This span in time was wild. There was such an insane leap in graphics from 1997-2001 that it’s really hard to describe it to anyone who wasn’t there for it.
All these videos are a great representation of how fast tech was moving back then. A good 1997 PC couldn't really play a game from 1 year well. And you can see the huge speed increase year over year.
Man, I miss those days. The only thing moving that fast today is AI.
I played half life on a 233mhz cpu and a voodoo 1 gpu and that didn’t run as bad? Not in the slightest. Played half life multiple times on that setup, counter strike and a multitude of mods.
Either you cranked the settings way too high or there is something else wrong with the setup.
The CPU and 3D card are actually from late 1996. Personally though I doubt many people had a PC like this until '97.
And while Half Life does run on the machine, it doesn't feel great. It's like meeting someone who deep down inside is a great person, but they're sleep deprived, haven't had their coffee yet, and sometimes take a weirdly long time to respond when I say stuff to them. The '98 machine was on-point, though.
I've wondered about that, too. Maybe it's because these old PC games can go as low as 20 fps, but it's 20 with consistent frame pacing, so it still feels playable? I'm not sure.
We just couldn't believe the darn things worked at all. Remember we were coming from non texture mapped 3d like TIE Fighter and sprites like Doom - and both of those also could chug on period correct hardware when released.
Right, there was definitely a "oh my god the game actually works" factor back then. I just meant it's puzzling that I can play Fortnite at 300 fps on my modern PC, then play Quake at 30 fps on my 1997 PC, and both feel fine. That's a little mysterious to me.
This reminds me of when I tried installing it on my AMD K6-II 300 PC a little while ago. It had a GeForce2 MMX 400 GPU, but the CPU was so awful that I just played it on my XP machine instead and put in a sound card for EAX.
I was a 90s kid, but a 2000s teen, and didn't play Half Life until 2005 on my Pentium 4 system. I thought it was okay, but it didn't light my world on fire. Later, though, as a grownup, I spent more quality time with 90s PC games, playing Doom, Duke 3D, and Quake before finally booting into Half Life Opposing Force. Then and only then did I truly get it.
I enjoy seeing these but if I recall te Banshee was slower and less popular than a Voodoo2. The Banshee was 3dfx's first try at a fully 2d and 3d card. The 2d was pretty impressive for its time but if I recall the Banshee suffered in 3d a lot. So doing a Pentium 1/2/3 and a Voodoo 1/Banshee/3 doesn't seem like a totally fair comparison. But, I get working with what you have.
You are right. If memory serves, the Banshee was 30% slower at popular titles such as Quake 2 for instance. But I do not own a Voodoo 2, and they are unaffordable and difficult to obtain now. I'm hoping my 1998 PC with a Banshee in it passes as "somebody could have owned this PC in this year."
I don't remember what processors we had at the time but I had a Voodoo 2 in my computer and a Banshee in my sister's computer because she played more 2d games and fewer 3d games than I did. I just did some brief research and I guess the Banshee had more memory and a higher clock speed but only one Texture Mapping Unit, so in multitexture games (which is pretty much all Quake-engine-based games at the time) the Voodoo 2 was still faster. Anyway, these videos are fun to watch and really take me back to a time when PC gaming advancements were a lot more exciting. :)
Memories…I first played and finished Half-Life on our 1997 computer’s integrated graphics card. It could not properly render any of the underwater segments, so in particular the part where you have to dive into the hole from the Gargantua and the part at the dam took me days each (I didn’t have the internet yet so I couldn’t look up how to skip those areas in the console). I played it through again when I bought a better card and those segments seemed so obnoxiously easy that time.
n55_6mt@reddit
This span in time was wild. There was such an insane leap in graphics from 1997-2001 that it’s really hard to describe it to anyone who wasn’t there for it.
MortalityMindful@reddit
for me personally the bigger jump was in the last dos years… ca wolf3d to glquake… but that’s perhaps only the nostalgia speaking…
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
I think describing it to those who weren't there for it is one of the reasons I'm making these.
TheGillos@reddit
All these videos are a great representation of how fast tech was moving back then. A good 1997 PC couldn't really play a game from 1 year well. And you can see the huge speed increase year over year.
Man, I miss those days. The only thing moving that fast today is AI.
amogusdevilman@reddit
is that 800x600 ? i heard most people were playing in 640x480 in the late 90's
birb-brains@reddit
I remember buying a sound blaster audiogy with eac just for this game and being amazed by the effects
Rexter2k@reddit
I played half life on a 233mhz cpu and a voodoo 1 gpu and that didn’t run as bad? Not in the slightest. Played half life multiple times on that setup, counter strike and a multitude of mods.
Either you cranked the settings way too high or there is something else wrong with the setup.
fivetriplezero@reddit
This was the main reason for buying my Voodoo 2 back in the day.
Still plays well on my current 14600k and B580.
europendless@reddit
Still waiting for the unreal video, ehehehehe
Just_to_rebut@reddit
Do you have a youtube channel for these videos?
Carlos_Spicy_Weiner6@reddit
I always liked the one of the guy with the valve on the back of his head
AssumptionApart6175@reddit
I Had IT on a p133 with 32mb of RAM and a trio64+ a vodoo1 and IT run "okish" for me IT was great
bgradid@reddit
I had it on a p166 with no 3d card
Niphoria@reddit
Sad - I wanted to see the other videos from you but you are hiding your history :c
Chicken_Water@reddit
Didn't hl come out in 98?
-JamesBond@reddit
Extremely impressed it was able to run on a 200 Mhz PC from 1997. Just goes to show you how well optimized Half-Life was for the hardware at the time.
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
The CPU and 3D card are actually from late 1996. Personally though I doubt many people had a PC like this until '97.
And while Half Life does run on the machine, it doesn't feel great. It's like meeting someone who deep down inside is a great person, but they're sleep deprived, haven't had their coffee yet, and sometimes take a weirdly long time to respond when I say stuff to them. The '98 machine was on-point, though.
emachanz@reddit
impressive how sub 30fps games were still playable back in the day.
I tried playing pragmata the other day, the stutterings are crazy even tho im playing at 70+ fps native 80+ with DLSS
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
I've wondered about that, too. Maybe it's because these old PC games can go as low as 20 fps, but it's 20 with consistent frame pacing, so it still feels playable? I'm not sure.
majestic_ubertrout@reddit
We just couldn't believe the darn things worked at all. Remember we were coming from non texture mapped 3d like TIE Fighter and sprites like Doom - and both of those also could chug on period correct hardware when released.
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
Right, there was definitely a "oh my god the game actually works" factor back then. I just meant it's puzzling that I can play Fortnite at 300 fps on my modern PC, then play Quake at 30 fps on my 1997 PC, and both feel fine. That's a little mysterious to me.
ScruffMcGruff2003@reddit
This reminds me of when I tried installing it on my AMD K6-II 300 PC a little while ago. It had a GeForce2 MMX 400 GPU, but the CPU was so awful that I just played it on my XP machine instead and put in a sound card for EAX.
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
I was a 90s kid, but a 2000s teen, and didn't play Half Life until 2005 on my Pentium 4 system. I thought it was okay, but it didn't light my world on fire. Later, though, as a grownup, I spent more quality time with 90s PC games, playing Doom, Duke 3D, and Quake before finally booting into Half Life Opposing Force. Then and only then did I truly get it.
deelowe@reddit
Show one with a tnt2 before and after the driver update. It was like I got a new pc. Insane
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
Do you remember which driver update this would have been? I have a TNT2 and can try it.
deelowe@reddit
Oh man. I do not.
CmdrShepsPie@reddit
I enjoy seeing these but if I recall te Banshee was slower and less popular than a Voodoo2. The Banshee was 3dfx's first try at a fully 2d and 3d card. The 2d was pretty impressive for its time but if I recall the Banshee suffered in 3d a lot. So doing a Pentium 1/2/3 and a Voodoo 1/Banshee/3 doesn't seem like a totally fair comparison. But, I get working with what you have.
majestic_ubertrout@reddit
I thought the Banshee was pretty similar to a single Voodoo 2, in that it was essentially a Voodoo 3 with a single TMU.
It was 3DFX attempting to sell a cheaper card to OEMs while remaining competitive against ATI and nVidia afaik.
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
You are right. If memory serves, the Banshee was 30% slower at popular titles such as Quake 2 for instance. But I do not own a Voodoo 2, and they are unaffordable and difficult to obtain now. I'm hoping my 1998 PC with a Banshee in it passes as "somebody could have owned this PC in this year."
CmdrShepsPie@reddit
I don't remember what processors we had at the time but I had a Voodoo 2 in my computer and a Banshee in my sister's computer because she played more 2d games and fewer 3d games than I did. I just did some brief research and I guess the Banshee had more memory and a higher clock speed but only one Texture Mapping Unit, so in multitexture games (which is pretty much all Quake-engine-based games at the time) the Voodoo 2 was still faster. Anyway, these videos are fun to watch and really take me back to a time when PC gaming advancements were a lot more exciting. :)
ineligibleUser@reddit
I remember building my first PC which included a Voodoo 1. Firing up Quake 1 for the first time was mind blowing.
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
GLQuake alone justified the Voodoo 1.
Js987@reddit
Memories…I first played and finished Half-Life on our 1997 computer’s integrated graphics card. It could not properly render any of the underwater segments, so in particular the part where you have to dive into the hole from the Gargantua and the part at the dam took me days each (I didn’t have the internet yet so I couldn’t look up how to skip those areas in the console). I played it through again when I bought a better card and those segments seemed so obnoxiously easy that time.
ColdCrab6928@reddit (OP)
It's wild how back then some graphics chips just flat out didn't work, or would refuse to display certain effects.