GMAN and Others Worryed about Tracers.

[Chalenge]

Yes. USB 3.0 ports in monitor and I am using one of them. Don't really need it if it's a problem. I can disconnect the USB cable to the monitor.

Another question. Why am I experiencing this only in AH3 but not AH2 if it's a sound card issue?

Until hitech or Skuzzy tell us more about AH3 I don't think anyone but they can tell us why you are experiencing what you are.

[JunkyII]

Kind of sounds like a runaround to make something look right... that should just look right...

Reading all these comments and then taking a look for myself....yep your right.

[Pudgie]

Shallenge, Is this the sound card you're using?

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Blaster-Audiophile-Performance-Headphone/dp/B00AQ5PK6I?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

It appears the X-Fi extreme gamer I have offers 3Dprocessing. I found several old eviews that say it has CMSS-3D technology.  I use it with a a Logitech X-540 5.1 speaker system and seemed to have good 3d surround sound with my old XP system. It may be an issue with the Windows 7 drivers. Need to work with that a little.

If I need a new card it looks like this one is the least expensive that offers 3D processing.   http://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

I'm not ready to buy anything yet. Just considering my options. My first priority will probably be a video card upgrade.

Hi Condor,

On the sound card you're using, it will sound different w\ 3D sound positioning in Win XP vs Win 7 due to Win XP having Directx's DirectSoundAPI being embedded in Win XP in which Directx could do 3D sound positioning using the sound card's DSP (data signal processor) but since MS Vista the basic sound processing core was changed in the OS to WDDM 1.x and this change rendered Directx's DirectSoundAPI obsolete so any sound card since then has to use a software solution to do 3D sound positioning w\ EAX (this was done on the CPU, not sound card DSP). It is here when the Asus Xonar series was developed to fill this gap (can't remember the software that Asus developed to reproduce EAX) and Creative came up w\ Alchemy to compensate for this loss. Starting w\ a few of the latest Creative X-Fi chips but going mainstream w\ the SB Z series Sound Core 3D 4-core DSP is where Creative has brought back the sound card's onboard DSP actually doing the true 3D sound positioning work instead of porting this work to the CPU due to the advent of Creative's SBX software suite in which Creative has perfected this for WDDM 2.x (the core sound processing of Win 7 and up). Creative's latest DSP is the high end SB-Axx1 Multi-Core DSP which can also perform 3D sound positioning onboard using the same Creative SBX software suite as well as high end, multi-concurrent sound streaming. This is the DSP that is being used in the $399.99 SB X7 DAC-AMP and the $499.99 SB X7 Limited DAC-AMP.

In short, if good 3D audio sound positioning while gaming is important to you then you may consider an upgrade to the SB Z PCI-E sound card as Chalenge has hinted at. It is a great sound card (I also own 1 of these--the Zx model to be exact--as well and can attest to it) for the money and it's Sound Core 3D DSP is specifically tuned to optimize 3D audio sound and positioning effects from the hardware level of the sound card.

It may be that the new FMOD sound system being used in the Beta may need the later WDDM 2.x sound processing core to better produce it's sound but as Chalenge also stated, this is better answered by Hitech and Skuzzy than us.

Hope this helps you out.

 

[Condor]

I downloaded the latest drivers for my card and sounds are now where they should be. I'm not looking in the wrong direction for an oncoming tank. It's clear also, however, that I'm not getting the 3D surround sound effect that I had with the XP machine. I'll probably get the SB Z PCI-E.

Others have the same problem. I encountered two players to day who complained that I sounded like I was coming from the a different direction than my actual location. So it may be a bug or it just may be that a lot of us will need o upgrade sound as well as video cards.

[Pudgie]

I downloaded the latest drivers for my card and sounds are now where they should be. I'm not looking in the wrong direction for an oncoming tank. It's clear also, however, that I'm not getting the 3D surround sound effect that I had with the XP machine. I'll probably get the SB Z PCI-E.

Others have the same problem. I encountered two players to day who complained that I sounded like I was coming from the a different direction than my actual location. So it may be a bug or it just may be that a lot of us will need o upgrade sound as well as video cards.

Yeah, I believe there's more than 1 reason why Hitech changed out the sound system in the Beta from the Miles Sound System software suite that he used in AHII to FMOD Sound software suite.........

In due time they'll inform us on what we need to know to make better use of it.

 

[Chilli]

So far as for something looking "right", we choose to fiddle with the FOV, to make it "easier" to look around.   

I agree, that in a game where situation awareness is key to survival, realism comes in a close second in appreciation. 

So, I figure HiTech has left it up to us to juggle and find the best balance for ourselves.  Basically, giving us the number of options to customize, rather than a one size fits all setting, eventually bringing more customer satisfaction, not less.   

If there is a compromise in the "scale" of viewable objects (ie FOV) to enlarge the size of tracers and hit sprites, HiTech Creations would know the cost or benefit in terms of memory, or framerates or other consequences that these changes may bring.  In other words, they have more objects to juggle.... and I am certain they plan to serve their customers the "best" they see fit. 

[Pudgie]

As an aside to what I posted earlier concerning 3D sound,

Several mobo manufacturers are starting to offer\use Creative's Sound Core 3D DSP and Creative's SBX studio as the core for their onboard 3D sound solutions (such as Gigabyte, as this X99M-Gaming 5 micro-ATX mobo has this very DSP onboard but since I have Creative's SB X7 DAC-AMP I disabled it) so if a platform upgrade is in your horizons you might consider the onboard sound solution that is being offered on the mobo as an option.

Also, if anyone is interested, Creative has just developed a new external USB DAC-AMP called the SoundBlaster X that is using the current high end SB-Axx1 DSP and new SBX suite strictly designed for gaming touting full 3D audio and 3D audio positioning capability in 7.1 to pair up w\ Creative's new SoundBlaster X 7.1 gaming headset.

http://www.soundblaster.com/

 

[Condor]

As an aside to what I posted earlier concerning 3D sound,

Several mobo manufacturers are starting to offer\use Creative's Sound Core 3D DSP and Creative's SBX studio as the core for their onboard 3D sound solutions (such as Gigabyte, as this X99M-Gaming 5 micro-ATX mobo has this very DSP onboard but since I have Creative's SB X7 DAC-AMP I disabled it) so if a platform upgrade is in your horizons you might consider the onboard sound solution that is being offered on the mobo as an option.

Also, if anyone is interested, Creative has just developed a new external USB DAC-AMP called the SoundBlaster X that is using the current high end SB-Axx1 DSP and new SBX suite strictly designed for gaming touting full 3D audio and 3D audio positioning capability in 7.1 to pair up w\ Creative's new SoundBlaster X 7.1 gaming headset.

http://www.soundblaster.com/

 

Is this it?

http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x7

Thanks for the info. Sounds nice but $400 is out of my price range. Of course I realize your not saying it's necessary.

My concern is; what will be necessary? I was ready to shell out $100 for an SB Z but when I read comments such as "It may be that the new FMOD sound system being used in the Beta may need the later WDDM 2.x sound processing core to better produce it's sound but as Chalenge also stated, this is better answered by Hitech and Skuzzy than us." I'm not sure what to do other than wait.

I did some searching for WDDM 2.x but failed to find anything other then references to the windows display driver model which seems to apply to graphics, not sound. So how does this apply to sound processing and is it incorporated into any reasonably priced sound cards?

 

[Chalenge]

What I was commenting about was that only hitech or Skuzzy can tell us why 3D positioning is not working on standard onboard chips, and anything else that is using software processing for 3D locations. I know for a fact that the Z series cards work perfectly.  The new SB-Axx1 is a further refinement of Core 3D, and the design is primarily an attempt to satisfy consumers across platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. I think that concerning SB-Axx1 that only the more expensive units come with 3D positioning capabilities, except for the standard software solutions built into the drivers.

I think I also already said that the Sound Blaster Z is the best solution concerning bang for buck.

[hitech]

I have no idea why it is not working. My guess would be something I'm doing in initialization for fmod or a bug in fmod. I simply have not had time to investigate it.

Please remember this is a beta, it is not my priority to make each release of beta work for you. It is my job to find out what the root cause of the issue is so I can fix the issue that is causing it not to work for you.

Please think of the beta as you giving me info on what is not working, rather then you trying to find a way to make the beta work for you.

HiTech

[Chalenge]

Actually, I think you have somewhere fixed half of the problem already just by moving to FMOD. I gave up on an older non-3D audio card (HT Omega), because I heard two tanks for every one tank actually in my vicinity. It had A3D and EAX, but it just didn't work well. Now I'm told the same thing about this card, but instead of two positions it is exactly like Condor and 715 in that the sound is offset 30-45 degrees to one side.

[Skuzzy]

If you are applying or forcing any type of sound processing, by the audio card, then you have successfully tainted the results you will get and made it nearly impossible for anyone to isolate any kind of issue.

The same goes for video.  Using anything other than the default installation options of the video card will taint the results.

You want to do all that after the game goes live, then knock yourselves out, but for the purposes of BETA, please leave everything in the computer at its defaults.

[Chalenge]

I was just thinking the same thing, like Crystal enhancements, 5.1, Dolby, and so on? Some of these guys may not even know they are using it.

[Condor]

I was just thinking the same thing, like Crystal enhancements, 5.1, Dolby, and so on? Some of these guys may not even know they are using it.

I admit to being one of those guys who doesn't know what he is using. I did set the card for 5.1 because it worked great with AH2 using my old XP machine but I have learned form this forum that the world has changed since XP more than I realized.

I just reset my card to the defaults and will see if that makes any difference.

Chalenge, I appreciate all your help. Please don't think I'm not "listening".  I may not have the SBz yet but I've followed a number of suggestions you have made and am pleased with the results.

[LCADolby]

I don't mess with dynamic superduper res, but I do have 1440p and 4k monitors, and can attest to the fact that the higher the res goes over 1080p, the smaller/tougher the tracers are to see, both the dot/flare and the smoke trail.  They are very tough to pick up at 1440p on a 27" monitor, I can't imagine on a larger panel at 4k/DSR them being anything but nearly invisible right now.  Tracers off will be a popular option I think, for higher res players.

I've never seen a trail from the tracers, I thought that was how this new version was supposed to be...