WaltC wrote on Oct 20, 2011, 09:15:

Krovven wrote on Oct 20, 2011, 00:27:
...

Finally fixed my video problems with Rage. Very sad shame that it took 2 weeks for the proper drivers to come out allowing me to play the game. It really is inexcusable from all three id software, AMD and Bethesda that the game was released without the proper drivers being available.

Don't forget about the patches that id software has made to the game in the last two weeks--still more to come in that department if I recall correctly. Most definitely this was completely id software's fault, all the way around. Ars Technica reviewed the console version of the game and gave it terrible marks, including bad marks for massive texture popping! Don't be mistaken about the game's bugs, graphical and otherwise--they affected all versions of the game to some degree upon release. Those bugs are the fault of no one except the game developer.

If id software doesn't release their code to 3d-card IHVs ahead of time there's no way that either nVidia or AMD could be prepared. Although the game initially ran better on nVidia products, because apparently the only in-house 3d cards id software owns for testing and development are made by nVidia, it was nVidia who initially put out the faq as to how to configure the game to run properly on nVidia products--because the game initially did not run properly on nVidia 3d cards, either..

This should be common sense--it is up to the game developer/publisher to see that a game is relatively bug-free upon release--and nobody else. This means that a developer tests his software and initiates a dialogue with 3d-card IHVs, if necessary, so as to address these kinds of problems *before* the game code is frozen and finalized ahead of shipping. This is also one very good reason AMD has a solid, reliable monthly driver update program--it allows them to constantly stay on top of things to the degree that a game/developer allows them to do so. But even that, as you know, is no defense against a buggy release from a game developer, which is pretty much all that happened here.

Basically, this game had two *separate* issues out of the gate:

(1) Bugs, graphical and otherwise
(2) No attempt by id software was made to differentiate the PC version to take advantage of the "ten times more power" that Carmack states an average PC has over a console.

Carmack went on to cite "budget restraints" as the likely culprit, but the fact is that id software & Bethesda publishing chose to release a version for the PC, thereby enticing people who own PCs to buy the game--so an accommodation to the PC's environment should certainly have been budgeted. Otherwise, the correct release path to have taken was not to release for the PC. (Either do it right or don't do it at all. Doing less is a cheat.)

Last, it may well be that Carmack has shaped his company around consoles and portable devices, and that is fine, of course, as far as it goes. However, there are plenty of companies who do great work for the PC and are suitably rewarded for it--despite Carmack's opinions on the matter. He seems to favor Commander Keen territory, and I certainly won't begrudge his actions if he opts to stay there in the future.

Darth Guybrush wrote on Oct 20, 2011, 09:48:
3 weeks after launch and nothing?

WaltC wrote on Oct 20, 2011, 09:15:
Don't forget about the patches that id software has made to the game in the last two weeks

Darth Guybrush wrote on Oct 20, 2011, 09:48:
The drivers that they used for testing were not shipped with the game is what I understand happened. Bullshit. 3 weeks after launch and nothing?

Krovven wrote on Oct 20, 2011, 00:27:
...

Finally fixed my video problems with Rage. Very sad shame that it took 2 weeks for the proper drivers to come out allowing me to play the game. It really is inexcusable from all three id software, AMD and Bethesda that the game was released without the proper drivers being available.