Windows XP and Audigy Card

[Dynablue 1]

After installing a clean copy of XP and OFP, updating to 1.3 and running the game I noticed that the gunshots were almost non-existant. I went to the controls and jacked up the effects to max and still got barely any sound. Disabling the Hardware Acceleration restored sound to the proper levels again. I am using the latest Creative XP drivers for the Audigy card.

I have also noticed that under XP OFP claims my sound hardware can't make sounds when I try to configure VON through preferences. VON never worked for me in Win98SE but at least I was able to set it up without errors.

[WisdoM 1]

This is just a theory, and may have no warrant. But if you think about it Hardware Acceleration, has to, remove, Disable, or lower settings on something that hogs RAM and CPU power, in order to "accelerate" So in theory t may do somethign to the sound. I'm not sure though, as good sound cards(or do all?) have their own Processor and don't reall rely on the actual CPU.

[Rochambeau 0]

Finally, something I can contribute!  

I recently got the a computer with Audigy & XP and there appears to be a bug between the OS and the Audigy.  

As you say, it involves the hardware acceleration and it is showing up on many systems that have this card and XP. Turning your hardware acceleration down to 1 notch above minimum will enable you to run the voice setup.  I have read that you can then turn the acceleration back to full bore.  HOWEVER, I have not been able to get the VON to work if I turn it back to full setting so I have left it where it was at 2.

This problem is most apparent on Voice over IPs (it causes the user to not hear or be heard in any OFP game) and I first read about it in the Microsoft GameVoice forum (I don't use GV but a friend pointed it out to me).  The link to that discussion is:  

http://www.gamevoice.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001691.html

I have also read about it in the Audigy ng hosted by Creative.  The news server for that is:  news.creativelabs.com.  All of their products are listed there as separate groups.

After pounding my head against the wall for days, I finally got VON working and I am back playing with my buds online.

It is interesting to note that while I was serving a game all the other players could hear each other but I couldn't hear anyone and nobody could hear me.

I look forward to the day when they fix the problem but will have to settle for reduced hardware acceleration till then.

If anyone else can add anything to this, please do as I would like to learn more about it as well.

Hope I was able to help.

For what it is worth, my setup:

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System Information

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Time of this report: 12/19/2001, 19:22:22

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition (5.1, Build 2600) (2600.xpclient.010817-1148)

System Manufacturer: Magnell

System Model: MS-6380                        

BIOS: AMIINT - 10

Processor: AMD Athlon XP 1900+

Memory: 512MB RAM

DirectX Version: DirectX 8.1 (4.08.01.0810)

Audigy Platinum w/latest drivers (5.12.01.0134)

NVIDIA GeF3 Ti500 (5.13.01.2183)

OFP 1.3

[Mister Frag 0]

By the way, my friends and I have gotten used to always toggling VoN off and back on every time someone joins or leaves the game. You usually can't hear all of the people (or they can't hear you) unless you do that.

You may want to try that the next time some people can't hear you...

[Rochambeau 0]

Oh yeah, "Cycle Caps Lock" is our battle cry!  

[Rochambeau 0]

I just got this response from Creative:

_____________

This is a problem with the DirectX drivers and our card. The Sound Blaster Audigy does not allow DirectX to drive our card. You can fix this problem by doing the following:

DxDiag->Sound Tab->DirectX Features Box->Hardware Sound Acceleration Level Slider Control

Moving the slider to the left .

This will lower the hardware Accel. of in DirectX. This will not effect the performance of the card since the card does not allow DirectX to control it. This should fix your problem.

__________________

[Mister Frag 0]

How can those guys put out a brand-new card and have it not support DirectX? :confused:

That's why I will never buy another Creative Labs product -- I've had extremely negative experiences with my Sound Blaster cards and a TNT2 Ultra 3DBlaster that was unstable at the default clock speed (it had to be underclocked to keep it from locking up). CL was unresponsive and would not even consider replacing the video card.

[Rochambeau 0]

I will admit that I have very little knowledge or experience when it comes to sound cards.  

I kind of assumed that they just feel they came up with something better, but that is an assumption based on...  well, nothing...  

I can say, though, that I just love this card.  CDs played through this thing sound tremendous as do my games.  I ran it through my "Dark Side of the Moon" test and the sound was better than I get from my Pioneer DVD/CD player home unit (in both cases run through the amp and with some killer headphones attached).

Additionally, the Audigy Platinums have every input/output imaginable.  I just love to connect stuff!  I can have my computer's speakers and amp plugged in at the same time while still having headphones and a mic plugged into the front panel with volume knobs on each one.  I wanna buy a midi-keyboard at the after Christmas sales just so I can plug it in to the computer and have some fun.  And I don't play piano, just always wanted to learn.  

I did find their phone support lacking but I liked their online "message board" style one-on-one service.  While you can't solve a problem in one sitting that way, the guy who I started with passed the problem on to someone more knowledgeable on the subject which was nice and too rare IMHO.  The response I got took about 36 hours total of back and forth (about 3 or 4 message from me with 3 or 4 responses from them).  Even after my initial not-so-friendly message to them after suffering through HOURS of frustrations.

I am not trying to imply that they are super fab with customer service, too may other people's experiences contradict that.  I am just saying that so far they have been adaquete.

To summarize:  I would say this:  Sound is super killer and I LOVE all the inputs and outputs available on the Audigy Platinum.  Just make sure you get a big case to fit it all.

[Ronbo256 0]

I also own an audigy card, the mp3+ version, the sound is awesome, the only problem I experienced is that the XP drivers for it are unstable, make sure to install the drivers off of the cd and then do the CL XP upgrade.  This is easily the best sounding  99$ sound card I have ever owned. It replaced a awesome Aureal SQ2500, and I consider the audigy to be superior in every way except one, the lack of a toslink connector on the board, oh and did i mention the gameport cable is too short, it needs to be about twice as long to allow you to place it 2 slots away and run over the top of  another PCI card, because of irq limits in PCI slots on most motherboards.

(Edited by Ronbo256 at 9:20 pm on Dec. 21, 2001)

[Mr Z 0]

I wondered why the stupid Sound Hardware Wizard thingy was not working! but wouldn't reducing Hardware Acceleration for Sound impede other programs using DirectX?

(Edited by Mr Z at 4:02 am on Dec. 22, 2001)

OK can I turn the Hardware Acceleration back up after the Sound wizard has worked?

(Edited by Mr Z at 4:14 am on Dec. 22, 2001)

[Dynablue 1]

It might impede other programs if the Audigy card accepted DirectX input, but it appears from the earlier tech support request the the Audigy card does it's own thing irrespective of DirectX.

I now have a setup but still not working VON. My mike works fine with programs like Teamsound or Roger Wilco but I can't figure out why it doesn't like to work on VON. Any suggestions?

[Rochambeau 0]

I assume by no VON, you mean noone hears you & you hear noone? Then I don't know.

Like I said, personally I leave the Hard Accel down to 2. I have heard raising it back up will work but ya gotta do it each time you restart the game (hear that Mr. Z?).

Otherwise, my limited knowledge can only suggest that you make sure you are testing with multiple teamies, all of whom can hear each other.

After I solved the prob, I spent 2 more hours "fixing" what I thought was the same problem due to incorrect I/O setup.

And that is my 2-cents worth...

[Mr Z 0]

Ok I will leav it as it is! as sounds from windows and Baldurs Gate 2(can I type that in this forum?) work fine!

[Dynablue 1]

By no working VON I mean nobody can hear me when I talk and I don't hear anyone else when they talk. All other sounds in the game are working fine.

What is the exact procedure to use VON? Perhaps there is a step I'm missing.

[Mister Frag 0]

If you have gone through the Voice Setup in the OFP Preferences program, all you need to do is toggle voice communications on using the CAPS LOCK key.

You can choose different channels using the COMMA and PERIOD keys, but the default channel lets all players communicate, regardless of the side that they are on.

[Rochambeau 0]

The only additional caveat is to, as Mr. Frag mentioned earlier in the thread, is to be sure that everyone on VON turns their VON off and then back on every time someone else joins.

For example, if your buds are already connected, then when you join, they need to hit CAPS LOCK twice (once to turn off, once to turn back on).

Otherwise, noone will be able to communicate with the person that just joined.

Merry Xmas all.