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Originally Posted by Kaltic My experience with Linux makes me never want to use it, but hey it could have been worse I guess. It took me about 3 days to get a non crap Ubuntu that would actually install. If I ever tried using wifi my network would crash, although I legitimately wanted to try it on campus to see if it would take down the entire university's network. And when it said, "Hey you need to update", I made the mistake of actually doing that because now my laptop freezes when starting Ubuntu.... Let me put it this way. I liked Linux so much that it is still on my laptop, but I haven't used in a year and a half. I dislike it so much I don't even want to re-install or take the time to remove it. Again it could have been worse... My laptop could have started on fire or I could have been robbed during this time. I like Windows because when there is a problem with it, I mean when isn't there?, there is also information online about it because so many people use Windows and also have that problem. Ubuntu has some information as to why I couldn't connect to my network wirelessly... you know for the version of Ubuntu that is 2 years old so it doesn't apply anymore.

I feel your frustration. Back in my undergrad studies, I had to use Red Hat (version 7.5 I think) to set up a network, and all the jazz for one my classes. For starters, we were using this on PCs so old, that they could barely run Windows XP at the time. It installed, but everything was so slow. Red Hat wasn't much better. Even with most graphical effects turned off, it still ran very slow. It was probably all part of the prof's way of trying to get us to install Linux without a graphical desktop environment, but that failed since we all still did that anyways, because at least then we could browse the file system a little faster than using cd and ls commands everywhere.

I still remember how annoying it was to try to find solutions as well. Usually googling "Red Hat Linux <insert problem here>" would only produce results linking to the main site with information about Red Hat, or mirrored pages of the stupid manual that I could already get using a man command. Oh yeah, and the installer programs (if they could even be called that) were just as helpful as Windows by always stating that I should check the manual to my operating system for solutions as to why the install didn't work. GEE THANKS! At least with Windows, you gather could enough information through the Event Viewer and possibly an error code to eventually narrow it down.

That said, I really have nothing against Linux. It was very frustrating, but eventually I got everything working. I think I'd be more open to using Linux again if it was on some more modern hardware, instead of beige early 90s Dells. Rant mode off.

Originally Posted by Bort_ is Hitman: Absolution worth the $25?

Don't know what this might tell you...
But...well, I got 6 hours or so racked-up onto Hitman: Absolution just last night alone.

I have NOT touched Contracts mode, but I'll speak a bit on the Story Mode (Campaign), from my first impressions of those hours.

If you've played previous Hitman games (namely say Hitman 2: Silent Assassin; Hitman: Contracts; Blood Money - since I've actually played all of those), Absolution is definitely a DIFFERENT kind of Hitman game. Some things are similar; while some things are just NOT.

Mission objectives....might differ. They are NOT always "Go kill specific enemies" like most missions in the older Hitman games. This ones tries to mix it up a bit more. Some missions are basically "Get the hell out of the area", "Evade the cops" or "get to the next floor." So, sometimes, this game comes off w/ levels being smaller in size and even more linear - b/c there's a bunch of these levels.

Sometimes, then it's the opposite - feels like something out of the older Hitman games. You'll get these big sand-boxy open-levels (I'm thinking like say the Chinatown King level) where you've got tons of ways to actually finishing off your mission's kill(s) and/or exiting the level.
{If I recall, when the game's actually teaching you to play - they mentioned you could finish the Chinatown King at least 12 different ways!}
I expect in levels especially like these - replay value is definitely through the roof. If you look at Challenges list (F1) while in a level, you're going to see TONS & TONS of Challenges. Oh, and the game has 47 (ha!) Achievements listed.

Things worth noting - there's a cover system in here. 47 can vault over cover; shoot/attack while in cover; move from cover-to-cover; and all of that kind of stuff. Seems appropriate to have, since he's an assassin and trying to hide in the shadows and kill silently and all of that. If you walk-up to an enemy and want to engage in hand-to-hand combat w/ enemies - these are now QTE's, more or less (i.e. think like Witcher 2's boxing/fist-fights).

Also, for most missions - you're CONSTANTLY being rewarded points & docked points, based on your actions. If you're playing this game online, you are being compared to the game's USA and World leaderboards; and your Steam Friends list. If you actually do care about your score - you'll probably either be reloading saves A LOT or going to wind-up REPLAYING levels. My first time around w/ this - so, I'm not caring too much. I'm playing on Normal and trying to go through the game level-after-level. I'm...honestly, not playing well compared to the rest of the USA/World/My Steam Friends, hehe. You obviously want to NOT be spotted (that knocks MAJOR points off); clean-up any knock-outs/kill you make (i.e. throw them in a garbage bin, push them off a cliff into a water, throw someone in a mud bath tub, etc) so you can actually get some of your points back; and try NOT to kill civilians (you get docked MAJOR points for killing civilians). I should note - the harder DIFFICULTY you play on, the more BONUS you get for completing objectives. Once you a finish a chapter, you unlock it - so that if you want, you can select a chapter and then go right into that mission.

There's an Instinct meter - that fills up while you play. Depending on what difficulty you're playing, it might be there (Most Difficulties - but how it can be used and if it recharged might be differently tweaked)...or it just might not be there as an Option at all (i.e. Purist). Instinct lets you do all kinds of stuff. You can see enemies' through walls - a la Batman: Arkham Asylum & City. Also, Instinct can show you pathways of NPC's, as well - again, that depends on Difficulty level, as well. Instinct can also let you do Tag & Execute kills like Sam Fisher could do in Splinter Cell: Conviction, as well.

The game has checkpoints scattered very sparingly throughout levels. Also, depending on difficulty - you might not even have any save checkpoints even allowed (i.e. Purist).

You don't really select your weapons at load-out, either - unlike most Hitman games. You'll find A LOT of different items/weapons/things to use in the game-world, BTW. In Hitman: Blood Money - you earned $$ for each level and could then spend it on buying and upgrading new weapons; in Absolution's STORY Mode, this is just NOT here.

Also, the story in this Absolution seems WAY more focused in some things, compared to other Hitman games. While I ain't played it all the way through, this game seems to have less globe-trotting and now be sticking in the USA more so than ever. (So far, I've only been in the USA - though, the areas themselves have been diverse). Also, this game seems WAY more story-focused and story-driven than previous games - and actually have a bunch of reoccurring characters within this one story.

Not that I've actually been able to load the steam site for the past hour or so, but I'm predicting Deus Ex discounts for today's sales.

Wait, is it me or is steam down atm... Mayans were right xD

Originally Posted by mjontrix Wait, is it me or is steam down atm... Mayans were right xD

It isn't just you.

Originally Posted by Arben Not that I've actually been able to load the steam site for the past hour or so, but I'm predicting Deus Ex discounts for today's sales.

Yup the store and forums and everything just went down for me a bit ago too...

CAn't even launch an online game to play it's so wrecked

Uh oh, we broke Steam

Originally Posted by momouchi Uh oh, we broke Steam

GabeN has awoken and is uploading Half Life 3 - IT MUST BE SO!

...

If by some miracle it is released I'll pay full retail for it xD

Glad to know I'm not the only one. Weird thing is I was still able to register my copy of Gods & Kings. So something in Steams back-end is still working correctly.

Originally Posted by INCyr Glad to know I'm not the only one. Weird thing is I was still able to register my copy of Gods & Kings. So something in Steams back-end is still working correctly.

Activation servers are hosted seperately incase of events like this. They have no connection to anything else except user accounts; which are paid for in advance so in the instance that Valve goes bust people can activate all their games for a given time period etc.

EDIT: It's back up

3D Vantage is the first time I've considered buying something that isn't a game.

Originally Posted by dracula the right analog stick isnt used for anything, it wont let you look around with the right analog stick. other than that, it plays exactly like it should. you have to select 'joystick' in the options and it will play just fine with your xbox 360 wired. note: i played through san andreas on steam using a xbox 360 wireless, but a wired should work the same, i just had to buy a dongle to get mine to work.

I used a gta san andreas specific controller app to get fully customized controlls. I have a link around somewhere and will post it later.

Originally Posted by fastitocalon 3D Vantage is the first time I've considered buying something that isn't a game.

Same here, but just thinking that there are free bench-marking programs out there as is, and whether it provides enough of an advantage to warrant my $4.99.

Originally Posted by hbluft Same here, but just thinking that there are free bench-marking programs out there as is, and whether it provides enough of an advantage to warrant my $4.99.

Exactly what I was going to ask the group. Does anyone have any suggestions if this is worth the purchase? I see they have a free basic versions of each at http://www.3dmark.com. I've been looking through the comparison chart of the 3DMark11to see if $5 warrants a purchase.

Edit: Looks like the basic would not be enough for me. I would probably need the ability to run the Extreme or Custom presets. But I might download the basic to see how it works.

Originally Posted by hbluft Same here, but just thinking that there are free bench-marking programs out there as is, and whether it provides enough of an advantage to warrant my $4.99.

3DMark Vantage also has a free version, which I've used before. Looks like the paid version has more options.

Phew... was able to squeeze in that last vote since Steam is up again.

For the people looking at 3D Mark, make sure you get the right version if you get it. One is for DX10 cards and the other is for DX11 cards.

Originally Posted by Jon7 For the people looking at 3D Mark, make sure you get the right version if you get it. One is for DX10 cards and the other is for DX11 cards.

Yeah, there is a link on there which will bring you to the DX11 version, which is also on sale. They should have done a sale page with both versions.

Sorry if already discussed... But for those of you that bought the GTA Franchise deal did you get multiple copies of GTA III and SA? Both are in my list of games and when choosing what to install after I registered them it even wanted to install each one twice.