OCC dead?

[Guest_Jim_*]

If anyone's interested, I've been working on a guide going through how I do the video capture and editing for the game reviews. Figured since I changed the process recently and have mentioned it in a few reviews, it would be worth going into greater detail. (Ironically I've actually had to change the process again for AC Syndicate because it doesn't like OBS and while it likes ShadowPlay better, it still isn't great. Will probably take the time to add this new process to it Don't intend to keep using this process, but it works and could still be helpful to share.)

Not the most OC related content, but it's easy enough for me to write up, and maybe some of you can apply it for recording and editing your own gameplay footage.

[bp9801]

I think our biggest problem is simply that games aren't made for PC anymore. We don't have to build crazy rigs anymore to play the latest games at max settings. My rig is like 5 years old(?) and still plays every new game on ultra, and its not even a real crazy rig ether.

 

I remember back when the first crysis came out etc everyone was in a rush to build a rig that could play it maxed out. Those were the days when custom building was huge. These days you can just go get a prebuilt from X company for like $600 and play any and all the latest games for several years.

 

Bottom line is consoles are smoking the PC gaming / pc gaming market.

 

When you start adding in mods, games can become pretty demanding. Something like Skyrim can chug along with a bunch of texture mods added in, and even an older game like Morrowind, too. PCs have the benefit of mods right now, and so far just Fallout 4 will have them on consoles (XBO at least, PS4 eventually). You can even mod Crysis if you like and get it really looking sharp, but need some hefty hardware to run it.

 

RTS games are still the domain of the PC, but those mostly rely on a fast CPU than a hefty graphics card to be playable. You can always have a high-end card to play them with everything maxed, but it isn't a necessity. We'll have XCOM 2 before too long that is PC exclusive when the first games were also on console. PC suffered with the PS3 and 360, but with the PS4 and XBO running PC hardware (even if it's PC lite) it should bring some parity back. Right now we have to go with parity in the multiplatform releases and hope some special attention was paid to the PC. Sometimes those are ports and yes, sometimes those are done really poorly, like Batman: Arkham Knight. Plenty of others get a fantastic treatment, even if textures are a little low, but that's what mods are for, like this one for MGS V: TPP or even something like SweetFX to tweak the lighting and colors. Course there are always ENBs to make things look even better, if you can run it.

 

Games now are starting to require hefty hardware again, and not just in terms of hard drive size. Something like GTA V on PC requires some fairly strong hardware, especially if you're running it at 4K. Most games require strong hardware once you move past 1920x1080, actually, so running at 2560x1440, 2560x1600, or 4K will stress the hell out of most systems to the point a video card upgrade is a must. A 980 Ti or TITAN X is the ticket, but sometimes at 4K you need to SLI them. If you're on 1920x1080 you really just need the single fastest card you can afford, but at higher resolutions? Give it all the power you can get. Yes, most CPUs will still be fine, like how the 2500K is still pretty damn good, but higher resolutions demand more, particularly from the video card realm. If that's what it takes for us to find the limits of available hardware and push things to the brink again and again, I welcome the move to resolutions from Full HD to Ultra HD and beyond.

[lucio]

I don't want to sound like a douche but admin please, remove this 1 post everyday for 10 days, it's really not good for new people like me

 

I also like the idea for new non-PC related topics, like I'm cleaning my room and it's hard as HELL, can somebody gimme some tips, I have a OCD for these things...

[IIxNullxII]

The last decade has seen such a shift towards mobile technology, I think it would be a great idea to bring that into the mix!

[BluePanda]

The last decade has seen such a shift towards mobile technology, I think it would be a great idea to bring that into the mix!

What would you like to see? Cases? Portable batteries to charge your phone, game adapters, cables?

[Guest onions]

Ya the forums have slowed down a lot. We lost alot of dedicated members to school, work, military, family, kids etc etc

 

Life effects as all including me, the computer industry is changing a lot too which doesn't help. Upgrades, overclocking, and modding isn't what it used to be, but I have been thinking about changing OCC up a bit and adding items outside of normal hardware, examples, tablets, laptops, phones etc etc. I just don't know if I want to cover that here. I am going to be pushing more guides and how to guides on OCC because those are awesome things to have and bring traffic for long periods and it always helps bring in new people asking questions. Now a days there is less volunteers that have the time to spend on OCC, with the economy and the cost of stuff these days we all have to work to pay uncle sam, even tougher with a family or doing heavy school loads. 

 

As for Traffic outside of the forums we have really started picking pretty nicely, but spring and summer have always been lower, but as soon as Sept rolls around things start to pick up. I talked to a lot of other site owners and we all have seen a drop in traffic on main sites and forums its been going that way for a few years now. Mobile has really taken a lot of overall PC usage way down and it shows. Of course you have the big item reviews that bring in the big surge of traffic or a Claymeow news article that attracts so much attention that I start receiving hate mail lol

 

Of course then there is always google, you pretty much can figure anything out from them so there is no need to join a forum, its sad but its a reality. But I do appreciate all of you that still keep the forums alive and ticking so if there is anything I can do to make things better for you guys let know.

 

If anyone is interested in writing guides let me know. I will reward you in some way that benefits us both for doing it.

 

If there are items you would like reviewed on OCC let me know.

 

What do you guys think about some benchmarking challenges just for OCC members. We can throw up some awesome prizes, let me know if you guys are interested.

 

Am I the only one that thinks benchmarking prizes are kind of unfair? It gives more hardware to those that already have the most cutting edge hardware to win said contests. I'm not trying to say "send me goodies" because I'd have no use for them - I'm currently on a MacBook Pro and don't even have a case for a desktop computer at the moment, but it just seems like a poor distribution of hardware.

[Waco]

He never said he'd award based on the results.

[SpikeSoprano]

One thing about giving away prizes, it brings a lot of new members, but the problem is not many of them stick around.

Speaking about prizes, is there going to be a Xmas draw this year ? I wonder......

[Braegnok]

Did I hear Xmas draw,..

[BluePanda]

We always have that!

 

I might even have a few things to contribute this year.

[lucio]

yay christmazzz drawww ... wht is that ??? im foreigner

[Hyper Threaded]

Most of the slump in activity is down to the fact that overclocking and modding, aren't commonly discussed any more. Back when I joined, there were always people cutting up a case or putting crazy heatsinks on stuff. Much of the hardware is more homogeneous these days, with little or no room for modification. Although more people are building PCs than ever, they are easier to assemble.