Thoughts on Sleeping Dogs?

[Pheran]

So, I'm loving my new 7870, but I'm NOT loving my free copy of Sleeping Dogs, because it won't start at all on my system. All I get is the Steam dialogue: "Preparing to launch Sleeping Dogs" and then nothing. I've verified my file integrity, which is good. I'm combing the Steam forums now, but if anyone here has any ideas I'm open to them.

EDIT: Nevermind, as soon as manually I ran the DirectX setup in the Sleeping Dogs redist folder, it started working. Why it wasn't automatically installing that I don't know.

 

[Pheran]

This game is pretty interesting. The last game I can remember playing with brawler elements like this is Jade Empire, and that was quite a while ago.

 

[cmdrdredd]

What I don't get is why almost every game on steam needs to run some DirectX installer.

 

[Dankk]

What I don't get is why almost every game on steam needs to run some DirectX installer.

It checks to make sure that the correct DirectX library is properly installed. It's a small inconvenience to make sure that your game works the way it should.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I am most of the way through, I played at least 10-15 hours this weekend.

I still say that it is a horribly unpolished game. The 'acting', writing, characters are all fantastic. I just can't get over things like wei living in a very nice 'high resolution' textured apartment with these TERRIBLY pixelated painting on the wall. It just screams of unfinished game to me, and these things really stand out all over the environment... Same with his 'dirty' sinks and tub, that are obviously reused graphics from somewhere else in the game. This stuff is acceptable in stores or whatever, but not in the main character's own apartment.

Some of the missions are just obnoxious 'time grinders'... Like the "he cheated in a race go beat up his car" missions.. I mean come on. Change SOMETHING.. ANYTHING... but literally same character maps and all.


Some of the stuff is really great. I like the driving, I like the played out 'slow mo/bullet time' stuff, hijacking cars, etc etc.. There's a lot of great, original content which is rare for this genre.

I still think it's a $30 game. A GREAT $30 game, but I absolutely feel like a beta tester. Like another poster said, great way to fix this crap after the early buyers have already finished the game. They should get a discount.

 

[Pheran]

I still say that it is a horribly unpolished game. The 'acting', writing, characters are all fantastic. I just can't get over things like wei living in a very nice 'high resolution' textured apartment with these TERRIBLY pixelated painting on the wall. It just screams of unfinished game to me, and these things really stand out all over the environment... Same with his 'dirty' sinks and tub, that are obviously reused graphics from somewhere else in the game. This stuff is acceptable in stores or whatever, but not in the main character's own apartment.

All the stuff you are describing hasn't bothered me at all. As you mentioned, the important parts of the game are done right, so I am loving it. I really wasn't expecting to like this that much (I got it free with my new video card) since I never got into GTA. But this is much, much better than whatever incarnation of GTA I tried long ago.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

All the stuff you are describing hasn't bothered me at all. As you mentioned, the important parts of the game are done right, so I am loving it. I really wasn't expecting to like this that much (I got it free with my new video card) since I never got into GTA. But this is much, much better than whatever incarnation of GTA I tried long ago.

We must be playing different GTA games or something... The overall 'polish' on this is worse than vice city at release.

Some people are picky about details, and I'm one of them.

The worst issue by FAR is the 'car shakes while going fast' crap. I cannot fathom how they thought that effect was a good thing... To make it even better, boats didn't do it hardly at all... So a sport car on a perfect road = violent shaking, yet a boat on the OCEAN = almost perfectly smooth..???

It shows shows a lack of fit/finish/polish. Does it affect gameplay? Usually not. But they are all easily fixable issues, most of which were already corrected with the latest patch.

Edit: Also, you got it for free...... so it met your expectations. I paid $36 and was annoyed, at $60 I would be pissed.


The issue isn't that it's a bad game... It's a good game, at a $30-$40 pricepoint.

 

[ixelion]

I am prone to motion sickness and low FOV tends to trigger it, can anyone confirm if this has comfortable FOV or adjustable FOV?

 

[Pheran]

The worst issue by FAR is the 'car shakes while going fast' crap. I cannot fathom how they thought that effect was a good thing...

I've been driving around in this game for several days and I have no idea what you are talking about.

EDIT: Seems like that was corrected in patch 1.5, I didn't start playing until then.

 

[jacktesterson]

I've been driving around in this game for several days and I have no idea what you are talking about.

EDIT: Seems like that was corrected in patch 1.5, I didn't start playing until then.

I think its been a tad overblown to begin with.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

I've been driving around in this game for several days and I have no idea what you are talking about.

EDIT: Seems like that was corrected in patch 1.5, I didn't start playing until then.

Yes, it was.. Most of my complaints in this thread are pre-1.5 patch.

Just like I said.. all of the initial players were essentially beta testers. Now they're working the bugs out.. Great, but a lot of these problems definitely should've been fixed before release.

 

[Pheran]

Yes, it was.. Most of my complaints in this thread are pre-1.5 patch.

Just like I said.. all of the initial players were essentially beta testers. Now they're working the bugs out.. Great, but a lot of these problems definitely should've been fixed before release.

That sounds like every other PC game release in existence to me.

 

[cmdrdredd]

That sounds like every other PC game release in existence to me.

Actually many PC games have less issues than some console games at this point.

Ask any PS3 owner who has played Skyrim on the system. Terrible and bethesda seems like they can't even figure out how to fix it. It's like they either didn't try, or the engine was too broken to fix on that platform.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

That sounds like every other PC game release in existence to me.

I very much disagree. I don't do a lot of gaming nowadays, I buy and play 3-5 major titles per year at most, and I very rarely deal with crashing and glaring problems such as what's gone on with this game..

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Just a bump and final update.

I finished the two main mission lines last night, along with all of the jade statues. I just didn't have the patience, time, or interest to go and finish all of the side missions. I would guess I did 50% of the side stuff before getting sick of seeing the EXACT same animation sequences and challenges.... They are literally just time burners to make the game longer with no extra work on content.

It was a good game, but the continued obvious unpolished issues were frustrating all the way to the last fight scene.

Things like, there are 3 bad guys up on a walkway above you... and two of them are super-human circling one like a tornado.

My cars/trucks got caught inside of objects at least 10 times through the game. I'm not talking about my driving up on a ledge and teetering with wheels of the ground, but more like slowly bumping a pole or wall and the vehicle drives 'inside' of the graphic or 3d model and gets permanently stuck. This happened twice during important missions and at least once during a race.. Just more obvious issues with the game not being tested properly.

Still annoyed at things like, talking to two women and both have IDENTICAL 'swirling hands' hand motions... just obnoxious.. Particularly when it's during a mission, I don't understand how the developer doesn't notice these glaring flaws. It doesn't bother me as much when it's just randoms on the street. Again, for a $30 game no big deal. But, when you're asking >$55 this stuff is unacceptable.

Hong Kong is either completely dark or raining about 90% of the time, which is really sad. While there are a TON of shortcuts (repeated signs, buildings, models) it is actually a beautiful environment. It's too bad that you can't see it for most of the game... Again, it strikes me as though the people who designed the game never actually sat down and played through it - not even once.

I am very glad they fixed the ridiculous vehicle shaking, but disappointed that they waited until months+ past the game release to give us this VERY much needed patch which correct issues that definitely should've been fixed before the game was even sold.

 

[Mandres]

Just a bump and final update.

I finished the two main mission lines last night, along with all of the jade statues. I just didn't have the patience, time, or interest to go and finish all of the side missions. I would guess I did 50% of the side stuff before getting sick of seeing the EXACT same animation sequences and challenges.... They are literally just time burners to make the game longer with no extra work on content.

It was a good game, but the continued obvious unpolished issues were frustrating all the way to the last fight scene.

Things like, there are 3 bad guys up on a walkway above you... and two of them are super-human circling one like a tornado.

My cars/trucks got caught inside of objects at least 10 times through the game. I'm not talking about my driving up on a ledge and teetering with wheels of the ground, but more like slowly bumping a pole or wall and the vehicle drives 'inside' of the graphic or 3d model and gets permanently stuck. This happened twice during important missions and at least once during a race.. Just more obvious issues with the game not being tested properly.

Still annoyed at things like, talking to two women and both have IDENTICAL 'swirling hands' hand motions... just obnoxious.. Particularly when it's during a mission, I don't understand how the developer doesn't notice these glaring flaws. It doesn't bother me as much when it's just randoms on the street. Again, for a $30 game no big deal. But, when you're asking >$55 this stuff is unacceptable.

Hong Kong is either completely dark or raining about 90% of the time, which is really sad. While there are a TON of shortcuts (repeated signs, buildings, models) it is actually a beautiful environment. It's too bad that you can't see it for most of the game... Again, it strikes me as though the people who designed the game never actually sat down and played through it - not even once.

I am very glad they fixed the ridiculous vehicle shaking, but disappointed that they waited until months+ past the game release to give us this VERY much needed patch which correct issues that definitely should've been fixed before the game was even sold.

*shrug* to each his own. I'm almost finished with it and haven't noticed a single one of these issues. I've been impressed the whole way through with the atmosphere, the story, and the gameplay. I've enjoyed it a lot more than GTA4.

 

[iahk]

Same. I guess I'm not as picky as some people. The car vibration didn't bother me at all and I thought actually thought it was fairly cool. I finished all side missions and clocked about 30hrs of gameplay in the game and I think I ran into the car stuck issue at a grand total of about 2 times.

 

[Pheran]

*shrug* to each his own. I'm almost finished with it and haven't noticed a single one of these issues. I've been impressed the whole way through with the atmosphere, the story, and the gameplay. I've enjoyed it a lot more than GTA4.

Same here - I experienced almost no bugs or crashes, thought it was a great game.

 

[Pheran]

I am very glad they fixed the ridiculous vehicle shaking, but disappointed that they waited until months+ past the game release to give us this VERY much needed patch which correct issues that definitely should've been fixed before the game was even sold.

Also, what in the hell are you talking about? This game has been out for exactly 1 month TODAY, and the 1.5 patch has been out for 2 weeks already. So it took them a grand total of 2 weeks to fix the issues.

 

[gorcorps]

Also, what in the hell are you talking about? This game has been out for exactly 1 month TODAY, and the 1.5 patch has been out for 2 weeks already. So it took them a grand total of 2 weeks to fix the issues.

Well you didn't think he'd let facts cloud his bitching, did you? :awe:

 

[Dankk]

Just a bump and final update.

I finished the two main mission lines last night, along with all of the jade statues. I just didn't have the patience, time, or interest to go and finish all of the side missions. I would guess I did 50% of the side stuff before getting sick of seeing the EXACT same animation sequences and challenges.... They are literally just time burners to make the game longer with no extra work on content.

It was a good game, but the continued obvious unpolished issues were frustrating all the way to the last fight scene.

Things like, there are 3 bad guys up on a walkway above you... and two of them are super-human circling one like a tornado.

My cars/trucks got caught inside of objects at least 10 times through the game. I'm not talking about my driving up on a ledge and teetering with wheels of the ground, but more like slowly bumping a pole or wall and the vehicle drives 'inside' of the graphic or 3d model and gets permanently stuck. This happened twice during important missions and at least once during a race.. Just more obvious issues with the game not being tested properly.

Still annoyed at things like, talking to two women and both have IDENTICAL 'swirling hands' hand motions... just obnoxious.. Particularly when it's during a mission, I don't understand how the developer doesn't notice these glaring flaws. It doesn't bother me as much when it's just randoms on the street.

I think I've seen the problem with two NPCs using the same walk cycle and hand motions at the exact same time... but that's not exactly game-breaking. That's the only "issue" in your list I've seen.

I have NEVER gotten a vehicle stuck inside an object. What's your driving style? Do you ram and crash into everything you see? (Not saying you shouldn't, but that might explain why you're managing to glitch out so much. I never have problems with vehicles, maybe it's because I drive very cleanly. So you might have a valid complaint)

I've NEVER seen the NPCs do a "super-human circling tornado" (?) move as you described.

I can maybe understand the complaints about the environments being repetitive... I guess it kinda is? It's still a very beautiful game, and there's just enough variety to keep it interesting. I don't understand how this is an issue with polish though... the game feels very polished to me. Perhaps it's just a budget constraint problem?

...Or maybe it's all deliberate design? The game's depiction of "nitty, gritty, repetitive" urban Hong Kong isn't that far off.

Again, for a $30 game no big deal. But, when you're asking >$55 this stuff is unacceptable.

Again, it strikes me as though the people who designed the game never actually sat down and played through it - not even once.

I am very glad they fixed the ridiculous vehicle shaking, but disappointed that they waited until months+ past the game release to give us this VERY much needed patch which correct issues that definitely should've been fixed before the game was even sold.

Aaaaannnndd this is where it looks like you're trolling.

1) The game didn't cost >$55. The PC version is $50 MSRP. You could've pre-ordered it for $45 from Steam. And most of us got it from GMG for $37.

2) The game has not been out for "months".

3) This is what gets me the most: You seriously don't think the game was playtested? Seriously? You don't think a major title by aa AAA-publisher, costing millions of dollars to produce, with a large-scale non-linear environment is playtested first before release? Do you not realize how much QA and testing has to go into a game of SD's caliber? I hope you're joking here.

If you think Sleeping Dogs is so buggy and "unpolished", I'm legitimately curious to know what you consider a polished, high-quality game. Sleeping Dogs isn't acadamy award-winning material, but it's a damn solid piece of work. I would really like to know what games you're playing that make Sleeping Dogs so terrible by comparison.

I like to think I play a lot of games. Checking Steam right now, I have 457 games installed. I thought I knew what an unpolished game looks like... but I guess not? Please enlighten me.

 

[Markbnj]

I so want to play this, but I think it will take me another year or two to finish Fallout: New Vegas. Oh well, maybe this will be on sale by then.

 

[MustangSVT]

was fun but too short .

just like mafia 2.. too bad.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

was fun but too short .

just like mafia 2.. too bad.

It is probably the longest game I have played in ages. I don't play RPGs etc much. Compared to action, fps, racing games, I haven't recently seen a game this long.

 

[Durvelle27]

this game is pretty good and i love the graphics about 35% through it