Well, I have to admit that I am pleased to get a response from you. More often than not, being a "hardcore" gamer, it is not unusual to speak one's mind and get no response....That being said, thank you.
Now, as for the numbers you have generously offered us here in regards to the testing and the myriad combinations of system components.... That information is about what one would expect in lieu of the speed at which the hardware is evolving, yet the engine on which this title was based and constructed around is NOT new nor has it been shown to be unstable. The quake 3 engine has been around for years, and to be honest, I own almost every title that has used it as a foundation (and yes they are legit store bought copies). Now I don't intend to be rude in this remark, but SoF2 has by far been the most unstable of all these titles.
If it is due to the modifications you have clearly made to the original code, then I think that reflects on the programming and NOT the hardware (which by the way was the hinge on which you argument rested). Also, the system I described in my previous post (with MINIMAL tweaking and effort) will smoke said titles (with the exception of SoF2). This again would signify programming and not hardware.
It is not my intent to bash you at Raven or to belittle your programming ability, it WAS however my intent to scold the way game developers push the release of a title. Being a programmer, I know you understand this more than most.
As for the "being made an example of"...I do not feel that way at all. What I do feel like is, setting SoF2 down (till I see that it is stable), and playing a game I know will please my first person shooter appetite (and will not crash my system).
Simply put, the current marketing standard of the industry will continue to develope irrate gamers until someone (ie like you guys) decides to break away and think outside of the box (which by the way has shrunk to about half the size.....but not the price). So instead of giving us "awe inspiring" astronomical numbers about the variety of reasons your software will not work, why not learn from all the blunders that have come before, and set a trend of exellence for others to follow. I know this will not be an easy task, but that's why I chose to be a gamer and not a developer...

Peace!

Just one more thing.... This is in regards to the "see this thread" posted above by the moderator. The suggestions of "stop overclocking" are about the biggest waste of the time it took to type that thread. A great majority of gamers are o/cer's and quite honestly, if you think your title to be that fantastic that you think we will stop the current trend and reverse our stance on gaming and o/c'ing then you are sadly mistaken.

SoF2 is a good game yes, but for us to totally rework what some of us have built our systems for the express purpose of doing, is plain conceited. Also, it does mean something if other games run fine on these systems. What it means is that THOSE games will be played while your games will warm the shelves of your nearby retailer. Perhaps you guys should stop spending your time trying to squeeze more money out of a title (like smaller boxes and antipiracy methods) and pour that effort back into the game itself...

I'm sorry, I guess I can't enough. I have to say that at this piont I am getting very irritated. The more I read the thread from Ramrod, the more I realize that you guys have clearly lost sight of the goal here. It IS NOT to tell people how to build their systems. It IS NOT to make people feel ignorant about pc gaming. It IS NOT! to cover your a** and hide the fact that your game is buggy. It IS NOT!! our systems!!! What IT IS, is that you guys took a chance and made a game that yes does push systems in a new direction, and yes does offer features that other games do not (ie dmg location etc), but in doing so, you have also not only pushed games in a new direction but have in turn created new issues to resolve (bugs). Now, instead of posting sh** like that and trying to pass the buck (dont we wish) back to the gamers, you should be spending that time re-reviewing the code and the bold changes you have made and trying to find what is causing these types of crashes etc.
I find it most amusing to see time and time again, games like this that are very unstable being corrected by a bit of code (patches) and NO HARDWARE changes. PC's are not consoles, do not presume that we will alter the hardware to be compatible to your software.....What we will do is, remember the way you handled this, and not buy your games in the future.
Just one more thing for you guys to think about. You say that 90% of the systems this game is installed on run it without a problem.....Have you ever thought that within that 90%, there are a GREAT many people who simply do not take the time to post those issues on this board? Also, not to depress you, but word of mouth had reached me about how buggy this game was BEFORE I could even install it, and that came from someone that didn't even own it. If that doesn't show you the invalidity of your stance, I guess you can join the ranks of Daikatana etc.

Well it's been over a week and no lockups! Just playing the game. I have to say while I was having lock up problems the name Raven was a dirty word in my house. But  I figured while waiting for a patch why not check my end out?? My problem turned out to be the graphic card was overheating. Right before a lockup the gamma would get brighter and the graphics not as sharp. Now for others it may be something else and for the small percentage where they have tried everything well lets hope Raven can eventually help them too.
Anyway sorry for cursing ya Raven but I really wanted to play and not mess about. I am sure that is what other people are feeling but unfortunately anyone who has played PC games knows that all is not easy!

AMD1.4 Tbird
SOYO w/Alimajik 1
G3 Ti200 23.11 driver
640m pc2100
WIN2000 Pro
FPS it's all good!! 50 - 90 vsync on

My end is fine. As I have already stated, the system is completely stable on every other game I play. So instead of sitting there taking an hour to try to sound intelligent and respond to a post where you have no clue, try to use your time more wisely please. I find it amusing that you tell us to check our systems when you are clearly admitting that you guys are working on a patch. By admitting that, you do know that you have already proven that there are software issues here. Some of your advice is good I admit, but in this case it does not apply. Let the programmers do their thing and stick to moderating the boards.