Reinstalled CHASER, more difficult 2nd time around?

[BarryB]

Just reinstalled CHASER a few days ago, WinXP PRO + SP2, patched to v1.50 and started all over again and it seems way more difficult than I remember, or maybe I just suck at FPS games as I get older

It seems all enemies are uber crackshots and seem to rape my armour and health like no tomorrow, and this is on normal difficulty. I tried a NoCD and the same thing happens so it doesn't appear to be a twitchy protection issue, it uses Securom:

-=[ ProtectionID v5.2b ]=- (c) CdKiller & [x/xxx]
Build 16-11-2006....
> Ready
Scanning -> D:\Chaser\Chaser.exe
File Type : Exe, Size : 5660672 (0566000h) Bytes
-> Suspicious MZ Header.. 
[!] SecuROM Detected - Version 5.00.03
[!] Possible CD/DVD-Key or Serial Check -> CDKey
- Scan Took : 0.234 Seconds

As this is old Securom I don't think it has 'triggers' to degrade the game if it was a 'bad crack', game runs the same whether using original EXE or a crack.

The game runs really fast and smooth on my X850XT and 2.2Ghz Athlon, just wondering if the enemy AI is running too fast for the game and predicting where I'll be before I get there

So, anyone else installed Chaser lately and noticing that:

a) They suck at this game
b) The AI is just too damn accurate
c) Consequence of running older game on new(ish) hardware and it's actually running how it was intended, my system at the time being probably pants for the game and hence it was running slower and giving me an easier game?

[TippeX]

erm old securom did have triggers... from securom 5 onward
even 7 now seems to have some re: rayman 4

[BarryB]

Thanks TippeX, wasn't sure!

The game still rapes my ass though no matter what EXE I use, better just bend over and take it like a man then

[TippeX]

even happens with original? just asking, cos well its a jowood game isn't it.... and u know what that means

[BarryB]

Yeah, Jowood! To quote someone I know: Jowood, better a protected game than a working game

Well, I remember finishing the game using the 1.50 crack so I do know the game was able to be completed without problems. It's just the AI in this game seems awfully accurate from what I remember, even using the original CD and v1.50 EXE.

Must be something to do with running on faster hardware, the game was released well over 3 years ago and I was running XP PRO SP1, 512mb Ram, AMD XP1900+ 1.7 Ghz CPU and a GeForce3 Ti200 (GPU 175Mhz/MEM 400Mhz) back then! Now I've got XP PRO SP2, 1GB RAM, AMD 3000+ 2.2Ghz CPU and an X850XT (GPU 520Mhz/MEM 1080Mhz). Not a huge leap in power but capable of running almost all of the heavier GFX intensive stuff today, including nice little shooters like Chaser.

[GLH]

Hi Barry,
have you already tried to find a solution in the official game forum or at jowood support ?

[BarryB]

I did look over at Jowoods forum GLH and didn't see anything of relevance.

The game actually runs fine, it's just the AI that is wickedly accurate. I think it may be old game + newer hardware/software.

If someone else with the game can just install it and test with patch v1.50 to see if it's the same it would help. I guess I could uninstall and reinstall then try the game from retail through all the patches using the same savegame as a benchmark and see if the game varies in difficulty between retail and patches and also with cracked/uncracked EXE's.

That should be fun, installing all those patches then cracks and playing the same level over and over

[GLH]

I would help you, but i don't have the game.

[BarryB]

Well go and buy it then you tight git

[BarryB]

Just a quick update.

Installed the v1.49 patch, savegames still work, and it doesn't appear to be so aggressive with the enemy AI. A few shots still hit me but it's not as bad as 1 guy 200 yards away with a pistol killing me with 2 shots while I'm hiding around a corner with v1.50!

Also tried the crack for v1.49 and the AI is the same as with the original EXE, so I guess the v1.50 patch must have upped the enemy AI, either by design or by mistake?

Sticking with v1.49, it's easier

[BarryB]

Just finished the game, and while it 'seemed' OK it was still effing wicked with the enemy AI! Still, it kept me occupied for about 2 weeks!

Lots of graphic glitches too like getting stuck in the scenery, bodies falling through floors, enemies getting stuck in walls and doors, being able to 'see' through walls as though I've gone 'too far' into the wall and the collision detection is not working, bullet trails going through walls/doors and can even hit you. Unusually for a JoWood game, it never crashed?

Anyway, it was nice blast down memory lane, shame I've finished it and the ending seemed 'final', as in no sequel, so no probability of Chaser 2

At a loss as to what shooter to play next, I recently gave up with Elite Force II as a gun turret further into the game woudn't work correctly and let me shoot some targets on a ship and I kept getting blown up

Still got an old DOS 6.0 bootdisk made for games, wonder if Sytem Shock will still work? Loved that game, played it for hours on me old 486 Getting fed up of all these DVD games that are just full of eye candy and a few hours of mediocre gameplay, give me something like Unreal that took me months to finish, not hours!

/me stomps off to the games cupboard to open old dusty boxes and see what gems from years ago will peak my interest!

[BarryB]

If anyone's interested found Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter, installed this once years ago but never actually played it, so installed it and romping through it

Not too difficult, some space shoot em' up mixed in with most missions but mainly an FPS. Yay, found something to play instead of these new sm 3.0 only bloated eye candy short gameplay pieces of crap