I know that bootcamp is not a VM. But I'm wondering about the drivers... like the GPU for DirectX.
We still play the first RCT and we enjoy it. So if Planet Coaster runs on low settings, she will definitely enjoy it as much as with RCT. Graphics are not the main reason to enjoy a game, even if Planet Coaster has very good graphics to give you a nice feeling while you're playing. But it's still not the graphic that makes you play a game for like 100 hours... it's the content.
I'm currently using a 2011 imac- getting a new one on friday- and haven't had any problems with the drivers- it's not like the HD 4000 is exclusive to Apple computers.
...and- sorry- I just skimmed your original post...it looks like the laptop does not have a dedicated graphics card. [ugh]
My current one has an AMD Radeon HD 6750M 512 MB (*slightly* better than the HD 4000) and runs a game like SWTOR on med-ish setting and still struggles at times- the requirements are far lower than those of Elite Dangerous.... If only there was a demo for that game....
Why does she want to buy it right now? It's not coming out until the end of 2016. Or does she want to buy the Early Bird edition? Based on the Dev diaries, chances are that she's far less likely to be able to play the alpha/beta, even on very very low, because the game hasn't been fully optimized yet- The game is running at an average of 35-40 FPS on their rigs.
I might still have this computer around when the alpha starts, so I can test it out then and let you know how it works out. If at all.
