I would still like to see a comparison of the Direct3D and Glide versions, but if you think it wouldn't be interesting then that's your call. I assume there's probably a software mode too, right?
Has it been discussed what your rig looks like? I thought I saw something that indicated you might be pulling this off with Windows 7? I'd like to know. I have enough parts that I basically just need a mid tower case and I can build a PC to record off of too.
Diablo II had a difference that I recall being quite noticable but after looking at some YouTube videos it was either my mind participating in 3DFX love with my brand new Voodoo3 or the fact I'm watching a YouTube video. Unreal had some lighting differences IIRC but there was a patch released by a 3rd party recently that may have improved things for D3D (my brother was actually involved with it to some extent). I want to say Tomb Raider II and Tomb Raider III saw improvements using a Voodoo3 but that may have been openGL it was running with and not glide which doesn't terribly count for purposes of a glide comparison. I don't recall Half-Life improving graphically when using openGL over software either but damned if the water didn't bring my old P3 laptop to a stand still. Did anything ever try to take full advantage of the Voodoo5? My brother has one somewhere and we used to use it quite a bit but I don't seem to recall anything using both GPUs.
I'll check the game out You are probably right that there is a software mode too. The hardware used is in the description of every video. The only computer I use Windows 7 on is the computer I use to record the video files on. Basically I have three different systems for capturing, they are: 1. The main rig to run the games on. Plenty of CPU and RAM to make the game look and run as best as possible while still having good compatibility with all the different videocards and drivers. Intel Pentium 3 1400mhz (normally underclocked to 1050mhz since there is an annoying BIOS settings confirmation message that sometimes pops up if the computer crashes in a game on 1400mhz) 1024MB SDRAM CL2 Asus P3B-F v1.03 Slot1 mainboard (Intel 440BX chipset) Techworks Aureal Vortex2 SuperQuad soundcard Windows 98SE 2. A newly built rig, first used in the Wipeout video to show how the cards performed on time correct hardware in 1995-1997. Intel Pentium 166mhz (can be clocked from 90mhz to 200mhz, depending on what I need for the game) 32MB SDRAM or 64MB SDRAM EPOX-EPMVP3E Socket 7 mainboard Audio Excel 3D CMI8330 soundcard Windows 98SE From the VGA output of these computers the signal go to a VGA splitter which sends the signal to a monitor and one copy of the signal to my Avermedia Game Broadcaster HD VGA/HDMI capture card. The capture card is placed in my main computer, a Intel Quad Q6600, 6gb of RAM, Radeon HD 5850, 6TB of harddrive space, Windows 7 64bit. I use either VLC or the Avermedia Software to capture the footage in 60fps and in the highest possible quality (lossless for VLC). For editing I use Sony Vegas Pro 10. What is a shame is that Youtube botch the quality quite a bit down It is quite a setup to make the capture. It is a bit of an investment if you want to capture from the real hardware in a good quality, especially the capture card will cost you. Of all the early API's only Glide from 3DFX has gotten emulators (wrappers) to run on modern machines and Windows 7, for the rest you're out of luck. FRAPS won't work with it either (only Direct3D and OpenGL), and if it did work, the CPU on those old rigs are not powerful to capture in an acceptable quality. Another option is to use S-VIDEO output from the old cards, but not all cards support this/have it available and S-VIDEO capture can't be compared to VGA capture when it comes to quality.
Where the devil did you get a 1.4ghz Slot 1 CPU for that? I've got a few different 1-1.4ghz P3s and P3 celerons but none of them are slot 1. Unless you've found a compatible slocket?
It's using a slocket as they were called, an adapter for Slot 1 to Socket 370. The Pentium 3 is pin-modified by a Korean guy so it can work with the older 440BX motherboard.
I distinctly remember playing Half Life using software mode and then Glide (on a Voodoo 2, I think). The framerate was much, much better - the game was pretty much unplayable in software mode on my PC at the time. And of course there was texture smoothing in Glide, which did not exist in software. I think software mode only ran at 320x240, whereas I think I was able to run it at 640x480 or possibly higher with Glide. It was a huge difference to me.
software mode on half life was blocky as logo mincraft, using opengl in my experience made a big difference although that difference is probably not as noticable these days. same with the likes on unreal and unreal tournament. and games that supported 3dfx cards quake 2 and 3 also supported software but were alot better with hardware rendering
New episode is out, number 13: Battle Arena Toshinden Cards used: Creative 3D Blaster PCI Orchid Righteous 3DFX Voodoo 1 PCI Diamond Edge 3D 2200 (Nvidia NV1) 2MB PCI Matrox Mystique 4MB PCI Also features some comparison shots from the Playstation and Saturn ports (emulated as I don't own the hardware) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Zqy5BZQ1E&feature=g-high-u
I just tested it on my P3 in software mode and it doesn't have a framelock if you're going that route meaning the game will run waay too fast. The framerate limit of 30fps only work on the 3D cards. I updated the graph with the Pentium 3 finds: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/57506833/vogons/diverse/Chart4.png Ups, yeah, that is a mistake. I think it comes from that it originally was planned to have Mystique footage there, but then I changed it to a software clip. I think that is when Sony Vegas crashed and I must have forgotten that it was reverted back on the previous save. Since in my head it was still "software" footage I labled it that way and ofc didn't notice. That is how close the versions are to each other I think the shadows on the Voodoo are done on purpose to match the Playstation and Saturn versions. I don't think it was an technical limitation as you see on the Matrox with Ellis' outfit and the shadows there. The game is DOS based and thus there are no drivers for the Voodoo, so if you want to change the brightness you need to tweak with SST environmentals in a batch file. Alot of early Voodoo games had very high brightness, just look at my Whiplash video. When I recorded the footage framerate was king for the gameplay. It was easier to do the tricks and combos on the 3DFX with 30fps than in software at 14-15. So in my eyes the NV1 was the second best. I also liked that the shadows and transparencies on the NV1 looked more closer to the Playstation. The 3D Blaster and Matrox has their own issues as well, though on the P200, 30 FPS with the Matrox beat the NV1
Thank you for the detailed reply, I am sorry I completely missed that you typed all of this up and I even have the thread subscribed. :/ Okay, I just picked up a Pentium III 500Mhz system with a Riva TNT card (NV4). I also managed to snag a Matrox Mystique 220 with the RAM expansion to 8MB over the weekend. While I was waiting for the card to come in I started looking for my old Mystique bundle software and ... it's gone! I have managed to find the patches for a number of things, including what you have offered over at VOGONS. I can't seem to find anything for Destruction Derby 2 though, and that really stinks as it was the best showing of the Mystique from what I recall. Does anybody know if there is a patch for Destruction Derby 2 to make it just like the Mystique edition? Or how about an ISO of the original Mystique edition? I was originally going to gut this case I have of the PIII and put my old Celeron 300A board in there but a buddy talked me out of it. If I recall Wipeout is not frame limited and will run entirely too fast at even 300Mhz, so capturing authentic gameplay for at least that game requires a computer like this one. I notice you are using Windows 98SE in both computers, is there any particular reason for that preference? I will have to purchase a new keyboard if I want to install Windows 98, or figure out how to slipstream USB drivers. That is an awesome setup. I only have an Avermedia MCE (Composite, S-video, Coaxial) and Hauppauge HVR 1600. That means S-video is the best I can do unfortunately. Youtube's quality sucks. Let me know if you want a host for the original video files, I'll happily put it up and create a PC comparison section on gamepilgrimage.com. I used to put up higher bitrate DIVX versions of my comparison vids until my upload speed (700 kb/s!)got so brutally slow I decided against it. Yeah I was afraid of that, FRAPS on an older machine not working means you have to have an HD capture card to get the best picture. Well, I bought a monoprice VGA to S-Video converter to go along with my new 90s rig. I'll post a video showing how that turns out as soon as I can. For 640x480 or less it ought to be fairly good with either the Avermedia MCE or HVR1600. But you are right, if one were to compare VGA directly to S-Video the VGA colors would win every time. I want to see if I can compare S-Video capture to Playstation, Saturn and N64 S-Video captures though.
New episode is out, number 14: Rave Racer for the PowerVR This is a special episode, and is showing some never before seen clips. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBuGwrWP-s4&feature=youtu.be sheath: I'll answer you post tomorrow
That was great vetz! I remember watching the Cybernet bits in 1996! By the way do you know if the guy who helped you with that Cybernet footage have more videos from the show? I really wanted to find all episodes from 1995 and 1996, speacily one that had some ECTS footage with the PlayStation presentation, Jaguar CD, 3DO Blaster, and one that covered the PS1 european release.
He just uploaded many of the clips to his youtube channel. Take a look and see if you find anything. He should upload the whole episode also imo, but maybe you can ask him about it http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLecQpS3YgURYngW0r_WrAUibfuwQA1Hla
Awesome video, great job again. I remember Ultimate Race too, its physics and AI are way past what any of Namco's racers ever achieved and I'd put the track geometry and texture work, and filters, above the San Francisco Rush games easily. The only PC game from the time I can think of that is definitely technically better at pushing hardware is Dethkarz. Melbourne House could squeeze every drop of performance out of anything though.
I love the Mystique and nice find with the 8MB version! It's output quality makes it my favorite to capture software mode with for my videos. Nice you like my list on Vogons, but that reminds me I have to finish the PowerVR section You can't patch DD2 as the Matrox version is a Windows port, while the original is DOS. Wipeout is frame limited as far as I know. I recall no problems when testing software mode on my Pentium 3 1ghz. I use Windows 98SE since it gives the best compatibility with the old games and 3D cards and also is not completely PIA when it comes to supporting a fairly new version of Opera, Daemon Tools, etc etc. Also Windows98 lets you use large harddrives, more RAM and is generally more pleasant to work with when it comes to installing new and old drivers. Windows98SE supports USB, but as long as the motherboard has USB connections it should be able to emulate a PS/2 keyboard with a USB one, so it should work in BIOS and DOS. Thanks for the offer! I'm already in the talks with the guy behind www.vintage3d.org to hosting some of the videos there with very high bitrates Below 640x480 resolutions the S-video works OK, especially if you got a good output/input source which I think you do. Just remember not to screw up the deinterlacing when editing Looking forward to some videos! Thanks! I agree that Ultimate Race wins when it comes to the complete package. It's an impressive game to think it came out in December 1996 with the PowerVR Apocalypse 3D card. It really pushed racing games on the PC into a new dimension. Dethkarz didn't come out until 1998, which was quite significant when you think about the evolution during that time. Sometimes I wish we could have that time back. Yes, it would mean upgrading your computer every two years instead of every 4 or 5 we do now, but we wouldn't be stuck with one of the best looking PC games being Crysis which came out in 2007!
