SFFT alpha drivers - V3/4/5 - Join to Testing

[FBS]

It was not the DXT textures display improperly, it was the 32 bit. But what is happening is that the DXT textures seem to cause the surrounding scenery to blur. The DXT textures themselves are fine.

I have to check tonight when I get home but it seems to me that Microsoft has the aircraft textures as DXT and all the other scenery textures some other format. I will let you know what format.

Some of the add-on planes are 32 bit, these texture of the models are what I have to convert to DXT to display properly.

[r21vo]

Originally posted by Nightbird

thks
road reflection, hum
is it possible to disable it in a config. file (if existing) ?

of course, the game has advanced settings dialog where you can enable/disable any of features. graphics quality modes is just a simple replacement of those options for people who doesn't know anything about them

[SuperFurryFurryThing]

To FBS I think that the problem with the 32 bit textures is that you are simply running out of memory on the card. You are getting round this problem by converting to DXTn, I think that converting to 16 bit may be a better alternative. I accept that in windowed mode the memory usage is different and the problem may be more acute.

SFFT

[FBS]

Besides changing to 16 bit any other recommendations to how I can improve the memory? or is this the limitations to this card?

[FBS]

Also I want to add that I chacked testures files and they show mixed formats. There are over 3000 rextures this would take a long time to check and convert to 16 bit[!]

[FBS]

Also I have been having PC crashes with the SFFT26.
Just a few minutes ago I got
Stop 0X0000001E (0XC0000005, 0XBB7DD6F8, 0X00000000, 0X17CBCD84)
Address BB7DD6f8 base at bb794000, Date stamp 424849ab-3dfxvs.dll

[SuperFurryFurryThing]

The only thing that you can do to free up texture memory, is to reduce the screen resolution or colour depth, and to run in 3 tile mode rather than 4 tile mode.

SFFT

[roflkopp]

Strange things happening with Trackmania Sunrise Demo: Suddenly some textures are disappearing, but only until i hit the brake. Then they are all back again. If step from the brake, they are disappearing again.

BTW: Is it possible to enhance the drivers in a way which makes it possible to force texturcompression and 16bit rendering under d3d?

(for saving memory, the biggest bottleneck of da voodoo)



Some Benchmarks
Serious Sam : Second Encounter
the grand cathedral, Max Detail - 3DC-Script

1024x768x22 @175/175

Code Select Expand


WickedGL:         [b]44,8 fps[/b]
Mesa FX 6.3.0.1:  [b]35,8 fps[/b]
SFFT Alpha25 D3d: [b]32,6 fps[/b]
-------------------------------------------

WickedGL:

1024x768x22

@ 166/166: 44,0 fps
@ 185/185: 45,6 fps

1024x768x32

@ 166/166: 32,3 fps
@ 185/185: 35,4 fps

1280x1024x22
@ 185/185: 36,8 fps

is the CPU really the bottleneck in 22bit?

Tbred @ 200x12 = 2400 MHz, Voodoo5, SFFT Alpha25.

================================================================

GF2 GTS comparision:

1024x768x32

@ 200/183: 45,2 fps
@ 240/213: 53,0 fps

1600x1200x32

@ 200/183: 16,3 fps
@ 240/213: 18,7 fps

Tbred @ ~218x11 = 2392 MHz, GeForce2 GTS 32MB, FW 71.84

[unknownusermx]

Just a quickly reply for the Alpha 26

1.- Empire Earth 1 doesn't work good, I get some strange words.. If u change the image (for example in menus), the previous text still on the screen.... well, a pic will be better right?... Here is:

Image Insert:

138.25 KB

and..

2.- SWAT 4 looks worst than the previous pictures (using Alpha23).. also the game run slower....

SaLuDoS

[SuperFurryFurryThing]

Can you test what version introduced the problem, if it was ok in the Alpha 23 and broken by the Alpha 26. What was the behaviour under the Alpha 24 and Alpha 25.

SFFT

[unknownusermx]

Alpha 24 & 25 works great. The problem with EE is gone.... Only with 26 happen it

[SuperFurryFurryThing]

unknownusermmx how did SWAT 4 look under the Alpha 24 and Alpha 25.

SFFT

[unknownusermx]

At this point, I only had tested with Alpha 25 & 26, I'm getting more graphical corruption, compared with alpha23... Probably with Alpha23 just was a little moment of lucky?... I don't know... when I get som free time, I'll try with Alpha24....

Here is a couple os screen shots with alpha 25, and a ZIP download with 6 Screen Shots...

ZIP FILE:
http://www.iespana.es/serchmx/Swat/swat4_a25.zip





SaLuDoS

[ggab]

i'm very happy with alpha 26

last version i've tested (with worse luck) was a23...

but now, everything is more stable as ever, great release!

XXVI rocks!


PS: i got only 1 BSOD:

PAGE_fault_nonpaged_area
Stop 0x00000050 (0xc2b3011c, 0x0, 0xbfa07b4a, 0x0)
Address adbfa07b4a base at bf9d3000, Date stamp 424849ab

when i was launching a game with a D3d9 video plugin for a Nintendo64 Emulator, if i set this plugin (Rice video v6.1) to a Low-end profile, who has:
* video card which can only do 1 combiner cycle or has 1 texture unit.
but if i choose another profile, it runs well:
Debug's log:
Max Anisotropy: 1
Cannot use Anti-Alias mode: 0
HAL (sw vp): 3dfx Voodoo 4 4500 AGP
Create The default DirectX Combiner, 2 stages

[FBS]

I was getting too many BSOD as mentioned, with the SFFT26

Stop 0X0000001E (0XC0000005, 0XBB7DD6F8, 0X00000000, 0X17CBCD84)
Address BB7DD6f8 base at bb794000, Date stamp 424849ab-3dfxvs.dll

I had to go back and install the SFFT25
with the SFFT25 I only got 2 BSOD
SFFT25 is more stable then the SFFT26
something was introduced before these two versions that causes this because version SFFT24 and lower was more stable.