BlackListedB

Yes, we lost are key financier, so GTAChronicles went down and is now a wasteland of ad links, I have no control over. I was an instigator in the formation of the site, and it was an answer and oasis from the heavy handed, and rock-headed moderation of GTAForums, I'm still happy to see this site is adverse and absent from, Though not nearly as active as GTAForums, the newer forums haven't got that same history, and it was likely much easier for everyone to cope back in the day, as I recall it. Well, I know I for one hope GTAChronicles could survive as long as any other site, but we are all tightening our fiscal budget, the good news is I heard back from Webmaster Mike, who is making an effort to save the domain. As a Dot Com it might prove too difficult, remains to be seen, but an update on our good friend Mike, he's alive and doing well, and his online trips became less and less frequent so he was actually unaware of GTAChronicle's present state. He'd also sadly forgotten how to log in, happens to the best of us! hahahaha

If your computer is shutting down to protect the OS, as it states mostly in BSOD, relate your experience in this thread! More then just shared horror story experience, I want to relate what just happened to me the past few days, I got repeated BSOD from Windows 7 after I tried an optional official update for Windows .Net Framework version 4.5.2 I tried a repair which failed, I then opted to remove the latest update, and as it rolled back, observed notifier that 4.5.1 was also being uninstalled. I can tell you since rebooting after that, the system appears stable once again, and as such, I advise NOT updating to that revision of the .Net Framework, and as I stated some time ago here IIRC, NET Framework's real use is in helping software written for Web 2.0 and beyond to work better among different interconnected machines, as I understand it, so in a manner, Cloud based online software might largely be effected by NOT having components to .Net from Microsoft, but as they are always expanding their own software, I'm sure they'll get this fixed or revised, your system won't die on you unexpectedly which is the MOST important thing, even if you lose some program functionality!

Windows incorporated Internet Exporer as it's web-browser default, defacto, most know this caused an Anti-Trust lawsuit to break up Microsoft's monopoly, which was somewhat successful, however, it's chief competition, Netscape still fell to the wayside. Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome proved you could compete against Bill Gates' empire and actually keep a healthy competition going. AMD sadly could not compete with the original 1960s Intel, but because they were more brash as upstarts, they won awards for their innovation and are still leaders in the Technology Hall of Fame. They competed with Intel in much the same way others competed with Apple and Microsoft. It always felt like someone could lay claim to the PC end, but not really. The earliest companies to try and make headway would include Compaq before being eaten up by Hewlett Packard. The old Packard Bell some might remember, not to be confused by! hahaha Mine was an eMachine, Trigem, founded in the late 90s, they actually broke historical ground with brand new PCs priced at $600USD! This with a track record of few complaints and repairs. Ones I did observe related to the low end PSUs or power supplies, which are rather universal on the low end. As well, DVD and CD ROM failures, though included with a PC are not specifically made by that company, but they get the reputation for the shoddy product inclusion just the same. I think had products been tested when they were made, before going out in the market, things like failure rates could have been managed better, a PC makers' reputation often hinged on how low complaints about service were and how well that service was executed. Speaking of the START menu, overwhelming PC user displeasure did result in the evolution of Windows 10 we're seeing, More robust MS OS desktop in the conventional, non-touchscreen area, while retaining Windows 8 multi platform and appending new changes there as well, if they meet user experience concerns, will bode well for Microsoft Post-Bill Gates I'll add that Apple really pioneered virtually all the concepts for the home computer, Windows included, so I had a bit of disdain over the rather obvious theft of ideas, but Apple and Bill Gates were paying attention to what was going on in computer R and D and put those ideas into their respective products, The 'mouse' technology dates back even further then 1970 for example!

August 24th will be 20 years since Microsoft Windows 95 first entered the World's sub-conscious. It maybe a bit early to title the thread before the event and then it passes with much fan-fare as expected, and will appear titled incorrectly then!? haha Anyway, I was just stumbling on this factoid as I explored various computer retro articles online and pondering the new Windows 10. 20 years in the making of the modern desktop GUI! "pronounced Goo-ey" ...Well, I noticed too, it's January 24th, so it's the right day to post this! haha ;:~lp

Sorry to addendum if too soon, but the announcement kinda excites me, New Windows is a chance to revise all previous wrongs! HAHAHA Check out Wikipedia's evolving notes on the subject; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_10 Also take note in the middle section, reference that Windows was skipping the naming to Windows 9 for unclear reasons, yet the MS spokesperson refuses to acknowledge that MS's OWN naming sequence groups Windows 95, 98 and ME under Win 9x. Windows 9 isn't a direct match to previous naming, but if you read the Wiki, it does discount, jokingly, naming it Windows One, which would CLEARLY be a bad move, even if not to present a technical association. Xbox One is STILL a bad device name no matter how you look at it, you can't reinvent the wheel by calling it a different name! hahaha

Sorry for addendum without additional user posts, but as pointed out on the Forum updates, There is a plan by Microsoft to offer Windows 10 free of charge upgrade, but it also includes WINDOWS 7 according to a new article from ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/microsoft-show-off-windows-10-features-28364884 Now my thinking is again, MS maybe taking the easy OS evolving route, like Apple perhaps, after it's VISIONARY founders have stepped down and the company's path forward is hazy at best. You're free to contradict my opinion below, however, it just looks like SPIT and POLISH on Windows 8, no longer RT of course, but hoping to cater to PC users who were very vocal in the roll out of Windows 8. So it also leaves one wondering what up with Win9?! Did they avoid that name because of Windows 9x forever relating to Windows 95, 98 and ME?

By He you mean lead artist Aaron Garbut? He would be the one who designs the main map for the game, however, they do real location site scouting and they mentioned piles of video tapes that take into account building styles and traffic flow in various areas. They don't always translate to effective virtual environments if they were to exactly mimic the findings. As you said, each time the technology evolves, thus allowing more ideas to come to fruition, but this thread is to point out the sore points of GTA 3 in particular, and I think the fact that enemies you betray have so much firepower it slows progress to a crawl. I was prompted to quit GTA 3 missions at a point where I had to backtrack to enemy territory. Reason being is I was having my car or truck shot into flames with no more then 4 enemy gunshot hits!! That's just too tough to deal with, and adding to frustration was the wonky control characteristics. It's evolved into a lot more forgiving interactive control, but when you played the retroGTAs for portable devices, again there was sloppy handling, however, it did feel time was spent ironing things out, and adding bikes and other vehicles, improving it overall

I would like to hear from the active or interested members, what gear will you be trying the game on? Will you post your results with us??

Well guys, the stats are out, For GTA V PC edition, your closest test for hardware demands maybe the PC version of Episodes. I found in comparison runs of this PC game release and the original GTA IV, EfLC is the more demanding PC version, it requires more horsepower to run effectively, and I hear few cases where it runs at full maximum settings too! Mine did load and attempt to run at a snail-pace, other times it crashed, and since I finished a build on my Republic of Gamer Asus notebook PC, the idea is to try it again, however my own report will be delayed because the requirement for a massive graphics card in a desktop or notebook is a powerful AC adapter, which I don't have. 120 watts, 125 watts, 130 watts, 150 watts and in Toshiba's X205 SLI version case, a four pin 180 watt adapter is required!! The X205 is another machine I bought incomplete, that's another project to see what will work well in SLI versus single GPU machines, especially portable ones! Of which there are few to compare to. Alienware (now Dell) were one of the first computers with SLI nVidia for dual mobile graphics cards, There have been plenty of dual GPU for PC attempts over the years, but in most cases, you just buy identical spec cards to tether together. Slots permitting. The SLI approach I believe demands some soft-switch (software settings) game compatibility to work smoothly, if at all. ATI's Crossfire is designed to work outside of game settings I believe, again, someone correct me if I'm off about this. SLI and Crossfire don't double a card's spec capacity, however, memory might be the closest to improving overall. What they do is share the load of any rendering task the computer is working on at a given time, to maximize the effectiveness of data crunching. and what you hope to see on your screen, FAST gaming response to input and graphic animation. There's no doubt that 3D anything is one of the toughest demands you can place on any computer system, so, with the release of specs for GTA V that place it in the $800 dollar and up catagory, I don't think I'll be able to see smooth response without a hitch, but for the moment, even though I have low speed RAM modules in DDR3, at this time I have a number of them available so my Asus and desktop machines can all run GTA V in regard to that requirement. It certainly will be interesting to see how the new GTA and old GTAs compare in computer performance. For your desktop say, running the 660 GTX level nVidia, I bought both 600 and 700 watt power supplies for my desktop builds, however, I'd been in the process of putting both my Core i machine and Core 2 Quad capable Intel i45 desktops up for sale, but I had a medical issue halt that this past summer. The upgrades from my first ever Nehalem with original brand new, in 2010, Core i3 costing me $135 or so at the time, then moved to a rather cheap eBay auction ($50) Core i5, the goal has been to move away from the 1st gen Core i3, i5, i7 Nehalem Intel CPUs to Ivy Bridge 3rd gen preferably. It's suspected for the record, MOST people STILL don't have Intel's Haswell in their main computers, so Ivy Bridge may afford you the most recent upgrade compatible with previous Sandy Bridge mobos (motherboards/sockets) I also did upgrades for RAM from 1, to 2, to 4GB sticks, however, the 4 or 8GB sticks in both DDR2 and DDR3 are spendy propositions, you're likely to do some tough decision purchasing there, The 600-700 watt PSU range is good for SLI starting out, so it certainly should work for just one GPU card

This article was linked to the earlier one I posted, two on the subject of real life character archetypes ...if that's the right word. I prefer games that represent REAL world places and things, transport methods are more important to me then how many or what type guns, but variety is ALWAYS the spice of life, virtual or otherwise! hahaha http://www.polygon.com/2014/10/30/7130525/watch-colbert-on-gamergate-including-anita-sarkeesian-interview Anyway, express your thoughts on Gamergate...2014 a worse year then previous ones? Is online gaming becoming worse too? Are the creative arts of Interactive video games stifled and dated in their stance in terms of developers mindset as the technology and game design improves all the time? I do recall with the advent of GTA IV that Sam Houser said a few things also worth mentioning to add to the ongoing and future discussion. We're doubtful to hear from Rockstar Games especially, but it would be helpful and nice to hear how their opinions and feelings have changed from a creative aspect, As we do hear from a contingent on Newswire report about fan mail, that being artistic treatments and game produced tributes. This is nice acknowledgement but it still lacks the creative staff feelings on current game design, and we've no idea who's actually looking and picking user items to feature. Those who craft the games do engage in Developer Online competition events with select users, but this also doesn't offer a more serious interaction with gaming fans and community. That's why I hope GTA forum discussions can center on the gaming life - aspect, away from the console, PC and controller. How is your gaming life, outside of GTA and away from Xbox, Playstation, or PC? In other words, how do you approach entertainment gaming in your personal life. How does the product compare with prospects for current and future games, are your let-downs or gripes minor ones or not? In the above threats on women or female gamers, I find that immensely more detestable then killing prostitutes in GTA and getting your money back, this example is SO DATED, it originated with the success of Vice City on PS2 hardware!! It also came after a strongly established presence on PC and console with the first 3D GTA, GTA3 Point here is, I'm sure you can't feel accepting of all you've seen relating to GTA controversy or actual personal gaming activity. Well, not to get too far away from the subject in one thread, I feel to mention again that Sam Houser stated about GTA's advances and controversies, that for the record, he said no children in GTA was something they agreed upon in-house, feeling a need to draw the line in the sand, however, depicting, then, in GTA V, torture tactics that were all too blatant, I feel that steps backward from such a stance. As said earlier. Sam Houser also mentioned that there was a need for reality with a game based on it's subject matter, and many observed this keenly when it's chief competition, Volition's Saints Row began a move in direct opposition to GTA style gameplay, while offering a theme consistent with it's origin to maintain what it was, it's identity, however, it's lost fans like me who don't like Everything AND the Kitchen Sink thrown into one game to offer fans a bit of anything and everything. To me, GTA as environment and a fairly linear and true to reality storyline is what ingratiates itself with me as a gamer. However, I want the morals as represented in the game and in gaming to also have the same weight they do in reality, and by that I mean not to just put them 'under the gun'. Offer them as fodder for mere jokes or as something to attack. The REAL WORLD themes should have direct relation to what they represent, and this added something meaningful to GTA IV as articles at the time also discussed, I remember it well, because the writer of one such article stated the obvious contradiction of a game based on crime to have a moral choice for players, but how can it do this effectively? It's still a learning process I feel, but I also think GTA IV handled it fairly well considering it was trying new things not done in gaming that I know of.

I mention Windows 10 because I didn't see succession talk about Windows 9 other then user speculation, there WAS talk of making Windows OS an online product only, forsaking actual media release, on optical install discs, rather a software download and install OS method of delivery. I don't know the time table for that either, but your post suggests both a Windows 9 and 10, or that Windows 9 was evolved into a named 'Windows 10' instead, however, as I stated above, I see a need to have a NON-TOUCH centric Windows, a Microsoft OS that's not METRO desktop reliant or makes START menu and standard ICON desktop users happy with a long term solution

http://www.polygon.com/2014/12/10/7364823/gta-5s-vicious-misogyny-ought-to-be-addressed-not-ignored The above dates back to last month, however, just last night the ABC TV show Nightline came on while I was casually watching TV and to my surprise, death threats and rape proposals to women gamers and those taking a stand against how they're generally portrayed in such game culture in which it's presumed male dominated. The console gaming realm versus that of tablet and smartphone or casual 'nouvoarcade' that doesn't require high powered devices for use. GTA's always come under fire, so it's not surprising to see it listing again, largely due to it's ever present popularity, but what the show did was to again vilify game makers and male game players, with few exceptions, it also failed to raise any intelligent views and debate, this is sad because I can think of a few! What also upsets me personally is Sam Houser reportedly took issue with the naysayers of gaming, he being the gamer of the two brothers, Dan Houser being the bookworm of the two; writer of the game's contents mostly... Sam Houser reportedly wanted to do a roundtable type discussion on violence and gaming, (which supposedly didn't happen because others weren't responding at the time) but we all know that you can't look to game to teach right and wrong, or morals, you can just as easily enter a SANDBOX designed game and walk and drive, or ride around without shooting a DAMN THING! It's up to each person to know their own actions, because these are what they instigate whether playing a GAME or engaging in REAL LIFE. That to me is the bottom line, the game plotting or things like playing as a terrorist or Govt official trying to gain information as was seen in GTA V this time around, it upset more then casual observers, to me it was nothing more then putting an idea into action to push an envelope, or to see something new in gaming, but it's also an invisible line one shouldn't cross. There are game ideas that terrorists would love, and they try and make War into an action film or video game propaganda wise. That's why we need to take an active and strong stance against such things, as we Mature into adult gamers, you becoming MY age eventually, you'll see that you've been wrong perhaps and start to feel rather foolish for your ideas and actions. Women should take up stronger roles in games like GTA, where they can be the males equal. As we have suggested, role playing swaps would allow more possibilities and women to play as their own gender instead of the atypical male protagonist. We've mentioned this before in Forum articles, I feel the right place, and I make my opinion known at Rockstar's site as well, I'm nearing 50 and I was raised in a strict Christian family, so they'd be railing against the same type of entertainment, but I take pride, like many as well, that I am not an amoral or immoral person and I can see the virtual need to let off steam, it's obvious the advantage of gaming in that area, no matter what the setting and type of game, they all offer a release, interactive entertainment at the core. There is also the very REAL argument about video games like these reflecting movies, books, AND the Real World, as the tech has evolved, the argument seems to carry more weight, but it's the same one, the people UNSUPERVISED with bad parents are shaped more by a bad environment then those who do have the benefit of a grounded development, it's sorely needed in the raising of Children in the modern age, I think this too should be obvious to most of us

I've built a 1st gen G73J model Asus Republic of Gamer laptop, and I did buy an earlier 8800 Ultra, which sports higher memory bus speed, sadly, the nVidia revision over the ATI HD5870 used in the original G73 notebook STILL has only a 128 bit memory bus, what that means for on the fly processing is you're likely to encounter a data log-jam for video memory on hand! I wish we could keep that spec climbing. Reason being is some of the early 2000 era video cards ALSO had 128 bit vRAM (video-memory) I have to say, I was able to get a nVidia instead of the harder to secure ATI mobile GPU (you can score some good deals on the desktop variety, even setup an SLI with 2 or more cards! Or if you're an AMD fan still, Crossfire multiple GPUs. My earlier business B53J Asus uses HD5470 with Eyefinity, the intent is multiple HD output for monitors with your option of display (you can put four identical displays together to make one SUPER LARGE image, if the bezels don't get in the way! Also, nVidia does support the 3D mentioned above, nice to hear Rockstar might allow that feature to work with cards supporting it. Now, just as my example on a budget, the card I scored was UNDER 100 USD! That should be affordable for anyone, BUT will it be enough?!? That's a tough question at this stage. The Geforce 460m GTX with 1 Gigabyte or higher video RAM, the other option is 1.5Gb. If you have higher models, you'd have a 5xx or 6xx series GTX, so you know, GTX is the highest level nVidia outside of the Ultra class cards, but that seems retired from service now. The recommended specs dictate you're spending upwards of $1500 versus $400 on a PC versus console, Remember the 660 nVidia is still a current upgrade in the used market for gamers, and it's demand leaves it out of budget pricing ability to go with, as does Haswell Intel Core i7, most of which I'd been looking at periodically on eBay. Also, I've checked specs on my machines and they could easily be around 2GB system complete RAM dedicated for video with Shared RAM, depending on what you put in your machine for the memory chips you can remove and replace. This should account towards any required video RAM, regardless of where it resides, in a gaming laptop or PC, you have multiple DIMM slots for this ability, so CPU and System Ram won't be at a deficit when the 3D demand of the game is on, Asus designed the ROG systems with little creature comfort, no card slots (PCMCIA-Express) or Firewire, it's set for gaming only, so you really should leave all other HDD clutter elsewhere! (you get 4 USB, 1 USB3 on revision change, multi card reader (SD and MS), Modem and Ethernet, Wifi of course, but why a modem these days in all new laptops? I think they've done away with these on desktops for awhile now! haha The system RAM in one early G73J was tested to go full maximum DDR3! And I should point out, most current cards themselves use GDDR5, GDDR 5th generation which is lauded for it's performance. The G as you can imagine, stands for GRAPHICS, or GTA?!? hahaha Double Data Rate As for the delays, the heart of the message is these were rumors denounced by Rockstar at first, and the times, they have a changed as well. Should mean new staff for making PC ended games, more money to invest in that development, and lessons learned as well. All we can do is hope however, Like a Nightline report on American late night TV the other night, Rockstar DECLINED to comment for the TV newstory, and to me, that's expected at this stage, but also can do more harm then good. I'll report on this TV report in another thread here. As for Digital Rights Management, lets hope it's just more user-friendly, RE: EASIER!!! Then the one for GTA IV. The plus for GTA IV on PC is you could download an offline tool to register and get it going, you could uninstall and reinstall a number of times, so it's not impossible, and you should be logged into Rockstar Socialclub already, if you're a TRUE FAN worth a salt!

Someone, nearly a week ago, at GTAForums posted a link they found with VGChartz stating the millions of sales thus far on PS4 and Xbox One next generation consoles, out for a short while now, and the delayed version for PC coming early this year. That post did see comments on the variance of Xbox Microsoft platform sales, Playstation 4, and the probability that pirates might crack and distribute free versions to those indiscriminate PC platform users who undermine game development and directly effect the actual cost of games to make and to buy. One person says he'll never understand those who triple-dip, well, my friend Rob also has wondered about double-dipping for home video releases long ago, it's something Star Wars fans have also been vocal about because in cases where a single product saw re-release, it was often done better and different in such a way that it was enticing the fan of the product to upgrade, to collect the definitive version or other rationale. In the case of GTA, you might prefer having all the versions for whatever you own, I often think this way based on being so engrossed in the game, whether it's Naughty Dog or Rockstar or some other top grade production powerhouse, their offering is usually good enough, but I did get burned buying a PS3 copy just after getting the collectors edition for Xbox, paying $150 or so just for two copies of the same game! It can be crazy, but for me, it was a first time event, I don't think I'll be that enticed again, at least to spring for a collector's edition. I would have and still do, prefer a t-shirt to a GTA hat that came in the deluxe box. You didn't get too much in comparison to what's now being offered as DLC style improvements and upgrades, however, you can sound off with your own opin on this as well. http://www.inquisitr.com/1731217/gta-v-pc-version-still-expected-to-launch-as-scheduled-rockstar-games-denies-delay-rumors/ One of a number of articles talking about GTA V's 2015 impact, most Anticipated Title just to kick off this year of releases! That alone will be interesting, also someone gave rise to thoughts again of a GTA VI, can it be a project underway this year (wouldn't at all expect a GTA6 release in 2015!)

If you can think of some other bands that didn't get a proper induction this many years into the RnR Hall of Fame inception, speak your mind in this thread. I feel just as I watched That Metal Show constantly making a case about the lack of actual rock bands who need to be awarded.... Making a case and being constantly vocal about it may make someone in charge sit up and take notice, as they should! http://rateyourmusic.com/list/JonFox/put_the_rock_in_the_r_n_r_hall_of_fame/ http://www.goldminemag.com/blogs/10-more-bands-snubbed-by-the-rock-roll-hall-of-fame http://www.rocksnubs.com/bands/

According to a tech article I came across, on the 21st of this month, thereabouts, Microsoft is expected to showcase some new OS features for Windows 10. What I think about this news is that if Windows 9 will still succeed Win8, it's likely going to be less mobile multi-platform, whereas, it looks like Windows 10 will again be for mobile uses with Metro desktop GUI and a new browser that's more aimed at 'lite' mobile use, as Opera and other mini (Android) OS like browsers (PS3's I think as an example) can be used in SMART TVs and the like

Any finds on info about this story, the coming release this year or early 2016, whether there is to be a franchise or not, post info about it in this thread. Just happened across this today,.. http://news.filehippo.com/2015/01/last-us-2-mentioned-resume/

I think there maybe changes to gender roles (switching still a part of new GTA mechanics, one could play as male and female in the same game, after all, as it is, in GTA 5, there's a suspension of disbelief going on where you step outside your normal main character into the head, mind, and body of another. :Landscapes and environments are historically the first part of making any GTA game so location setting and how it's developed later play into how missions will work when the story is laid out on the created, fictional map

Between New Years and Xmas would be better, but I hope Rockstar are doing serious game development for something more like RDR where higher elevations on a game map did have snow and ice, and lakes could be frozen over with ice, then lower more spring or summer like warm areas, the hope is for an environment that isn't as separated into gaming segments as GTA V was (the opening being in a winter environment but without benefit of free-roam)