For 14 days, I tried to play Grand Theft Auto IV unsuccessfully. The game wouldn't load, or I kept getting this obnoxious "RESC10" error and all I kept reading on gtaforums was that the idiots at Rockstar were working on a patch.
While the concept of releasing a product that is incapable of being played on 50% of the machines out there, especially the higher end ones, is abominable, I didn't return the game for a refund. I waited for the patch. And waited. And almost gave up.
At long last, on Monday, the patch was released. I installed it and rebooted my computer. As I waited for my computer to restart, I told my employees not to expect to be able to talk to me for a while, plugged in my headphones, and got ready.
"Fatal Error (RESC10 = Video out of memory)"
It took a lot of willpower not to pick my computer up and throw it out the nearest window. Instead, I started poring through different forums and reading what everyone was trying. Editing the command line parameters for loading the game, downloading strange registry-altering software, buying a new video card – I contemplated them all and actually tried some of the attempts that I was positive wouldn't fry my computer.
I swear that when I actually found the combination that worked, a light from the heavens shined down on my computer and I heard angels sing. I could finally play GTA IV!
Yesterday, I played pretty much non-stop from 9 AM until 8 PM, at which point hunger necessitated a run out to get food.
After spending almost 12 hours driving at top-speed in a fully-immersible, extremely realistic environment without any physical repercussions to actions like smashing into other cars, driving over pedestrians, and driving in the oncoming traffic lane for fun, I got in the car to go to a restaurant.
Without getting too specific, let's just say that speeding was the least of the moving violations I actively and happily performed last night. In a distance of less than a mile, I'd say that I probably broke about six or seven laws and had I gotten pulled over, I cannot say with any certainty that I wouldn't have led them on a high-speed chase just for fun.
Maybe I was better off when the game didn't work.
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