rec.autos.simulators

Read on  http://www.racesimcentral.net/  that there is a "patch" for CPR that
enables it to run in Glide mode on 3Dfx cards.  Apparently all that
was needed is a 50k .dll file, in which Microsoft excluded in order to
lock customers into the Direct3D garbage.

The company that coded the game (TRI) had it supporting Glide all
along and Microsoft just declined it, disabled it, and shipped without
it.

You can get the .dll here (just drop it into the CPR folder and it
will supposedly work):  

ftp://ftp.op3dfx.com/pub/game_patches/cart/Triglide.dll

Wanted to hear anyones first impression.  Any good?

Marc.
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of my e-mail address (Tyring to avoid junk mail)

I am curious if this really makes a difference. I would be afraid
it would be the same diff as the N2 3dfx patch.

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Header address intentionally scrambled to ward off the spamming hordes.

     <<Wanted to hear anyones first impression.  Any good?>>

     I tried it. First, the file I downloaded had an .exe extension, so I
had to change it to .dll because it was whorfed on Op3dfx's site. Just
download it into your CPR directory, change your graphics options to
Voodoo 3dfx and there it is...
     I noticed that objects in the distance seemed to remain and not come
in and out of view. Just FYI, I have all eye-candy turned on to the max.
The graphics didn't look terribly different from Direct3D, sadly. I only
played for a few minutes at one track (Portland), however, so this was
just an initial impression. It can't hurt to download it and try it,
anyway. I just need to give it more time to play, though...
     Nick
_______________________________________________________________

#6, #99 & #94 in the quest for the Cup
SCOA, 1994 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra #728
My home away from home... http://ntotoro.home.mindspring.com/
_______________________________________________________________

Maybe the people responsible for posting this patch at op3dfx.com (Sander
Pillon, Jeremy Allford, Tony Gaylord) should just walk into MS and take over
the board of directors since they care so much about us. I've had the Glide
patch for a few months so please, no one try and tell me what a service they
have done. I know exactly what the differences are between Glide and D3D. If
these men want to make decisions for a company, they should earn a few
dollars and start their own.

Dave

I have it, and will try it tonight.......I'm curious to see if the frame
rates are any better or worse......as well as the visual quality. I've got a
300mhz PII and Diamond Monster 3D, and I turn everything on to the
max.....I've never gotten what I think would be an excellent frame rate
given my system configuration. average rate is in the low 20's.......I'll
see what the new glide support does for me.

Craig Marcho
http://www.cmpu.net/public/marcho/

So what you're saying is is that possibly got leaked out?  This is not an
official patch?  If it's a beta I can understand, but it sounds like (since
you've had it for a few months) those of us on this end all got screwed.  I
could have been enjoying CPR in Glide all this time...  that really sucks on
Microsoft's part...

Pete Hawk

What really get's me is that it's such a tiny dll file!  (50k!)

    So - as was posted earlier, it sounds as though Glide was built into the
game - and then removed.  A simple ".dll" file is no patch - is it?
(experts, experts?).  Someone said they dropped the patch in the CPR
directory, and bam, a 3Dfx option apprears in one of the menus.

Hmmmmmm...............boy, I can not wait to get home from work.

Huk_Phin

I may not have been as clear in my original post as I'd like to be. The
people at op3dfx .com had no right to make this file public. I had the file
because I beta tested. I'm a million miles away from being in a position to
make decisions for MS. So is 3dfx.com.  I only run my own company. There are
others, and web sites, who could of released the file but chose not to
because it simply was not their decision to make. If someone hacked into the
op3dfx web site and edited it to say what the hacker wanted, the same people
responsible for the file publication would be pissing their pants.

Dave

While this is all true, at the same time Microsoft is far from
blameless in this issue. It appears that the Glide support is actually
programmed into the game, works fine, improves performance, and was
removed for the purely POLITICAL reason of Microsoft not wanting to
admit that Glide is better (faster) than D3D. They even said as much
on this forum, that the Glide version was no faster, a claim which
from early testing results of this "patch" seems to be a bald faced
lie.

Joe

I am not a beta tester of any kind and I'm the one that decided to give OP3dfx
the file and no other web site. I think they had every right to post the
patch/file. As owners of CPR we have every right to this damn file. The file was
there in the beginning until MS released the game. Its Microsoft's bullshit
tactics that really convince me that 'everyone' should have this file that wants
it.

Tony Gaylord - Portland, OR

It appears that the Glide support is actually

Joe -- You're not actually saying that Microsoft, the caring, helpful,
brave, thrifty and reverent presence that's ALWAYS helping people out in
this NG, and working night and day to make CPR into the "best racing sim
ever", would be so crass and mean-spirited as to actually DISABLE a part
of its software so that the happy, satisfied, MS customer would be
unable to enjoy the "free market choice" MS so fervently praises as it
tries by every means to protect its own monopolies?

Quel horror!

Say it ain't so. I'm sure David Fisher has a perfectly logical
explanation for Microsoft's actions in this matter:

"there is a "patch" for CPR that enables it to run in Glide mode on 3Dfx
cards.  Apparently all that was needed is a 50k .dll file, in which
Microsoft excluded in order to lock customers into the Direct3D garbage.
The company that coded the game (TRI) had it supporting Glide all
along and Microsoft just declined it, disabled it, and shipped without
it."

Maybe there is something dangerous in Glide that the ever-altruistic
Microsoft wants to protect its valued customers from. Whattaya say,
David -- you have all the answers...

Bart Brown

Bart Brown

;)

- Matt

Yes, you guessed right. There are two co.'s A real estate investment co. and
a mortg./business loan co. They told me if I hang out here on r.a.s. and
argue with people like you about racing sims, they would give me a 2 year
old copy of MS Money for FREE. So here I am.

Dave