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Is it possible to get a new package for the Voodoo 3 ? since SFFT wrote the core, "only" the package is needeed ;)
I think the biggest performance gain would come from forcable texturcompression. WickedGL includes this feature and so its dll is far the fastest solution (but with poor compatibility)
So why does'nt amigamerlin (or sfft) add this feature into their drivers? Is it difficult to implement it? If yes, why?
Is it the reason that my last post was too dumb for getting no answer, or was it too intelligent? :)
..I would say the first one.trust me,they know what they are doing-to make the driver as fast as possible..
Ok, maybe the post was capable of being misunderstood...
I really appreciate the work of our driverwriters. They do great work, and help with their tireless efforts to keep 3dfx cards alive. And so I'm concious about the fact, that they thought about forceable texturcompression long before i did.
It only was my interest to get information about the state of this idea. [:(]
When the Amigamerlin 3.1 R10 Release ?:D
It will be on line within few days.
Bye bye
QuoteIt will be on line within few days.
:D [8D]
i can't wait anymore........ :D
This delay will be useful for yours systems: just we are working for you. Thanks for patience.
[8)]
COOL [8D] :D
wow....good job
hehe downloading... let me try ^_^ thanks
Just installed (with self compiled dxtn.dll of course) :D
I'm looking forward how to test these new features?
just downloaded 3dmark2001se and tested with dxtn. Wow! I got 1600 3dmarks instead of 1200 (1024x768@32bit). Also texture quality is outrageous!
I uploaded image quality test results on my site (http://3dfx.rule.lv/tests.php), so you can see how big the difference is.
is it normal for dxtn.dll to be 0Kb in size?
QuoteOriginally posted by ps47
is it normal for dxtn.dll to be 0Kb in size?
it's empty because you have to compile dxtn.dll yourself (because of licensing problems) if you want to use dxtn.
The dxtn.dll has nothing to do with the D3D Dxtn support, running 3dmark 2001 only tests the D3D support so dxtn.dll is irrelevent in this case.
SFFT
Hmm, i didn't notice dxtn support in d3d before, this is new feature of alpha29?
QuoteOriginally posted by r21vo
QuoteOriginally posted by ps47
is it normal for dxtn.dll to be 0Kb in size?
it's empty because you have to compile dxtn.dll yourself (because of licensing problems) if you want to use dxtn.
sorry man, but how to compile this file and how this file help to performance and compatibility???? what is the way to install it, or just are installed with the driver???
to amigamerlin and SFFT team, congratulations and thanks for the job with the new driver......
voodoo forever :D :D
thx
Pulsus
I had no significant improvement with R11 comparing with R6 + a29.
NFS Underground (640x480, min details, any track)
and UT2003 (640x480, normal details, antalus) continue
to have slowdowns (terrible in NFSU, especially in drag races).
=[
Am i missing anything?
Thx in advance. My rig is on the sig
To AM, SFFT, and the whole crew,
*congratulations* to get that far
and keep digging.
thanks a lot guys for this super great release !
(3dfxzone) Amigamerlin's team rocks for sure :)
Pulsus: source code of that dll is available on dborca's site, you can compile it for example using minGW or other c/c++ compiler typing "make dll" in main directory. Then when you have that dll, replace one provided with drivers (empty one) and install drivers using Display Properties. What this dll do? It is DXTn texture compression support for OpenGL.
QuoteOriginally posted by ps47
is it normal for dxtn.dll to be 0Kb in size?
Please read the announcement. The dxtn.dll should be replaced with the compiled one.
3dmark not use dxtn.dll. Dxtn.dll is used only in opengl application. Kudos go to SFFT for the speed and quality improvment of the d3d section;).
Obviously for Dxtn.dll source kudos should go to my great friend Daniel Borca !!;)
Damn great work!
Look at these:
3DMark2001SE
1024x768x32
SFFT A29 => 2622 3DMarks
AM 3.1-R11 => 2683 3DMarks
Half-Life²
MechWOLLIers Canals09, 1024x768x32
SFFT A29 => 16,0 fps
AM 3.1-R11 => 16,3 fps
Unreal Tournament
PCGH-Timedemo "benchmark", 1024x768x16
SFFT A29 => 96,5 fps
AM 3.1-R11 => 96,9 fps
Max Payne 2
"Blowing Up", 1024x768x32
SFFT A29 => 28,5 fps
AM 3.1-R11 => 37,7 fps
Tbred @ ~215x11 = 2370 MHz
Abit NF7-S 2.0
2x 512MB @ 215 MHz, 2.5-3-2-11 @ Dual-Channel
Voodoo5 5500 PCI @ 180/180
WoW seems to have improvements in speed too, Call of Duty is playable at low settings, but TM Sunrise (demo) is still a little bit ... crazy. The LOD keeps changing all the time from +8 to -8 ... O.o
Guys: Keep up the excellent work! =D
Greetings from Germany,
Raff
Could someone who knows post a link to the uncompiled Dxtn.dll source, maybe I'm just dumb :D because I cannot find it on dborca's site.
//www.geocities.com/dborca
@benna,
Thanks man, I am kinda dumb I guess because I was looking here:
http://www.geocities.com/dborca/mesa/mesa.html#
ok,I would like to use the Dxtn.dll together with MesaFX to speed up Enemy Territory under win98.how should I use the files? just place them both to the ET folder,or should I hook it up somehow?
you have to overwrite the dxtn.dll in the diver2k directory in the amiga r11 with your dll and reinstall the driver
I dont really think the driver would work for win98se.
ok,figured out that the Dxtn.dll must be placed to the system folder along with the latest mesafx,but I'm having trouble compiling it (to be precise I have NO idea how to compile it),any chance someone could just send me a correctly compiled file? (or detailed instructions how to compile.the correct file size would be useful as well..)
i got the following error message after a system crash
while testing UT2003. The desktop got screwed after that.
======================================================================
UT2003 Build UT2003_Build_[2003-04-07_17.42]
OS: Windows XP 5.1 (Build: 2600)
CPU: AuthenticAMD PentiumPro-class processor @ 2030 MHz with 510MB RAM
Video: AMIGAMERLIN 3.1-R11 For Voodoo 5 5500 PCI (242)
CreateTexture failed(D3DERR_DRIVERINTERNALERROR).
History: FD3DTexture::Cache <- FD3DRenderInterface::CacheTexture <- FD3DRenderInterface::HandleCombinedMaterial <- FD3DRenderInterface::SetSimpleMaterial <- FD3DRenderInterface::SetMaterial <- RenderStaticMesh <- FDynamicActor::Render <- RenderLevel <- FLevelSceneNode::Render <- FPlayerSceneNode::Render <- UGameEngine::Draw <- UWindowsViewport::Repaint <- UWindowsClient::Tick <- ClientTick <- UGameEngine::Tick <- UpdateWorld <- MainLoop
======================================================================
What are the ideal settings in 3dfxtools given my rig?
Any light? UT2003 ans NFSU are still having slowdowns
as i said before =[
BIG THX.
3dfxzone crew, never give up.
@ps47: to compile dxtn.dll you just need to download and setup mingw (or other supported compiler) and type "make dll" to build dxtn.dll. Anyway, i can also send compiled one to anyone, just email me.
@mcmagostini: maybe try reseting to default settings and then change them step by step?
ok,so I have the latest mesafx (3dfxogl.dll) and the dxtn.dll (28kb) in my windows/system folder,enemy territory starts and it uses mesafx,but it doesnt run faster.is this because I'm running win98se,or am I doing something wrong?
dxtn.dll is for DXTn texture compression and if game doesn't use this feature there will be no impact.
enemy territory was mentioned on the main page (https://www.3dfxzone.it/news/reader.php?objid=1176),along with call of duty,mohaa etc,those are opengl games and they should benefit from dxtn.dll..
I tried jedi knight 2 jedi outcast with and without dxtn.dll and i had lower framerate with the dll installed
800x600 all max AA2X
without:2.7fps with:2fps
800x600 all min NOAA
without:59fps with:57fps
tested using timedemo
yep,something is not right.a detailed english tutorial (how to compile,what to do with the file,how to use it and how should we know its really working as it should) would be very useful ;)
ok, as i recieved many emails from people who want this file i decided to upload it to my site so anyone can download it easy:
http://3dfx.rule.lv/downloads/drivers/dxtn.rar
How did i compile it? I used mingw with msys which i set up some time ago for mesafx compilation, there were no special things to do, just cd to source directory and type in "make dll". How did i set up mingw and msys? Well, i used pre-built installer for both of them (which i downloaded from mingw.org i guess, but i can't find the link anymore) and did everything by the manual.
As for those licencing issues, i found out that microsoft has licensed use of s3tc (including dxtn) for d3d usage. But for all other environments license i guess is still required to be 100% sure. Current owner of that technology afaik is VIA/S3 Graphics and there is no license for mesa project for s3tc usage (that is why s3tc codec isn't merged into mesa3d cvs).
Just finished writing "how to compile dxtn.dll" manual which is available now in manuals section (http://3dfx.rule.lv/?cat=manuals) of my 3dfx site.
I hope this will clarify how to compile this dll :)
Is Call of Duty supposed to work with mesa + dxtn.dll, it just shows me a 3dfx logo and then drops out to the desktop. Has anyone managed to get it too work and if so how.
SFFT
according to this (https://www.3dfxzone.it/news/reader.php?objid=1176),yes.unfortunately,no one seems to really know how to use the file correctly..
just tested Call of Duty - United Offensive Single Player Demo, everything works ok. There's no need to copy any files in game directory just launch it and it should work.
well,enemy territory works as well,but there is no sign of FPS improvement when using dxtn.dll along with mesafx..
Call of Duty is based on quake3 engine, there is the same type config file.
For Quake3 to enable S3TC you need to add to config file following lines:
Quoteseta r_ext_compress_textures "1"
seta r_ext_compressed_textures "1"
seta r_ext_texture_compression_s3tc "1"
seta r_ext_s3tc "1"
With this q3 with mesafx was running just as fast as with wickedgl (38fps -> 46fps).
I entered these lines in COD config file, but game hang up at loading screen.
Enemy Territory,custom timedemo:
Mesafx without dxtn.dll: 35.9 FPS
Mesafx with dxtn.dll: 36.1 FPS
Wickedgl normal: 45,3 FPS
Wickedgl "compress all" 45,6 FPS
quite a difference,isnt it? (seems like all ET textures already use compression with wickedgl,as "compress all" wickedgl mode adds virtually no FPS..)
I tried to start COD: United Offensive with wickedgl but it crashed at startup. I used wickedgl 3.02 demo with default settings.
wickedgl is not enough for COD,you need mesafx ;)
wickedgl just like mesafx is opengl replacement, you can use one of them only at a time. Then how did you ran cod with wickedgl? (afaik United Offensive is only expansion pack, there's no changes in engine).
I did not run COD yet.and as I said,it doesnt run with wickedgl.and you can use as many opengl drivers as you want,just place the driver in the game folder..
sorry, if though Enemy Territory was second name for first cod :D My mistake.
Did you try to add those lines i posted to config file of wolfenshtein:et as it also uses q3 engine?
CoD uses S3TC without dxtn.dll too, I don't understand the way, but CoD can't run without texture compression. This is the reason, why doesn't run on Voodoo 3 with MesaFX.
Enemy Territory is a free, standalone game from Splash Damage, it's one of the best online WW2 fps. :)
I have checked your variables,everything is on..
about COD,if I understand it right,normal mesafx wraps s3tc to fxt1,and thats the reason why it is slower.mesafx with dxtn.dll should support s3tc natively,and run faster.but seems like ET doesnt think so..
Hi guys,
I don't know to whom I should address the problem - SFFT or Amigamerlin - so I'll post it here.
It's about Need for Speed II SE. With the AM 3.1-R11 it's not possible to start the glide mode -- after the 3dfx splashscreen I'm back at my desktop. So I've tried the x3dfx 1.08.04 beta ... and it works -- in slow-motion. ;-) With this modified EXE (http://www.ditonovia.de/misc/nfssea.zip) it runs fine.
Would be nice if you could look for compatibility with this damn nice game. =)
And besides ... what about software HSR? I know, it's rather senseless because of artifacts ... but maybe there's some room for improvements or just a "comeback" of this feature? :)
Greetings,
Raff
P.S: Thanks again für the DXTn.dll, r21vo!
you have the same problem as this guy (http://www.3dfxzone.it/enboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1917).do the same thing,and the game should work again.
about HRS: if you want it to work correctly,the game must support it natively.and the only game that supports it natively is Q3 arena..
(again,if someone knows why are all amigamerlin drivers using that glide wrapper dll that breaks compatibility with half of glide games,be so kind and explain..)
These drivers designed for systems 1,5 GHz and up, NFS 2 runs with software renderer on alike system. ;)
Ah, ok, thx. :-) But maybe it's possible to make it work without modding ...
QuoteOriginally posted by Vanilias Ronk
These drivers designed for systems 1,5 GHz and up, NFS 2 runs with software renderer on alike system. ;)
Software rendering looks ... well, extremely crappy! If you have a Voodoo, you want to use Glide of course. And with 4xRGSSAA turned on it looks very nice and runs still better than with sw rendering. :-)
Greetings,
Raff
ahem.go HERE TO FIX YOUR GAME (http://www.3dfxzone.it/enboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1917). ;)
let me quote myself just to be sure: get this zip archive (http://www.3dfx.cz/download/sfft.zip) and unpack both glide files to your system32 folder,that should fix you up.
I've already understood.
But I'd like to get this solved "by default", which means without copying files from a to b. :-)
Greetings,
Raff
sorry.I have just visited the steam forum,so I'm a little bit "steamed up" right now.seems like the people there get dumber and dumber every time I peek in..
about 3rdparty drivers: you know,it requires a little bit of magic to run voodoo cards nowadays,and there are usually flaws here and there.but if you can fix them simply by copying few files up and down,well,who cares? for example,I'm always reverting to default opengl and glide files no matter what 3rdparty driver I use. why? its simple,most games like this config more than anything.if I need mesafx,up in the games folder it goes,same for wickedgl.I have always liked doing things my way (btw,is that good or bad?)..
Yo. I often change between MesaFX and WickedGL too -- but Glide and Direct3D stay where they are because they showed an optimal behaviour before this little problem with NFS2 SE.
Well, I don't know how big the effort to fix this in the next driver release would be, but I'd be very pleased if this would happen -- no matter when, just at all. =)
What SFFT and Amigamerlin do is absolutely impressive and everybody who uses these drivers is obliged to tell his sincerest thanks. And with every bugfix the drivers make a little step further to "perfection". Just keep up the good work!
Greetings from Germany,
Raff
all you need to do is always keep the latest glides-the ones from that archive.no need to switch them.thats the trick ;).I have no idea why are the old ones still kept within the amigamerlin driver (maybe they are concentrating on D3D and overseeing it?)..anyway,it may need few tweaks,but its a great driver to have anyway ;)
Quoteabout COD,if I understand it right,normal mesafx wraps s3tc to fxt1,and thats the reason why it is slower.mesafx with dxtn.dll should support s3tc natively,and run faster.but seems like ET doesnt think so..
ET doesn't use FXT1 either because the difference from DXTn isn't that big.
If i rememmer right, DXTn->FXT1 is enabled by "Enable Legacy texture compression" in 3dfx tools, if you disable that option, driver should use DXTn directly.
Is it safe to use modified DramINITO bios? Is it faster?
Ps.: CoD-UO freezes with Legacy Texture Compression - Disabled setting. [?]
Another question concerning the DXTn.dll, because I still didn't get it: How do I use it? Which requirements does it have? Do I just have to copy it into the correct system folder, reboot, and then it works? Apropos working: Where? Every game that uses compression, no matter if Direct3D or OpenGL, detects the file an uses it? Could someone mention some games that definitely work so that I could test it with these? =)
Sorry, I don't know it ... ;-)
Greetings,
Raff
Raff3DC: did you read my manual (http://3dfx.rule.lv/?cat=manuals&article=dxtn)? dxtn.dll is only for mesafx, sfft d3d has already dxtn in core. dxtn.dll must be placed in drivers directory when installing drivers, it will be copied to windows system32 directory, though, placing dxtn.dll in game directory along with mesafx could also work. i guess mesafx just detects if dxtn.dll is available and if it is, enables dxtn compression. dxtn.dll works for quake3 only you have to enable texture compression in config file, like this:
Quote
seta r_ext_compress_textures "1"
seta r_ext_compressed_textures "1"
seta r_ext_texture_compression_s3tc "1"
seta r_ext_s3tc "1"
Ah, thx. Does this also work with every Q3-based game like Call of Duty or Enemy Territory? Ah well, I'll just try it. :D
Thank you for your information! =)
Greetings,
Raff
basically it should, also seems texture compression is enabled in Enemy Territiory by default.
QuoteOriginally posted by r21vo
Raff3DC: did you read my manual (http://3dfx.rule.lv/?cat=manuals&article=dxtn)? dxtn.dll is only for mesafx, sfft d3d has already dxtn in core.
So you mean, that SFFT Drivers do realtime-texturecompression for d3d?
yes, 3dfx Direct3D core (this means also SFFT alphas) support DXTn texture compression without any external files, though this feature isn't forced - this means textures are compressed only if game/application requests that.
In D3D the compressed textures are past down in a compressed state and rendered by the card in a compressed state, so no compression / decompression is necesary.
SFFT
well is there possibility to make driver compress textures on the fly? not all games have textures compressed already.
hello,I have a question,I've read about amigamerlin 3
and the sfft drivers and that stuff,and I was wondering,
are they for 2k/xp only?
is amigamerlin 2.9 the final version for 9x or is there
going to be a 9x version of the new drivers?.
the sfft is "the most advanced directx core" but,
it's frustrating for 9x users (like me) that it's avaiable
onyl for 2k/xp. it should be avaiable for both platforms.
(is it that that core can't be done for 9x or is it some kind of
"nobody uses 9x anymore" factor?)
ok,I know,programming drivers and optimizing them and
everything is not a "ok,sure,I'll do it,I'll post the link in 5
minutes" thing,but I'm worried that even the community support for
v3 in 9x stopped.
I'm going to try anyway the sfft alpha 33 drivers,just
in case,I'll try both the legal/right way and the "ilegal"/"wrong" way
(replacing the amigamerlin 2.9 files and installing that
modified amigamerlin set,or manually replace the
files in c:\windows\system,that kind of stuff),
but I don't have any hopes.
btw,I'm using 98 first edition in an amd k6-2 500mhz
processor,64mb ram,and voodoo 3 2000 pci 16mb.
so far the amigamerlin 2.9 are the best drivers I've tryed,
(but with the original 3dfx glide?x.dll from the 1.07 drivers
replacing the ones that came with am2.9,they are A LOT faster
than those,koolsmoky files and the sourceforge open source ones,
and even than the same files but with its own drivers),
but I started looking for newer drivers since I saw something frustrating:
some weeks ago I was testing xp,(argh...don't get
me started about how much it SUCKS...),and I found
that the amigasport drivers have a "force 3d now" feature,
and I was amazed that the speed in max payne
really increased a lot!!,it was actually working faster
than with the amigamerlin 2.9 in 98,EVEN WITH THE
COMPUTER "underclocked" TO 400MHZ (xp refused to
complete an installation and/or boot at 500mhz.
?????????????????),
AND CONSIDERING THE OVERALL DECREASE IN PERFORMANCE BECAUSE OF XP!.
(it's slower,bigger,unusable,unbearable,unstable...
I'll choose a DOS operating system over a NT one any day).
anyway,I still can't believe max payne was faster
under that circunstances,and I bet it was the
"force 3dnow" feature in the amigasport drivers.
I tryed to install those drivers in 9x,edit the inf,replace
the files,etc etc,but I had no luck,so,am I stuck with
a slower performance or is there any hope of
even better drivers than the already good amigamerlin 2.9?.
btw,if you know of a patch or registry tweak or tsr program
or whatever that forces the use of 3dnow always,tell me.
my specs:
amd k6-2 500 64mb ram,voodoo 3 2000 16mb pci,win98 first edition "pack"
(the ms dos 7.10 operating system & the windows 4.10 front end gui),
and I'm using directx 9.0c,the amigamerlin 2.9 drivers (with the 3dfx
glide files from the 1.07 drivers and I'll choose the opengl32.dll file
for each situation between mesa,wickedgl,the minigl,the 3dfx one that
ends in "761",etc etc).
ps: don't take this as an impertinent feature-request or something
unpolite/unfriendly,it's the opposite thing,I'm glad there's a community
that still supports and develops drivers for the voodoo cards and
I thank you a lot for the drivers and optimizations and features not
present in the original reference drivers and that stuff.
@ Pelger
No problemo :)
Quoteamigamerlin 3 and the sfft drivers and that stuff,and I was wondering, are they for 2k/xp only?
Yes
Quoteis amigamerlin 2.9 the final version for 9x
I would say : yes
Though an other beta core for Win9x exists but rather unstable (the 1.07.00 b - jan. 2001).
Quoteit's frustrating for 9x users (like me) that it's avaiable
onyl for 2k/xp.
You're right, unluckily
QuoteI'm going to try anyway the sfft alpha 33 drivers,just
in case,I'll try both the legal/right way and the "ilegal"/"wrong" way
(replacing the amigamerlin 2.9 files and installing that
modified amigamerlin set,or manually replace the files in c:\windows\system,that kind of stuff), but I don't have any hopes.
You can do what you wish on your pc, you will not be the first to do that.
But between the Win9x kernel and the Win2k kernel, there are "some" differences in the D3D core ... but things are easier with Glide, MesaFx...
Quotebtw,I'm using 98 first edition in an amd k6-2 500mhz
processor,64mb ram,and voodoo 3 2000 pci 16mb
Your cpu is a bottleneck for your Voodoo 3, a Intel P3 or an XP cpu would be a best choice ;)
QuoteAND CONSIDERING THE OVERALL DECREASE IN PERFORMANCE BECAUSE OF XP!.
Perhaps you can try Win2k with a dual boot (Win9x)
I hope that there will be more stability with the new AM under WinXP then AM 3.1 R11.
Otherwise, You make very good work ,thenks.:)
QuoteOriginally posted by in3d
I hope that there will be more stability with the new AM under WinXP then AM 3.1 R11.
Otherwise, You make very good work ,thenks.:)
Can you explain your problems of stability here :
http://www.3dfxzone.it/enboard/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1129&whichpage=60
thanks