Maximus

Well as Ignus so eloquently put, for those people who are always trying to get by with the bare minimum is were the problem lies. I never go by minimum requirements. Minimum requiremnts are just that. Minimum. That means the program will run on it, but at bare minimum capacity or "eye candy" if you will. Meaning graphics will have to be turned down to a minimum. Why would anybody want to play a game with bare minimum effects? I always look at what is recommended. If my system don't meet those requirements, then I don't bother with the game. When the majority of the games' recommended requirment get above my system, then its time for an upgrade. Simple as that. I'm not going to try to play CM1 on a P2-233 with an 8MB video card, 'cause I just ain't going to do it. I had a Celeron 433 with a 32MB TNT2 card and it was still slow especially will large maps and hi-res mods. My friend has a K6-2 400 with a 16 MB card. I couldn't believe how slow it ran and he was mostly running stock graphics. I now have a 1.2GHz Athlon with a 64MB Geforce 2 GTS and it still lags a little bit on large maps. Of course I have about every Hi-Res Mod installed including grass, so trying to get by on CM2 with just a 16MB card is like...forget it. Besides, IIRC, the stock textures this time are going to be more in the Hi-Res area.

Guys, I'm having all sorts of ISP problems today. I can barely get on the net, can't hardly check email, so be patient, I'll get it to ya as soon as they get this server fixed. I've called the bastards and it's a problem on their side not mine. In the meantime, just email me at davem@shawneelink.net and I'll get it to ya ASAP.

Of course, this would only be useful for people who don't use the Mod Manager, but Ihave whipped up a simple batch file, ala Marco/Gordon-style, that will swap up to 3 types of grass. It will swap Summer, Fall, and Winter grass. All that is required is to add a '_S', '_F', or '_W' to all of the grass files you want to use. I have also included the ability to swap file 1503 which is the horizon grass tile. However, if your current grass set doesn't have a 1503 to match, just make a copy of 1553 and rename it to 1503. I have also included nice icons as well. I did this because I have just started using Gunnergoz's Speckled Grass mods that are found at The Last Defense. The file would be very small, probably not more than 25K or so. So who's interested?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Geier: Uuuh? You are objecting to someone NOT using mods (preferably yours)? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No, not mine or anybody else's for that matter. It's just that people always want more eye candy, and if they say they don't, they're lying. And then they say, as Aitken did, that because CM doesn't model ditches and stuff (read eye candy) that he doesn't use mods at all. Well which is it? You want eye candy or you don't. You want certain eye candy, but then you won't even improve what there is when imporvemnts are available. Just seems hypocrital to me. It's like saying my truck is a rust bucket, but I won't paint it until I get some new rims. So in this case, Aitken says he won't mod until CM models ditchs. Doesn't quite make sense. I mean, just listen to everybody who uses mods, they all say that it makes it a new game everytime. In my game, just about everything is modded. I want the most realistic looking battlefield I can get. That's all.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by David Aitken: That is correct, Sir. Up until today I was using slightly darkened trees and tree bases, because I reckoned they were too light. Today I tried reducing the saturation, because I looked at some photos and decided that trees aren't very bright. The whole battlefield ended up looking incredibly drab, so I went back to BTS's originals, and realised that the darkening I had done had also intensified the colour slightly, and the originals were probably realistic after all. I spend a lot of time trying to perceive the CM battlefield as I would in reality, and I have come to the conclusion that no amount of modifying will make CM in its current incarnation much more visually realistic. I think that our perception of a scene pivots not around the bulk of what we see, but on the details, which give us information about scale and the way things interact with each other. For example, a picture of a road going past a treeline is brought together by an embankment bordering the road, or a fence or wall bordering the trees. Roads in CM look unrealistic because they are flat strips across the terrain, when in reality a road has some kind of immediate border - embankment, ditch, brush, or somesuch - which is not modelled in CM, and would not necessarily be worth modelling in terms of gameplay. Modifications certainly make individual objects look nicer, but they don't make the overall scene more convincing, and that's all that really concerns me. As I have explained above, I adjusted the water colour to be what I perceive as more realistic. The only other modification I have is my own soldier faces, because the originals annoyed me.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Hmmm, somehow I'm not buying it. Just because CM doesn't model ditches and fence rows, you don't use mods. That's like saying "This house doesn't have a fireplace, so therefore it can't have heat." I'm sorry David, but if you have never tried mods, then how do you know that it doesn't change the perception. I guarantee you that just changing the terrain files really changes the perception. Granted that it still won't give you ditches and stuff, but really. Whether you chose to use mods or not, but IMHO you're argument is a bit hypocritical.

Gee, no-one interested? Oh well.

My dear kind sir, that surely isn't the CM that you on is it? I don't see one mod at all.

Today we (beta testers) received the Final Plain Pack along with the Winter Versions. We also received the latest Full Pack with everything from Cav options and Low Viz options to several different options for hull sides and hull tops. So you all will be seeing this mod before too long.

Ahh, did wonder where the great Panzertruppen went to. You are the one right that made the standard building set that now dorns most CM players' battlefields.

Rob, what would you accomplish my enlarging the generic plain textures of the sound contacts? I can answer that. Lower FPS for no real reason.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Panzer Leader: I thought the new Radeon had the better fog affects, it doesn't?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No. It's an issue with ATI drivers and DirectX. For some reason ATI hasn't figured out a driver that will work with DirectX and support Fog Table Emulation. ATI cards and drivers will support Fog on Macs, but not PCs. Simple as that. But like I said, the main use of ATI cards is for video editing and stuff like piping in video and converting it to video CDs and stuff.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Panzer Leader: When I win the lottery I will move up to a 1.2 T-Bird w/DDR RAM and an ATI Radeon<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> An ATI Radeon, don't you know that ALL ATI cards don't support Fog under DirectX? Stay away from anything ATI if you want fog on a PC. Unless you plan on doing alot of TV in/out stuff, then stick with Nvidia-based cards. And just out of curiosity, why do you have to win the Lottery for a 1.2GHz? The cost difference between a 900MHz and a 1200MHz isn't all that much, maybe $50 or so.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Lord General MB: Sir, Pawbroon, are you becomming Maximus by any chance? Teasing us, but never actaully giving us anything?? BTW.... almost forgot: WOWOWOOOOWOWOWOOOW<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> What is it that I never give you?

Not to look too deep into his thinking, but his first post of utter bull**** was anti-Liberal. Kinda makes you wonder what that says for the Conservative way of thinking, doesn't it?

What's sad about the whole thing is is that the poor bloke takes the time to type all that out or takes the time to cut and paste which still takes time if the original material is broken up. Isn't he the one that posted all that Liberal Lingistic crap on the General Forum?

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Juju: Max, I believe they're Gunnergoz's, which are in turn based on mine.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Where are they at then, The Last Defense?

Yes, the scenario is The Last Defense. It shipped with the game along with the other two scenarios: Reisberg and Chance Encounter. The only scenario that didn't come with the game was Valley of Trouble from the Gold Demo and that was easily optainable. Talking about how much the game has been tweaked since the Beta Demo. The couple of times I've tried playing Reisberg again, I get my ass handed to me. From either side! [ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: Maximus ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mace: ..."tell him he has a surname that rhymes with"...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> "Ahem. Fun?" coughed Maximus. "But hey isn't Jeff Probst somewhere in town now? Let's drag him into the FAQ, that would be a true measure of Survival." So upon getting this idea, Herr Oberst decided to...

Well I don't know about the rough tile mod, but what tree bases are those?

Yes Schrullenhaft is correct. Even the new Radeons won't support Fog on PCs. It's an driver problem with DX. ATI cards are good for video in/out. ie video editing hence their All-in-One Wonder card. If you want an all around 3D card for gaming, best go with a Nvidia card such as a Geforce 2 of some sort.

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter Panzer: ...pssst, hey, kiwi joe... ...will the GTS give me pretty transparencies and enable "high quality" smoke/explosions? i want the good stuff... [ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: Peter Panzer ]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> A TNT2 will give you that. Basic solution: Get rid of that damn Voodoo card. Simple as that. And just as Kiwi Joe has said, my 64MB Geforce 2 GTS runs CM in 1280x1024 with 4X FSA and all hi-res mods just fine. [ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: Maximus ]

Well, I find this all kinda funny. I have usually just stayed with the original manufacture's drivers. I don't get into those Detonators drivers. With my last card, a TNT2, I stuck with the latest Diamond Viper driver from like Feb. 2000. With my new Geforce 2 GTS I just use the drivers that came with the thing and everything works fine.

OK, here's the basic run-down on the comparison between ATI cards and Nvidia cards. ATI cards are really good for Video Editing. ie TV in/out sort of stuff. 3D Accelerators second. In other words they weren't really meant to play 3D games. Of course they can, but they lack some of the more advanced features that an average Nvidia card has. ATI cards actually have Fog Table Emulation, but ATI hasn't/won't/can't release drivers that work in DirectX. It seems to work with Mac computers, but not on PCs. Nvidia cards are first and foremost 3D Accelerators. They usually have the most advanced features. I've had two Nvidia-based cards. My first was a 32MB D-Viper V770 TNT2 Ultra. My new one is a 64MB S/U/M/A/ Geforce 2 GTS SE (Pro) w/DDR memory. Both have supported Fog. Older Voodoo-based cards did not support Fog or transparencies either. Any card older than a Voodoo 2 did not support fog or transparencies. EDIT: Whoah! I just realized you said DirectX 6.0, you really need to upgrade to at least DirectX 7.0a. [ 06-01-2001: Message edited by: Maximus ]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Mace: "I'm warning you, MATE!!! If you mention them again, or the Bee Gees, or Peter Allan....I'll do you!!!! I'll do you slowly!!!!!!!!" As Mace ranted, the others....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> ...started singing along to "Mr. Roboto" by the STYX because they knew it would piss off Mace. As he knew AIR SUPPLY and STYX did a tribute album containing duets by both bands. However Mace started singing songs by NAZERATH like "Hair of the Dog". This really got the FAQ'ers going. Before long the FAQ'er were slinging musical insults at one another when all of a sudden... "Whoah, that was a terrible dream!" Mace declared. "All the FAQ'ers singing 70's rock songs at one another, GEEZ what the hell was I drinking last night?" With that Mace got out of bed and went to his kitchen to fix him some breakfast. He then went into his living room, turned on his TV and low and behold, there was all the FAQ'ers singing "We are the World" with the USA for Africa group. "AAAHHHH!" "What the Hell is going on???" At that moment, all the FAQ'ers on the TV said, "Smile Mace, you're on Candid Camera!" With that, Mace said, "....

Magua, I'm anxiously waiting some more of your uniform mods. I thoroughly enjoyed your Tommies. I can't wait to get your US uniforms. I wish you'd do German ones as well. The common Heer uniforms desperately needs a good make-over.