This was a triumph. (Portal Thread *Spoilers*)

[Arcalane]

Bottom line - you need a beefy video card for these games.  I'd recommend an NVIDIA 8800 series, or whatever the ATi equivalent is.

Fibs fibs fibs.

My 6600GT tackled Ep2 with minimal graphical slowdown on the suggested settings, so your recommendation of an 8800 is a little high - not to mention that they're a bit pricey. In fact, it's only really ever had trouble with Half Life 2 itself when I was meddling with SMod's flamer and HUD effects (bloodsplatter, etc.) the former of which is done extremely poorly (unlike the TF2 Pyro's flamethrower) and seems to cause extreme FPS drop for me.

Specifically, recommended detail;

Model Detail: High
Texture Detail: Medium
Shader Detail: High
Water Detail: Reflect All
Shadow Detail: High
Color Correction: Enabled
Antialiasing Mode: 2x MSAA
Filtering Mode: Anisotropic 4X
V Sync: Disabled
High Dynamic Range: Full (if available)
Motion Blur: Disabled

1024x768 res, run in a window.

~~

I would also like to direct your attentions to this and this.

[Janus Whitefurr]

.....

I need those postcards SO BAD. D:

(and when does the WCC plushie come out?)

[bill]

If you're having FPS issues, run with the -dxlevel 80 parameter. It makes FPS go 

I have a bloody laptop card, and I can run it with high everything in 1280x800 in dxlevel 80.

[Arcalane]

Valve Confirm Companion Cube Toy Before Christmas

Also, the dx 8 means you don't get shiny phat shaders or anything pretty.

[bill]

Valve Confirm Companion Cube Toy Before Christmas

Also, the dx 8 means you don't get shiny phat shaders or anything pretty.

i rly cant notice a difference tbh

I'll take a +50 framerate over pretty effects any day.

[Arcalane]

Point. Pretty effects are useless if you can't see what you're doing.

[Cvstos]

I've got an old X700 Pro (AGP) and I can run it at 1024x768 with most things turned on, and it stays fairly consistently around 60FPS.  For this game, you don't need an uber GPU, but I do recommend a lot of RAM.  I went from 1GB to 2GB and it was a night-and-day improvement.  Lesson: Get 2GB of RAM.  Unless you're running a DDR3 system, 2GB is CHEAP these days.  And if you are running a DDR3 system, then you obviously have the cash to burn for 2GB.

2GB DDR2-800 RAM (high-quality, dual-channel 2x1GB config, CAS 4): $77 on NewEgg.  BEFORE the $40 mail-in rebate!!  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220144

[Ryudo Lee]

Eh heh heh

Still Alive video done by the artist of VGCats.

[Dannysaysnoo]

I never knew him as much of an animator, but its a great song!

[thegayhare]

I loaded on my mom's machine and It finaly runs

(her machine is 10 times better then mine and all she does is check her e-mail)

It's a fun game but I'm not sure I understand why so many people love the compainion cube... it doesn't do anything differnt then the normal cubes

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Because we're sick and twisted. ;-]

[xHaZxMaTx]

You euthanised your faithful companion cube more quickly than any test subject on record.  Congratulations.

[Dannysaysnoo]

really need to play this, i need to save my liccle cubie!

[Reese Tora]

Reading an interview of the developers, the companion cube was originally a regular cube, but players kept forgetting the cube durring that section of gameplay.  The solution? make the player emotionally attached to the cube.

I really gotta get me an orange box... unfortunately, while my specs can eat portal for breakfast, the computer as a whole is unstable (bluescreened twice today already. ) so I'll wait until I've replaced the Motherboard, some time after Christmas.

--edit--

I can't wait for someone to make a companion cube case mod.

[techmaster-glitch]

Reading an interview of the developers, the companion cube was originally a regular cube, but players kept forgetting the cube durring that section of gameplay.  The solution? make the player emotionally attached to the cube.

I really gotta get me an orange box... unfortunately, while my specs can eat portal for breakfast, the computer as a whole is unstable (bluescreened twice today already. ) so I'll wait until I've replaced the Motherboard, some time after Christmas.

That's why you get it for the Xbox 360, not a compy

[Reese Tora]

Reading an interview of the developers, the companion cube was originally a regular cube, but players kept forgetting the cube durring that section of gameplay.  The solution? make the player emotionally attached to the cube.

I really gotta get me an orange box... unfortunately, while my specs can eat portal for breakfast, the computer as a whole is unstable (bluescreened twice today already. ) so I'll wait until I've replaced the Motherboard, some time after Christmas.

That's why you get it for the Xbox 360, not a compy

You mean because black is cooler?

[thegayhare]

You know I was wondering about the portal gun.

Say what would happen if when something was half way between portals, you changed one of them?

hypothetical situation

say you open a portal just below someones feet as they are running.  there momentume would throw them forward like they tripped about half in half out of the portal, scrambling for a handhold.  If you activated a new exit portal what would happen?  Would they be cut in half?  or would the closing portal push one side or the other threwlike an elastic?

And what about the further weaponization possibilities of aperture science. 

Tanks or armored vehicles with an exit portal on the front, with gun crews firing weapons threw an entrance portal from a bunker.   You could have shells fired from a gun platform a fraction of the size of the gun.  and the weapons platform wouldn't need to bother hauling its own ammo.

[xHaZxMaTx]

In the game, it just shoves you out through on of the portals (most of the time).  Sometimes you'll just get stuck in the wall, unable to move or make a new portal.

[bill]

In the commentary, Valve said that they purposely made it impossible to kill yourself with the portal gun (other than, say, portaling yourself into the acid), so players would feel "safe" entering portals. If you're halfway in between portals, and you change one, either you get shoved through, or you stay in the portal, with the new destination, depending on your position.

Also, you can't make portals on a moving object, so 

[thegayhare]

In the commentary, Valve said that they purposely made it impossible to kill yourself with the portal gun (other than, say, portaling yourself into the acid), so players would feel "safe" entering portals.

Also, you can't make portals on a moving object, so 

Realy?  some how I managed to die walking threw a portal normaly.  Course I was tripping over a video camera at the time.

are you sure about that second part?  I thought I managed to place a portal on a moving panel but I can't be sure

[Janus Whitefurr]

In the commentary, Valve said that they purposely made it impossible to kill yourself with the portal gun (other than, say, portaling yourself into the acid), so players would feel "safe" entering portals.

Also, you can't make portals on a moving object, so 

Realy?  some how I managed to die walking threw a portal normaly.  Course I was tripping over a video camera at the time.

are you sure about that second part?  I thought I managed to place a portal on a moving panel but I can't be sure

Then the camera fell on your head and killed you~ You still can't directly end yourself with the portal gun short of dropping yourself directly in harms way.

And I'm sure of that second part - there's one puzzle where the exit is a hatch in the wall that opens when you step on a switch. If you dump a portal on it then stand on the switch, the portal will die when the wall starts moving.

[thegayhare]

nah the camera was on the floor so it couldn't have hit me in the head... Oh well just one of thos weird glitches

[Netrogo]

I can't wait for someone to make a companion cube case mod.

I think it'd be cool to see a gamecube modded to look like a companion cube

[thegayhare]

A heard they are coming out with a plush companion cube

[Netrogo]

Companion Cube Plushie

[Dannysaysnoo]

Companion Cube Plushie

Want.

[xHaZxMaTx]

nah the camera was on the floor so it couldn't have hit me in the head... Oh well just one of thos weird glitches

I did the same thing, actually.  The Camera was sticking through the portal, kinda off to the side.  It must have recoiled when I pushed it out of the way, or something.

[thegayhare]

I just finished it and I can honestly say I'd rather have a talking toy version of the Curiosity node
"Who are you?
"Whats that?"
"That thing has numbers."
"Look at that thing."
"Do you smell something burning"

I felt so bad for that cute little eyeball

[Dannysaysnoo]

I loved the turrets.

"No hard feelings..."

[bill]

I loved the turrets.

"No hard feelings..."

I love when you pick them up.

"Uh oh!"