Precursors
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 11:34    Post subject:
Oh I'm not disagreeing about the games being a bit rough but the same goes for many of these mixed genre games say the Stalker series or Alpha Protocol or say Vampire: Bloodlines.

It's unfortunate but the games are usually quite good but might require patches or workarounds, unofficial patch project for Bloodlines is still ongoing as far as I'm aware though Troika had issues with publisher and schedules so their games were usually a bit buggy though often highly enjoyable.

Ideally they really should have included the patched content and kept the voice acting alone but it's not too bad as is and could have been much worse, of course more timing and better budget would have allowed a more professional touch in say the quality of the translation and voice acting but I think it's quite good they managed to get it localized at all but I also think sales won't be very high, even with stuff like the limited distribution and lack of marketing not taken into account.

I've played far worse games and the constant FPS stream in generic franchises like CoD are starting to get a bit stale but it's all about sales and profits so it's understandable not many established publishers and developers tries to take more risks.

Even old classics got streamlined and made more accessible with time from Ultima series to Elder Scrolls and more, it's unfortunate but not much can be done about it.

EDIT: I'm not too good at explaining and describing things and I keep to posting news and try to help out a little where possible though I'm not partaking in any larger discussions and I try to be polite and friendly even if I'm a bit limited plus I mostly keep to the PC game specific section, so anyway it might seem overly negative or biased with the above but I think it worked out OK as a explanation on how I see it, the games aren't for everyone of course and I respect such opinions and it's as usual down to personal taste and preferences but it should be considered that these aren't multi million dollar project titles though all in all I would say they did a good job with these games.

EDIT: Similar goes for companies themselves such as EA, Bioware, Atari, Activision and Ubisoft as they grow and keep trying to remain competive and driven but that likely means sequels to established franchises and various corporate stuff and deals or how to best describe it, there are exceptions of course.
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fearwhatnow




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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 14:02    Post subject:
Waargh wrote:
JB, you're the most tolerant player I know Very Happy Trying to see something good in a pile of crap!

And it's not even bugs I'm talking about but the general non-professionalism of the devs, horrible game design and lack of polish or attention to details.


These 2 games (Precursors-White Gold) are ambitious projects with tons of elements and parameters.Where's the non-professionalism you're talking about?At least they try to bring something new to this dead (imo) genre.I prefer these unpolished-unfinished projects to CoD.I'm an old gamer and i am really sick of all these streamlined games that treat you like an idiot.


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Claws




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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 19:49    Post subject:
JBeckman wrote:
No unfortunately these are version 1.0 as the 1.1 patches for both games have newer files minus the copy protection related ones, though you can apply parts of those patches and still play to fix the majority of issues present in the game that the patch fixed.

Precursors patch is better of as it mostly solves minor stuff but Xenus 2 can be a bit buggy.


I bought the russian version from YuPlay and it can't be patched. Can you give us a procedure for applying the patch partially as you stated above?
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Waargh




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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 19:52    Post subject:
[quote="fearwhatnow"]
Waargh wrote:
JB, you're the most tolerant player I know Very Happy Trying to see something good in a pile of crap!

And it's not even bugs I'm talking about but the general non-professionalism of the devs, horrible game design and lack of polish or attention to details.


Horrible writing and dialogs, bleak characters, nonsensical story etc are characteristics of non-professionalism. It can be acceptable for modmakers because quite often they're just modelers or beginner programmers/coders but all Deep Shadows games had decent budgets to afford normal writers. They just don't give a fuck.

Stalker and Metro 2033 are the only games where NPC and cutscene dialogs at least try to look and sound decently.

p.s. stupid fucks couldn't even add some clothes randomizer, lol. I'll never forget the first town in Xenus 2 where all men were moustached guys in pink Hawaii shirts and all chicks were blacks in military uniform. Facepalm
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 20:37    Post subject:
Universal extractor can be used to unpack the patch files (Patches-scrolls for example.) just avoid overwriting any file from 2010 in the main directory as those are the .dll's for the copy protection and the exe, not every fix is applied this way but most are covered although unfortunately for Xenus 2 game.dll is not.
(The extra folders for Xenus 2 update should be used as well minus the logo.avi video file.)

As per the above I do agree that the translation could have been a lot better though unfortunately I can not compare to the original as I only know a couple of words in the Russian language at most, NPC variety is also a bit lacking but it's also meant to be a bit sarcastic similar to say Dungeon Cleaners or how it's translated so you get these archetypes and stereotypical behaviors although it's not as explosive as say Just Cause 2 or cinematic as Mafia 1.

I don't have much info of what's released on the Eastern-European market but some games end up a bit so-so though many try to be more unique but bugs and technical issues hinder many times though I'd say these games are pretty well of compared to how it could have been.

SDK's are available so modding could be used as well but I think it's pretty rough and difficult to use those utilities plus they're not localized either.

Can't say much about the games though as I've not finished either one but I've played them and really enjoyed them but before the first serious translations I mostly fooled around.

Metro 2034 should be out sometime in the future as should Stalker 2 and many other lower-profile games so that's something to look forward to plus what else will happen under 2011 (DNF will finally be released and hopefully will be a enjoyable old-school shooter, Witcher 2 is also highly anticipated by me and probably many others, CoD 8 is probably a given, I tend to just download them for the SP campaign, whatever it'll do this time and much more.)


EDIT: Other stuff, screens.














Last edited by JBeckman on Sat, 25th Dec 2010 16:02; edited 2 times in total
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Claws




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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 20:58    Post subject:
I was actually referrring to patching Precursors. Ugh, I really want to play the game but I would feel so ripped off if I buy it again from Gamersgate.
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Waargh




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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 21:16    Post subject:
Claws wrote:
I really want to play the game but I would feel so ripped off if I buy it again from Gamersgate.


Excerpts from russian review (score 37%) translated by BF:

The branched dialogues, moral dilemmas, interesting characters, dashing intrigue - this in “Precursors” is not and in the mention. After limping to half, the stamped history about the artifacts of the forgotten civilization is interrupted in the most inappropriate place.

Original idea with the organic weapon, which must be regularly fed up, healthily sounded in the words, but it is in reality collapsed.

Battles - primitive laser show, to conquer in which does not compose labor. To investigate stellar systems is thoughtless - you nothing will find, except asteroids and orbital stations, built according to one and the same plan. For what they did add this piece? Really because of three story missions?

To the entire game here maximum is ten faces. All are clones including the commander of garrison on Goldine and supreme priestess from Klatts. Absurdity did not slip off from writers (joke in a dialog about similar faces everywhere), to only above this joke in time not laugh, but to cry. Just as above the wooden animation of NPCs.
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Nosmirchjgkjhghjg




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PostPosted: Fri, 24th Dec 2010 21:48    Post subject:
I loved Boiling Point, flaws and all, I would have gladly bought an English localised version of White Gold to support a great little dev but to hear that they're just palming off badly translated 1.0 without even making it a patched 1.02 or whatever means no chance I'll buy it.
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prudislav
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PostPosted: Sat, 25th Dec 2010 19:50    Post subject:
Xenus.2.White.Gold-TRiViUM released (vesion v1.0.1 )
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Claws




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PostPosted: Sat, 25th Dec 2010 19:54    Post subject:
Is version 1.0.1 the latest version?
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sat, 25th Dec 2010 21:28    Post subject:
Trivium released both Xenus 2 and Precursors back in 2008/2009 for the Russian market then again as a dox for the keygen method (Which I use currently.) in mid 2010 as far as I know.

English version is at 1.0 unfortunately though as I said above universal extractor works to unpack the patch files but any file dated 2010 must not be replaced even though it's 1.0 and not updated as this deals with the copy protection and for Xenus 2 it's OK to use the extra folders minus the video fole loading.avi which isn't localized.

Unfortunately had to start over with Xenus 2, it crashed just as I sawed the game after a longer period of playing but I'll get back to it after Precursors.

Started to get further into the game as the above images show, still some stuff to do before the game is finished however and probably much more than that if you don't just follow the main story missions.

EDIT: As far as I know version numbering is called 1.1 but it could be that Xenus 2 is only affected by that, it had two patches (1.0.1 and 1.1) whereas Precursors only had one.
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prudislav
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 11:07    Post subject:
there are new ENG releases of this new from Trivium


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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 12:33    Post subject:
Aha that explains it then. Smile

EDIT: More screens.








EDIT: Precursors NFO file, interesting quirk to the publisher there, seems they've got the patch working nicely as well via their older keygen method.
 Spoiler:
 


EDIT: And Xenus 2
 Spoiler:
 
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A-A




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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 13:07    Post subject:
The.Precursors.v.1.1-SiMON (ENGLISH) (2xDVD5)
menu in ENGLISH, dialog in RUSSIAN

Is that the latest?

EDIT : Guess not lol


Last edited by A-A on Sun, 26th Dec 2010 13:08; edited 2 times in total
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Wahad




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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 13:07    Post subject:
Nice! JBeckman, this is nfo from english version, right? I wasnt so much in the threat for the couple of last pages


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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 13:53    Post subject:
The NFO files are from Trivium's release (re-release? haha.) of both games, they're the English version with some enhancements.

Uses English voice-overs but as a result probably ditches the Russian VO's so the game is overall much more silent aside from cutscenes.

Includes the patched content (That's one hell of a oversight for whoever "ported" these games.) though Xenus 2 NFO say's it the early 1.0.1 update and not the later 1.1 patch but I can't check that, would need Game.dll or similar to compare.

EDIT: Above images and those further up are from the Russian patched version and translation, I find that translation better (Though both are fairly comparable.) but cutscenes aren't covered though the txt file with said translation modification contains most of that info.
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SILVER69




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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 15:47    Post subject:
I tried xenus 2,but i have a sound problem!I hear the music the sound when the game shows tutorial messages,but no sound the shooting and talking to people!
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 15:57    Post subject:
Side issue of what I mentioned above, there's no voice files aside from in cutscenes, this shouldn't affect items and misc sounds though, do you hear anything at all?
(Intro cutscene for example.)

Also do you use Trivium's release and if so the original version or the Russian 1.x patched version?
(Some additional sounds won't work with the patched files due to changes in certain files.)
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SILVER69




Posts: 185

PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 17:01    Post subject:
I'm using the newest release and after i started the game again there was sound like gunfire,bur disapeared.The game is quet fun,but these sound bugs are killing it.And I had sound in the cutscence!
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 18:20    Post subject:
Newest release would be Trivium's but I don't know how you've set it up, NFO mentions it bundled the patch but I hope as a optional exe file or option during installation.

Mixing 1.0 and 1.1 files have this sort of effect for some misc sounds but shouldn't affect weapons in Xenus (It does affect some weapon in Precursors.) and as I said the English sound archive is barely 400 MB with the Russian archive being 1.8 GB, every voice file was removed aside from cutscene specific ones which very localized though at a budget, ideally those should have been localized as done but the rest of the voiceovers should have been kept as the games are now pretty quiet without those sound files.
(NPC's talking to each other, shouting and varying their tone of speech and other expressions.)

The machinegun sequence doesn't affect other weapon sounds though as it's a placed weapon and thus not part of the general weapon info as far as I'm aware, been some time since I looked deeper into the game files via the SDK and other utilities however.
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SILVER69




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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 18:23    Post subject:
so it is normal that xenus which I use Trivium's version with the patch doesn't have gun sound?
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 18:29    Post subject:
No that's what I'm trying to find more info about.

I'm not very good at explaining but when I attempted using the 1.1 patch of Precursors I had some smaller sounds disappear and as I mentioned the voiceovers where mostly just removed.

It seems it could be a side-effect of using the same method for patching Xenus 2, maybe strings as part of Resource.qrc perhaps try the restored original translation from http://www.patches-scrolls.de/white_gold_war_in_paradise.php#tp12 and see if that helps, you only need the qrc archive as the videos are already localized.

It's some sort of conflict anyhow due to the poor work on the localization and translation phase, ideally the patched data should already have been included from the start and cutting out stuff shouldn't have been done at all even more so without fully testing the games.
(Xenus 2 and the copy protection trouble as detailed in Trivium's NFO file in their release.)
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nos




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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 21:09    Post subject:
Only managed to finish the 1st mission/level in Precursors, had to remove due to lack of hd space, but I arrived at the space port place and it was looking very impressive, it reminds me of how older pc games wanted to be, before consoles became the main priority
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sun, 26th Dec 2010 21:39    Post subject:
The game has a lot of shortcomings from what I've noted while playing trough it (Finished it a hour ago roughly.) but yeah they were aiming for a rather expansive gameplay experience and varied environments and encounters.

Unfortunately a lot of the premise is left somewhat lacking and the game doesn't quite succeed at what they were likely aiming for.

You do have a entire galaxy to explore with varied sectors and several planets and installations to visit but many of the non-mission specific planets are very tiny and most you can't explore at all plus all these stations look the same and follow the same layout and offer the same services and goods.

Missions also follow a very specific pattern and the main story is mostly prolonged via having to prove yourself to these factions before you can reach your personal goals and objectives by obtaining info and equipment from these factions.

Towards the end it gets more promising but it also ends rather unexpectedly, probably cost related reasons since it's been in development since 2004 or so and Deep Shadows were struggling after Boiling Point got a lot of negative criticism plus I don't think Xenus or Precursors did very well financially, these localized sales won't probably mean much at all and are also a bit limited.

I enjoyed the game a lot however, still around a hundred or so missions to do outside of the main story, there's a lot of interesting mechanics and gameplay mixtures at work and for the low price I don't regret it, wish the patch data and full localization had been available / left alone but it's rather easy to use the Russian version with these keygen methods as a alternative and the unofficial translation restoration holds up extremely well as the official translation is also rough and sometimes doesn't make much sense though both are fully understandable so it's not auto translated or absolutely horrible in any way.

Performance is a bit dodgy in certain areas and the motion blur effect (Possible to disable via ini alterations.) is very unoptimized and poor bloom/hdr effect (Flickering light sources, fixable via mod or workaround.) but it holds up well.

Some more equipment and varied space resources and upgrades would have been nice and there's some smaller bugs here and there but nothing that breaks the game, you have a few choices at times even so you can choose which specific action to aid though the changes are very subtle.

EDIT: Still it's interesting, high budget and profit titles like this turns out to be stuff like Far Cry 2, Mafia 2, Command and Conquer 4 and Crysis that while not all too bad are pretty standard genre titles (Couldn't come up with many examples that were that good though.) with some minor elements or unique abilities (Wound system in Far Cry 2, Nanosuit in Crysis, Playboy in Mafia 2, I didn't really know what to use for a example here.)

Whereas smaller studios with limited budget and resources creates stuff like this or Stalker or Death to Spies, Men of War, Dungeon Cleaners or variants of Jagged Alliance and similar, of course it doesn't always end well and can be a bit clunky or old when finally localized.
(Mortyr trilogy, certain Jagged Alliance clones, Psychotoxic, zombie titles and alien games in large quantities and such.)

(Of course there are exceptions to this every so often just as to be more clear.)

(These eastern-European projects also unfortunately suffers from poor Q&A and general testing due to budget, poor translation efforts and voice acting often and general bugs and issues unfortunately, similar to many indie titles and projects like say Super Meat Boy or Djin's Curse or Evochron or Mount & Blade.)
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RRX2




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PostPosted: Mon, 27th Dec 2010 18:31    Post subject:
I'm trying to play Xenus 2 1.0, but the sound effects doesn't play most of the time. Should I apply the patch or does it brake the english text?


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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Mon, 27th Dec 2010 20:25    Post subject:
Resource.qrc contains the localized data, unfortunately the way the audio was ripped or reduced or whatever they did with it means the patch won't exactly solve the issue, instead the updated files will function even worse with the existing audio so you might get a rather silent game though it'll function during cutscenes.

Back up all files from 2010 as those are the modified for localization and copy protection related stuff ones and then get the patch over it and see what the result is, initially I thought it was just the voice overs getting a bit more problematic and a few misc sounds for NPC's and creatures but it seems weapon sounds are affected somehow which is a rather problematic issue.
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nukeitup




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PostPosted: Sat, 1st Jan 2011 00:30    Post subject:
is there any Russian unofficial fix for the mouse fix???
I really want to play this game but because of the mouse issue it is unplayable.
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sat, 1st Jan 2011 01:19    Post subject:
The only info I found in this thread was how mouse sensitivity was tied to framerate, I have framerate locked to 30 and haven't noticed any issues so perhaps try that.

It's the LIMITFPS=30 from LIMITFPS=0 (Or 60 if you can manage that, for example.) in VIDEOOPTIONS.ini from C:\Users\Public\Documents\White Gold\INI or C:\Users\Public\Documents\Precursors\INI

Smile

Just a suggestion, maybe you're having some other issue and I misunderstood.
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nukeitup




Posts: 478
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PostPosted: Sat, 1st Jan 2011 01:37    Post subject:
JBeckman wrote:
The only info I found in this thread was how mouse sensitivity was tied to framerate, I have framerate locked to 30 and haven't noticed any issues so perhaps try that.

It's the LIMITFPS=30 from LIMITFPS=0 (Or 60 if you can manage that, for example.) in VIDEOOPTIONS.ini from C:\Users\Public\Documents\White Gold\INI or C:\Users\Public\Documents\Precursors\INI

Smile

Just a suggestion, maybe you're having some other issue and I misunderstood.


yeh now that u mentioned, it does seam like the mouse issue is associated with gpx. I tried ur suggestion but it did not really fix much. also the sound volume is very inconsistent, some of the dialog is so quite I can barely hear it. I guess I should search some of these Russian forums for help. Any idea where is the biggest Precursors comunity forum? besides the official site.
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JBeckman
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PostPosted: Sat, 1st Jan 2011 08:07    Post subject:
I am very uncertain of the location (address) any larger community besides the official forums, unsure what exactly was done to the audio system and files but the ENB mod for Silent Hill ("Patch 1.1" or what it's called) is apparently helping with that, I don't use it myself though so I can't offer much help.

Unfortunate that the mouse smoothing removal or what to describe it as didn't work fully, the INI's are fully documented but I don't know if there's any specific fix.

This is mentioned to be disabled for performance reasons, also untested but recommended several times. DISABLE_ROTATION_MOTION_BLUR=0 (Same INI, change to =1)

Together with the frame rate lock this command could also be enabled but it might be a bit buggy.

SMOOTHFPS=0

And there's this as well but probably unrelated to the issue you are describing.
RENDERLAG=2
(It's the max frames rendered ahead setting, usually defaults to 3 for both ATI and NVIDIA driver settings, NVIDIA allows to change this value directly but for ATI you'll need a utility or registry alteration.)

EDIT: Ah right I nearly forgot controls.ini in the game folder \INI folder, there's direct sensitivity options there though they are very low already.
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