Official system requirements

[Triggaaar]

Originally Posted by Blackdog_kt

After giving it a quick look, it seems that you DON'T need to use up an extra activation if for some reason you need to format your hard drive.

The activation code can be stored in a file, so as long as your PC configuration hasn't been changed significantly in hardware or software you can just use the previous activation. The activation code is a hash value of your PC's components which, if i understand correctly, is just the result of an algorithm that looks up your PC components

So if this activation code is stored, is it checked each time you start the game? ie, you don't go online each time you load the game, but your game checks that you have an activation code and that it matches your PC? I assume not, that would mean your game would stop working any time you made a change to your hardware. So what does it do?

[mazex]

Originally Posted by speculum jockey

See this?



This is the answer to all hardware questions posed by people considering upgrades or building a new system. I think it should be posted in a sticky that forces all forum members to view it before posting. Those of you who are still asking, read the following.

Cheapos: If you have a dual core system running faster than 2.4GHZ, and card made in the last two years, and 2GB of memory then you're going to be able to play it, but don't expect much in the way of eye candy.

Midrange: If you have a newer i5/7/AMD equivalent, a card made in the last year, and 4GB of memory then you're going to be playing it pretty decently.

More money than brains: If you spend 1K tomorrow on the fastest processer with 16GB of the most overpriced RAM, a SSD Drive, and 4 of the top of the line cards SLI/Crossfired then you're going to be able to play it maxed with a pretty crazy-large resolution.

FAQs

Q: Should I invest in a new system.

A: Depends on a few things. . . Can you afford it? What do you have now? How do you want to run it?

If you can afford to do it, then go for it. It's your money. If you have a year old gaming system and you don't need to play it on a 27" Dell monitor then you're probably going to be fine. If you want high resolution and everything maxed then you're going to have to spend some money. WAIT AND SEE before dropping a few hundred or thousand on a new system.

Q: Should I SLI/Crossfire to get better performance?

A: To most of you, "No". Luthier said the other day that SLI/CF might not give you any performance gains. Generally speaking Multi GPUs/Cards are for people who will be gaming on multiple monitors or at huge resolutions. We don't know if 1xGPU=20fps and 2xGPU=40fps. Maybe there is a huge gain, maybe you just spent $200 for an additional 5fps? WAIT AND SEE before buying another card.

Q: Should I get the latest and greatest Intel/AMD CPU?

A: All depends on your cashflow and your needs. Are you playing this thing jacked will all things enabled and full object counts? Then yes, spend away! From what we've heard it seems that the CPU might be the component that makes the most difference when upgrading. Will having a 2 core system at 4GHZ be better than a 4 core system at 3.5 GHZ? WAIT AND SEE before buying a new CPU.

Q: Should I get another XGB of RAM?

A: Maybe. Luthier said that COD was pushing 1.8GB of RAM Max, but who knows how streamlined it will get in the next month or how much it will expand in the next year. If you have 2GB, you might want to test the waters first. . . then the land. It's dependent on options enabled, so maybe. Given the price of RAM right now I'd probably go with 4GB since I'm sure additional content will be memory hungry. Should you get 8GB of RAM? It's your cash, but I don't see a gaming rig needing more than 4GB of RAM in the next few years.

Q: I'm going to be smart and wait to build a system, but how will I know what will run COD at 60fps at my ideal resolution?

A: Come to these forums and ask people what they are using and what frames they are getting. Maybe Toms Hardware or another site will use COD as their new "Killer App" to test their rigs. Maybe "Can you run it" will add COD and it will tell you what systems run it decently.

Q: What's the big deal in waiting? If I build a killer rig now or 6 months from now I'll still have a killer rig, but I won't be playing that game for 1/2 a year.

A: It all comes down to how much you want to play COD and how much you value your money. If you have the cash, build your rig now. If you want to be a bit more frugal, cool your jets and play the waiting game.

On average, waiting 6 months to build a system typically gets you equal or better frames per second at about 1/2 the price for the gaming components. This depends on the speed Intel/AMD/Nvidia/ATI release their new flagship products and how aggressive they want to be in their pricing. Sometimes you have to wait a year to get it 1/2 off, and sometimes a new product comes along that makes everyone want to get rid of current stock.

Monitors, power supplies, RAM, hard disks, and even mainboards don't really drop in price that often or that fast. Usually it takes some sort of radical new format from Intel or AMD to make all these manufacturers drop prices and start changing their products to keep up.

In summation, it all come down to two simple formulas

Interest in Game + Ability to Wait < Money = Upgrade
Interest in Game + Ability to Wait > Money = Wait for Upgrade

If you're not happy with the way COD plays on your system then you're going to have to upgrade. If you can sweat it out and wait a little while then you're going to same some cash. If you can't wait and have some money burning a hole in your pocket, spend spend spend!

Well written!

[Triggaaar]

Originally Posted by mazex

Well written!

To each their own I guess.

[kendo65]

Originally Posted by Waffenator

How many cores will the game support?

Just the HARD-CORE ...

Sorry...smart money is that a quad core will be a worthwhile investment - judging by the recommended specs.

Doubt if more than that will be worthwhile.

[Blackdog_kt]

Originally Posted by Triggaaar

So if this activation code is stored, is it checked each time you start the game? ie, you don't go online each time you load the game, but your game checks that you have an activation code and that it matches your PC? I assume not, that would mean your game would stop working any time you made a change to your hardware. So what does it do?

I think it's quite close to what you say.

Granted, i only gave the .pdf document a brief look, but they did mention that the activation code is a variable dependent on your PC specs.

How restrictive is that? Well, it depends on your upgrade habits and what kind of specs it tracks.

For example, i don't expect the majority of people (bar the hardware enthusiasts) to do more than one major upgrade per year, so if it only checks the OS type, CPU, GPU and motherboard models then i would probably not have have to reactivate for months or even a year.

If however it checks other components that a lot of people change on a more frequent basis, either as a cheap mini-upgrade or due to hardware failures, it could prove a bit problematic. For example, it would be over the top to include the type of RAM sticks, hard drives or optical drives into the calculation of the hash file, since connecting an external drive would suddenly register as a different hardware configuration with a different hash value: the DRM might think it's installed on a different PC and lock you out until you reactivate.

I think that's the main reason they look up the hardware, instead of limiting your amount of installations flat out, they are trying to limit the amount of different PCs you can install on.

I still consider DRM of most kinds a failed approach because they are restrictive to the legitimate user while at the same time being ineffective in combating piracy, so i would prefer the ordinary copy protection on the disk that takes about an equal amount of time to get bypassed but doesn't deprive me the use of something i paid for. That being said, compared to other DRM implementations this tages system looks like a marked improvement.

For me, the main advantages over other kinds of DMR are:
a) It works offline once you activate.

b) You can activate on a non-connected PC without having to carry the whole case with you.
The pdf manual states that you can generate the initial hash file on your gaming PC, copy that file to a thumbdrive and take it to a place with internet access to complete the activation from there.
If i understood correctly the process goes like this:
start installer and input your product key/DVD-key->after the installation completes the DRM checks your PC specs and outputs a hash file->hash file gets uploaded to tages-> tages provides you with the activation code.
So, it's possible to create the hash file on your gaming PC (that's the one you want it to match since here is where you'll be running the sim) but upload it to tages from another location to receive the activation code.

In the automatic activation mode it does this all on its own. If for whatever reason you have problems or lack internet access, you go to manual mode and it provides you with the ability to save a copy of the hash file so that you can manually upload it from another location and receive the unlock code. Then you save the code, go back to your own PC and copy paste it into the activation window to complete the process.

c) As long as your PC specs are unchanged, you can format and reinstall everything on your PC without wasting an extra activation. As long as the specs are the same, the hash value will be the same so you just save that code in a text file on some removable media and just copy-paste it into the activation window whenever you need to reinstall CoD.

d) If you run out of activations you can email your product key to customer support and they'll give you 5 more, effectively resetting your available activation count to the state of a brand new purchased copy.

I still hate having to jump through fiery hoops to play something i paid for, but compared to constant online requirements or limited activations and deactivations that are based on the total amount of installs even on the same PC instead of on the amount of different PCs it's installed on , it's a definite improvement.

[F19_lacrits]

Originally Posted by Waffenator

How many cores will the game support?

Valid question which I also would like to know the answer for.. It's crucial to know if you are in to buying new hardware for the game as there are 6 core desktop CPU's on the market nowadays (Opteron/Phenom and i7/Xeon). If the game only supports up to 4 cores (threads) then you don't have to look at 6 or 8 core CPU, not even the Sandy Bridge i7 2600 with Hyperthreading.. Might as well stick with Phenom X4 or i5 2500K and overclock them to hell.

[Rall]

Will a pc with these specs handle this game?

Processor: AMD Athlon ll X2 255 Dual Core
Hard Drive Size: 1TB
Processor - Clock Speed: 3.1GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9200
Ram: 4GB
Windows 7, 64-bit

Thanks : )

Originally Posted by Rall

Will a pc with these specs handle this game?

Processor: AMD Athlon ll X2 255 Dual Core
Hard Drive Size: 1TB
Processor - Clock Speed: 3.1GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9200
Ram: 4GB
Windows 7, 64-bit

Thanks : )

Not more than on low settings, I think.

[addman]

Originally Posted by Rall

Will a pc with these specs handle this game?

Processor: AMD Athlon ll X2 255 Dual Core
Hard Drive Size: 1TB
Processor - Clock Speed: 3.1GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 9200
Ram: 4GB
Windows 7, 64-bit

Thanks : )

That geforce 9200 is integrated right? I'd say you need a dedicated graphics card the most, if you're on a budget you could go for a ATi Radeon HD 5770 or maybe a Geforce GTS 450. Second thing I'd consider would be a better CPU. You'll definitely need a better graphics card, first priority.

[He111]

Any update on eyefinity? i want to run 6 monitors to fly my He111 - left view, front view, right view, down view, top view, looking back down the cabin view??? Is what I want possible?

i can imagine I'll need LED monitors to stop cooking myself and draining the grid!

He111.