tag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:/games/5700Cheerful Ghost: Grand Theft Auto V2024-03-28T18:00:18+00:002019-12-01T10:47:58Ztag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/24822015-04-18T09:22:54Z2019-12-01T10:47:58Z/Azurephile/posts/2482/gtav-for-pcGTAV For PC<div class='youtube-player' data-id='3DBrG2YjqQA'></div> <br/><strong>Review<ul>
<br><li>Recommended <img alt="+1" src="/images/emoji/unicode/1f44d.png" style="vertical-align:middle" height="20" width="20" title=":+1:" /></li>
<br><li>New features</li>
<br><li>Play with controller or keyboard and mouse</li>
<br><li>Benchmark tool included</li>
<br><li>Custom soundtrack</li>
</ul></strong>I'm not sure when exactly I found out about GTAV being released (for the previous console generation), but I know I spent quite a while impatiently waiting for it. When it was finally released in September 2013, I got it for PS3. I was one of the many who pre-ordered it at GameStop and was there for the midnight release. My immediate problem with it was that it requires 8 GB free on the hard drive. My PS3 is only an 80 GB model and I had already had enough trouble managing free space. Secondly, the game took a long time to install, but it was all worth it. I thought it was the very best of the series and one of the best looking games on the PS3. I played through it once and Franklin and Michael were my favorite characters. Although I joined the Cheerful Ghost crew, I hardly spent any time at all playing GTA Online.<br><br>A year later, it was released for the current console generation, I thought it made getting a PS4 a bit tempting, but I didn't given in to that. Although I'm sure GTAV is much better on the PS4 than the PS3, it wasn't enough to convince me to get one.<br><br>Now it's April 2015 and after a few delays, the game has been released for PCs. I pre-ordered it on Steam and got a free copy of San Andreas and some GTAV in-game bonus cash. They even gave us more bonus cash after the last delay was announced. <br><br><strong>It has been stated that the PC release is pretty much the ultimate version of the game.</strong> It includes a <strong>video editor</strong> where you can record your game play and share it on YouTube. You can unlock different characters and animals for use <strong>Director Mode.</strong> The game also allows you to create <strong>your own customized radio station</strong> by placing MP3s in the “User Music” folder (under “Documents”>Rockstar Games>GTAV by default). Also, even though it doesn't contain any modding tools, there are already <strong>mods</strong> out for it. Perhaps one of the biggest features of the game is that it received a <strong>graphical update,</strong> 60fps at a higher resolution (4k). If you'd like to see a comparison check out this video, which is in three parts:<br><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A6EBL2t6Lo">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A6EBL2t6Lo</a><br><br>Before you get the PC edition, it's important note the <strong>system requirements,</strong> I'll explain why in more detail.<br><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/203428177-Grand-Theft-Auto-V-PC-System-Specs">https://support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/203428177-Grand-Theft-Auto-V-PC-System-Specs</a><br><br>I didn't pay much attention to the <strong>hard drive space requirement (65 GB),</strong> which didn't dawn on my until the game became available to pre-load. This game is the very first game that I've experienced “pre-loading.” What this meant was that I could get it downloaded and installed (because I pre-ordered), but it would be encrypted, and thus unplayable, until its release date. What made me take notice of that hard drive space requirement was the 59 GB download on Steam. This made me think that this has to be the biggest game ever. <strong>Retail copies of the game come in a 7-disc box set.</strong><br><br><strong>Game play stutter:</strong> I was pretty confident about my PC, until I ran into an issue where the graphics in this game kind of “stuttered”. This made me think that my PC wasn't up to par. Further research into the issue showed me that many people have reported issues with frame rate drops. Many of them have different hardware and their own theories as to why this occurs (see <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://support.rockstargames.com/hc/communities/public/questions/203473047-GTA-V-PC-Stutter-Issue">https://support.rockstargames.com/hc/communities/public/questions/203473047-GTA-V-PC-Stutter-Issue</a>). So, I figured that it has to be an issue with the game, although I may need to try out different graphical settings.<br><br>The game includes <strong>a benchmarking tool</strong> which can be accessed by pressing TAB on the “Advanced Graphics” menu option. While most of that test ran smoothly at 50-60fps, there was at least one spot where the frame rate started off very low, but increased before it was over. Since the test dropped me back in the game and didn't give me a result, I decided to benchmark my PC. Later, I found out that the benchmark results are included under Documents>Rockstar Games>GTA V>Benchmarks by default. So, I downloaded and ran a demo of 3DMark on Steam. The first test I ran was Fire Strike “for high performance Windows gaming PCs.” The results were really awesome (check it out: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.3dmark.com/fs/4596441">http://www.3dmark.com/fs/4596441</a>).<br><br>Thanks to the news on Steam, I found out that Nvidia and AMD released <strong>new drivers</strong> for their GPUs with the game's release. So, before I played the game, I installed the latest driver from Nvidia. Rockstar has updated the game already to 1.01 because of the issue I had and a few others (see <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/17/gta-5-patch-101-to-address-issues-on-pc">http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/17/gta-5-patch-101-to-address-issues-on-pc</a>).<br><br>Initially, I only played the first mission in the game using the default settings. I thought it looked great and I noticed that I could change the view to first-person, which I don't recall being able to do on the PS3, granted that it's been a long time since I've played it. I also initially used they keyboard and mouse, hoping for better controls than San Andreas. I wasn't really disappointed with that configuration, but I thought using a controller would provide more fluid movement. I only played it briefly, at first, because I knew that in order to get GeForce Experience to optimize the game based on my hardware, I had to play it first. So, once I was able to save the game, I exited back to the desktop and let GeForce Experience configure my optimized settings. I know it increased many of them.<br><br>The next time I played, I decided to try it with a controller. Some time ago, by recommendation, I decided to buy a USB Xbox 360 controller for my new PC. I haven't really used it until now. I plugged it in before loading the game and it installed quickly and didn't seem to need any configuration. Once I got in to the game, I decided to start again from the beginning and I was glad that I didn't need to configure the controller or tell the game I was using it. Instead of telling me the keyboard and mouse controls, it showed the buttons on the controller. I now play the game using the controller, which I think is simpler.<br><br>While I know some people have hesitations about getting the game now, I think they are justified. Many people have already paid $60 for it and want to wait until it's cheaper. The issues that people have had with the game are also a good reason to wait. Right now, it seems to be difficult to tell how the game will perform on any PC. It would be nice if there was a demo for it or if the benchmark test was more easily accessible and gave a test result. Still, I think the game is great and it's popularity and sales (across all platforms) definitely seem to prove that. The game has already overtaken Skyrim as the most played 3rd party game on Steam. If you think your hardware can handle it and don't mind paying full price for it, I recommend getting it. However, it may be wise to wait until the game gets further updates resolving issues or until it's on sale.<br><br><strong>Links</strong><br>Check out this interview from PC Gamer with Rockstar: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.pcgamer.com/rockstar-talk-4k-pc-performance-and-more/">http://www.pcgamer.com/rockstar-talk-4k-pc-performance-and-more/</a><br><br>If you've already played the game on one platform, visit this link to learn how to transfer your GTA Online characters and progression between systems: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/202892778-Transferring-Your-Previous-Grand-Theft-Auto-Online-Characters-and-Progression-to-PlayStation-4-Xbox-One-or-PC">https://support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/202892778-Transferring-Your-Previous-Grand-Theft-Auto-Online-Characters-and-Progression-to-PlayStation-4-Xbox-One-or-PC</a>2019-12-01T10:47:58ZAzurephiletag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/24112015-02-24T22:34:51Z2015-02-24T22:34:51Z/Travis/posts/2411/gtav-for-pc-delayed-again-to-april-15GTAV for PC delayed again to April 15<img src='http://i.imgur.com/jQGogaD.jpg' class='img-responsive' alt='http://i.imgur.com/jQGogaD.jpg' /> <br/>Unfortunately, GTAV has gotten delayed again for PC players. April 15 is the new date. From Rockstar:<br><br><i>"Our apologies to PC gamers worldwide who have been counting down the days until the launch of the game, but a bit more time is needed to ensure that the game is as polished as possible, and to make certain that both Heists and the GTA Online experience are ready to roll out on day one for PC. As a gesture of thanks for your understanding, we will grant anyone who has pre-ordered the game an additional $200,000 in-game cash for use in GTA Online."</i><br><br>I'm glad they're delaying it, if not delaying it means that we get a buggy game.<br><br>In better news, online heists are hitting March 15!<br><br><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52394/gtav-updates-online-heists-coming-march-10-gtav-for-pc">http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52394/gtav-updates-online-heists-coming-march-10-gtav-for-pc</a>2015-02-24T22:34:51ZTravistag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/23642015-01-13T17:09:45Z2019-11-13T08:39:27Z/Azurephile/posts/2364/pc-system-requirements-and-release-dateGrand Theft Auto V PC System Requirements and Release Date<div class='youtube-player' data-id='3DBrG2YjqQA'></div> <br/>Grand Theft Auto V is another great game in the series. I remember when I was eagerly awaiting the release for the PS3 version. My only disappointment with the game was that the story seemed too short, I completed it rather quickly. I spent very little time playing Grand Theft Auto: Online, the multiplayer part of the game. I was very happy with the character I created, thinking he looked very much like me.<br><br>Some time ago, I found out that the game would be coming out for the new consoles (PS4 and XBox One) and also the PC. Although I think the updated game would be a great reason to get a PS4, I have not done so. I figured that I'd wait for the PC release, which was expected to come out this month. However, the system requirements have been released along with a release date, March 24th.<br><br>Here are the system requirements copied from the link below:<br><br><strong>Minimum Specs</strong><br>OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1, Windows Vista 64 Bit Service Pack 2* (*NVIDIA video card recommended if running Vista OS)<br>Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz (4 CPUs) / AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-Core Processor (4 CPUs) @ 2.5GHz<br>Memory: 4GB<br>Video Card: NVIDIA 9800 GT 1GB / AMD HD 4870 1GB (DX 10, 10.1, 11)<br>Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible<br>HDD Space: 65GB<br><br><strong>Recommended Specs</strong><br>OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit, Windows 8 64 Bit, Windows 7 64 Bit Service Pack 1<br>Processor: Intel Core i5 3470 @ 3.2GHZ (4 CPUs) / AMD X8 FX-8350 @ 4GHZ (8 CPUs)<br>Memory: 8GB<br>Video Card: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB / AMD HD7870 2GB<br>Sound Card: 100% DirectX 10 compatible<br>HDD Space: 65GB<br><br><strong>Source:</strong> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.pcgamer.com/gta-5-system-requirements-announced/">http://www.pcgamer.com/gta-5-system-requirements-announced/</a>2019-11-13T08:39:27ZAzurephiletag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/22052014-09-12T19:47:01Z2014-09-12T19:47:01Z/Travis/posts/2205/gtav-release-dates-for-ps4-xbox-one-and-pc-announcedGTAV release dates for PS4, Xbox One, and PC announced<img src='http://i.imgur.com/gBKL2Xv.jpg' class='img-responsive' alt='http://i.imgur.com/gBKL2Xv.jpg' /> <br/>November 18, those who have jumped to the current generation will be able to enjoy the newly polished GTAV. The PC master race must wait until January 27 of next year.<br><br>In addition to making the game way shinier, Rockstar is adding a few new things:<br><br>- New weapons, vehicles and activities<br>- Additional wildlife<br>- Denser traffic<br>- New foliage system<br>- Enhanced damage and weather effects, and much more<br>- Over 100 new songs. Perhaps El Sondito will play less often. That beeping. OMG. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x47NYUbtYb0">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x47NYUbtYb0</a><br><br>For the full story and a look at some very pretty screenshots, see the official announcement: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52308/grand-theft-auto-v-release-dates-and-exclusive-content">http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/52308/grand-theft-auto-v-release-dates-and-exclusive-content</a>2014-09-12T19:47:01ZTravistag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/18572014-02-01T21:27:36Z2014-05-12T23:48:34Z/Timogorgon/posts/1857/online-shenanigansOnline Shenanigans<img src='http://i.imgur.com/AKzFFTW.jpg' class='img-responsive' alt='http://i.imgur.com/AKzFFTW.jpg' /> <br/><strong>Don't worry, the car isn't mine.</strong><br><br>Me and a buddy were messing around on GTA:O last night and decided to snap a picture after we had successfully robbed a couple convenience stores and then lost the cops.<br><br>Other highlights include:<br>Successfully stealing a commercial jet and landing it in downtown Los Santos, only to bump into a tree which inexplicably caused the jet to blow up, killing us both.<br><br>A high speed car chase that took us around the entire outside of the map. Good thing it was a lot of fun, because the pay out for this mission was terrible. :P<br><br>Failing miserably trying to break into the military base. Turns out they really don't want you getting in there.<br><br>Trying our first survival mission. We only made it to wave 4, but it was a lot of fun!<br><br>So far I'm having a lot of fun in GTA online. It's everything I wanted from a multiplayer GTA experience!2014-05-12T23:48:34ZTimogorgontag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/18462014-01-25T18:32:54Z2014-05-12T23:48:33Z/Timogorgon/posts/1846/cheerful-ghost-crew-is-now-recruiting-gta-online-playersCheerful Ghost Crew is now Recruiting GTA Online players!<img src='http://i.imgur.com/FPP8PxY.jpg' class='img-responsive' alt='http://i.imgur.com/FPP8PxY.jpg' /> <br/>I've been playing a lot of GTA lately, so I decided it was time to set up an official Cheerful Ghost crew! All players of all skill levels are welcome. So come join our crew and let's run some missions, races, and all other sorts of mayhem all across San Andreas!<br><br>Our crew page on the Rock Star Social club site: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/crew/cheerful_ghosts">http://socialclub.rockstargames.com/crew/cheerful_ghosts</a><br><br>Here's how to join:<br>If you're already signed up for the Rock Star Social club*, you can message me your email address and I can invite you through the site.<br>You can also send me a friend request through PSN (my PSN handle is Taion333) and I'll invite you to the crew. Just mention Cheerful Ghost somewhere in your message so I know you're from the site.<br>You can also contact @Travis as he has permission to invite others to the crew as well.<br><br>Currently we're an "invite only" crew but I will be promoting everyone who joins to representative status so they can invite their friends or anyone else they want to. I just set us as an Invite only crew to keep out random strangers and trolls. :)<br><br>*I know signing up for another website with another password to try and remember is a pain, but if you link your RS social club to your character you get some nice perks in the game, like access to a sawed off shotgun for free and a free car once you have a garage. Plus you can access our Crew page.2014-05-12T23:48:33ZTimogorgontag:cheerfulghost.com,2005:Post/16612013-10-06T02:39:58Z2014-05-12T23:48:29Z/Travis/posts/1661/the-funniest-switching-to-trevor-momentsThe Funniest Switching-to-Trevor moments<div class='youtube-player' data-id='1wVA9illDvw'></div> <br/>This isn't something I'd normally share as a front-page post, as it's just a clip compilation, but I think this one actually says something that's worth saying, and really shows a change in philosophy between games.<br><br>One of the many complaints people had with GTA IV was its darker, more serious tone. The series has been known for its over-the-top carnage and sandbox mayhem, but GTA IV toned that down to support the story.<br><br>GTA V changes that. It isn't quite what you saw in San Andreas (personally, I think that's a good thing) but the mayhem is center stage yet again. And that's especially present in one of the three protagonists, Trevor.<br><br>A little background-- you play as three different characters in GTA V, and when you switch between them, they aren't just sitting at home waiting for you to control them. They're living their lives, doing whatever they would do. Franklin is frequently hanging with friends, or walking his dog, Chop. Michael might be on a bench outside his therapist's office, or sitting at home drinking scotch on the couch. Trevor... well, just see for yourself. Trevor is the game's id, the character where chaos really shines, and moments like this make that all the more apparent.2014-05-12T23:48:29ZTravis