The Five Cores - Such disappointment

I have mixed feelings about making this post.  The screenshots for this game look spectacular, the preview videos got me so excited.  I've been waiting for a game like this for years.  For lovers of Myst and Myst wannabes, this is the game we've been longing for.  But, alas, not for all of us.

Gamers who play RPGs, shooters and other games which run in 3D engines are used to having to constantly upgrade to the latest processor, the most powerful graphics card and the most optimum systems.  But adventure gamers who've been used to point and click interfaces based on 2D images have been able to manage with systems which were, well, a few years behind.  Not any more.

Before you download this game do a system check.  You may find that you'll have to go out and buy a new computer, or at least a significant upgrade, before you can run this game. 

I first tried installing The Five Cores onto my desktop computer.  Now, my desktop computer ain't no slouch.  Its a system I built myself, a few years back when I had fewer cash flow problems.  Good motherboard, 3gig dual core processor, OK graphics card, and plenty of RAM. I'm running XP, which has been fine until now.  I've tried to install service pack 3 a few times in the past.  Every time was a failure - the upgrade failed, and I had to roll back to service pack 2.  I've tried that at least three or four times.  I figured I could manage with service pack 2, and up until now everything's been cool.  BUT - here's the rub - The Five Cores will not run on XP service pack 2.  For those of you running Windows 7, well, you can just sit there and be smug, spend your ten bucks, and the game should run OK for you.  

For those of you thinking of upgrading from XP to Windows 7, be warned, its not just an update, its a whole new install.  That means backing up your data, formatting your hard drive, installing a whole new operating system, and then reinstalling all your programs.  And, if you want your older programs to run on the new operating system you'll need to install the Pro version, otherwise you'll need to update all of your legacy applications, many of which are not compatible with Windows 7.  And if you're thinking its easier just to buy a new system you'd be right.  Installing a new operating system is not for everyone, and its not going to be cheap.

Next, I tried installing The Five Cores onto my Vista laptop.  No go, the installer says it won't run on systems which are not capable of supporting shader 3, and quits.  Obviously, I can't realistically install a new graphics processor in my laptop, so that's that.

Here's my advice:  If you want run this game, do a system check first.  Check your graphics card or processor to see if it supports shader 3 (you probably need to a bit of digging around on Google to get that info, or post a query to a technical forum).  If you have a desktop machine, I suggest you go shopping for graphics cards - replacing the graphics card is a pretty easy upgrade and its not usually too expensive, but make sure you check the specs before you decide which card to buy.  If you're still running XP, check to see if you're running service pack 3.  If not, you need to think about whether you've got technical skills to do an upgrade to Windows 7.  If you can afford it, I'd just buy a new computer (unfortunately, I can't as I'm out of work at the moment).  You can have a go at installing service pack 3 but, be warned, a lot of people have had trouble installing service pack 3, and it may not be successful.

It's a shame that this game is so picky on specs - I was really looking forward to playing it.

Good luck.

I just purchased it as well, my brand new 8 gig Windows 7 laptop - the game looks beautiful but I get NO SOUND.  I have tried everything, absolutly no sound.

A waste of money.

Suggest you email the vendor and request a refund.  

I'm waiting to hear back from JA ... if I get no satisfaction there, that is what I will do.  Thanks.