get to the last level, the game will freeze (and I don't mean freeze and then crash...the game just...stops...you can still load saves and everything..but it eventually just stops.), and then the guys at Guantanamo will say "oh, try and fix it with a patch or something", then it won't work, then they'll try everything they can, then they'll make the prizoner call Ubisoft for help, after they've been shoved off after numerous e-mails to their support line. (when I sent in all my bug reports, they just said 'oh sorry, that's a gameplay hints and tips thing, I can't help you, I'm not allowed." HAHA, WHAT A LOAD OF BULL****, so I thought I should call them.)

Then, once the prizoner is dealing with all the morons at Ubisoft over the phone, they'll realize the truth, and just say "ARGH! WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END?!?!" and then just give into the torture.

[QUOTE="biggest_loser"]

Heheheheheh.....ehehhehehe.... ahem......no see here! I wouldn't say they're bad games....in its awfulness lol SA is strangely addictive. I really don't know why. The combat system is fairly awkward and the graphics are terrible. And yet it remains playable...I think its already been announced as a new form of torture at Guantanamo Bay!

ElArab

Actually, you mistook that for Splinter Cell Double Agent for PC, they just put in the game, and they say "ok, you're free to play it".

Yet, the game is so buggy, that they won't get very far, and even when they get to the last level, the game will freeze (and I don't mean freeze and then crash...the game just...stops...you can still load saves and everything..but it eventually just stops.), and then the guys at Guantanamo will say "oh, try and fix it with a patch or something", then it won't work, then they'll try everything they can, then they'll make the prizoner call Ubisoft for help, after they've been shoved off after numerous e-mails to their support line. (when I sent in all my bug reports, they just said 'oh sorry, that's a gameplay hints and tips thing, I can't help you, I'm not allowed." HAHA, WHAT A LOAD OF BULL****, so I thought I should call them.)

Then, once the prizoner is dealing with all the morons at Ubisoft over the phone, they'll realize the truth, and just say "ARGH! WHEN WILL THE MADNESS END?!?!" and then just give into the torture.

You must really dislike that game from what I gathered....either that or you were taken prisoner and that really happened...

That's my life story about when I bought double agent. The game is fun, I loved it...too bad I could hardly get to play it. They say when you work hard for something you appreciate it more.

Since I could never finish double agent, I do appreciate how far I managed to get lol.

That is the buggiest and overall the worst console port out there, it's VERY infamous for it, I'm just a little surprised you haven't heard about it.

This is the most overrated game I have bought in some time. I'm not going to go into what I don't like about it. Its not a *bad* game as such, there's just a lot of problems with it. The game frequently restarts my computer for one thing. I am still only up to the first map where you have to go to the cementary and kill one of the bosses. Should I tough it out and keep going or just leave it before it dismantles my poor ol' PC. I don't know how much more the old girl can take. biggest_loser

Your totally correct. San andreas was absolute pants, too big and too dull after you leave your home town. Lost interest pronto. Bin it mate, not worth the effort :)

[QUOTE="biggest_loser"]This is the most overrated game I have bought in some time. I'm not going to go into what I don't like about it. Its not a *bad* game as such, there's just a lot of problems with it. The game frequently restarts my computer for one thing. I am still only up to the first map where you have to go to the cementary and kill one of the bosses. Should I tough it out and keep going or just leave it before it dismantles my poor ol' PC. I don't know how much more the old girl can take. Mankyblobs

Your totally correct. San andreas was absolute pants, too big and too dull after you leave your home town. Lost interest pronto. Bin it mate, not worth the effort :)

I really think there is something lacking in the audio that makes the city a bit dull. There needed to be some ambient music all the way through or more sounds or something. The city is so quiet apart from your car.

Another thing: how do i conquer all the areas with the gangs in Map 1? There is no way someone could conquer all that purplish area. Its just not possible. The areas you capture are so tiny, you have to do it piece by piece. What haven't I been told?!

One of the main reason I found it so fun was because I always played it with a friendon his xboxLecithin67

Hey i didn't ask for your life story ol' man. This is the PC forum bucko. How did you sneak past the guards with guns? And by the way those guards do not run in circles towards the wall and no they do not have universal ammo in their weapons...ahem...well sir I'm glad you liked the game but we're talking about the PC version. Now....who has actually finished the first map? How the hell are you supposed to take all the areas? Is there a quick way to beat the gangs? Like maybe there's a head gang boss you can kidnap, roll up in a carpet and then throw him out of a hot air balloon. Now that would be my dream game idea.....you can do that in San Andreas PC VERSION can't you? xx

Wow it's a warzone of opinions in here. Anyway, the territory war is just meant to keep you occupied for a while, don't feel like you have to conquer it right away. You'll be introduced to it again later on in the story, and when that happens it'll seem more achievable. GTA has some rough gameplay areas, but it it's a very unique feeling game and for the most part the content stays pretty fresh by introducing new things gradually throughout the entire game.Marfoo

See I dont really agree about it feeling unique. Some of the tasks like stealing a particular car or driving the car off the wharf, gang shoot outs have all been done in the previous games. I had the 2ND one - the isometic version. I just feel the game is wayy wayy too difficult for what it is. Why not make the game easy and leave it in its wackiness rather than having it fiendishly hard? Its long enough as it is. I really don't understand it. Like this mission where you had to steal a trailer. Turn too sharply and you lose the trailer at the back, then you get bumped all over the place by an attacking car. Fail refind the mission and then start again. The save is also ridiculously far away. Strange design decisions, really strange.

Yeah that mission is pretty tough. There are a few missions in the game that take way more than a few tries. I like the challenging missions as frustrating as they get sometimes. There is a lot to do in the game, but like I said, it's all pretty skimmed down and combined into one concoction. At this point it seems to me that this game just doesn't meet your tastes or you just experienced it too late. We'll have to see what GTA IV does, maybe you'll love that one.Marfoo

Yeah I'm still quite interested in GTA IV (for PC - yeah thanks ) because I like the East European background to the character and also because this one looks to have a much grittier and dare I say more 'serious' outlook than its predecessor.

Unfortunately, for ol' San Andreas the final nail might have fallen as when heading towards the country in a decoy truck for the asian guy's missions the game has restarted my computer not once, not twice, but three times now in roughly the same spot. This is inexcusable.

Well blame your PC then

It runs spectacularly well all high settings with even a draw distance Mod, on a geforce 7600 (not the best of cards)

And Ive said it once, il say it again, download SA:MP if single player isnt for you