Double Agent [pc] is a steaming pile of bugs

[Igor Muravyev]

After reading a couple of reviews, I thought the only problem with SC4 was the occasional performance issues. No biggie, I have a brand new 8800GTS and Core 2 Duo computer that I just built today, right? Wrong!

I tried FEAR, works fine. I tried to play Double Agent, it just crashes with some kind of "MUST CHECK" error. Then someone said to run the .exe with a -ll option, if I do that I just get all kinds of crazy geometric shit going on, least of which is that all the character models are 90% invisible.

Then, the people who do get the game working and looking OK, will either encounter horrible performance or other game breaking bugs as evident on the Ubisoft forums (http://forums.ubi.com/eve/ubb.x?a=frm&s=400102&f=3651075192). One guy got so fed up, he's sending a letter (http://forums.ubi.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3651075192/m/6401053605) to Ubisoft and Greg Vederman (and it better show up in the next issue Greg ;)).

I'm truly truly disappointed. The last few SC games have been very enjoyable, even if the gameplay wasn't changed very much, but at least they were always polished. This bullshit with rushing out the games before the holidays needs to *stop*. This game has obviously not undergone a decent stress test.

Anyways, here's a screenshot when I run with the "-ll" option, pretty sad really http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=yaywa1.jpg . I think I'll go see if I can return it to the store and swap it for FEAR expansion instead, since that actually works (played the demo).

[Becoming]

I was going to buy this on day one until I read various comments of that same type on other forums. Along with a neutered co-op mode instead of more of the great kind ala' CT (which the normal x-box version got of all fucking platforms) and I've lost faith.

[Coca Cola Zero]

The 360 version is the glitchiest console game I've played in a long while. It doesn't crash or anything but I don't think I've ever played a single session where some bizarre scripting/animation state/whatever glitch popping up. Most are minor, some were a real pain in the ass, like the time I was carrying a dead body and the game seemed to halfway forget I was carrying it, so I couldn't drop it and I could do some things you can't usually do when carrying a body, but not everything. Ah well, the game has been fun enough to put up with the bugs, but damn, they really need to QA that shit more.

[squaddie]

I agree the PC version of the game has problems, which I posted about in another SC4 thread here.

After the first mission I have stopped playing and put it aside, hoping it will run better on a future system. But since my system is two years old and your system sounds more recent than mine, I have to wonder if Ubisoft screwed up somewhere.

Other problems with the PC version include issues with not being able to reconfigure the mouse-button settings, which the developers left fixed on fire and alt-fire.

[Moore]

The 360 version is the glitchiest console game I've played in a long while. It doesn't crash or anything but I don't think I've ever played a single session where some bizarre scripting/animation state/whatever glitch popping up. Most are minor, some were a real pain in the ass, like the time I was carrying a dead body and the game seemed to halfway forget I was carrying it, so I couldn't drop it and I could do some things you can't usually do when carrying a body, but not everything. Ah well, the game has been fun enough to put up with the bugs, but damn, they really need to QA that shit more.

I havent seen anything like that?

[Igor Muravyev]

Well I tried it on my dad's computer (FX-62/7950 GX2) and the first time it just ran *really really* slow and wouldn't get past the intro Ubisoft/Tom Clancy logo. Then when I rebooted the computer and ran the game, it rebooted me right away when I started a new game. GRRR?!

So I guess that's the plan, the people with computers good enough to actually not have much performance issues, don't let them run the game at all.. I'll need to double check that hypothesis by trying it on an older computer with a 6800GT :).

[Xaroc]

Played through the entire 360 version with 0 problems (other than hating the JBA level(s)).

[steve]

I was having some visual problems with an NVIDIA card, but I chose the "Chaos Theory" (or Pandora Tomorrow, I forget which) profile in the NVIDIA driver. After I did that, it played perfectly, with no visual glitches.

[Guido Jones]

Played through the entire 360 version with 0 problems (other than hating the JBA level(s)).

Heh, I didn't have any problems either. Didn't mind the JBA levels though :P

[Igor Muravyev]

I was having some visual problems with an NVIDIA card, but I chose the "Chaos Theory" (or Pandora Tomorrow, I forget which) profile in the NVIDIA driver. After I did that, it played perfectly, with no visual glitches.

Don't think that would help in my case, I checked the forums and all the 8800GTS people are having the same artifacts as I am.

[steve]

Don't think that would help in my case, I checked the forums and all the 8800GTS people are having the same artifacts as I am.
Could it could be an issue with anti-aliasing and HDR? I'd still give it a try, just to see what happens. I was experiencing those exact same visual problems with a Core 2 Duo and a 7950GX2. Even the training levels had weird artifacts, like the lasers being seen through the geometry (and Sam). I couldn't even see anything in the opening scene, and once I dropped in the water, it was even worse.

But it all went away as soon as I chose that Splinter Cell profile in the driver.

[Draikin]

I must be lucky, I had zero crash with Dark Messiah, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Splinter Cell.

[scharmers]

zero crash with Dark Messiah

Unpossible.

[steve]

I must be lucky, I had zero crash with Dark Messiah, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Splinter Cell.
I haven't played Neverwinter Nights 2, but I also had zero crashes with Dark Messiah.

[Reed]

Played through the entire 360 version with 0 problems (other than hating the JBA level(s)).
Same here (on both counts), really had to force myself through those levels. Loved the game otherwise.

[steve]

Same here (on both counts), really had to force myself through those levels. Loved the game otherwise.
Really? I liked the timed levels as a nice change-of-pace (though the crypto and bomb building was stupid), and I always came in with plenty of time to spare.

[interman]

I must be lucky, I had zero crash with Dark Messiah, Neverwinter Nights 2 and Splinter Cell.

Please play Gothic 3, without any patches. I've had that, and nwn2's main quests break due to bugs, very close to the end in both cases.

[John Reynolds]

Dark Messiah has never once crashed on me and I'm almost done with my 2nd play-thru.

[Igor Muravyev]

Ok, I beat the game on my dad's computer (he doesn't have a 8800 yet).

The game makes the computer reboot once in a while. Other times crashes randomly, and often during a quick load.

Finally, there's in-game bugs too like never receiving the unlocked equipment (like what's the point of doing the missions then?), or not being able to crack safes if you come at one with the slowest speed until you roll the mousewheel back up (wish i knew this before i beat the game).

On the plus side, the daylight missions were more challenging. There were also quite a few missions where Sam had no weapons at all, or mostly no gadgets. I only wish they went the HQ route for more levels and made it roam-anywhere (maybe even complete the goals in any order, that was a nice touch). The supertanker was a great opportunity, but the bow of the ship was scripted to not be accessible until a certain point.. *sigh*.