A non-3D game - no hardware acc. with Voodoo3 3000

[psycho]

Regards.

I know most of you here are probably running 3D games and don't bother with such games as Chuzzle Deluxe... http://reflexive.com/index.php?PAGE=game_detail&AID=564
However, I hope some of you might be able to help me enable hardware acceleration on my Voodoo3 3000 AGP (SDram) with this one. The game tells me my video card is not capable of hardware acceleration. I don't believe that Voodoo3 is not capable of accelerating this little game.

So, if anyone has any suggestions, please help me!:)

[Nightbird]

Hi,

hat are the system requirements ?

ok found :
OS: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Me Memory: 128 MB DirectX: 7.0 or later Sound: DirectX compatible Sound Card CPU: P3 500

edit :
The game tells you that your video card is not capable of hardware acceleration but then, what's happened ?
What's your machine ?

[psycho]

Nightbird,

after the game tells me that my video card does not support hardware acceleration it runs in software mode... I'd like it to run in accelerated mode.

My machine:
CPU: Intel Celeron 433 MHz
RAM: 256 MB
HDD: 2x80 GB (ExcelStor & Maxtor)
GPU: 3dfx Voodoo3 3000 AGP
OS: Windows XP Professional SP2
...anything else?

I know the requirements say you need a P-III 500, but I'm pretty sure it must run OK on my machine. It does actually, only I can't get no video acceleration.

[Nightbird]

I d/led the demo and tried on 2 machines :
- Athlon64 - Win2k - Dirx7 - V55500
- AthlonXP - WinME - Dirx9 - Ati9600 Pro

Indeed with my V5, same problem like you
As soon as i click on 'HW acceleration', same message 'this machine and/or video card cannot use hardware acceleration'.
It runs probably in 640*480 256 (?) colors.

With the Ati card, the HW acceleration can be enabled.
So you can choose in the Display 640*480, 800*600, 1024*768, 1280*1024.
If you click also on the Windowed mode (with HW enabled), you can choose 640*480 and 800*600.

The game doesn't sound very demanding...

edit :
I wrote in their forum, wait and see.

[psycho]

Nightbird, thanks for your help! Let's hope they will help us with 3dfx cards, since they are no longer supported anywhere .

[Nightbird]

I forgot :
what DirX are you using ? 9 ?
drivers ?

[Nightbird]

psycho, good news
Hardware acceleration is enabled on my V5 despite of 3dfx cards are unsupported.

[psycho]

I'm using the latest DirectX - 9.0c
Drivers are latest Voodoo3 drivers for win2k 1.03.00 with KoolSmoky - 3dfx GLIDE for Windows.

How did you manage to enable hardware acceleration on your V5??

[Nightbird]

The game checks the hardware.
You will find the file in C:\Program Files\Chuzzle Deluxe\HardwareTestResults
The file is named 'Hardware.registry' and you can open it with Notepad.

Backup it before to begin.

This is the text 'before' on my V5 :

HWTEST::CardGUID=-6,28,-73,-41,73,67,-49,17,-86,113,3,32,-82,-62,-51,53
HWTEST::HWTesterVersion=1
HWTEST::CardChanged=false
HWTEST::DXVersion=
HWTEST::DXVersionChanged=false
HWTEST::DeviceDescription=3dfx Voodoo Series
HWTEST::FailReason=Texture Switching Failed
HWTEST::SafeModeRequired=true
HWTEST::SafeModeRecommended=true
HWTEST::Warnings=(none)

and on an Ati 9600Pro :

HWTEST::CardGUID=-30,30,-73,-41,16,2,-49,17,-17,123,23,33,-95,-62,-55,53
HWTEST::HWTesterVersion=1
HWTEST::CardChanged=false
HWTEST::DXVersion=
HWTEST::DXVersionChanged=false
HWTEST::DeviceDescription=RADEON 9600 SERIES
HWTEST::SafeModeRequired=false
HWTEST::SafeModeRecommended=false
HWTEST::FailReason=(none)
HWTEST::Warnings=(none)

Now this is the text on my V5 'after' i wrote in the file, using Notepad :

HWTEST::CardGUID=-6,28,-73,-41,73,67,-49,17,-86,113,3,32,-82,-62,-51,53
HWTEST::HWTesterVersion=1
HWTEST::CardChanged=false
HWTEST::DXVersion=
HWTEST::DXVersionChanged=false
HWTEST::DeviceDescription=3dfx Voodoo Series
HWTEST::SafeModeRequired=false
HWTEST::SafeModeRecommended=false
HWTEST::FailReason=(none)
HWTEST::Warnings=(none)

I changed 3 lines, that's all.
You will need to save the new file.
If it takes an extension .txt, you will need to remove this extension renaming the file. It must have the name Hardware.registry

I don't know if you will see all the resolutions allowed (from 640*480 to 1280*1024) but i think that playing the game with a V3 in 800*600 is possible.
If you can enable the hardware acceleration, you will see the difference (better image).

Hope that will work with your V3.

edit :
- no idea what's this 'Texture Switching', which is the problem on a Voodoo card. -> on a V5
- a warning in the Hardware.registry file is something like that :
'HWTEST::Warnings="3DFX VOODOO SERIES" is an unsupported card'

and of course : be careful
I can't try this funny game during many time (the demo is limited in time : 60 min)

edit : Texture Switching -> V5

[psycho]

I have done the same as you have with my Hardware.registry file and this is the result after turning hardware acceleration on:

Image Insert:

202.1 KB

I guess Voodoo3 has problems with texture size(?) The error I got was not 'Texture Switching Failed' but 'CreateDevice(IID_IDirect3DHALDevice): DDERR_INVALIDPIXELFORMAT'...

Anyway, THANK YOU very much for your help!

[Nightbird]

Ehm, the size of the textures on a V3 is 256*256 and on V5 something like 2048*

I updated my post on their forum about the textures and your error message

@SFFT
what do you think about this problem ?

[SuperFurryFurryThing]

I would guess that it is trying to create a 32 bit surface, and so it gets an invalid Pixel format response on a V3.

SFFT

[Nightbird]

Originally posted by SuperFurryFurryThing

I would guess that it is trying to create a 32 bit surface, and so it gets an invalid Pixel format response on a V3.

SFFT

This game can run in 16 and 32 bits (according their site).
Is it logical ?

And this "Texture Switching", what's according you ?

[ps47]

the game is trying to use a texture format not supported by voodoo3.half-life2 has the same problems..I dont think its fixable.