EVERQUEST 2?Follow

Shell out a LOT of money (read probably 4k EASY), and don't even look to a pre-built PC. Also, that pic doesn't look like it came from EQ2... i've not seen someplace like that, and those models don't seem to be from eq2 (maybe the orriginal models?)

Frankly, i'm semi-shocked you don't like getting about 20FPS on the game.. TV only runs at like 24FPS, and the human eye isn't capable of seeing like 30FPS or something (I forget the exact number but I think it was around there) so 20 is really perectly acceptable to many people. I know, different people, blah blah blah...

Anyways, this isn't a something that is basically go buy x, y, z and it'll work... but rather more of a "what you'll want but you'll need these and as much as you can afford if you can afford better." Even with this, you probably wont be able to max out everything, but it'll play very well at high settings with decent FPS (though decent varries by person like I said above)

Depending if you want an AMD or Pentium CPU either a Intel Xeon or better (Extreme Ediditon) or something like a AMD 64 FX or Opteron. Clock at least 2.5GHZ, Dual Core pref (even though EQ2 doesn't make full use of it, but for multi-tasking and such)

At LEAST 2 GIGS Ram (with 3 or 4 better, though only 2gigs can be used by any windows prog... so 3 will insure that EQ2 is making full use of ram) DDR2 or 3, with speed of of PC4200 or better (aka DDR533)

TWO (yes TWO (2)) GeForce 7900 Series with 512+ Ram (they do make 1 gig cards, so you could have 2gigs of video memory running SLI) running in a SLI Rig (aka both working at the same time) using a PCI-E interface (which is only what SLI uses)

SATA Hard Drive (Size doesn't matter, but RPMs should be above around 7k)

SLI Compatible Motherboard with room for how ever much ram you want to get (at least 2 like I said), AND compatible with the CPU you want.

Any type of media devices you want (like a DvD-Rom/Burner, which you'll want for install and it works as a CD-Rom too)

Finally, a case... with a TON of cooling and LARGE Power Supply. Probably 500+ Watt. You'll also probably want to liquid cool the case, cause that beast is going to run HOT (Liquid Cooling can easily run 1k depending on how many things you cool)


So, yea, it is going to be VERY pricy and you're looking at a whole new PC easily. You COULD update your current PC to get a slightly better frame-rate, but in the end you're going to upgrade everything but your CPU, hard drive/media devices, and case.

Getting 2gigs of ram will help you out quite a bit, though not doubling your FPS to 40 or more. Newer 512 Video Card (like a GeForce 7000+ series) will also help. Your 300W PSU probably wont be able to handly all that though (depending on what else you have in your PC) so you'll also want a new PSU probably (probably 400 will do) to make sure everyhting is getting the power it needs.

I've played the game w/o shader effects, and it doesn't look anything like that. Same for low textures (though that was in my house when doing a comparison on graphic textures) and again, didn't look like that. Also, w/o shader/texture you wouldn't have something like the "pattern" on the bricks/wooden door (well more planks in that) and the wood wouldn't have grain. I have absolutely NO idea where that came from, it looks more... "cartoony" then EQ2. Pop a couple anime chars in there and they'd feel right at home I bet. If that is indeed from EQ2 it's got to be on a testing engine of some kind, and not the game engine. I'm still of the openin* that is from EQ1 or maybe EQOA and NOT EQ2.

As for the poor engine coding for DX9, even so with a killer rig (read top of the line) you should be able to get around 30+ FPS on higher settings. You and I have a similar rig, though your's is a bit better, and I get around 25 FPS average... well when I run fraps (which is rare) on a custom profile which is just a couple steps above balanced with a couple things that would normally be on, off because they (shadows) that eat up resources quicker then quick.

* Yes I know opinion isn't spelled right, but it was a toss-back to our favorite forum troll's defining topic

Edited, Aug 3rd 2006 at 4:44am EDT by Tomec

So it was indeed from EQ2, in a sense. I'd label that as NOT from EQ2 personally since, if like you said, it is an OLD promo picture and using an engine/graphics that din't get put in the game at all. So, if you said is true (and I have no reason to doubt though I can't get on EQ2 right now to see for myself), it is and it isn't eq2.

This was the video i was looking at and wondering what would it take to play at such a smooth framerate and a nice picture .http://media.pc.ign.com/media/481/481244/vids_1.html
click on the video labeled COMBAT to see what i mean.

Ok obviously it's using Shaders (observe shadows, lol) and texturemapping (otherwise there'd be no colors) but I meant DX9 shaders/texturemapping which include lightcontrol/bump mapping, complex shadows (mostly noticeable in the fact that those characters are the same brightness on both sides of their body (facing the sun and not.)

I'm not lookin to get into an arguement on the finer points of DX9 vocabulary or proper usage, as I've never worked with 9, last time i played around with it at all was back in 2000 and it was uninstructed and quite novice.

All I'm saying is it's not unusual at all for promotional screencaptures/videos to be recreated in special programs where they can control things a lot more. This really seems to be a screenshot from a non-playable alpha phase where they have the models created but the game isn't playable yet (because really doesn't seem to be the same engine.) If one could decript and assemble all of EQ2's textures and models one could quite easily assemble this scene presented in that picture in most level design software, as well as some higher end 3d model creation software.

Again (and i know this to be true) for that video Unnamed, EQ2's promo videos are in part taken from actual gameplay, but more-less taken from a controlled program that, for all we know, may capture video frame-for-frame meaning actual computer performance no longer comes into play with the seemlessness of the video. It's rather unfortunate, but true. Regaurdless, those graphics don't seem to be any better than what I currently have running which is listed above.

I've seen pictures like that before, it looks like one of the promo pics from when EQ2 was in alpha.