Quoting cpl_rk,
reply 18
Correct and the OP does not have 1 gb of available RAM according to the post, unless they turned off their OS while playing. He also said the game is bad, and although I disagree, I found solidsmooky's comment funny, and I still do.
quoting post
My system does exceed the minimum requirements 2.8Ghz P4 processor, 1 Gig RAM, 256m ATI Radeon X1950 video card. The game is unplayable. Of course maybe I am supposed to set everything to minimum? Why bother!
I don't know anyone that meets the minimum requirement and expects to crank up the graphics. Since this thread is in danger of becoming a flame thread I will just bow out.
I'm not trying to flame or hack on anyone or anything like that. And, yeah, it was a funny comment.
But, I'm just saying 90% of consumers are not "computer experts" they don't know that the first 100 sectors of RAM are taken up by the FAT (for example, or whatever the hell it is now, or even if windows uses a FAT anymore .. I don't even know) and that their "windows 7" OS with "Radeon ATI" takes up 20% of their base memory & cache (for example). Only people that know a lot about computers or hard core gamers would interpret "available RAM" as "RAM that is leftover unused after the required system resources are met".
Most everyone else on earth would look in their computer control panel (for example in my system: control panel-> system memory-> installed memory -> 8GB ), and think: 'gee I have 8GB of available memory for use in my computer (which is in fact corrcect), so I can buy games that use up to 8GB in specifications'. In other words: I have 8GB of memory available to use. I'd be willing to bet $20 that over 90% of the people of planet earth would interpret things this way, thus I have 8GB of "available" RAM for software application usage when I go shopping.
Personally, I don't think the game is playable at 1GB of "available" RAM based on this thread and another similar one. I think the game should reasonably start at 2GB as far as what the box' specifications should state, so I agree with you. I just believe the box requirements would lead 90% of consumers to believe that their 1GB of RAM system would work with this game, so I sorta feel for whoever started the thread at the same time.
I know from personal experience that never again will I buy a "new" game for an older system that just barely match minimum specs. It's one of those things you just learn once the hard way and them remember, so you don't make the same mistake again.